And never will it be a time for a strike as far as the world is concerned. How many years have these cowboys been pretending to be serious about this situation and they are (US & the rest of the West, or is that the Best of the West) still at the same old game. Iran will be knocked by Israel or it won't be at all. Most with a bit of common sense knows that already.

It was never the exact right time to stop the Nazis either. However, it had to be done; and it was done. The same is true about Iran. Destroy Iran's nukes NOW!

The author has made a serious mistake in his assumptions. He claims Iran has 417 lbs of 20% enrich uranium and all it needs is an additional 153 lbs of 20% enrich uranium to make a bomb by February 2013. This is utter nonsense a nuclear bomb made of 20% uranium 235 would not explode. A true nuclear bomb needs to be enriched to at least 85%. The easy part of enrichment is getting to 20% the difficult part is the further refining to 85% - it takes a LOT of time and effort. 570 lbs of 20% uranium is likely to produce on 28 lbs of 85% ore. It will be many years before Iran reaches even one bomb much less an arsenal.

The article is correct. Now is not the time to strike. Should have done it last year.

It takes world class chutzpah for a nuclear scofflaw theocracy to accuse another theocracy of nuclear WMD ambitions....especially when the accused theocracy is a signatory to the NPT accords and the IAEA protocols. The Jewish State is a Jewish theocracy with an outlaw nuclear arsenal and the means to deliver the WMD on target right now....and it is threatening it's neighbors all the time. The Islamic Republic of Iran is an Islamic theocracy, but it is playing by the rules; still, Iran is being subjected to boycotts, sanctions and bellicose threats from nuclear powers. How so? The IAEA's "watchdog" is an Israel-US lap dog; Wikileaks exposed the farce. Mr. Amano is encouraging the war mongers

Too Late!! No one has the mental strength to stop the Iranians from continuing enrichment and very soon production of nuclear weapons. The World will become a single push of a button from a nuclear holocaust which the Ayatollahs look forward to. They are not rational. Russia and the US bear full blame.

"Khamenei will most likely delay the decision on a measure that would result in additional sanctions and perhaps even a military strike." And what if NOT? How knows Mr. Ben-Yishai what's happen on Khamenai's brain? And what if in March 2013 we'll be bombed by Iran? Who we'll pay the account, Mr. Ben-Yishai?

If one listens to ZigZag Bibi and the rhetoric coming out of Iran and the Knesset, the surely only a blind person would not be aware the dangers facing Israel. We all know that Netanyahu is paranoid about staying in power but also that the threat to our survival is very real. This said, the question now is the "home front" prepared for war? Any fool knows that if Israel attacks Iran or Iran attacks Israel this will be a guilt edged invitation to Hezbollah, Hamas, both in Gaza and the West Bank, and their friends in neighboring countries, including Egypt, to join the party. No doubt Bashar Al-Assad will call for Syrian unity to fight the "Zionist Enemy" and so postpone his own impending demise. Our Government has done very little since the 2nd Lebanese War to improve public shelters and without giving away state secrets, at getting the people of Israel ready both psychologically and logistically geared up for a war which could decide our future and the future of the Jews all over the world. We all know that it makes no difference if we attack or they attack. In the long run Israel will be blamed for everything because of the Palestinian situation and many of us ordinary folk know damn well that we can only count on ourselves and certainly not on the present US Administration or a future one. The USA will do what is good for the USA. That is the President's job and if another 6 million Jews get killed, that's just too bad. Grim but true. No doubt some of our friends in the USA will tell us what to do as they know all, but they will be in armchairs in Miami, New York and Los Angeles when the bombs start falling. Once again we are on our own and we can only hope that Netanyahu and the Government will make the right decisions for ALL Israelis, something they haven't done since they day they came to power.

Iran is not Nazi Germany. By indulging in such hyperbole you make Israelis look ignorant and hysterical. It's a good anaylsis by the author, especially how the ultimate solution is regime change in Iran. The collapse of Syria and the increasingly harsh sanctions on Iran will accomplish this. A unilateral attack on Iran by Israel will undermine it. Such an attack may temporarily calm the bloodlust of the Chaims of the world, but it will not signifcantly damage Iran's nuclear program and it will cause the world to hate us even more (having the world hate us more will make Israel completely isolated with our leaders indicted by an international court and our economy in shambles.) What is needed is mature and intelligent strategy on our part. Is our immature and rash nation capable of this? Or are we a nation fo Chaims?

What would Roni Daniel say about it it?Twenty megatons on Fordo ought to do the trick.

I agree with poster# 3, jdledell....20% level enrichment is far from being weapons grade material; the author of this article has made a serious miscalculation. Has the Israeli government made this same serious error? Or is this gross miscalculation not an error, but a deliberate attempt to hype up the threat and exploit the fear? Thank you, jdledell, for noticing that error and calling attention to it.

