◼ Some analysts say the White House leaked details of Israel’s alleged attack plan to discourage the Jewish state. Others call the idea ‘absurd.’ - Tabletmag.com
Is the United States leaking information in order to discourage an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities? That’s what some experts are saying in the wake of ◼ a controversial piece published last week in Foreign Policy magazine, which reported that Israel may be intending to use Azerbaijan as a base of operations in the event of an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities....
There are plenty of American experts who see it the same way. “The leak is entirely consistent with what we know about Obama’s view on the Iranian nuclear weapons program,” John Bolton, former ambassador the United Nations, told me in a phone interview. Bolton argues that the White House has purposefully stripped Israel of its tactical surprise. “First [Defense Secretary] Panetta gave a likely date for a prospective attack, April or May, and now unnamed sources leak a likely place where the attacks might be launched from.”
The Republican Jewish Coalition expressed its disapproval of the alleged White House leak. “It is clear from recent press reports that the Obama Administration has moved from quiet diplomacy to lightly veiled attacks in the media to prevent the Israelis from taking action against Iran’s growing nuclear capabilities,” said executive director Matt Brooks.
But the administration denies that it is leaking, and a senior administration official even said the White House would gladly prosecute the source of the leaks—if it knew who was doing it.
