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Comments:  126
Last update - 18:33 07/08/2008
Rice on possible IDF Iran strike: U.S. has no veto over Israeli military ops
By Haaertz Service
Tags: Ehud Barak, Iran, Nuclear 

United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday refrained from saying the U.S. would prevent Israel from mounting a much-touted attack against Iran over the Islamic Republic's nuclear aspirations.

"We don't say yes or no to Israeli military operations. Israel is a sovereign country," Rice said in an interview with Yahoo! News.

The secretary of state emphasized the importance of using diplomacy to defuse the dispute over Iran's nuclear program, which Israel and the U.S. charge is aimed at developing nuclear weapons.
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"We are in very close contact with the Israelis and we talk about the diplomatic track that we're on," she told Yahoo! News.

Rice's comments came a day after Iran failed to accept an incentives package meant to resolve the dispute.

In a possible reference to remarks by Israeli politicians about Jerusalem's readiness to use military means in order to prevent Iran from going nuclear, the secretary of state added: "[Israelis] have said that diplomacy can work here, and I know they're doing their part to talk to the countries with which they have good relations to explain why it's important to have a touch edge to our diplomacy."

Earlier in the day, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the Israel Defense Forces is preparing for an "uncompromising" victory should Iran try to attack Israel, speaking in an interview published Thursday in the Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

"We need to keep every option open," Barak told the daily. "If they provoke us, or they attack us, our army is prepared to attack and to succeed uncompromisingly."

Barak also called on the international community to increase its sanctions on Iran.

A United States official said that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany discussed Wednesday to impose tougher sanctions on Tehran.

In the interview with Corriere della Sera, Barak also slammed Security Council's Resolution 1701 - which put an end to the Second Lebanon War - as ineffective, saying Syria and Iran were imposing control in Lebanon,

Meanwhile, the Israel Air Force's anti-aircraft division on Tuesday carried out a large exercise testing its response to simultaneous missile strikes by Syria, Hezbollah and Iran.

The exercise began with a single Syrian missile strike on Israel.

Experts predict that a real strike would comprise of multiple strikes from a number of different countries, which was what happened next in Tuesday's exercise. The simulated Syrian attack was soon joined by salvos of missiles launched by Hezbollah and Iran.

The exercise comes amid heightened tensions between Jerusalem and Tehran over Iran's nuclear aspirations and its President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's calls for Israel's destruction.

