Israel's Netanyahu says Iran closer to nuclear 'red line'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Iran was getting closer to the "red line" he set for its nuclear program and warned the international community not to be distracted by the crises in Syria and Egypt.
"They haven't yet reached it but they're getting closer to it and they have to be stopped," Netanyahu told CBS. He said the West's sanctions against Tehran needed to be intensified and backed up with the threat of a credible military option.
"I think it's important to note that we (Israel) can't allow it to happen. Our clocks are ticking at a different pace. We're closer than the United States, we're more vulnerable, and therefore we'll have to address this question of whether to stop Iran before the United States does," Netanyahu said.
The Israeli prime minister said he was concerned that the military conflict in Syria and the political crisis in Egypt had pushed the Iran nuclear issue lower on the international agenda.
"There are many important issues that we have to deal with and I have a sense that there is no sense of urgency on Iran and yet Iran is the most important and the most urgent matter of all," he said.
So Netanyahu is sending a very strong message. President Obama would appear to be one of the intended recipients of this message. It would seem that the major instability in Syria and Egypt pose potential problems for Israel. One wonders why he would want to divert the attention of the powers that have the ability to intervene in those problems away from them. The purpose of the expostulation seems unclear. It certainly isn't a message of peace.