Panetta: Israel will strike Iran within months

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Panetta Concerned Israel Months From Striking Iran | Fox News

Fox News said:
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expressing new concerns about Iran's underground nuclear program, this time telling Washington Post columnist David Ignatius he's worried Israel may decide to attack it as early as this spring.

Traveling with the defense secretary in Brussels to cover his meeting with NATO defense ministers, Igantius writes, "Panetta believes there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June.”

This is the first time we've heard such a specific timeframe. Fox News has previously reported concerns from former members of President Obama's national security team that a unilateral strike from Israel could occur sometime in 2012.

Secretary Panetta and the administration have made clear in recent weeks that Iran would cross a "red line" by developing a bomb and that if that occurred all options, including military action, would be on the table.

But Israel is less patient. It appears Israeli officials' red line will occur when Iran develops the capacity to build a bomb. In other words, it appears they think by this spring Iran will have stockpiled enough highly enriched uranium to produce a nuclear warhead.

By that point it will be too late for Israel to act alone. Unlike the United States, Israel does not have the capacity to strike Iran's hardened enrichment facilities 200 feet underground. That, along with Iran's arsenal of missiles that can reach Israel, give reason for Panetta's concerns that Israel is ready to strike first.

There are essentially two methods for striking the underground facility. First is the newly developed Massive Ordnance Penetrator, known simply as the MOP. The largest of its kind, it's a 30,000 pound bunker-busting bomb designed to hit underground targets. Yet in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Panetta acknowledged the MOP has some shortcomings and needs further development to reach areas as deeply buried as Iran's nuclear facility.

Since the MOP is the largest conventional weapon in the U.S. arsenal, the second option would likely involve using smaller-scale nuclear weapons. It's not a card the Obama administration would like to play, risking the legacy of the being the first president since Harry Truman to drop a nuclear bomb.

Another clue about Israel's intent was the sudden cancellation of a long-planned joint U.S.-Israeli military exercise that would have culminated in live fire drills this May. The Israelis apologized for postponing the exercises, and a Pentagon spokesmen said at the time of the cancellation that Israel explained it needed to postpone in order to "assume optimum participation," suggesting forces could be needed elsewhere.

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates sent warnings Tuesday about getting into a new war, telling CNN "if Iraq and Afghanistan has taught us anything in recent history, it is the unpredictability of war and that these things are easier to get into than to get out of."

He added, "This is, I think, one of the toughest foreign policy problems I have ever seen since entering the government 45 years ago."
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They say this every couple years. Not saying it won't happen this time, but yeah.
 
If they do, expect a firestorm in the Middle East.

However, looking at it from their perspective, I can understand why they would be considering the option. They feel they can't afford to risk a nation that has repeatedly cited a desire to wipe them "off the face of the earth" obtaining the ability to do so.
 
Like Iran would attack Israel even if they got nukes. I don't see how Iran would get backing from anyone if they attacked another country with nuclear weapons (except perhaps North Korea), and they would get it back pretty hard. Israel attacking Iran would be a more likely scenario, but for Israel's sake, I sure hope they don't. Sure, Iran has said they want to destroy Israel, doesn't mean it's a realistic goal.

I can understand why some would bring up the option, but it would be extremely foolish. North Korea has nukes, that doesn't mean they use them just because they have them, nor do I think that would be the case with Iran, at least unless Israel attacks them first.

Hey, let's attack ourselves! My mind is obviously tired today
 
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H-con said:
Like Iran would attack Iran even if they got nukes. I don't see how Iran would get backing from anyone if they attacked another country with nuclear weapons (except perhaps North Korea), and they would get it back pretty hard. Israel attacking Iran would be a more likely scenario, but for Israel's sake, I sure hope they don't. Sure, Iran has said they want to destroy Israel, doesn't mean it's a realistic goal.

I can understand why some would bring up the option, but it would be extremely foolish. North Korea has nukes, that doesn't mean they use them just because they have them, nor do I think that would be the case with Iran, at least unless Israel attacks them first.
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Sorry but that first sentence makes no sense. I think you mixed up your words because I highly doubt Iran would attack itself.
 