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      1.   Sounds like Barak is relaxing to the idea of a nuclear Iran 14:48  |  Natallie Durson 07/08/08
      2.   Iran has not threatened to attack Israel, has it? 14:56  |  Radovan 07/08/08
      3.   Is Barak running to be Prime Minister 15:08  |  Chris Linthwaite 07/08/08
      4.   Barak 15:16  |  Esther 07/08/08
      5.   Barak in Kafkaesque mode 15:35  |  examiner 07/08/08
      6.   Rock and Roll 15:56  |  Ramius 07/08/08
      7.   Barak bark bark 15:56  |  Gentle Gentile 07/08/08
      8.   Well, does it mean Israel is not going to attack first? 15:59  |  Persian Hero 07/08/08
      9.   Make Your Move, They`re Waiting. 16:01  |  Cool B 07/08/08
      10.   barak`s remark regarding Iran 16:06  |  ilse pinkus 07/08/08
      11.   Iran ? has ? not ? threatened ? to ? attack? Israel ? 16:06  |  michael durbin 07/08/08
      12.   Barak begins to trumpet the merits of MAD, in code, of course 16:11  |  Clickfool 07/08/08
      13.   More Blah Blah Blah From Blahrak 16:12  |  Erich 07/08/08
      14.   Paranoid Barak 16:13  |  noor 07/08/08
      15.   Persian Hero is on to something 16:18  |  Pontius Pilate 07/08/08
      16.   Iran has been attacking Israel for 30 years........ 16:19  |  jackie 07/08/08
      17.   There will be no war with Iran 16:21  |  The Equalizer 07/08/08
      18.   # 3 I`m with you on this one, but I think Barak is 16:32  |  Kris Lazar 07/08/08
      19.   then how do they expect to get there? 17:00  |  SD 07/08/08
      20.   Uncompromising victory 17:04  |  jem 07/08/08
      21.   The U.S. and Israel are allies? 17:17  |  Wendy 07/08/08
      22.   Cool B., if I were an Iranian policymaker... 17:31  |  Mark B. 07/08/08
      23.   Show time? 17:37  |  common sense 07/08/08
      24.   Israel is a sovereign country 17:40  |  Asher 07/08/08
      25.   Reality Check 17:41  |  Raymond 07/08/08
      26.   well well is it condi? why are you interfering in israels affairs 17:42  |  victor hardman 07/08/08
      27.   Russia`s tepid response put final nail in coffin of diplomacy. 17:42  |  clear as daylight 07/08/08
      28.   to number 2 17:44  |  neutral 07/08/08
      29.   Showtime? 17:55  |  common sense 07/08/08
      30.   Rice on IDF Iran strike: U.S. has no veto over Israeli military o 17:55  |  Natallie Durson 07/08/08
      31.   no veto power... 17:57  |  Stern 07/08/08
      32.   To Michael Durbin #11 18:21  |  El Caro 07/08/08
      33.   RE: Israel is a sovereign country 18:36  |  Alex 07/08/08
      34.   all in business 18:45  |  Sameer 07/08/08
      35.   #24 asher 18:56  |  Axel 07/08/08
      36.   Between the lines 19:08  |  Roger 07/08/08
      37.   #17 No war 19:35  |  Dik 07/08/08
      38.   Cool B - You are a joke right???? 5 countries couldn`t beat 19:35  |  Ben 07/08/08
      39.   Mark B: How is Israel destroying the world economy??? Where in 19:37  |  Ben 07/08/08
      40.   Between Mofaz and Barak 19:44  |  Otto Rand 07/08/08
      41.   30 Natallie - Careful What You Wish For 19:50  |  Mark of Lewiston 07/08/08
      42.   #12 Clickfool MAD only works for the sane 19:54  |  X-MILITARY 07/08/08
      43.   21 Wendy - What will the US Do? 20:03  |  Mark of Lewiston 07/08/08
      44.   # 22 Mark B. 20:04  |  17 07/08/08
      45.   #31 Stern, "Permission denied!" 20:08  |  Boycott 07/08/08
      46.   Mark B. 20:18  |  Neal 07/08/08
      47.   33&35 Axel,although we all know about the various tribes that 20:23  |  lakshmi 07/08/08
      48.   Barak is thumping his chest to impress the israeli public before 20:28  |  lakshmi 07/08/08
      49.   to #33 20:40  |  Nostradamus 07/08/08
      50.   Toughest immediate political sanctions needed to saved all 20:41  |  H.H.M. 07/08/08
      51.   # 42 lakshnmi 20:55  |  17 07/08/08
      52.   For X-Military # 42 21:01  |  Clickfool 07/08/08
      53.   #38 Yes, Ben 21:03  |  ballistic 07/08/08
      54.   Otto Rand - you got it right. 21:14  |  Jewboy 07/08/08
      55.   but watch them tell israel to clear out of narrow airspace of u.s 21:34  |  plain, simple 07/08/08
      56.   Neal #46, and Mark B #22 who is more correct 21:41  |  Iranian-American 07/08/08
      57.   Persian Hero 8: jumping to the wrong conclusion 22:14  |  Realist 07/08/08
      58.   Kiss it all goodbye 22:15  |  Jim 07/08/08
      59.   The perfectly sane fool 22:17  |  Freethinker 07/08/08
      60.   Important news not covered by Haaretz 22:19  |  Realist 07/08/08
      61.   To Axel (#35) 22:36  |  Morris Valentine 07/08/08
      62.   No such thing as an Israeli attack on Iran without US involvement 23:16  |  Sanity 07/08/08
      63.   Clickfool (#52) Hey Click please come to a decision 23:22  |  Gil 07/08/08
      64.   #57 23:22  |  Persian Hero 07/08/08
      65.   Bush/Condi ineptitude created the problem, so why not 23:25  |  DavidTurner 07/08/08
      66.   Bush/Condi ineptitude created the problem, 2 23:36  |  David Turner 07/08/08
      67.   Israel prefers its Settler Enterprise to peace with Iran 23:44  |  Ivar 07/08/08
      68.   # 61 morris valentine 23:45  |  Axel 07/08/08
      69.   to Persian Hero 23:45  |  Dik 07/08/08