Renewed discussion of a unilateral Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities recently erupted days prior to the first meeting since the elections between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. A new study from the Center for Strategic and International Studies evaluates the intelligence surrounding Iran’s nuclear program and determines that any Israeli strike would be high risk. The authors contend that unless an Israeli attack could completely dismantle or set the nuclear program back multiple years, then the strike would only serve to embolden Iran. Challenges to Israel include Iranian aerial defenses, the potential unknown location of additional nuclear sites, the position of facilities beneath ground, and the need for at least 90 aircraft to effectively demolish the main nuclear facilities. Moreover, CIA Chief Leon Panetta secretly traveled to Israel in order to confirm with Israeli officials that the United States would receive notification of a strike on Iran prior to the commencement of the attack. Panetta also reportedly discussed a plan for Israel to strike Iran through Egyptian and Saudi airspace without first discussing the plan with the United States.
