Israel gears up for Washington talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to put pressure on Barack Obama over possible future action against Iran, at a meeting in Washington on Monday.
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It is said that Netanyahu hopes that Obama will go further than keeping all potential options on the table. He is seeking to bolster an increased sense of co-operative threat against Iranian nuclear armament.
The Israelis fear that Obama, inspired by the recent North Korean agreement to halt arms development, will propose a similar model involving sanctions and diplomatic measures for Iran.
This comes as the US Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz told reporters on Wednesday that Washington has made some military preparations for a potential strike.
Israeli Aerospace Industries also reported Thursday that they will soon test their latest missile defence shield, the Arrow 3, in anticipation of an attack by Iran.
Despite a mutual mistrust of the Iranian regime, Israeli officials have spoken of the need to improve the currently strained relations between the two heads of state. Obama is said to be unhappy at Netanyahu’s use of oppositional Congressional and Republican candidates to put pressure on the President to support a strike.
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