Bush Blocked Israel Attack on Iran

President refused requests for missiles, but began covert sabotage missions

(NEWSER) - Washington stopped Israel from bombing Iran last year and told the Jewish state of covert plans to undermine Iran's nuclear ambitions, the New York Times reports. Israel asked President Bush to aid the strike with bunker-busting bombs and a free pass over Iraqi air space, which he refused—but he secretly authorized operations to sabotage Tehran’s burgeoning nuclear program. More»

(NEWSER) - Anti-Israel protesters gathered in the Arab world and beyond today to protest Israel’s bombing campaign against Gaza, the AP reports. At the largest protest, in Lebanon, tens of thousands of Hezbollah supporters listened as the group’s leader warned Israel of the futility of a ground invasion. "Israel's air force will fail to destroy the will of the fighters firing rockets," Hassan Nasrallah said by video link from an undisclosed location. More»

Iran responds with threat; Tel Aviv worries about US backing

(NEWSER) - Israel has 12 months to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons or risk Tehran’s wrath, a former Israeli defense official said. “The time that is left to be ready is getting shorter all the time,” Shabtai Shavit told the Telegraph. “We should do whatever (is) necessary in case sanctions don’t work. What’s left is military action.” More»

Olmert ready to give up Golan; Israelis may disapprove

(NEWSER) - Israel and Syria have been holding secret peace talks, with Turkey as the middleman, the two sides announced today, acknowledging for the first time the long-rumored negotiations. Syria is technically at war with Israel over the Golan Heights, which the Israelis seized in 1967. Israel is ready to give the Golan back, the BBC reports, if Syria will sever ties with Iran and Hezbollah. More»

America is too dumb, weak right now to counter, Friedman says

(NEWSER) - The new cold war is being waged between America and Iran, and Iran is winning hands down, Thomas L Friedman writes in the New York Times. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nation has built up influence from Iraq to Lebanon, with power over Iraq's prime minister, Hezbollah, Hamas, and other militias—and a complicated set of safeguards against attack. More»