I think Tehran is smarter than to use nuclear bombs on a country as small as Israel. Israel would be positively devastated if Iran used a nuclear bomb on it, not to mention the option of dropping it on Jerusalem (but again, I think they're smarter than that), and Iran would seriously lose international clout and pretty much become universally detested if it did. I can understand how Israel could be worried, with this being Iran and all, but if Israel does strike first, prepare for yet another war in the Middle East.

In short, it would be bad practice for either side to do anything.
 
H-con said:
Like Iran would attack Israel even if they got nukes. I don't see how Iran would get backing from anyone if they attacked another country with nuclear weapons (except perhaps North Korea), and they would get it back pretty hard. Israel attacking Iran would be a more likely scenario, but for Israel's sake, I sure hope they don't. Sure, Iran has said they want to destroy Israel, doesn't mean it's a realistic goal.

I can understand why some would bring up the option, but it would be extremely foolish. North Korea has nukes, that doesn't mean they use them just because they have them, nor do I think that would be the case with Iran, at least unless Israel attacks them first.

Hey, let's attack ourselves! My mind is obviously tired today
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That would be wonderfully epic if Iran attacked North Korea. They would never win though =/
 
Big Lutz said:
Or you know.. a missile that could reach the U.S.

Is Iran trying to develop a missile that could reach America? - CSMonitor.com
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I'm pretty sure we have a defense system that can prevent missiles from hitting any major city, and if it does I bet the damage would be minimal.

Unless you're taking about a nuclear missile, but again I doubt it would have enough time to cross the ocean before being shot down or disabled in some way. They would have to take down the defense and security systems first, in my opinion, before being able to successfully do major damage to the United States.
 
Sublime said:
I'm pretty sure we have a defense system that can prevent missiles from hitting any major city, and if it does I bet the damage would be minimal.

Unless you're taking about a nuclear missile, but again I doubt it would have enough time to cross the ocean before being shot down or disabled in some way. They would have to take down the defense and security systems first, in my opinion, before being able to successfully do major damage to the United States.
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That would be our missile defense shield, or well lack of one, this isn't the political forum so lets just say that we don't currently have one.
 
People on here saying that Iran wouldn't attack Israel because it would be detested by the global community baffle me. When has Iran ever really shown they give a damn about what the rest of the world thinks. For many of the Iranian religious establishment, the Ayatollah's etc, the destruction of Israel is the end goal, there is no consideration about events after that, the main focus for them is to wipe Israel off the map, cut the cancer as they say, they don't care about any sanctions we place on them, or care that not many like them as the aim of the game is to destroy Israel for them and if they accomplish that they win, there is no what happens after in their minds.
 
Israel needs to attack Iran, because they are slowly becoming a nuclear threat to democratic countries (i.e. United States, Israel). We need to take them out before they become a real contender like North Korea (or possibly China, but we don't know, because they won't tell us.) President Ahmadinejad has publicly announced he wants to "wipe Israel off the map" in the past. Since they have approximately 1,195,000 personnel, active duty and reserve (according to wikipedia) they are quite the threat even without nuclear weapons, if they went on a campaign in the Middle East. Bottom line, they need to be dealt with. But, announcing it is NOT a good idea, people! Unfortounately, the current administration in the United States has proven they are unable to handle it. Hopefully that changes come November.
 
You really couldn't blame them if they do.

I mean, if somebody was holding a nuclear warhead over your head and had a cult of religious fanatics behind them, you would be pretty scared as well lol...

If they do, expect some serious stuff to hit the floor.
 
Iran would never nuke Israel. As crazy as you think the leadership of that nation is (and I'm certainly not saying they're sane by any means), they know that the United States would obliterate the entire nation within twenty minutes and leave nothing but ash where Tehran used to be.

Iran's plan is to obtain a nuclear weapon simply as a deterrent. If they obtain a weapon, Israel can't launch strikes against them for fear of nuclear retaliation.

