Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak denied that Israel would soon launch an attack against Iran, saying such a strike is “very far away.” "We don't have a decision to go forward with these things. We don't have a decision or a date for taking such a decision,” Barak told Army Radio on Wednesday. Barak believes that Iran has not yet begun to develop a nuclear weapon, because they have not ended the International Atomic Energy Agency’s oversight of their nuclear program. “They …More

A nuclear-armed Iran could hold Israel back from aggressively pursuing Tehran-backed terrorist groups in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, a senior IDF official said on Tuesday. "They will be more aggressive. They will dare to do things that right now they would not dare to do," OC Planning Directorate Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel said of the Middle Eastern guerrilla groups during a speech at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. “So this is going to create a dramatic change in Israel's strategic posture, because if …More

Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein told WIZO’s Enlarged General Meeting that how Israel treats the Diaspora has changed, saying that the Jewish state is “now willing to invest” in programs like Birthright. [Jerusalem Post]   Roger Cohen writes that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be making a huge mistake if he attacked Iran this spring or summer, because it would damage relations with United States President Barack Obama. [New York …More

United States Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta called Iran having a nuclear weapon “unacceptable” and warned that the Middle Eastern country could have the device within a year during his interview with news program “60 Minutes.” “It would probably be about a year before they can do it. Perhaps a little less. But one proviso, Scott, is if they have a hidden facility somewhere in Iran that may be enriching fuel,” he told interviewer Scott Pelley. However, Panetta said, there …More

Newt Gingrich has vowed that one of his first acts as president would be to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. “In a Gingrich administration, on the opening day, there will be an executive order about two hours after the inaugural address. We will send the Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as of that day,” he said at a Republican Jewish Coalition event in Washington on Wednesday. Gingrich promised to fund “every dissident group” he could find in Iran, and he spoke out in …More

Argentina appears to be strengthening its relationship with Iran at the very moment when Israel and the Western world are trying to isolate the Middle Eastern country. "As the rest of us work to pressure Iran to end its nuclear weapons program and stop supporting terrorism, Argentina's government has been considering moving in the opposite direction," a European official told Reuters. Relations between Argentina and Iran had previously been poor after Argentina issued arrest warrants for five Iranians in …More

United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urged Israel to “just get to the damn table” and negotiate with Palestine, as well as forgo a unilateral military strike against Iran. “I want to be clear that Israel can count on three enduring pillars in U.S. policy in the region, all of which contribute directly to the safety and prosperity of the Israeli people. First, our unshakable commitment to Israel’s security. Second, our broader commitment to regional stability. And third, our …More

US President Barack Obama declared in ringing tones Wednesday, Nov. 30, "We don't compromise when it comes to Israel's security. No ally surpasses Israel in importance to the US." Three days later, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in a lecture to the Brookings Institute was crystal-clear about what America expects Israel to deliver in return.   He cited "Israeli estimates" to argue against an Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear facilities because "it would set back (the program) by one to two years at …More

Iran says it will bomb Turkey if the United States or Israel tries to destroy its nuclear facilities, according to comments made by its air defense commander. “Should we be threatened, we will target NATO's missile defense shield in Turkey and then hit the next targets,” said General Amir Ali Hajizadeh. Hajizadeh added that his warning was part of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's new strategy of responding “to threats with threats.” Turkey recently agreed to host an NATO early …More

Russia has joined the United States and Britain in supporting Israel’s view that the Middle East cannot be turned into a nuclear arms-free area until there is peace in the region. The statement came at a meeting between Israel and its neighboring Arab states in Vienna. “While Nuclear Weapon-Free zones improve the security of the entire international community, they do not exist in isolation from other security factors," the statement said. Any such zone must come from “the states in the region …More

The White House said on Saturday that Iran is facing an unprecedented degree of isolation, with major world powers united in their opposition to Iran getting a nuclear weapon. "Russia, China and the United States I can tell you share a similar goal, and that is to not seeing the Iranians move toward the development of nuclear weapons," U.S. national security adviser Tom Donilon told reporters. …More

Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya’alon told reporters that Iran will soon have to choose between “keeping the bomb or surviving.” “A non-conventional regime like that should not be allowed to have this non-conventional ability. By one way or another, we must prevent Iran from achieving military nuclear capabilities,” he said. The Daily Best is reporting that an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities will probably include “electronic warfare.” According to …More