Report: U.S., Israel weighing possibility of joint strike on Iranian nuclear sites
Despite the public histrionics in the run-up to the U.N. General Assembly meetings, both White House and Israeli officials assert that the two sides behind the scenes have come closer together in their views in recent days. While there may not be exact agreement on what constitutes a “red line” — a sign of Iranian progress toward the development of nuclear weapons that would trigger military action — the military option being advocated by the Israelis is considerably more limited and lower risk than some of those that have been publicly debated.
Indeed, according to a source close to the discussions, the action that participants currently see as most likely is a joint U.S.-Israeli surgical strike targeting Iranian enrichment facilities. The strike might take only “a couple of hours” in the best case and only would involve a “day or two” overall, the source said, and would be conducted by air, using primarily bombers and drone support. Advocates for this approach argue that not only is it likely to be more politically palatable in the United States but, were it to be successful — meaning knocking out enrichment facilities, setting the Iranian nuclear program back many years, and doing so without civilian casualties — it would have regionwide benefits. One advocate asserts it would have a “transformative outcome: saving Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, reanimating the peace process, securing the Gulf, sending an unequivocal message to Russia and China, and assuring American ascendancy in the region for a decade to come.”
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Don’t be silly – obama will never attack his muslim comrades in Iran.
Pork-Chop on October 9, 2012 at 12:38 PM
Lemme guess… right after the election when he has more flexibility?
Droopy on October 9, 2012 at 12:39 PM
Don’t do anything ahead of Nov.6
Schadenfreude on October 9, 2012 at 12:39 PM
Yes, Obama decided he needs a little help with votes. After four years of contempt for Israel, he suddenly has a change of heart.
INC on October 9, 2012 at 12:40 PM
Don’t fall for it Israel!
You’ll share your plan and DMPI’s and the US’ll “leak” them to the Press!
The US wants to strike, strike, just get a day and time.
JFKY on October 9, 2012 at 12:40 PM
october surprise
cmsinaz on October 9, 2012 at 12:41 PM
Yes, I hope Israel tells Obama to find another dog to way.
INC on October 9, 2012 at 12:41 PM
What a good idea… if your goal is to silence Iranian opposition, and rally the nation of Iran around its leadership.
JohnGalt23 on October 9, 2012 at 12:45 PM
The goal is limit nuclear options, not regime change…and your assumption is that this will unite them behind the leadership, please provide evidence that it will.
JFKY on October 9, 2012 at 12:47 PM
Come on Israel, do not do this before the election if possible. Bibi is way too smart to trust bho one bit on anything! Bibi needs to hang on till we try our best to get Mitt elected! Then Israel will have a friend again with Mitt as president!
bho wants/needs a major distraction, and this would be one! This would get some rop type countries all bent out of shape going after iran and they could do their riots, killing, burning of everything?
God be with you Israel.
L
letget on October 9, 2012 at 12:49 PM
See, America? I’m tough on terrorists! Vote for me!
-Obama
revolutionismyname on October 9, 2012 at 12:51 PM
Has the Nobel committee asked for their Peace Prize back yet?
UltimateBob on October 9, 2012 at 12:54 PM
Get ready for Hizbollah running around shooting up schools, malls, and hospitals in the US.
Akzed on October 9, 2012 at 12:55 PM
This needs to wait until Obama is gone. Obama is the enemy of Israel and they better know better than to trust the Muslim in Chief.
Axion on October 9, 2012 at 12:55 PM
I’m sure you mean TEA Party, not Hizb’Allah…thought there might be some more disturbing and imflammatory videos to provoke Muslims on YouTube.
JFKY on October 9, 2012 at 12:56 PM
Huff’n and Puff’n to make Barry look big before the next debate on Foreign Affairs.
The only reason Barry would be interested in doing something against Iran is that Iran is competition with the Muslim Brotherhood for influence in the Middle East.
Barry wants a Muslim Brotherhood lead Caliphate, not some Persian-style caliphate.
albill on October 9, 2012 at 12:58 PM
rogerb on October 9, 2012 at 1:00 PM
Are you kidding? The middle class in Iran is absolutely livid with leadership because of the crap they are doing to hurt them because of the sanctions that the west put on Iran. If anything is provoking hatred of the west it’s the sanctions. Iran has shielded the poor from the sanctions, but is sticking it to the middle class.
