WORLD / Middle East
Israel official: Strike on Iran possible
(AP)
Updated: 2006-11-10 22:53
JERUSALEM - The deputy defense minister suggested Friday that Israel
might be forced to launch a military strike against Iran's disputed
nuclear program - the clearest statement yet of such a possibility from a
high-ranking official.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert delivers a speech during a session in
the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, in Jerusalem, Monday, Nov. 6 2006. As
the ongoing Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip draws growing
international criticism, Olmert said the military would press on. [AP]
"I am not advocating an Israeli pre-emptive military action against Iran
and I am aware of its possible repercussions," Deputy Defense Minister
Ephraim Sneh, a former general, said in comments published Friday in The
Jerusalem Post. "I consider it a last resort. But even the last resort is
sometimes the only resort."
Sneh's comments did not necessarily reflect the view of Israel's
government or of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said government spokeswoman
Miri Eisin.
Olmert, who was arriving in Washington on Sunday, said he was confident
in the U.S. handling of the international standoff over Iran's nuclear
program. The Bush administration and other nations say is a cover for
developing atomic weapons, but Tehran says the program is peaceful.
"I have enormous respect for President Bush. He is absolutely committed,"
Olmert said in an interview on NBC's "Today" show. "I know that America
will not allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons because this is a danger
to the whole Western world."
The United States and its European allies have proposed a raft of
sanctions to try to curb the country's nuclear development.
Israel sees Iran as the greatest threat to its survival. Hard-line
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for Israel's
destruction, and Israelis do not believe his claims that Iran's nuclear
program is meant to develop energy, not arms.
Israel crippled Iraq's atomic program 25 years ago with an airstrike on
its unfinished nuclear reactor. Experts say Iran has learned from Iraq's
mistakes, scattering its nuclear facilities and building some underground.
Sneh's tough talk is the boldest to date by a high-ranking Israeli
official. Olmert and other Israeli leaders frequently discuss the Iranian
threat in grave terms, but stop short of threatening military action.
Years of diplomacy have failed to persuade Iran to modify its nuclear
program so it can't develop weapons.
Top World News
� Elections may shift US Iraq war policy
� Democrats, newly in majority, face tests
� Iraqi official: War killed 150,000 civilians
� Expert says oceans are turning acidic
� Man kills 3, himself over fence dispute in US
Today's Top News
� China rejects reports of new bird flu strain
� Rice says US unfazed by China growth
� China expects $150b trade surplus
� Compensation order triggers debate
� Man registers "Yao Ming" sanitary pads
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
Learn Chinese, Chinese Mandarin, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet
No comments:
Post a Comment