TEL AVIV Ñ For the first time, Israel's military has raised the
prospect of an operation to destroy Iran's suspected nuclear weapons
program.
Israel's chief of staff, alarmed by the failure of the
international community to move against Iran, has warned that
Israel would consider unilateral action to stop the "nightmare scenario" of Teheran's development of
nuclear weapons.
Earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister
Silvan Shalom demanded that the international community stop the program.
"Iran is fast approaching the point of no return in its efforts to
acquire nuclear weapons capability," Shalom said. "It's urgent that the
international community act to ensure that this nightmare scenario is
prevented."
Israel's Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon took the rhetoric up a notch.
"At the moment there is continuing international diplomatic activity to
deal with this threat, and it would be good if it succeeds," Ya'alon said.
"But if that is not the case we would consider our options."
Israel has never specified what action it might take to stop Iran's
nuclear weapons program. But Israeli officials assert that the nation's
deep-strike air capability has been vastly upgraded since Israeli F-16
multi-role fighters destroyed the Iraqi reactor at Osirak in 1981.
Officials said Israel has been dismayed by what they term the refusal by
both the European Union and the United States to share the sense of urgency
regarding Iran's nuclear program. Last week, Washington rejected an Israeli
assessment that Iran could complete its first nuclear weapons by the end of
2004.
"The fact that a country like Iran, an enemy [of Israel] and which is
particularly irresponsible, has equipped itself with nonconventional
weapons is worrisome," Ya'alon said.
"The combination in this case of a nonconventional regime with
nonconventional weapons is a concern."
The clearest warnings yet came on the eve
of another effort by the International Atomic Energy Agency to investigate
suspected Iranian violations of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The
suspected violations include the unauthorized enrichment of uranium.
Three leading EU states have offered to share nuclear
technology with Iran if Teheran agrees to sign a protocol for
tougher nuclear inspections. Britain, Germany and France sent a letter to
Iran that offered nuclear technology in a bid to defuse the confrontation
with the IAEA.
In early September, the IAEA voted to give Teheran until Oct. 31 to
respond to all agency inquiries over Iran's nuclear program. An IAEA
delegation was expected to arrive in Iran on Sunday to conduct additional
environmental sampling of nuclear facilities to test for uranium enrichment.