So instead of letting Israel tactically destroy the nuke facilities in a way that wouldn’t involve the average Iranian, Obama thinks it’s better to let the middle class become lower class citizens all while they are starting to develop more and more hatred for the west and the U.S., but hey, that’s Obama’s thing.
MobileVideoEngineer on October 9, 2012 at 1:03 PM
Mullahs better hope Barry doesn’t decide his re-election hopes require the tail to wag the dog.
Obama will do nothing about the Iranian nuke program unless he decides a raid would help his floundering campaign. If he comes to that conclusion, an attack is certain.
novaculus on October 9, 2012 at 1:09 PM
How do you spell “October Surprise”
clippermiami on October 9, 2012 at 1:15 PM
I know most folks here are ready to war with Iran but I have some questions.
1. What has Iran done to anyone here that makes you all want to go to war with them?
2. What has Iran done to subvert our Constitution and Bill of Rights that justifies going to war with them?
3. In what ways has Iran attacked us that justifies initiating a war witlatest?
4. According to the latest National Intelligence Estimate, Iran has not made a decision to pursue a nuclear weapon. Also, there has been no evidence that Iran has enriched any uranium beyond the limits permitted by the Non-Proliferation Treaty. What justification does the US have to initiate a war with Iran without any evidence that they have violated their treaty obligations?
antifederalist on October 9, 2012 at 2:14 PM
If the polls continue to slide for him the Dear Leader’s overriding goal will be to shift a million or so votes from R to D. The target of Wag the Dog is not important to him, nor are the long-term results. Libya looks like an transparent October stunt and is likely to backfire–and who are we striking anyway? A couple of guys’ houses? Syria could be the best bet, but if the regime is still in control of the military we will suffer losses–they have over 500 combat aircraft and a strong anti-aircraft system against maybe 150-200 attackers (say, one carrier air wing and two from Iraq/Turkey plus Turkish planes in range). Success is assured but the Syrians are guaranteed to shoot back, unlike Operation Kinetic Odyssey in Libya. Iran is very ambitious and has (from Obama’s POV) the severe taint of supporting Israel but if it delivers the votes of a sufficient number of idiots it would be worth it. Everything depends on those polls, however.
This is the kind of strategic thinking you get when you elect the likes of Soetoro. Erections have consequences, as they say in the Chicago bathhouses.
Forward.
spiritof61 on October 9, 2012 at 2:17 PM
You forgot that they have no further territorial demands in the Middle East, either.
I know, we’re part of the proooooblem.
spiritof61 on October 9, 2012 at 2:21 PM
Not strictly true is it…the 2007 NIE said they had suspened ed their design work, but continued entrichment and now the Agency says they have restarted the design work….and as to
At what point do you believe they ahve or will you wait until the first detonation at their Trinity site?
I don’t know tell me what Germany had done in 1941 or for that matter japan 1937-41…..and please point out to me where in the US Constitution where the ONLY causus Belli is “subversion of the Constitution or Bill of Rights?”
JFKY on October 9, 2012 at 2:29 PM
I can’t seem to recall the last time Iran invaded its neighbors for the purpose to annex territory.
antifederalist on October 9, 2012 at 2:33 PM
Can yuo recall the lst time it attempted subversion to overthrow and replace the GCC governments? I can…..
JFKY on October 9, 2012 at 2:36 PM
Do you recall the last time that phrase was famously used? (Hint: the speaker was lying.) Moral? Never trust a murderous tyrant. Ever.
spiritof61 on October 9, 2012 at 2:45 PM
They have enriched up to 20%, which is permitted by the NPT.
How about some credible evidence that they are close to developing a weapon and and delivery system and that they intend to use it against us. Does that evidence exist? Nope.
Nothing. And I wouldn’t be surprised if FDR enacted the oil embargo in order to goad Japan into attacking us.
Not in those words exactly. The Constitution authorizes Congress to provide a common defense for the states. Is Iran attacking us? Nope. Is Iran staging an attack against us? Nope. How specifically does Iran pose a credible threat against us? They are a poor third world country. They are an oil rich country that has to import gas because they lack the capacity to do so. They have no world class military, no fleet of nuclear subs that can attack us remotely, no nukes or ICBMs.
antifederalist on October 9, 2012 at 2:50 PM
A 10-15 kiloton ground burst in Tel Aviv could provide the evidence you need.