So this doesn't mean much. Iran and Israel always keep the rhetoric up as a way to galvanize their own populace. Neither country can actually do anything approaching a concentrated military strike because of the international response.
 
Hide in Plain Sight said:
Iran would never nuke Israel. As crazy as you think the leadership of that nation is (and I'm certainly not saying they're sane by any means), they know that the United States would obliterate the entire nation within twenty minutes and leave nothing but ash where Tehran used to be.
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But they don't care. The fundamental extremists don't care about their own lives, there sole aim is publicly stated to wipe Israel and to some extent, the rest of the west, off the face off the Earth, if it brings about their own destruction as well, they don't care. The Iranian people might, but the leadership don't. These are not rational people we are dealing with and that is why trying to apply some logic or rationale to their actions is a fools game.

Jabberwocky said:
Like HiPS said, I'm betting this is just rhetoric.
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You hope it is, we all hope it is, but would you be willing to bet the fate of a whole country and millions of people? Are you willing to take that risk, that bet, based on an assumption that irrational people have started thinking rationally?
 
Keldeo94 said:
Hide in Plain Sight said:
Iran would never nuke Israel. As crazy as you think the leadership of that nation is (and I'm certainly not saying they're sane by any means), they know that the United States would obliterate the entire nation within twenty minutes and leave nothing but ash where Tehran used to be.
Click to expand...

But they don't care. The fundamental extremists don't care about their own lives, there sole aim is publicly stated to wipe Israel and to some extent, the rest of the west, off the face off the Earth, if it brings about their own destruction as well, they don't care. The Iranian people might, but the leadership don't. These are not rational people we are dealing with and that is why trying to apply some logic or rationale to their actions is a fools game.

Jabberwocky said:
Like HiPS said, I'm betting this is just rhetoric.
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Painting an entire country's governing body as some sort of serial film villain is a dangerous thing to do.
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Jabberwocky said:
Keldeo94 said:
Hide in Plain Sight said:
Iran would never nuke Israel. As crazy as you think the leadership of that nation is (and I'm certainly not saying they're sane by any means), they know that the United States would obliterate the entire nation within twenty minutes and leave nothing but ash where Tehran used to be.
Click to expand...

But they don't care. The fundamental extremists don't care about their own lives, there sole aim is publicly stated to wipe Israel and to some extent, the rest of the west, off the face off the Earth, if it brings about their own destruction as well, they don't care. The Iranian people might, but the leadership don't. These are not rational people we are dealing with and that is why trying to apply some logic or rationale to their actions is a fools game.

Jabberwocky said:
Like HiPS said, I'm betting this is just rhetoric.
Click to expand...

Painting an entire country's governing body as some sort of serial film villain is a dangerous thing to do.
Click to expand...

Ahmadenijad is just a figure head, a supposed elected President to give the country an air of democracy, when actually it's a dictatorship, the real power doesn't lie with Ahmadenijad, it lies with the Ayatollahs and the other members of the religious council and these are the ones who are the fundamental extremists who see Israel as "the cancer on the Middle east that must be cut"

Religious extremists do not care about their own deaths as they believe they will be rewarded after death. The ones I feel sorry for are the poor Iranian people as your right, when Israel does attack Iran it most likely will be the civilians that bare the brunt than the leaders at the top.
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Keldeo94 said:
Ahmadenijad is just a figure head, a supposed elected President to give the country an air of democracy, when actually it's a dictatorship, the real power doesn't lie with Ahmadenijad, it lies with the Ayatollahs and the other members of the religious council and these are the ones who are the fundamental extremists who see Israel as "the cancer on the Middle east that must be cut"

Religious extremists do not care about their own deaths as they believe they will be rewarded after death. The ones I feel sorry for are the poor Iranian people as your right, when Israel does attack Iran it most likely will be the civilians that bare the brunt than the leaders at the top.
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I would argue that the leadership do care about their own deaths. I would argue that they are just like everyone else, and care a great deal about the power that they hold and those who threaten to take it away. What they don't care about is the lives of the people they strap bombs to and tell to blow themselves up in the name of god.
 
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