edited by MM
An Israeli minister has said an attack on Iran's nuclear sites will be "unavoidable" if Tehran refuses to halt its alleged weapons programme..
In the most explicit threat yet by a member of Ehud Olmert's government, Shaul Mofaz, a deputy prime minister, said the hardline Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, "would disappear before Israel does".
Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for Israel to be wiped off the map since becoming president. On Monday, he said Israel was "about to die and will soon be erased from the geographical scene".
Iran's history of threats of death and carnage have mainly been ignored as part and parcel of Iranian culture and character - just macho posturing and chest puffing with little intention of taking serious action. However Ahmadinejad is a complete lunatic who is hated and distrusted by his own people - even the Mullahs are openly trying to remove him from office.
I seriously, seriously doubt there is any intention by Iran to nuke Israel. Most Iranians couldn't care less about Israel, they're too concerned with the desperate economic crisis and rampant unemployment. What would be achieved by attacking Israel? Instant annihilation, which is part of the reason Ahmadinejad is hated so much.
Iranians don't want to be dragged into another war, they're fully aware that they're the only Shia nation in the world and should Iraq fall to Sunni/Al Qaeda hands they're next in line. AQ hate Iranians as much as they hate westerners. Whether these constant threats against Israel are a form of appeasement to AQ (we're on your side), or an open declaration against AQ (we are capable of taking Israel out so stay out of our faces) Ahmadinejad is playing a very, very dangerous game. Hopefully someone will assassinate him before things get any worse. I don't think he'll be missed by the Iranians.
Full story at the Guardian.co.uk
