Iran's nuclear ambitions may raise national security issues for the U.S. But Israel sees an Iran armed with atomic bombs as a threat to its very existence. That's why, says Jeffrey Goldberg in The Atlantic, there's a better than 50 percent chance that the Israeli air force will launch a multi-pronged strike against Iran's nuclear facilities by next July. Such an attack, regardless of whether it succeeds or fails, could drag the U.S. into a regional war that "will dwarf Afghanistan in significance and complexity." Is there really a strong chance this could happen? (Watch Jeffrey Goldberg make his case)
Yes, Israel could strike if Obama does nothing: There's a very real chance we're heading straight for "World War III," says Rick Moran at American Thinker. The A-bombs Iran wants to build have Israel's name on them. President Obama is "betting the farm" that "supra-national organizations like the U.N." are best suited to handle such threats. But if he doesn't abandon his "weak" foreign policies, and tackle Iran himself, Jeffrey Goldberg's prediction could come true.
"'You don't want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs:' Netanyahu"
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Scary thought — but it's not going to happen: Goldberg does a good job explaining why Israel might attack Iran, says The Stanford Review's Bellum blog. But the "critical" question is how Israel could pull it off, and "there Goldberg offers strikingly little." The Israeli jets would have to refuel in midair or the Saudi desert, and there's virtually no way to do that without Saudi Arabian and American support. If Washington decides a strike against Iran is necessary, "why bother acting with Israel?"
"Israel's going to bomb Iran? Not so fast"
Israel may be talking tough to get Obama to act: As Goldberg's sources in the Israeli military told him, says Ben Smith at Politico, the U.S. is far better equipped to take out Iran's nuclear facilities than Israel. "So one of the things the Obama administration is wrestling with is the degree to which Israeli tough talk is a bluff aimed at pushing the White House to action."
"Israel and Iran"
Anything can happen if the world does nothing: If other nations hope for a peaceful solution, say the editors of The Jerusalem Post, they should stop making a mockery of the sanctions aiming to rein in Iran. Switzerland, for example, is indirectly fueling Tehran's quest for the bomb by buying billions of dollars worth of natural gas from Iran. That's "scandalous" — Iran is a "rogue regime" that threatens the interests of the entire "free world."
"Making a mockery of sanctions"
