Did Obama Betray Israel's Attack Plan?

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Anti-Israel forces in the media are on the move. One correspondent, Mark Perry, published news that Azerbaijan had granted Israel use of some airbases for an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities - a move that would help Israel with refueling challenges.

Azerbaijan borders Iran to the north and is one of a few Muslim countries with close economic and strategic ties with Israel.

John Bolton has claimed that the information offered in Perry's article was evidence that the Obama administration had intentionally leaked the story “as part of [its] campaign against an Israeli attack,” weakening Israel’s hand by revealing “very sensitive, very important information.”

He added: “It’s just unprecedented to reveal this kind of information about one of your own allies.”

A similar reaction came from a major Israeli military analyst, Ron Ben-Yishai, who also wrote that the Obama administration was carrying out a “targeted assassination of potential Israeli operations in Iran” with media leaks that had “caused Israel substantive diplomatic damage, and possibly even military and operational damage.”

The Obama administration has denied that any such leaks have taken place.

Tehran leaders are on record stating that they will retaliate forcefully against any state that will provide bases for an attack against it.

The Times of Israel cited two Israeli security experts who similarly dismissed Perry’s claims. One, Shlomo Brom, said they were “utterly baseless. Azerbaijan is a small country that borders on Iran. It just doesn’t make sense they would help Israel attack them. It would be suicidal.”

FrontPage Magazine writes that "even if the Foreign Policy article is basically Perry’s concoction and the administration is not behind it, it remains the case that the media has been awash with delegitimations of any Israeli action against Iran. In addition to the congressional report, the New York Times reported last month on a classified Pentagon simulation game forecasting that an Israeli attack would spark a regional conflagration and could cost hundreds of U.S. casualties; the Times has also run a series of stories claiming U.S. intelligence and even the Israeli Mossad still are unsure Iran wants to build a bomb at all."

Statements by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and by Obama himself downplaying the worth of or chance of success of an Israeli attack reveals that they are not in favor of such a move by Israel.  It is becoming evident that if Israel acts, the tiny Jewish nation will probably be acting alone.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Obama Leaks Israel's Attack Plan? - FrontPage Magazine