Israelis will tell Panetta that U.S. can’t prevent an attack on Iran.

Israelis will tell Panetta that U.S. can’t prevent an attack on Iran.(AA).Israel’s threats to attack Iran and the violence convulsing Syria top the agenda of U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s meetings Wednesday with Israeli government leaders, as well as efforts to prevent Syria’s chemical weapons from reaching Lebanon. Panetta arrived in Israel on Tuesday after meeting in Cairo with Egypt’s new president and its military chief. In Cairo, Panetta denied Israeli press reports that he planned to share with the Israelis any U.S. plans for military action against Iran. He said the reports gave a “wrong characterization” of what he and the Israeli leaders were expected to discuss. He said his talks in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak would be more about what threat Iran’s nuclear program represents and about sharing intelligence information. A senior government official was quoted by Haaretz as saying that even if Israel attacks Iran over Washington’s objections, he doesn't think the United States will turn its back on Israel. Israel must retain sole responsibility for its security, he told the newspaper.
While no decision on an Israeli strike has yet been made, a complex campaign is being waged over the issue on at least three fronts: between the Obama administration and the Israeli government; between President Barack Obama and his rival, Republican candidate Mitt Romney; and between politicians and defense professionals within Israel. All sides are making heavy use of the media, according to the Haaretz report. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that “things that affect our fate, our very existence, we don’t entrust to others -- not even to our best friends. Obama and Romney both said that Israel has the right to defend itself against any threat, and we are obligated to make the decisions.”Hmmmm....."Pour les vaincre, messieurs, il nous faut de l'audace, encore de l'audace, et toujours de l'audace et la Patrie sera sauvée!" ~ Danton. Translation: 'To defeat them, gentlemen, we need audacity, more audacity and always audacity and the Homeland will be saved!' Read the full story here.