Rumors Of War

U.S. 'Convinced' Israel Set To Pounce On Iran

Channel 2's veteran Middle East analyst Ehud Yaari, who is back from a trip to the U.S., said Friday night that an Israeli attack on Iran can be expected in October.

"I will give you an impression," he told anchorman Danny Kushmaro onChannel 2 TV's Ulpan Shishi, "and this is just an impression, but it is a strong impression, after conversations with the people one needs to talk with about this matter."

"My impression is that the Americans are convinced that there is very high chance that Israel will decide to attack in Iran before the elections in the U.S.," Yaari stated.

"The date that they are talking about – they say that the prime minister will have to make a decision around October. They are getting ready for a possibility like that in the sense that they have to decide what they will do if there is one response or another by Iran, in the follow-up stage."

"But when you talk to them, they talk about [an Israeli strike] almost as a given – as a clear, unassailable fact."

Netanyahu, Obama Aide Discussed Possibility Of Iran Strike, U.S. Official Says

The U.S. national security adviser has shared with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the United States' contingency plans for a possible attack on Iran.

According to a senior American official, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon briefed Netanyahu on the plans during Donilon's visit to Israel two weeks ago. According to the official, who requested anonymity, Netanyahu hosted Donilon at a three-hour dinner. For part of the time, Israel's national security adviser, Yaakov Amidror, was on hand.

Donilon sought to make clear that the United States is seriously preparing for the possibility that negotiations will reach a dead end and military action will become necessary. He said reports of such preparations were not just a way to assuage Israel's concerns.

In any case, the secretary of the U.S. Air Force, Michael Donley, told the Capitol Hill Club last week that the force's new bunker buster bombs were ready for use if needed. In recent months, the bombs have undergone technical improvements.

The bombs, each weighing 15 tons, would be intended for fortified bunkers deep underground where chemical or nuclear weapons are stored. This would include the uranium enrichment facility deep inside the mountains near the Iranian city of Qom.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has been informed of the lack of progress in talks with the Iranians at a meeting with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. Ashton is holding talks in Brussels with Iran as the representative of the six powers: the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany

Lieberman told Ashton that the stalled talks proved that the time had come to move from talk to action to stop Iran. Ashton, who is to meet in the coming days with the head of Iran's negotiating team, Saeed Jalili, told Lieberman she had not given up on diplomatic efforts.