Haaretz: Netanyahu ordered the IDF to prepare for a possible strike on Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon have issued instructions to the Israeli army to continue preparations for a military strike against Iran’s nuclear installations this year despite the negotiations that are taking place between the West and Tehran, Haaretz revealed yesterday.

The newspaper quoted senior officers in the Israeli army who attended closed sessions at Knesset committees including the Foreign Affairs, Security and Finance committees, several weeks ago.

According to the newspaper, the Israeli army’s Deputy Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot and planning directorate official Agai Yehezkel gave a presentation to Ministers of the Knesset (MKs) on the military’s plan.

“Three Knesset members who were present at Knesset joint committee hearings, that were held in January and February, on the Israel Defence Forces’ (IDF) plans say they learned, during the hearings, that 10-12 billion shekels ($2.9-3.5 billion) of the defence budget would be allocated for preparations for a strike on Iran this year, approximately the same amount that was allocated in 2013,” Haaretz quoted senior officers as saying.

The three MKs said some MKs asked Eizonkot and Yehezkel about whether they felt there was justification for investing so much money in the preparations in light of the ongoing negotiations between Western countries and Iran.

The IDF representatives said the army received a clear directive from government officials from the political echelon – meaning Netanyahu and Ya’alon – to continue readying for a possible independent strike by Israel on Iranian nuclear sites, regardless of the talks now happening between Iran and the West, the three MKs said, Haaretz added.

The IDF and the Prime Minister’s office refused to comment on the leaked information.