Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is worried that Israeli will launch a preemptive, unilateral military strike on Iran within the next few months, according to David Ignatius of the Washington Post.
“Panetta believes there is a strong likelihood,” writes Ignatius, “that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June,” in an attempt to impede Iran’s quest to acquire nuclear weapons.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disagrees with U.S. assessments that Iran’s nuclear program is civilian in nature and doesn’t want to risk Israeli security waiting for America to bomb Iran, which U.S. officials have said they won’t do under current circumstances.
“President Obama and Panetta are said to have cautioned the Israelis that the United States opposes an attack,” writes Ignatius, favoring instead a harsh set of economic sanctions as punishment for not building nuclear weapons.
“The Obama administration is conducting intense discussions about what an Israeli attack would mean for the United States: whether Iran would target U.S. ships in the region or try to close the Strait of Hormuz; and what effect the conflict and a likely spike in oil prices would have on the fragile global economy.”
While U.S. officials reportedly believe that Israel has not made a final decision to attack, the prospect of war is as close as ever.
If Iran won't take the bait and fire on a US warship, then Israel will be forced to bomb Iran so the US can "reluctantly" come to the aid of their sole friend in the Middle East. What could be any more transparent?
Do you think the world will sit by and allow Israel to be the BIG BULLY .
The world watched at NATO murdered the people of Libya. The world watched as the IDF murder the people of Gaza. The world watched as the IDF invaded Lebanon. Of coursed the world will watch because the USA will bomb anyone who gets in the war of a good war for profit.
Israel is the little boy who can't help playing with matches – in other people's homes. US is the daddy who claims it's not his job to watch him.
so what will china do when israel takes away thier oil supply….
and what will we in the USA do when gas prices spike up to $5/gal…
and we know for fact that the US gov has guaranteed israel oil for 5yrs..
we suffer..
stay tuned for hell to freeze over
Well, apparently the two terrorists agree on this one. Ha'aretz had the same article a few days ago, citing their own warmonger talking head.
Lets think here for a moment.., if Israel attack Iran then Iran would attack Israel and if Saudis get involved letting Israeli plains flying through their air space then they will get hit and if Israelis get any kind of assistant by the US then Iran will attack US facilities both in UAE and Kuwait and elsewhere in middle east. Then Turkey being a NATO member get its orders to retaliate attacking Iran where Syria and Iraq would help Iran and attack Turkey. Off course Afghanistan one way or the other would be involved because there are all kind of western armies hiding there. Russia would start negotiating so as China for all parties to stop, but Israel will not so they need to get something done either to side with Iran and Syria and Iraq or just let Iran, Syria and Iraq have it. But thats not the end of the war, by now Lebanon and Palestinians are armed and attacking Israel so as Egyptians, Syrians and Jordanians who are against US-EU and Israel dominance in the region, here EU will send its troops to protect Israel.., making the story short the western and Israel politicians need to see a high level psychiatrist or change their present medication.., I mean for all parties involved especially Saudis, UAE, USA, EU, England and come to their senses and boycotting
Israel with all they got before is to late.., unless they, US-EU-Russia-China, afraid that Israel might attack them with their nuclear bomb saying that it is Iranian who doing it. Anyhow I think they should send their patient (Israel) to that high level psychiatrist making sure that Israel is chained allover and by all means.
I'm amazed Antiwar.com would run such a headline. The US "opposes" an Israeli strike but, gee, they get to do whatever they want, right?
After all, Israeli-firsters play a critical role in our elections, the spin machines which generate 'American news', our financial industry, and a few other sectors of our economy/culture we needn't mention. Meanwhile, Washington funnels them money, advanced weapons and diplomatic cover without interruption so what's the big deal?
All the Israelis are planning is to orchestrate an enormous war crime using American resources that could destabilize the entire world. Economic ruin. Many thousands of innocents dead.
So?
Question is are you Americans doing anything about it? Little nation of Timbuktu has more rallies than you do.
