This marked the first time Iran has suggested an Israeli timetable for a
regional war. Over the last year, Ahmadinejad and other senior Iranian
officials have warned that Israel was building up its military with
intensive maneuvers along the borders of Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip.
"But the resistance and regional states will finish them if this fake
regime does anything again," Ahmadinejad told a news conference.
Officials said Iran's military has determined that Israel would not
conduct an air strike on nuclear facilities in 2010. They said Israel has
failed to persuade its allies, particularly Turkey and the United States, to
facilitate such a long-range mission by providing air space for refueling in
Iraq or Turkey.
Soon after Ahmadinejad's remarks, Iran's leading proxy warned that it
could fire missiles toward Israel's financial center. Hizbullah
secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah said his force, reported to contain up to
50,000 missiles and rockets, could strike critical facilities in the Jewish
state.
"If you hit Rafik Al Hariri international airport in Beirut, we will hit
Ben-Gurion airport in Tel Aviv," Nasrallah said. "If you hit our ports, we
will bomb your ports, and if you hit our oil refineries, we will bomb your
oil refineries."