Thursday, January 19, 2023

Israel is Ready to Strike Iran’s Nuclear Program if Necessary — America Must Prepare to Work With It; Israeli Army Chief Claims Iran Can Make 4 Nuclear Bombs

REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Israel is ready to strike Iran’s nuclear program if necessary — America must prepare to work with it
Perhaps for the first time, an Israeli government is unified in its determination to prevent a nuclear Iran at all costs, presenting a truly credible military threat.
The last time there might have been a credible US military threat against Iran’s nuclear program was in 2003, when Iran paused elements of its nuclear program fearing America would attack after invading Iraq.
The last time there was a credible Israeli military threat against Iran’s nuclear facilities was probably in 2012, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened and considered striking. But he held off as the Obama administration publicly undermined the threat, there was dissension within the security cabinet and the Israeli security establishment opposed it.
The United States again undermined a credible Israeli military option — and pressure on Iran — when an anonymous senior Obama official in 2014 taunted Netanyahu as a “chickenshit” with “no guts” who missed his chance to attack. President Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal further undercut the chances for an Israeli strike. President Donald Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from that disastrous deal and staunch support for Israel offered a reset, but Israel wasn’t prepared, nor the United States, as Iran escalated its nuclear program. President Joe Biden’s determination to revise the nuclear deal further sidelined any military pressure.
In 2021, Israel’s new right-left government headed by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid threatened Iran and significantly upgraded Israeli military capabilities to back it up. But the coalition was weak, bound together only by antipathy to Netanyahu; it included a religious Muslim party, two far-left Zionist parties and a defense minister in Benny Gantz perceived as not hawkish on Iran and lacked a parliamentary majority. The political ingredients for military action against Iran were not there. --->READ MORE HERE
Israeli army chief claims Iran can make 4 nuclear bombs:
Outgoing chief of staff says army worked on 3 programs for strikes in Iran
Iran has amassed enough enriched nuclear material to make four bombs, according to Israel’s outgoing military chief.
"Iran today has enough enriched material to produce four nuclear bombs, three at 20% and one at 60%," outgoing Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi told reporters, Israeli Public Broadcasting Organization KAN reported Friday.
He added that over the last year the Israeli army prepared three programs to launch an attack in Iran, as a retaliatory strike, unrelated to the nuclear program, to destroy the nuclear facilities supporting the nuclear project.
"If it comes to entering a major battle, military sites and additional sites will be included in the list of targets," he said. "We have been engaged in accelerating preparations to attack Iran's nuclear facilities in recent years, and many other types of targets." --->READ MORE HERE
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