Israel privately warns US that Iran is considering use of chemical weapons: report
Israeli intelligence has warned the US that it believes Iran is considering using chemical weapons against its enemies , according to a report — and American officials are divided on how to interpret the claim. The report in The New York Times , which cites US and Middle East officials, says Iran is moving rapidly to develop the capability to put chemical agents on missiles to attack Israel or US allies in the Middle East. The most recent warnings to the US have reportedly seen Israeli officials go as far as to suggest that the chemical weapons threat is far more urgent than the nuclear threat in Iran, the officials told the Times. 3 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly warned President Trump that Iran has chemical weapons and would not hesitate to use them against Americans.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon 3 Iran’s military has long denied it has chemical weapons after such arms were used against its troops and civilans during the Iran-Iraq War. via REUTERS Not everyone in the US security establishment is convinced, the sources reported. Some believe the threat is real and should be taken seriously. Others see the warning as a part of a pressure campaign by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to entice the Trump administration to restart the war.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The Post leaves out that Israel also shared its assessment with Gulf governments, which questioned it. A regional official told the Times that Israel presented its conclusions without supporting evidence. Without this a reader believes the doubt about the warning is confined to a split inside Washington.
How we know
- Ynet News (English) reported“Israeli representatives presented their conclusions without supplying supporting evidence, leaving some Gulf governments unconvinced that Tehran was seriously preparing a chemical attack”Report: Israel warns US that Iran may use chemical weapons against regional adversaries (opens in a new tab)
- The Jerusalem Post reported“Gulf governments regarded the claims as lacking seriousness”Israel warns US that Iran may use chemical weapons, but Washington questions intelligence - report (opens in a new tab)
Netanyahu is currently fighting for his political survival after failing to secure the majority in last week’s Israeli elections , with the prime minister reportedly urging President Trump to renew strikes in Iran. Explore More Why Trump only has a few weeks to restart Iran war — and what he could target with new strikes Iran slams US response to negotiations, demands America ‘fully and explicitly’ address its 7 outlandish conditions Trump calls Iran conflict a ‘soft war,’ insists US holds the cards ahead of midterm elections It remains to be seen how urgent the threat really is.
Israel’s Home Front Command is not including chemical weapons preparations as part of its civilian safety drills this week. Follow The Post’s coverage of the war in Iran: Why Trump has just a few weeks to restart Iran war — and what he could target with new strikes Iran slams US response to negotiations, demands America address its 7 outlandish conditions Trump calls Iran conflict a ‘soft war,’ insists US holds the cards ahead of midterm elections US forces hit Iran’s Qeshm Island as part of a series of secret strikes: report The Israeli military has yet to respond to the Times’ report.
Iran has repeatedly denied that it has been developing chemical weapons after publicly announcing that it had dismantled such a program in 2003. 3 The Iranian Army showed off its locally-made drones during a military drill last month. Iranian Army office/AFP via Getty Images Iran has also maintained that its nuclear program is only for civilian energy purposes. Iran remains one of the few countries that has been targeted by chemical weapons.
During the Iran-Iraq War, dictator Saddam Hussein fired nerve gas over the border, killing up to 20,000 people and causing long-standing health problems for thousands of Iranians. The Israeli intel is reminiscent of Netanyahu’s warnings before the war that Iran was just days away from developing a nuclear weapon. The warning was part of the justification used to launch Operation Epic Fury , which included heavy bombardments at Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Trump has so far rejected calls to strike Iran as negotiations continue with Tehran’s delegation, but the president has warned that he would “finish the job” if diplomacy fails.
Read the original article on nypost.com (opens in a new tab)