Strike on Iran could endanger Israel’s future: Winograd

TEHRAN,Sept.3(MNA) – Former Israeli Supreme Court justice Eliyahu Winograd, who headed the committee which probed the failures of the 2006 Second Lebanon War, came out against a possible unilateral strike on Iran on Sunday, saying that such an attack could “endanger the future of Israel,” the Jerusalem Post reported. Speaking in an interview with Army Radio, Winograd questioned whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak had taken into account the lessons learned in the aftermath of the Second Lebanon War as laid out by the Winograd Committee. “I am not convinced that the decision-makers will implement the findings of that report,” he said, adding, “If that is the case we are all in big trouble.” The Winograd Committee report found that Israel’s political echelon failed in its planning of the Second Lebanon War and did not sufficiently consult with the military leadership in the lead-up to the conflict. On Sunday, Winograd lashed out at Netanyahu and Barak for advocating a strike on Iran despite senior defense establishment officials having voiced opposition to a strike. “All of the heads of the defense establishment, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), the Mossad, both former and current, and Military Intelligence, everyone is saying ‘Don’t attack!’, and only Barak and Netanyahu have decided yes?” Winograd also questioned the preparedness of the Home Front to withstand the likely barrage of missiles that would follow an attack on Iran. He said that both Hezbollah and Hamas were likely to contribute to the “rain of missiles” on the Home Front, and it appeared that Israel had neither enough bomb shelters nor gas masks to deal with such a counterstrike. Winograd charged that both Barak and Netanyahu were acting irresponsibly in advocating a unilateral strike on Iran. “You are going to endanger our entire country, everything that we have built, both the country physically and the economy.” He slammed Barak for his comments that no more than 500 Israelis would die in a potential Iranian counterstrike. “No more than 500 killed, did you count, do you know? I don’t know what your considerations are. It is irresponsibility of the highest order,” he said. Opposition leader Shaul Mofaz echoed Winograd’s comments that a unilateral action would be dangerous, saying on Sunday that any Israeli strike on Iran should only be part of a U.S.-led campaign. “Israel cannot act alone to prevent the Iranian nuclear program at this time. Such action may bring us into a very difficult war,” Mofaz told Army Radio. Mofaz questioned Netanyahu’s ability to lead, saying that he found the prime minister “confused, stressed out and unfocused” during a meeting between the two last week. “The prime minister has lost the trust of the security chiefs, U.S. President (Barack) Obama and President Shimon Peres,” Mofaz said.