CBNNews.com - According to an Iraqi defense official, Israel Air Force (IAF) jets have been flying over Iraqi airspace for a month, landing at American bases there in training for a possible future operation against Iranian nuclear facilities.

The unnamed official said for the past month, IAF jets have been entering Iraqi airspace from Jordan and landing at the airport near Haditha.

According to the sources, IAF jets taking off from American bases in Iraq could reach Iran's nuclear reactor at Bushehr within five minutes.

During the first week in June, some 100 IAF F-16s and F-15s took part in aerial drills over Greece and the eastern Mediterranean.

"The Iranians should read the writing on the wall," an unnamed Israeli official told London's The Times.

"This was a dress rehearsal, and the Iranians should read the script before they continue with their program for nuclear weapons," he said.

"If diplomacy does not yield results, Israel will take military steps to halt Teheran's production of bomb-grade uranium," he said.

Meanwhile, speaking at the Labor Party's Tel Aviv headquarters Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel would strike Iran if diplomacy fails.

"This is a challenge not only for Israel but for the entire world," Barak said.

"The focus now is sanctions and diplomatic action. Israel is the strongest country in the region and it has proven in the past that it is not afraid to act when its vital interests are threatened," he said.

Source: YNet news