In a television interview on Feb. 13, Halutz reflected what was termed a
growing realization within the government and military that Israel could not
destroy Iran's nuclear weapons program. Until his forced resignation in
2007, Halutz, a former air force chief, focused military development on
long-range precision air strikes that could target Iran, Middle East Newsline reported.
"I think that the state of Israel should not take it upon itself to be
the flag-bearer of the entire Western world in the face of the Iranian
threat," Halutz said.
"I'm not some pedestrian," Halutz, blamed for Israel's failure to defeat
Hizbullah in the war in 2006, said. "I've been in several positions that
have made me more informed than the average person."
Officials said the position of Halutz, who rarely appears in the media,
was similar to senior members of the government. They said Defense Minister
Ehud Barak, regarded as the leading U.S. supporter in the Cabinet, has also
warned that Israel did not have the means to destroy Iran's nuclear
facilities.
"The problem is much broader and deeper and threatens the world as we
know it," Dan Meridor, the minister responsible for Israel's intelligence
community, said.
Halutz's assertion came on the eve of a visit by the chairman of the
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Michael Mullen. Mullen, who met Barak and
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, has repeatedly urged Israel not to
attack Iran.
"I worry a great deal about the unintended consequences of a strike,"
Mullen told a news conference on Feb. 14.