CBNNews.com - JERUSALEM, Israel - Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of General Staff Lt.-General Gabi Ashkenazi told U.S. defense officials that a military option to the Iranian nuclear threat remains on the table.
Ashkenazi, who agrees that economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic are preferred over a military strike, said the government tasked him with developing various military options.
Israel could not risk a nuclear-armed Iranian regime, the IDF chief of staff said.
While in the U.S, Ashkenazi met with National Security Advisor James Jones, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Dennis Ross, the Obama administration's advisor on Iran.
Among other issues, Ashkenazi briefed Jones on Israel's three-week military operation in the Gaza Strip.
The two leaders also discussed the situation in the north, particularly UN Resolution 1701, meant to be implemented following the 34-day Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006.
The U.S. government reportedly plans to open dialogue with Iran following their presidential elections this spring.
Ashkenazi returned to Israel ahead of schedule to participate in the government's negotiations for the release of captive IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit, which remained deadlocked Tuesday morning, following the latest Egyptian-mediated negotiations in Cairo.
Source: YNet news