Israel Matzav: Israel moving closer to military action against Iran

Sunday, November 06, 2011

Israel moving closer to military action against Iran

With the IAEA report on Iran's nuclear weapons development program due out this week (more on that below), Israel is taking the role of warning everyone that the time to stop Iran is running out.

President Shimon Peres - the father of Israel's alleged nuclear program - told Israel's Channel 2 this weekend that Israel is closer to military action against Iran than it is to a diplomatic solution.

Let's go to the videotape.

The article I'm going to excerpt below refers to an interview Ehud Barak did with the BBC. I didn't find that one, but here's one he did with CNN on Friday in which he talks about the possibility of military action against Iran.

Let's go to the videotape.

And why is everyone suddenly talking about a military strike on Iran? It's the IAEA report that's due out later this week. Here are some of the latest things it's said to contain.

A report by the UN nuclear watchdog this week will support allegations that Iran built a large steel container for carrying out tests with high explosives that could be used in nuclear weapons, sources briefed on the document disclosed over the weekend.

The International Atomic Energy Agency obtained satellite pictures of the container at Parchin, near Tehran, and other evidence that lent credence to allegations by IAEA member states that the installation was intended for nuclear-related explosives testing, the sources said.

The IAEA will also reveal evidence that Iran carried out computer modeling of a nuclear weapon, one source said.

Western diplomats said the eagerly-awaited report will strengthen suspicions that Tehran is seeking to develop the capability to make atomic bombs, but stop short of explicitly saying it is doing so.

...

President Shimon Peres on Friday said that he believes Israel is closer to employing the military option in dealing with Iran’s nuclear program than it is to finding a diplomatic solution to the threat.

In an interview with Channel 2, the president suggested that the media speculation about a possible attack on Iran may have some basis in truth.

“Intelligence services in many countries are looking at the clock and warning their leaders that not much time remains,” he said. “I do not know if these world leaders will act on this advice.”

Iran could be as close as six months from becoming nuclear armed, and it is Israel’s role to warn the world of the danger, Peres said. He suggested that the speculation about an attack on Iran may be a way of reminding the world of the Iranian threat.

“Iran is nearing atomic weapons and in the time left we must turn to the world’s nations and demand [they] fulfill their promise... which is not merely passing sanctions. What needs to be done must be done, and there is a long list of options.”

Earlier on Friday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel’s position on Iran has not changed, despite recent Israeli media reports of a possible strike.

“I propose we wait and see the IAEA report,” Barak said, adding that he believes that if the UN nuclear watchdog will be “daring enough to say bluntly what they know about [Iran’s] nuclear program,” the world will understand the Iranian threat is international.

Speaking in an interview with Stephen Sakur of the BBC, the defense minister repeated Israel’s position that Iran must be prevented from obtaining nuclear weapons, and that no options should be taken off the table to that end.

A senior military official told CNN on Friday that the United States fears that Israel may be preparing a strike on Iran.

The US was “absolutely” concerned about a potential Israeli attack, and the US military was “increasingly vigilant” of activities in both Israel and Iran that could indicate military intentions, the senior official said.

The official also said that while the US had no intention of striking Iran, it was uncertain that Israel would inform America of its intentions, should it choose to take out Iran’s nuclear facilities. Such an operation would be difficult, the official said, because Iran has “top notch” air defenses.

A senior US military official said on Friday that Iran had become the biggest threat to the US.