Patience, okay?
spiritof61 on October 9, 2012 at 2:55 PM
Failed analogy. Iran’s military isn’t doesn’t have 10% the capacity of the Nazi military machine. Iran fought an 8 year war with Iraq that ended in a truce. This is that same military that the US defeated twice in a matter of weeks in two separate wars.
antifederalist on October 9, 2012 at 3:01 PM
They SAY.
The “No True Scotsman” Argument…they are developing a host of ground-ground systems, that represent a threat to their oil-rich neighbors, you just don’t consider the evidence “Credible” or a “threat to our interests.”
Of course, becuase that’s what Ron paulians and Paleo-Cons like to believe, that Japan/Germany have to be landing on our shores to be a “threat” to us.
Were you alive in 1979, I was…when Iran got OPEC to DOUBLE oil prices? Do you not see a nuclear iran being that threat and larger? (Rhetorical question, because no of course you don’t, because that would require that you leave your cocoon of Paleo-Con/Libertarian/Justin Raiomondo Thought.)
JFKY on October 9, 2012 at 3:02 PM
Failed interpretation. “Never accept the word of an bloodthirsty, aggressive fanatic that his intentions are peaceful” would have been the correct analogy.
Good heavens.
spiritof61 on October 9, 2012 at 3:10 PM
I’m sure Mossed is capable of providing intelligence if Iran were imminently planning attack Israel.
antifederalist on October 9, 2012 at 3:14 PM
Did they take any offensive military actions against those countries?
antifederalist on October 9, 2012 at 3:19 PM
So if they overthrow the legitimate government of the nation involved, but don’t attack it’s OK? Let’s see your International Law degree.
JFKY on October 9, 2012 at 3:21 PM
Let’s see yours. By the way, do you take any issue with U S involvement in the overthrow of the Mohammad Mosaddegh?
antifederalist on October 9, 2012 at 4:28 PM
Really? Because Iran is geographically the size of Europe. Of course the “Nazi military machine” was able to break out of a country the small size of Germany, but once they hit all the borders of Europe and started to push East, I would say that yes, the Nazi military was about as effective as you obviously think the Iranian military is.
Iran fought for 8 years because the Iran-Iraq border is pretty notoriously bad from a military standpoint. Even on those parts of the border that are passable: thousands of miles of mined borders that the Iranian military infamously cleared with the lives of children who were ordered to march across. I mean, you might as well call WWI European armies “terrible” because trench warfare is ultimately a war of attrition without air support. Nevermind that the US couldn’t have done better back then. Nevermind that, for however bad the Iraqi military was, the US was routinely harassed by insurgents who didn’t have a fraction of US military technology or manpower, for about as long as the Iran-Iraq war.
The US would not be attacking Iran from the Iraqi border. So why are you comparing apples to oranges?
solatic on October 10, 2012 at 1:15 AM
Yes, Yes, and Yes.
Iran is attacking us / staging an attack against us by funding Iranian proxy paramilitary organizations. Some of these attack US troops in the Middle East on a daily basis; others, such as Hamas, attack US allies (not just Israel – Hamas smuggling trade in tunnels underneath the Egyptian border represents an attack on Egyptian border sovereignty); others, such as Hezbollah, train in Latin America and are actively involved with the drug trade (flaunting American law) and wars (claiming the lives of American border agents).
Iran has further credible threat against America by loading missiles with nuclear warheads into submarines off the Eastern or Western seaboards. Submarines, even with contemporary military technology, are virtually impossible to track and the US would get maybe a couple of hours of warning between the Iranian submarine starting to surface and the explosion of a nuclear warhead on American urban soil.
But even if you don’t buy the submarine argument, an Iran with nukes could easily bring a suitcase nuke into the US through the drug trade connections that it has established with Hezbollah and detonate it in a US city that way.
If you do not think these are threats, if you do not think that Iran has already declared war on the “Great Satan” and already committed acts of war, just because Americans are not dying on American soil, then God help you.
solatic on October 10, 2012 at 1:24 AM