The planned strikes were aimed at Iranian military facilities, The New York Times reported, adding that Netanyahu and Barak, who is also a former Israeli prime minister, approached the idea of striking in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
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The information was aired on Israel’s Channel 2 on Friday night, in recordings that Barak attempted to block from broadcast.
“At that crucial moment, essentially, the answer from the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) was that the accumulated capability does not meet the threshold of the IDF chief of staff that he can say this is operational”, the recording attributed to Barak said.
The TV station said Barak tried to prevent broadcast of the bombshell revelations, but Israel’s military censor allowed it.Ya’alon and Steinitz issued a statement expressing bewilderment at the military’s decision to permit the broadcast.
In an interview conducted last Sunday on CNN with Fareed Zakaria, US President Barack Obama stated that he does not remember having encountered a foreign politician who interfered with American foreign policy as much as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does today, especially when it comes to the nuclear deal with Iran. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
“It was not supposed to be published”.
He did not trust the assurances of Iran’s Supreme Leader the Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that religious convictions forbid Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Barak claimed it was necessary to get the backing of the head of the army in order a full cabinet discussion could commence.
That year, Channel 2 said, a meeting was held at the Mossad headquarters.
“He created an untenable situation”, Barak said of Ashkenazi.
However, cabinet ministers Benny Begin, Eli Yishai, Dan Meridor and heads of the Shin Bet, Mossad and nearly all the IDF’s top leaders opposed a strike. The chief of staff lays it all out – all the difficulties, the complications, the complexities and the problems including the possibility of losses – and you see Bogey and Steinitz crumbling in front of your eyes.
And yet, Netanyahu continued to insist that Israel has not ruled out a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Israeli leaders are livid over the recordings, accusing Barak of revealing state secrets.
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“Of course the public didn’t need to know, let alone five years later”. He highlighted the importance of this question and claimed it was more relevant than ever before.
