Jerusalem: A security assessment drawn up Israeli defence chiefs calls for contingency plans to be drawn up for military action against Iran, the Haaretz daily reported today.
The assessment, to be presented to ministers next month as part of the National Security Council's annual review, also calls for Israel to prevent new Palestinian elections at all costs, even at the expense of a row with its US ally, the paper said.
Defence chiefs put "Iran s threat to Israel's survival" at the top of the list of challenges they face, followed by the "strategic threat" of long-range missiles and rockets from various countries in the region.
"Israel faces these threats almost alone," Haaretz quoted the report as saying. "It is imperative to mobilise the international community and obtain regional cooperation. The new American administration is an opportunity to do this."
Defence chiefs warn that Israel has a limited window in which to act before Iran obtains nuclear arms and regional hegemony.
They call for Israel to establish a military option against Iran, in case other countries abandon the struggle, and advise the cabinet to "work discreetly on contingency plans to deal with a nuclear Iran."
Their assessment also recommends close cooperation with the United States to prevent a deal between Washington and Tehran that would undermine Israeli interests.
The leaking of the report came as outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was due in Washington for talks with US President George W Bush which were expected to be dominated by the perceived threat from Iran.
