Ex-CIA Analyst Explains The Real Reason Israel Wants To Strike Iran Before The US Election

For months senior Israeli officials have said the "window of opportunity" for attacking Iran's nuclear facilities is "before the U.S. presidential election in November" because Iran's nuclear facilities will soon be in fortified underground bunkers out of the reach of Israeli bombs.

But former CIA analyst Ray McGovern believes that delaying Iran's nuclear capabilities is not the primary concern of a military strike, but simply the pretext.

"The Israelis want to pretend the Iranians are building up their nuclear capabilities, want to zap them between now and November 6, and the chances are at least even that they will try to do that thinking the U.S. will come in with both feet," McGovern told us.

McGovern thinks that "Israel does not fear a nuclear weapon in Iran's hands" because Israel already has a nuclear arsenal and the threat of Iran having a couple of nukes "would not be all that credible except in a limited, deterrent way."

That deterrent would be important, however, because "since 1967 the Israelis have been able to pretty much do whatever they want in that area" and a nuclear Iran would bring a "different strategic situation because, for the first time, Israel would have to look over their shoulder."

So even though Israel's leaders don't truly fear imminent nuclear annihilation, McGovern says they "would like to end any possibility, however remote, that anytime soon Iran could have that kind of very minimal deterrent capability."

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