Part of their problem is most Americans are only interested in their NFL, cheerleader and beer.
May be very unpleasant for Iraqis, but not much the US can do about it. Israel has six million reasons to look out for number one; so be it. Law of the jungle always rules.
Your form of downhomethruth (the law of the jungle) just excused Nazi Germany for the Holocaust.
The Irish lost 5,000,000 to the famine. The rich bankers of Europe provided nothing to help. Ireland is a nation of peace and from the Irish who severed in the USA military it is clear there were and are great warriors of Irish blood. Ireland does not attack others to steal their land. Ireland does not look to the past and play victim. Ireland does not look for handouts because of past suffering. Happy to be Irish.
But what reason does America have to look out for Israel? Zero.
Which probably means there won't be a strike in any of those months because the Iranians will be ready for it. This is PsyOps warfare. They are trying to pschye the Iranians out. There is no way they would go public (at the highest levels no less) with this sensitive information if it were true, when the element of surprise is needed.
Be serious. This is exactly the same game that they placed to get us into wars. What Israel wants is the USA to put its kids on the line but Israel will profit greatly by elimination of the only nation which has Israel in check. Israel needs the water of Lebanon because the people of Israel are wasteful people. They came to a desert and they planted trees. They crowed how great are we. When the trees destroyed the water table of the desert they look at who they could steal water from.
Greed is the basic nature of empire Israel.
They're playing tickle the dragon hoping to cash in on high oil prices; but once the shooting starts, all bets are off.
israel and amerika, two fascist brothers, dancing together down the slippery slope into the abyss ! they will not be missed !
Please do it..and watch the Zionist entity finally get what it has coming to it. The world is sick and tired of the terrorists running Israel into the ground, but now it may be too late for the decent people in Israel living among the psychopaths. Should this really happen, pray that Israel does not use a nuke, because this will end Israel period, and for good.
Petrol prices and resulting food prices will be soaring. We are all paying the price the Zionist mad dogs are cooking up for us. And…..the US has no other option than to 'stand by and obey its ally right or wrong'. It's unbelievable that the international community can be held at ransom by a small Zionist rogue state.
It's unbelievable '
Not really. They learned how to take over the money of countries. Lord Rothchild made the famous statement that he did not care who made the laws. He wanted to know who controlled the currency.
There is a reason why all the federal reserve exists. It controls the money people of the nation. The head of the New York federal reserve had a major position in AIG and he was allowed to control the trillions of dollar expended by the federal reserve. He made millions in personal gains. That is the nature of the beast.
An Israeli air strike on Iran would be a pinprick. Iran is a huge country; they have at least as many nuclear sites as Israel has aircraft that can make the trip and carry a bomb. Best of all, they could only make the trip once, before they'd be out of planes, out of bombs, and out of gas.
The Iranians should respond the way Bismark did, when he was asked what he would do if the British Army was landed on the German coast. "Send for the police," he's supposed to have said.
The project depends absolutely and completely on either stampeding the US into fighting their war for them- start it and then step aside- fight to the last American- or in provoking the Iranians into hitting US interests hard enough to result in the same thing.
Netanyahu is crazy enough to do this. But there seems to be an enormous reservoir of resentment inside the US military that would react with fury to an attempt to push the US into a war.
Netanyahu may gamble the the American people can be stampeded into asking "how high" when he snaps his fingers and says, "jump." But the American people are not Congress. And the US military certainly is not. He may be in for a big surprise.
"…whether Iran would target U.S. ships…" I'd be more careful of Israel doing the targeting…wouldn't be the first time Israel has stooped to a false flag event. This would also provide the USG with justification to hide behind.
Fools.
Exactly. Everyone should remember the USS Liberty incident.
Should there really be any doubt whatsoever as to just what is the real enemy of humanity?
If the US president thinks, the Iranian counter won't hit their own troops in Afghanstan and Iraq,
they will be very wrong. It would be very stupid of the Iranian leadership not to do so.
