A potential Israeli military strike to halt Iran’s nuclear program could cause a regional war and draw the United States into the conflict, according to a simulation played out by the U.S. military.
A classified war game called “Internal Look” held earlier this month forecasted that an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities could draw the United States into a larger regional war that would leave hundreds of Americans dead, the New York Times reported March 20.
The exercise was conducted by U.S. Central Command, which holds this planning exercise twice a year to assess how it can respond to potential conflicts in the region.
The debate has continued over the impact that a military strike would have in setting back Iran’s nuclear program. The Times report indicates that an initial Israeli attack would set back the Iranian nuclear program by only about a year, while successive American strikes could delay the program by less than two years.
Separately, Jeffrey Goldberg of Bloomberg News reported that Israelis are confident of a successful strike on Iran’s nuclear program.
Goldberg wrote that Israeli officials believe a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities would not lead to “all-out war,” while the blowback from President Obama would not be major because the president “has so deeply internalized the argument that Israel has the sovereign right to defend itself against a threat to its existence.”
The two reports come amid the backdrop of a March 19 meeting between the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, and his Israeli counterpart, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz.
In a message posted on his official Facebook page, Dempsey emphasized that he and Gantz “spent much of our time today talking about growing concerns with Iran and Syria.” — jta