Ya'alon: IDF can hit Iran nukes

WASHINGTON - Former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon said Tuesday that Israel has a military option to counter the Iranian nuclear threat. Speaking at a seminar at the capital's Hudson Institute entitled "Stopping the Iranian Nuclear Program: Is There an Israeli Option?," Ya'alon said that decision-makers must take the Israeli military option into consideration.

He acknowledged that such a strike would be difficult operationally because Iran's nuclear facilities are spread out but said it was nonetheless feasible.

Ya'alon warned that Iran would respond harshly to any attack and cited the Islamic state's long-range Shihab missiles, Hezbollah's Katyusha rockets in Lebanon and the Palestinians' Qassam rockets. He added that oil prices could rise worldwide as a result.

Ya'alon claimed that Israel's Arrow anti-ballistic missile system could deal with any Shihab and Scud missiles fired from Iran.

Retired and currently serving senior IDF officers have visited Washington over the past few months to offer their support for a military strike should the diplomatic channels fail to bring Iran to heel.