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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Report: U.S. said no to Israeli strike on Iran |
| 2008-09-26 |
| The British newspaper The Guardian on Thursday quoted European officials as saying that the United States earlier this year refused to agree to an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. According to the report, "European diplomatic sources" said that "Israel gave serious thought this spring to launching a military strike on Iran's nuclear sites but was told by President George W. Bush that he would not support it and did not expect to revise that view for the rest of his presidency." The Guardian quoted the sources as saying that the issue was raised during a one-on-one meeting between Bush and outgoing prime minister Ehud Olmert during the American president's trip to Israel in May to mark its 60th anniversary. The sources reportedly attributed the American rejection of an Israeli attack to two factors: fear of Iranian retaliatory attacks on American targets, and concern that an Israeli strike would not successfully take out Iran's nuclear facilities, which are not concentrated in a single area, and some of which are subterranean. Haaretz reported earlier this month that the U.S. denied Israel a security aid package including "bunker-buster" bombs, permission to use an air corridor to Iran, and an advanced technological system out of concern that Israel would use it to attack nuclear facilities in Iran. An Israeli spokesman denied The Guardian report Thursday, saying that the "unnamed European source attributed words to the prime minister that were not spoken in any working meeting with foreign guests." But, spokesman Mark Regev told The Guardian, "The need to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is raised at every meeting between the prime minister and foreign leaders. Israel prefers a diplomatic solution to this issue but all options must remain on the table. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 "Israel gave serious thought this spring to launching a military strike on Iran's nuclear sites but was told by President George W. Bush that he would not support it and did not expect to revise that view for the rest of his presidency." In an ideal world: Dubya: "I don't want you to launch a military strike. If it needs doing, I'll do it after the election, and I'll take out their military and leadership at the same time. You can't hit enough targets simultaneously. I can." |
| Posted by: Darrell 2008-09-26 12:25 |
| #1 Iff RUSSIA is going to keep being anti-US bellicose and empowering a NUCLEAR IRAN despite recognizing that one day the same may turn agz Russia, who is Dubya to get in the way of a future RUSSO-IRANIAN NUCLEAR LOVER'S QUARREL??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-09-26 01:08 |