By all means, the US government has enabled the Zionist state for this aggression.
And I hope, Russia will strike against the Radar facilities in Poland, Romania, and Turkey.
Russia has the right to get rid of that threat. And I don't think NATO would respond directly against Russia, at this time that would mean also the end of the USA and western Europe.
This could become easily the start of WW3.
W9
I suspect that the first response would be russian tanks running over all the cars in Georgia. Georgia has allowed a major Israel presence in the country. Russia clearly sees NATO circling with military bases and they understand the hebrew speaking president of Georgia has nothing good for Russia. George will probably be the first new part of the rebirth of the Soviet Union. When Europe implodes with debt many of the former East European nations will wonder why they supported NATO.
Yes, I think Georgia is also on their priority list.
However, the installations in Poland, Romania and Turkey are vital for
the survival of Russia. Georgia is not really, one nuklear bomb would be enough when
it is really necessary. But, I maybe wrong and you maybe right.
There are also some other items on that priority list they may go for.
I guess that we will see that in the near future. The situation was never so srious,
except maybe during the Cuban crisis, but then both super powers could still move backward,
here Russia cannot anylonger. And it will have the support of China.
W9
There are nearly 10,000 American troops in Israel, supposedly for joint training exercises. They are sitting ducks. A false flag Israeli attack upon them could enrage Congress, ever a patsy to the neocons, and draw the US into an unwise and unjustified war.
Israel has a history of flase falg attempts to bring America into wars. The Lavon Affair. The attack on the USS Liberty. All American military should be immediately withdrawn from Israel. Obama, as Commander-in-Chief, must order a complete removal of US military presence in Israel. America's fighting men and women are not bait to be used by the racists in Tel Aviv.
Bring the boys home. Their families, their lives are more important than Israel.
I don't think I am being cynical, given US and Israel's past history, if I say that these 10000 soldiers (or maybe the US forces in the Strait of Hormuz) may be the sacrificial lamb to "allow" the US to participate in the coming war next to its child Israel. The USG knows that there may be a backlash from the public if they attack Iran without a casus belli, so they and the Israelis are working furiously to create one. I don't believe for one second these Little Red Riding Hood's denials whereby the US would do nothing if Israel attacked first. They work in tandem really: the US shows itself as the unwilling party while Israel provokes to the umpteenth degree. If They are successful and Iran attacks the whole spectrum of forces in the Middle East, the people in Washington will say, hey what can we do if these perfidious Iranians are attacking us?
The shareholders of Lockheed. They probably reside in Tel Aviv mostly. As Bob Aldridge -www.plrc.org-has outlined they aim to achieve a disarming first strike capability. Bob Aldridge on the missiles in Bulgaria, Romania and Poland: "Whether they are on ships or land, they are still a necessary component for an unanswerable first strike." Accorsing to Der Spiegel 49/2011 they would be deployed even if Iran were completely disarmed and they will be fully operational by 2020. Of course, this leads to Launch On Warning and danger of Accidental Nuclear War.
If anyone thinks Israel will be satisfied after let's say "disarming" Iran, you are wrong. In 2-3 years Israel will attack Turkey. Definitely, it's in the cards. We can already see the warmongering and fearmongering by our shameful politicians. Likudtsts have a much bigger plan in mind for their Eratz Israel.
dont worry people, Israel is not going to attack iran by themselves…
The cowards couldnt beat a bunch of bearded teenagers with home made missiles in 2006 against hezbollah. They are only able to kill unarmed women and children. The israelis are complete cowards. They are not going to take on Iran
As a principal member of the UN Security Council will Panetta/Hillary bring up this issue for discussion or condemnation or veto in observance of international law?
What would happen if Iran brings this "impending attack" on their country before the UN?
This war of words/nerves by Israel and the US does not add to their claim of being democracies and observing international law as defined in the UN charter. But then who de hell gives a f^+k.