By Mark HitchcockThe United States has consistently said that it will not allow Iran to cross the nuclear finish line. President Bush made this crystal clear as has Secretary Clinton and President Obama. However, the recent efforts of the Obama administration don’t appear to be even close to getting Iran to back down. Yet, all the world knows that if diplomatic efforts fail Israel will have no other choice but to strike Iran’s nuclear megaplex. The question is — will Israel wait? How long will they wait? And what will be the domino effects in the region from an Israeli attack?
The Wall Street Journal issued a strong warning on August 31, 2009 for the Obama administration and the world concerning Iran’s nuclear pursuits and Israel’s response. Here are a few excerpts from the Wall Street Journal article:
US and Israeli military officials we’ve spoken to are confident an Israeli strike could deal a significant blow to Iran’s programs, even if some elements would survive. The longer Israel waits, however, the more steps Iran can take to protect its installations.While no one knows what will happen if Israel takes out Iran’s nuclear facilities, it would destabilize the entire region, create a firestorm and possibly lead to a regional war against Israel. Hezbollah, Iran’s surrogate, could launch an offensive against Israel from the north, and Hamas might begin an all-out rocket barrage from the west. Even Syria could be called upon to get involved. The U.S. and its allies have numerous strong incentives to keep Iran from getting the bomb, but an Israeli attack against Iran and the repercussions from such an attack, should rank high on any list.
They can also see that the West lacks the will to do anything, as the Obama Administration continues to plead for Tehran to negotiate even as Iran holds show trials of opposition leaders and journalists for saying the recent re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was fraudulent. The irony is that the weaker the West and UN appear, the more probable an Israeli attack becomes.
The consequences of an Israeli attack are impossible to predict, but there is no doubt they would implicate US interests throughout the Middle East. Short of an Islamist revolution in Pakistan, an Israeli strike on Iran would be the most dangerous foreign policy issue President Obama could face.
In recent days, the Administration has begun taking a harder line against Tehran… but unless Obama gets serious, and soon, about stopping Iran from getting a bomb, he’ll be forced to deal with the consequences of Israel acting in its own defense.
Aside from the obvious geopolitical ramifications of an Israeli raid on Iran’s nuclear megaplex, an act of aggression of this magnitude could have a far reaching impact on the stage setting for the end times events predicted in Ezekiel 38. If Israel were to hit Iran, and widespread violence were to erupt in the region, it’s easy to see how the peace treaty of Daniel 9:27 could be the only viable solution. Also, any Israeli attack on Iran would intensify the already venomous hatred that the mullah regime in Iran harbors against Israel and fuel the desire for revenge. One could easily envision Iran, with the help of Russia, staging the kind of retaliatory attack against Israel that is predicted in Ezekiel 38.
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