A Yaser missile is displayed in front of a portrait of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a parade outside Tehran marking National Army Day, April 18, 2013. (AP/Vahid Salemi, File)
Israel believes Iran still has not made a final decision regarding the scale and logistics of the attack.
By World Israel News Staff
Israel is considering launching a preemptive strike on Iran, ahead of an expected attack from the Islamic Republic, which American officials have said will likely take place within 48 hours.
According to Hebrew-language meeting reports, the prospect of attacking Iran before it launches a widespread assault on Israel was discussed at a national security meeting held on Sunday evening.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened the meeting to plan for numerous attack scenarios with senior intelligence and military officials.
Ynet reported that the officials said they would only strike Iran if intelligence was obtained regarding the exact nature of Iran’s attack.
Additionally, Israel would need confirmation that the Iranian attack was about to be launched within minutes or hours in order to strike first, Ynet reported.
A complicating factor is that Israel believes Iran still has not made a final decision regarding the scale and logistics of the attack.
There have been numerous contradictory reports regarding the timing of the Iran-launched attack, which comes after the assassination of Hamas politburo head Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.
Although Secretary of State Antony Blinken told G7 leaders that the Iranian attack would likely begin within a day or so, Israeli officials expressed doubts about that timeline.
“No one can predict with certainty” when the attack will start, senior intelligence sources told Ynet.
Kiryat Shmona Mayor Avichai Stern, who has repeatedly advocated for a more intense Israeli military response to Iran and Hezbollah’s aggression, told Ynet he was frustrated by what he perceives as Israel’s passivity in the ongoing conflict.
“Nine million citizens of the State of Israel are stressed out, living in anxiety for several days, waiting to see what the [Iranian] reaction will be,” said Stern.
“I really don’t understand when our military stopped doing preemptive strikes to protect us. After all, we have such good intelligence…we saw that they know how [to strike targets in Iran] in a precise way,” he said.
“But we don’t know how to get to Iran’s weapons stockpiles and launchers?”
Proposed coalition would also need Shas support, despite its endorsement of Netanyahu.
The agency last estimated Iran held over 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity.
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