The distinguished author of this article, Ron Ben-Yishai, wrote: "The best way to stop Iran's nuclear program is to overthrow the regime in Tehran or force it to change its policy due to pressure from the masses. Only economic sanctions can achieve these objectives." (End Quote) Really? I'm trying to recall a single example of when economic sanctions have ever accomplished those two objectives. Ron Ben-Yishai, please enlighten us on that.....some relevant examples would be good....thanks.

Why isn't there an on-going international commission making recommendations on when to attack and who will participate? Because the cost, economic and political, while America and Europe are suffering economic and politcal challenges are so great, Iran's potential threat is way down the line of priorities. Years from now Iran will still be only a N. Korea-like nuisance of threats not worth going to war for and probably can be best controlled sufficiently with surgical commando operations.

Making comparisons please note, that there were TWO devil powers in the 30-ties: Hitler saw himself as a defender of the western civilisation against a barbaric, terrorist "bolshevist" regime which threatened the whole world. There would be no Hitler without Stalin.

You would have to be a coward or a liberal, but probably both, to not see the comparison. Iran has been allowed to commit their terrorist acts without a response for decades. As long as they are not held responsible for their actions, the mullahs believe they have have a clear path to enact their plans against the Jews. Just like the nazis over 70 years ago.

As soon as you claim that Israel is a theocracy, you've revealed your profound ignorance of the country, and it becomes impossible to take you seriously. Do you really know anything about Israelis? If you did, you would know the vast majority of them are secular.....and a lot less religious than most Americans for that matter. Therefore, your attempt to paint Israel as the Jewish version of Iran is absolutely idiotic.

Can Israel pull it off alone? What support can it expect from the Americans and the West? Will any American President have the stomach for another prolonged war? What will happen on the homefront the day after an Israeli or American attack? Is the regime of the mullahs sustainable and for how long? Can a policy of containment work as we encourage and await regime change? What are Russia and China's strategy and interests? I don't know if any ynet readers know these answers and doubt if many of our so called experts really do? Is a war focused role of the dice worth it? More hard headed realism less bravado and messianism might help.

There is a virtual cescendo of admonitions that this is the wrong time for Israel to make a preemptive strike on the Iranian nuclear capability. The reasons for all of this noise vary. Obama and his supporters are concerned that a resultant conflict might have adverse effects on Obama's reelection. European and Asian countries are concerned that the flow of oil to them might be impeded, raising prices. And, of course, the Iranians are concerned that their devlopment of nuclear weapons might be interrupted. So, when is the right time, according to all of these various informed sources? Well, when you see mushroom clouds rising over Tel Aviv and Haifa, the right time was just before the mushtoom clouds rose. And, they all seem to want Israel to wait for that right time to become apparent. The fact that Israel might be destroyed if Israel doesn't strike in time doesn't seem to matter to those who claim that this is not the right time..

This whole discussion is utterly stupid and hilarious. "Striking Iran" has become THE topic of conversation in Israel. It is like the decision on whether to go shopping or not. Do you people have a brain? Do you understand the consequences of such a stupid action? Besides, what could possibly be the justification of such an attempt to commit genocide against the Iranian people? Anyone who thinks that bombing a nuclear facility is like a surgical strike on a desert outpost lives in fantasy land. Also, what would be the legal justification? Isn't Israel a signatory of the UN Charter? Is international law irrelevant to Israel? Sorry I asked such a dumb question since we already know the answer.

Close is The same as "being there" in the nuclear club.....and therefore there is ZERO tolerance for under estimation. They may be weeks away.

If not now? When? When Israel is just a large radioactive crater? Do it NOW while you can!

Now is the right time to sing ,la la la la la .

The one starting with , "The fighting in Syria is weakening the army and the regime in Damascus" and ending with, " Therefore, Israel should not rush to launch an attack in Iran". What has the above got to do with Iran getting nuclear weapons? And the we have, "So far, Netanyahu and Barak have failed to create legitimacy in the local and international arena for a military operation. Past experience has taught that we should not go to war in such conditions". Did Israel get permission to bomb, nuclear facilities in Libya, Iraq and Syria?

Now let me get this straight. The author of this deranged article admits that Iran is getting close to an atomic bomb but it isn't the right time for Israel to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. Unless this article is some kind of coded message, what he seems to be saying is that Israel should accept its fate of being anihilated because the international community and the Israeli public doesn't support it. This is like Ghandi's advice to Jews that they should willingly sacrifice themselves to the nazis and not resist. The author is convinced that there is nothing that Israel can do to stop Iran and therefore the best course of action is to do nothing and hope that the rest of the world will take in Israel's radioactive survivors.