Former Mossad Chief To Iranians: ‘Be Fearful Of The Next 12 Weeks’

Speculation that Israel and the United States may decide to launch an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities have heightened after former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy told the New York Times, “If I were an Iranian, I would be very fearful of the next 12 weeks.”

The NY Times report speculates that the window of opportunity to strike is closing, partly because of Israel’s aversion to winter battles and partly because Benjamin Netanyahu fears that whoever wins the US presidential election, impetus will be lost.

“Mr. Netanyahu feels that he will have less leverage if President Obama is re-elected, and that if Mr. Romney were to win, the new president would be unlikely to want to take on a big military action early in his term,” states the report.As we reported yesterday, according to Israeli sources, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also recently told military chiefs to expect “war within weeks.”

Whether speculation that conflict could break out over the next two months is merely Israeli propaganda remains to be seen. Experts have noted that the rhetoric could merely be a bargaining tool to force the Iranians to submit to tighter controls over their nuclear energy program.

Alongside the narrative that President Barack Obama has given the green light for a strike against Iran before the election is a more substantive scenario that suggests any decision on attacking Iran will not be made until at least spring 2013.

Read More: Former Mossad Chief To Iranians: ‘Be Fearful Of The Next 12 Weeks’