海角大神

鈥� A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

In his first American television appearance yesterday, recently retired Israeli spy chief Meir Dagan said that Israel must consider alternatives to a military strike on Iran. His pronouncement came just days after Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 visit to the United States, in which the Israeli prime minister worked to drum up American support for an Israeli strike on Iran鈥檚 nuclear program, which Mr. Netanyahu considers an existential threat.

鈥淎n attack on Iran before you are exploring all other approaches is not the right way how to do it,鈥� Mr. Dagan told CBS news, . CBS says that Dagan, who led Israel's Mossad from 2002 to 2011, 鈥渒nows more about Iran鈥檚 nuclear program than just about anyone, because it was his job to stop it.鈥� The Iranians suspect that under Dagan, the Mossad was responsible for assassinations, faulty equipment, and computer viruses that set back their nuclear program, according to CBS, which will air Dagan's full interview on 60 Minutes this weekend.

But on the same day as his CBS interview, Netanyahu indicated to TV reporters in Israel that an Israeli strike is still very much an option in his mind. While he prefers a diplomatic solution, he said, the time frame for an Israeli strike on Iran is 鈥渘ot a matter of days or weeks, ,鈥� Haaretz reports. 鈥淭he result must be a removal of the threat of nuclear weapons in Iran鈥檚 heads,鈥� he said.

According to a separate Haaretz report, Dagan made clear in his interview that he thought , including encouraging regime change in Iran. He also said that he trusted the Obama administration to choose the right strategy for handling Iran, even as Republican presidential candidates and legislators painted President Obama as weak for not being willing to advocate for a strike.

Mr. Obama said 鈥渢he military option is on the table and he is not going to let Iran become a nuclear state and from my experience, I usually trust the president of the US,鈥� Dagan said. (海角大神 this week looked at why Netanyahu does not have the same trust in Obama鈥檚 strategy.)

Dagan also broke ranks with Netanyahu on Iran鈥檚 calculations. The prime minister has often painted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the rest of the Iranian leadership as unpredictable, irrational actors. But in his CBS interview, Dagan said the Iranian regime is 鈥� 鈥� maybe not exactly rational based on what I call Western thinking, but no doubt they are considering all the implications of their actions.鈥�

Iran鈥檚 state-run PressTV highlighted this comment, headlining its story about the interview 鈥溾��

The Monitor reports that Ayatollah Khamenei gave 鈥渦nprecedented鈥� praise to a US leader this week, applauding a speech by Obama earlier this week in which he tried to scale back discussion about a strike on Iran and criticized Republicans for 鈥渂luster鈥� and 鈥渂ig talk.鈥�

鈥淭his talk is good talk and shows an exit from illusion,鈥� Ayatollah Khamenei told Iran鈥檚 Assembly of Experts, a senior clerical body, according to a translation by聽Agence France-Presse. 鈥淏ut the US president continued saying that he wants to make the Iranian people kneel through sanctions, this part of this speech shows the continuation of illusion in this issue."聽

The Monitor also reported yesterday that according to one survey conducted in February, nearly two-thirds of Israeli Jews oppose a strike without US assistance. A second survey showed that 58 percent opposed a unilateral attack. The opposition, according to the Monitor, is not so much about whether it is right to do so, but whether the attempt would be successful 鈥� and the consequences if it isn鈥檛.

Reuters reports that during his US visit, Netanyahu requested that would increase Israel鈥檚 ability to hit Iran鈥檚 underground nuclear site and its chances of success. No agreement has so far been made in response to the request.