Giora Eiland: Obama nixed Israeli plans to attack Iran's nuclear facilities

Mida (Hebrew) has an interview with Major General Giora Eiland (ret.), Israel's former National Security Advisor.

According to Eiland, Bibi Netanyahu was ready to strike Iran's nuclear program, but pressure from the US nixed the plan. Eiland, who says this happened last year, believes that this was because Obama did not want to jeopardize his re-election campaign; according to Eiland it was right after Obama's disastrous first debate with Romney, which would mean October 2012.

Eiland points out that since last year, Iran has had time to get closer to the bomb, and things wouldbe more difficult nowadays. he believes that a strike last year would have crippled the program; whether that is still possible is much less clear nowadays.

The general added that the ideal scenario would be an American attack to neutralize the Iranian nuclear threat, but given how the US is acting towards Syria, the idea that this would happen seems much more remote today.

While the world is riveted by the Syrian situation, Eiland says, the real drama is the countdown to Iran's nuclear weapons capacity.

(h/t Yoel)