Amos Harel

Panetta arrives in Israel for brief visit that will focus on the American-Israeli dispute over whether to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.

Senior Haaretz analyst Amos Harel says that Netanyahu and Barak's commitment to Israel's security cannot be denied. But, when the call comes in to decide on the military option, the government must also consider its consequences.

ANALYSIS: It looks like Netanyahu and Barak are set on an Iran strike, but some of Israel's former defense top brass agree that, right now, an attack would do more harm than good.

Netanyahu warns against Syrian weapons falling into the hands of terrorists, but in practice 47 percent of Israelis do not have protective kits and it will take two years to make all the needed ones.

There's no doubt that Israel is facing a complex reality, with more varied and serious threats than we've seen before.

The situation in the Mideast region is becoming more complicated by the minute. Here, in a nutshell, are the facts, as we know them, in regards to the situation in the region at July's end.

Jerusalem blames Shiite group for Burgas attack, says Syrian chemical weapons could end up in Lebanon.

This is not the first time we've heard talk about 'a moment of truth' with respect to an Israeli decision to attack Iran. Eventually, however, that moment will arrive. In the meantime, Tehran is doing all it can to hurt Israel, as witnessed in Bulgaria this week.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, apparently supported by detailed intelligence, did not hesitate to point the finger at Iran over the attack in which seven died, and over 30 were wounded.

A spike in defections, a waning of Russian support and the growing involvement of terror networks spell a grim future for the Syrian regime.

Differences on this issue could bring more serious consequences today than they have in the past.

The key question will be whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can fulfill his ideological and historical commitment to prevent what he describes as a potential second Holocaust.

Is Iran now seeking a war? Tehran is undoubtedly under pressure, with its principle ally Assad on the rocks and international economic pressure mounting.

Former PM Olmert may be celebrating a legal victory, but it is incumbent upon the Israeli public not to forget, nor forgive, certain aspects of his leadership.

Moscow appears to be starting to distance itself from the Syrian regime, probably due to the realization that Assad will eventually be ousted.

Haredim make up largest group of Israeli Jews granted draft exemptions, according to official IDF statistics.

Several professors of medicine have expressed wonder at the total lack of any investigation into a possible reason for the Palestinian leader's death: AIDS.

Doing away with the people's army and making the IDF into a professional force will lead to a critical deterioration in its performance.

The prime minister felt the pull of history when he sided with ultra-Orthodox parties in the recent battle over equalizing military service. Now he has less than two months to win the war.

The significance of top IDF officers' recent statements on another Lebanon war lies not in their content but in their timing.

The moment it became clear which way the Plesner committee, tasked with rewriting military draft guidelines, was leaning, the prime minister began to figure out how to disband it.

Since the fiasco of the Second Lebanon War, the IDF has improved the training of reserve forces, but not nearly as much as the public may believe.

Brig. Gen. Tamir Hyman tell reporters:The events unfolding beyond the border increase the likelihood of terror attacks.

Netanyahu hopes to thread the needle between his Haredi and secular partners.

The committee charged with investigating a new policy will present its findings to the government at the start of next month.