Is an Israeli strike on Iran imminent?

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Israel Plans For Iran Strike As Citizens Say Government Serious

“Our leaders seem to have gotten very hawkish in their speeches and this time it seems they mean what they say,” said Yoram Lands, 68, a professor of business administration, who was picking up new masks for himself and his wife at a distribution center in the mall.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Aug. 1 that time “is running out” for a peaceful solution to Iran’s atomic program. The Tel Aviv-based Haaretz newspaper reported Aug. 10 that Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are considering bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities before U.S. elections on Nov. 6. Netanyahu spokesman Mark Regev said government policy is not to comment on media speculation.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-14/israel-plans-for-iran-strike-as-citizens-say-government-serious.html

This would be crazy, IMO.

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If they can really destroy the nuclear program with a strike, it would be crazy not to go for it immediately and never mind American politics or that of any other country.

Are you serious? This is a major international move... the politics of many foreign countries outside of Israel must be considered. Not that I think trying to blackmail the US President by launching a war at the height of the political campaign is a good idea.

Here is what they say now:

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-15/israel-would-strike-iran-to-gain-a-few-years-oren-says.html

Well yes, and a strike would probably rally Iranians and increase the support of the present government, as well as its determination to acquire nuclear strike capability. The problem is that after a delay of a few years, the international environment will be worse for Israel than now, and they openly admit the technology situation will be the same. It sounds like a case of short-term gain for long-term pain.

Additionally, the precise liberalization of politics in the Arab world in the past couple years have increased the danger to Israel. Popular anger won't be so easily contained by authoritarian regimes; Camp David is weakened as it is.

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Fact:Iran supports/funds/arms organizations that kill Israeli citizens

There's a difference between sending money to Hezbollah and using a nuke in terrorism. By that logic you should think Pakistan will nuke New Delhi for no reason- it ain't gonna happen. And it's an insane way to think. If everybody thought like that, the world would be in WW3 in no time.

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How is that a fact?

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Except by Israel's own admission, they cannot 'make sure' of anything. In fact, it is possible that an unprovoked attack would in the long run do more to make sure they do merge (however still unlikely).

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Fox News: Most Israelis Oppose Strike against Iran

Israel's tough talk of military action against Iran's nuclear program has unleashed a strong backlash at home, with a growing number of voices urging the government not to attack without the support of the United States.

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"I'm very afraid. I want peace, not war. I absolutely don't want Israel to strike Iran," said Pnina Grinbaum, a 55-year-old government clerk in Jerusalem.
Opinion polls have shown that while Israelis agree a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a grave threat, most think Israel should not act alone but coordinate any military option with Washington .
Israel's figurehead president, Shimon Peres, appeared to take a swipe at Barak and Netanyahu on Thursday when he told a popular news program that Israel must trust President Barack Obama's pledges to prevent Iran from getting a bomb.
"It is clear to us now that we cannot do this alone," Peres said. "It is clear to us that we need to work together with America."

"I'm very nervous about the Iranian threat and it's kind of creepy that I'm getting a gas mask right now," 25-year-old Cheryl Lieberman, a recent immigrant from New York, said Thursday as she stood in line for a mask at a Jerusalem mall.
A new poll issued Thursday said 61 percent of Israelis believe Iran should not be attacked without U.S. consent. The Dahaf Institute poll of 516 people had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points. Other surveys have shown similar reluctance to have Israel act alone.

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WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel inserted himself into the most contentious foreign policy issue of the American presidential campaign on Tuesday, criticizing the Obama administration for refusing to set clear “red lines” on Iran’s nuclear progress that would prompt the United States to undertake a military strike. As a result, he said, the administration had no “moral right” to restrain Israel from taking military action of its own.

Mr. Netanyahu’s unusually harsh public comments about Israel’s most important ally, which closely track what he has reportedly said in vivid terms to American officials visiting Jerusalem, laid bare the tension between him and President Obama over how to handle Iran. They also suggested that Mr. Netanyahu is willing to use the pressure of the presidential election to try to force Mr. Obama to commit to attack Iran under certain conditions.

In demanding that Mr. Obama effectively issue an ultimatum to Iran, Mr. Netanyahu appeared to be making maximum use of his political leverage at a time when Mr. Obama’s Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, has sought to make an issue of what he says is the administration’s lack of support for Israel.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/world/middleeast/united-states-and-israel-engage-in-public-spat-over-iran-policy.html

As unfortunate as it seems, Israel does have leverage over Obama on this; an Israeli strike could force an international crisis just before the election. This is a really tricky situation. At the one hand, an attack on Iran is clearly a bad idea, when US intelligence still does not think Iran is actively pursuing nuclear weapons. On the other hand, Israel is a strong ally and has certain ability to force the U.S.'s hand.