Posted on 12/21/2007 11:32:01 AM PST by mojito
I came back from a trip to Israel in November convinced that Israel would attack Iran," Bruce Riedel, a former CIA official and senior adviser to three US presidents, George W. Bush among them, told the American Newsweek magazine in an article published Friday.
Citing conversations he had in Israel with officials in Mossad and the Israeli defense establishment, Riedel concluded that "Israel is not going to allow its nuclear monopoly to be threatened."
While some US experts doubt Israel's ability to tackle Iran alone, David Albright, of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, was quoted by Newsweek as saying that although information on the exact location of Iran's nuclear facility is incomplete, Israel's air strike on an alleged Syrian nuclear facility on September 6, widely discussed in foreign media outlets, could be seen as a test run for any future strike on Iran's facilities, as well as a direct warning to Teheran.
Riedel told the magazine his impression that Israel would venture a strike on Iran on its own was formed before the publication of the joint US intelligence agencies' report, the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE). "This [the NIE] makes it [a strike on Iran] even more likely," he said.
Since the publication of the NIE, which reversed a previous American assessment by concluding that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, leaders worldwide have been adjusting their publicly stated positions on the Iranian nuclear issue.
Even inside the US, President Bush attempted some damage control by stating a day after the report's publication that "Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous and Iran will be dangerous."
In Israel, responses to the report ranged from subtle criticism of the report's conclusions to outright slamming of the US intelligence community's capabilities, so much so that on last Sunday's cabinet meeting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert instructed his ministers to refrain from commenting any further on the report.
In the international scene, Russia's decision to renew fuel shipments to Iran main nuclear facility at Bushehr was interpreted by many anlysts as stemming directly from the NIE's publication; another development possibly stemming from the report is Russia and China's hardened position on further sanctions against Teheran.
In Teheran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quick to capitalize on the NIE, calling it an "Iranian victory" and demanding that the United States publicly apologize for its previous bellicose stance.
Uzi Arad, a former Mossad official and adviser to opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu, told Newsweek that on a recent trip to Moscow, a Russian general poked fun at the naiveté of the NIE, commenting that if the Iranians had halted weapons development in 2003 it was partly because they were satisfied with progress there and wanted to devote investment to harder parts of the nuclear equation, like enrichment.
"The irony is that the effect of this report may be self-negating - by itself it will accelerate Iranian acquisition of nuclear weapons," Arad told the magazine.
Cool.
Dead women and children and young men, even if they are obstinate and deluded women and children and young men, is not cool.
‘Bruce Riedel, a former CIA official and senior adviser to three US presidents, George W. Bush among them, told the American Newsweek magazine in an article published Friday. ‘
I’ll just point out that isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of this guy’s ‘expertise’ given the results the CIA has produced for the the last SEVEN US President’s, George W Bush among them....
Gee, is it a ‘slam dunk’?
It’s interesting because the MSM (aka the Lamestream Media) does all it can to coddle and cozy up to the Buffoon from Plains (aka Jimmah Cartah) who royally screwed the pooch in the Middle East during the four agonizing years of his term by stabbing the Shah in the back, calling the Assahollah Khomeini a ‘godly man’ and turning Iran into an ENEMY of the United States (when previously, Iran had been our ALLY and a force for stability).
Were it not for Carter, Iran would not now be run by Islamofascist mullahs and thugs, threatening Israel and the stability of that region, and the entire world.
Funny we never hear anything about ‘why’ Iran turned into an enemy of the United States, when the reason is as plain as the fake chicklet-grin on Carter’s lying face.
Israel should do it.The US should provide them with satellite intelligence and bunker-buster ordnance.
I dont understand your comment.
I support Israel if they want to launch precision airtrikes against Iranian nuke sites. We are not talking about bombing civilians here
I’m not saying it can or can’t be done. We all know of the stories of collateral damage, etc.
What I’m saying is war is not a “cool” thing.
Even when it’s necessary, even when it’s successful, it is a tragic thing.
Just my opinion. Maybe I’m too old fashioned.
All Israel has to do is send someone to Iran and say “You want peace or war? You tell us.” If they want war, give it to them. If they want peace, give it to them. Get this crap over with.
I’m not a very religious person, but it sure seems to be unfolding an awful lot like the Bible said it would.
Maybe you are in the process of becoming a religious person.
If Israel eventually has to destroy 100% of the population of Iran in order to preserve itself from the genocidal reality of Islam for another decade, then I for one would not shed a single tear. They would have acted in self-defence.
The problem is that - if his entire country died - Ahmadinejad wouldn’t shed a tear either. His people would have died as besijji martyrs in the name of the Prophet. This is why almost no human cost is too high in order to stop Ahmadinejad’s type of fanatic from getting hold of nuclear weapons.
The US should provide them with satellite intelligence and bunker-buster ordnance.
We allready have.
Despite the fact that they act to the contrary, I don't think Iran is stupid enough to go to war with the U.S. simply because we eliminated their chance to get nuclear weapons... I would expect brinkmanship and a LOT of international heat, but no war...
by all means, indulge me... What will I be having for dinner tomorrow night. According to the King James version please...
You can selectively interpret the Bible to predict anything...including what you’ll be having for dinner tomorrow night.
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