Posted on 07/04/2008 2:15:22 AM PDT by Schnucki
Less than a year ago, diplomats in the Middle East were taking bets on the likelihood of a US military attack on Iran, with some assessing it at higher than 50 per cent.
Those odds subsided after the National Intelligence Estimate, the co-ordinated view of US intelligence agencies, concluded in December that Iran had halted its weapons programme in 2003.
But now the betting is back on.
As Tehran has accelerated its uranium enrichment programme instead of suspending it, speculation has mounted that Israel is preparing to do the job itself, possibly even before the US presidential elections in November.
Suspicions were fuelled by recent Israeli military manoeuvres over the Mediterranean, which some US officials described as target practice for an Iran strike.
Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, flew to Israel over the weekend for meetings with defence officials. Although the Pentagon said little, some analysts interpreted the trip as a show of American concern over Israel's plans for Iran.
The official Israeli line remains that the government supports the diplomatic process and that Iran is a problem for the world, not only for Israel.
"If you want to do it you don't talk about it," says one Israeli official. The same official also says that Ehud Olmert, the prime minister, has "adamantly requested that we all shut up".
(Excerpt) Read more at ft.com ...
But the world isn’t nervous over Iran’s threats....... or the Muslim threat......
Hmm. Iran won’t let anyone look at its nuke operations. Ahmadinejad says he’ll blow Israel out of existence.
What’s the question?
Without even reading the posts following this story... the first thing that comes to mind is that the FT is from Singapore (am I right?) and that Singapore is about half muslim ( I think).. I am known to be stupid on international things...
Also, the ‘WEST’, not including the U.S.A. .. Are totally against ‘JEWS’... (recently there are several countries that are coming to their senses..), thinking that they are a totally selfish ‘tribe’.. (I myself am Baptist, not Jewish)...
Now,, who has the most true history here? Who owned the land first?! Who is claiming that the land is theirs?!?
ok... to get on point.. Israel’s threat?!? They are only trying to protect themselves from those insane suicide bombers.. I’m not Jewish, but at least I respect their beliefs... and I think that they are only protecting their selves... and the innocent civilians that live there.
I say, ‘more power to them” and eliminate the muslim threat.
>>
Israel’s threat to strike makes world nervous
<<
The MSM is not nearly as worried about Iran’s nukes, as if after they successfully test a few and build up a good inventory that Iran will just behave like every other rational state seeking to only protect its borders.
Folks, its 1938 all over again.
Israel needs to consider it’s own national interests in its reaction to Iran’s threat to “erase Israel from the map”, and must not allow itself to be restrained by European and American interests. To Europeans, and far too many Americans, the Iranian threat seems remote, of no great importance, and is best handled by endless negotiations. After all is said and done, if Iran attacks and destroys Israel, it will be easy to say “Oops, sorry, guess we were wrong”, AGAIN.
For Israel the threat is not remote, its existential, and Israel MUST attack Iran if it thinks it necessary. The truth is that, despite the reluctance of Europe and America to take this threat seriously, the threat is not against Israel alone. Defending Israel is not only a geo-political issue; its a moral issue. The coming confrontation with the insane ideology of Islamic fascism must be faced by the entire western world. If Israel is pushed to the brink and is forced to attack Iran, American forces should be there with the Israeli forces, side by side.
Agree. Israel cannot accept this threat and MUST strike Iranian targets before the end of the year, when the uranium enrichment program reaches “critical mass”. It is most likely that they will decide to do this before the US election, and the earlier the date, the longer they can count on strong US support. I expect a strike within the next sixty days.
It’s interesting to note that we just passed the anniversary of Israel’s strike against Iraq’s Osirik reactor. If “time of year” factors played any part in that decision, NOW might be the best time to go.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.