German minister 'more concerned' after Barak meeting

Thomas de Maiziere says he's more concerned than he is optimistic about possibility of Israeli strike on Iran after meeting with his Israeli counterpart

Daniel Bettini|Published: 03.28.12 , 09:53

German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere on Tuesday said that after meeting with his Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak he was more concerned about the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

"I don't know if we're facing a war, but having spoken to the Israeli defense minister I am more concerned than I am optimistic," he told Germany's Bild newspaper.

Related stories:

De Maiziere said that Germany is doing everything it can to convince Iran to abandon its nuclear program, mainly through sanctions, but that Israel doesn't believe the sanctions will work..

The German minister explained that the fact that Iran is moving large parts of its nuclear program to fortified underground sites will make it tougher for Israel to hit its nuclear sites.

He said that some Israeli ministers underestimate the negative consequences a strike could have, adding that he told Barak that consequences can't be measured and that it would be wrong to take uncalculated risks. "That is why we advised our friends in Israel against this move," De Maiziere said.

Jeffrey Goldberg, a prominent US political analyst also warned of an imminent Israel strike on Iran. In a recent column published on Bloomberg, he claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not bluffing and that Israel does have plans to strike Iran.

Goldberg stated that under the current circumstances Israel will attack Iran's nuclear facilities by the end of 2012.