Joint Chiefs Chairman Says US Not Advising Israel on Iran - East Idaho News
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Joint Chiefs Chairman Says US Not Advising Israel on Iran

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GETTY P 052511 GenMartinDempsey?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1330514915429SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — With reports Tuesday that Israel won’t notify the U.S. ahead of time if it decides to knock out Iran’s nuclear program, Capitol Hill lawmakers want to know what kind of advice the Pentagon has been giving its Israeli allies about the matter.

According to the Israeli officials, the U.S. would be kept in the dark about any preemptive strike so that Iran has less of a reason to retaliate against American interests.

As for what the U.S. told Israel related to a possible attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he did not advise against a military strike when meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials last month.

All Dempsey would tell the Senate panel was, “We’ve had a conversation with them about time, the issue of time.”

The general previously said in an interview that any Israeli action against Iran would be “destabilizing and wouldn’t achieve their long-term objectives.”

When Dempsey was asked by lawmakers Tuesday if the U.S. was backing off the possibility of having to attack Iran itself, he replied, “Absolutely not.”

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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