LONDON: US President George W Bush has given Israel a go-ahead to begin preparations for a military attack on Iran, in case talks over the country’s controversial nuclear programme fail to yield results, a media report has said.
The Bush administration is said to have informed Jerusalem that he would back an Israeli plan to strike Iran’s main nuclear sites with long-range aerial weapons if diplomatic talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme broke down, the Sunday Times said quoting a Pentagon official.
The American president has given Israel an “amber light” to start preparing for a possible offensive, the official told the Sunday Times.
“Amber means get on with your preparations, stand by for immediate attack and tell us when you’re ready,” the official as quoted as saying to The Times.
The US President’s voice of support comes despite his military officials’ opposition to an attack on Iran, given the risks of an aerial strike.
However, the US would not deploy American forces for such a strike nor would Israel be able to depend on its military bases in Iraq for logistical support, the official said.
Washington would also not give a “green light” to the attack without unquestionable proof that the Islamic Republic is involved in military preparations of its own, the report said. Iran last week test-launched a series of medium-range ballistic missiles it claimed were capable of striking Israel.
The tests prompted a threatening message from Israel defence minister Ehud Barak, who said the Jewish state will not hesitate from taking military action against Tehran.
