And Obama is perfectly aware of the threat a nuclear Iran poses not just to Israel, but to the Gulf states and, inevitably, to American targets around the world, including, possibly, the US mainland.
“You’re talking about the most volatile region in the world,” he told The Atlantic. “It will not be tolerable to a number of states in that region for Iran to have a nuclear weapon and them not to have a nuclear weapon. Iran is known to sponsor terrorist organizations, so the threat of proliferation becomes that much more severe. The dangers of an Iran getting nuclear weapons that then leads to a free-for-all in the Middle East is something that I think would be very dangerous for the world.”
Yadlin writes in response that the problem “is one of time. Israel doesn’t have the safety of distance, nor do we have the United States Air Force’s advanced fleet of bombers and fighters.”
Only America is capable of launching an extensive air campaign, with stealth technology and practically unlimited amounts of ammunition—something Israel simply cannot do. Only America can drop enormous payloads, hitting and penetrating targets to depths no other military force can duplicate.
“This gives America more time than Israel in determining when the moment of decision has finally been reached,” argues the former head of Israel’s military intelligence, warning that “as that moment draws closer, differing timetables are becoming a source of tension.”
Yadlin concludes with a warning: If President Obama does not provide Israel with “Ironclad assurance” that the US would act militarily against Iran if necessary, once Israel’s window of opportunity closes, “Israeli leaders may well choose to act while they still can.”
Or, as Biblical Mordechai put it (Esther 4:14): “Relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place.”
