Panetta: Israel could attack Iran as early as April

[BeBMan]

Why would they attack the nuclear facilities instead of the president and the guardian council? You should treat the illness, not the symptoms. Or is it an unspoken rule of warfare that country leaders are off-limits?

That would be a good idea if there were only one or a maybe handful of irreplacable leaders to kill to get a policy change. What if they just get other leaders who do more of the same? Those don't seem to be in short supply...

[DinoDoc]

You can stop worrying Al. Panetta killed the op if it were real by blabbing about it in public.

[giblets]

You can stop worrying Al. Panetta killed the op if it were real by blabbing about it in public.

Does that make Panetta a liar?

[dannubis]

You can stop worrying Al. Panetta killed the op if it were real by blabbing about it in public.

Don't know. That is what they want everybody to think...

[SlowwHand]

Leon Panetta is one man that I pay attention to when he speaks. He's the only one that said "Go" about getting Bin Laden. The only one with no doubts about him being there and would say it.

[Zevico]

Notice the word "could." The decision hasn't been made. There is no evidence to suggest that the Israelis have made a decision to strike Iran or not.

For perspectives pro and contra see e.g. Herzilya Conference 2012 speeches, and working papers (http://www.herzliyaconference.org/eng/). Edit: can't find the speeches there actually but possibly on Jpost.

See also Barry Rubin's article at PJMedia on the subject (http://pjmedia.com/barryrubin/2012/0...et-used-to-it/)

[Dr Strangelove]

I wonder, if the Saudis noticed a large air fleet originating from Israel skirting around their country as it made it's way east towards Iran, would they notify the Iranians of the impending attack?

[Al B. Sure!]

I wonder, if the Saudis noticed a large air fleet originating from Israel skirting around their country as it made it's way east towards Iran, would they notify the Iranians of the impending attack?

I don't think so. The Saudis are no fans of the Iranians.

[PLATO]

IF the Saudi's knew Israel would be successful, they would probably let them use their airspace and then publically condem them for it. No love lost at all between the Saudis and the Iranians.

[DinoDoc]

Why get in the way of two people you hate about to attack each other?

[Egbert]

Israel's long-range drones are for reconnaissance, not attack or bombing missions. The attack would be carried out with F-16s as the strike aircraft, F-15s as the fighter escort, and Israel's entire tanker fleet getting them there.

They've drilled the entire exercise at least once, possibly more, over the Med. It's definitely doable. The question is weather the bombs will make a dent against the seriously hardened targets.

I vaguely recall reading somewhere that Iranian enrichment facilities near Qom may be too deep for Israeli bombs and perhaps for American bombs. I vaguely recall something about the Americans may be working on a bigger and better bunker busting bomb, just in case they decide to bomb the Iranian facilities themselves.

[SlowwHand]

The U.S. is developing a bigger and better bunker buster for that very reason.

[Aeson]

Why get in the way of two people you hate about to attack each other?

To help out the underdog just enough to make it bloodier overall...

[DinoDoc]

To help out the underdog just enough to make it bloodier overall...

That would be the Israelis in this case given the hardened nature of the program.

[Aeson]

That would be the Israelis in this case given the hardened nature of the program.

Very doubtful that in an air strike the Israelis would take more damage than Iran. Israel already has nukes, Iran doesn't. If it's an all out war the US is Israel's dog and we'll finish whatever mess they started. So Iran is in all ways the underdog here.