BICOM

Former Military Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin said yesterday that Iran had enough material to develop four or five nuclear bombs, and added that it was essential for Israel to maintain good relations with members of the international community capable of dealing with that threat. “Israel is not alone in the game,” Yadlin said. “When the Iranians publicly reveal that they are pushing toward a nuclear weapon, Israel will no longer be the central player in the game.” “This situation requires us to maintain good channels of dialogue and understanding with those who have better operational abilities than us,” Yadlin said in a speech at the Institute for National Security Studies, where he is beginning a term as director.

The former MI chief also said there was a good chance that sources within Western intelligence agencies would know in advance should Iran attempt to “breakout” and advance toward a nuclear weapon. Where, at that point, according to Yadlin, it would take Teheran 12 to 18 months to achieve the task.

Meanwhile, yesterday the Former head of Mossad (Israel’s Intelligence Agency) Meir Dagan said in a television interview that if Israel attacks Iran, it would be dragged into a regional war. Dagan explained that an Israeli strike would cause Hezbollah and Hamas to retaliate with massive rocket attacks against Israel. If this were the situation, Dagan told the “Uvda” programme then Syria would also join in.

Dagan said that if this situation were to unfold it would lead to a heavy loss of life and would paralyse Israel. His comments contradict that of Defence Minister Ehud Barak who recently said that if a war broke out between Israel and Iran, it would lead to no more than 500 deaths in Israel.