Op-Ed: Secretary of State Clinton Warns Israel About Strike

While asserting that the sanctions against Iran were working, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Israel not to launch any preemptive military operation designed to prevent the Islamic Republic from procuring nuclear weapons capability.

“It is not in anyone’s interest for them to take unilateral action. It is in everyone’s interest for us to seriously pursue at this time the diplomatic path,” said Mrs. Clinton during an interview with ABC News. The present U.S. administration seeks to persuade the Israeli government not to take any preemptive military action until after the November elections. Senior U.S. officials, such as Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, have highlighted the likely negative economic fallout of war in the Mideast upon the global economy. Israel refuses to give the U.S. any guarantee that they will not take military action when they believe Iran is close to entering what they call the “zone of immunity.” If Iran becomes capable of moving sufficient uranium enrichment into their underground facilities that are designed to withstand conventional weapons, then military action could not succeed in destroying their nuclear weapons program. Mideast analysts assess that an outbreak of war between Israel and Iran could occur within the near term. The destruction that could be inflicted on Israel by many thousands of missiles and rockets pointed at the Israeli population would be devastating, along with numerous suicide terrorist attacks. Additionally, a Mideast war could be the fire that inspires radical Shiite Muslims worldwide to conduct jihad against the “Great Satan” (United States of America), the “little Satan” (Israel), and “Satan’s followers” (the European community).