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Petraeus: Israel could attack Iran

April 1, 2009

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The top U.S. commander in the Middle East said Israel might attack Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear capability.

Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Commond, told the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that "the Israeli government may ultimately see itself so threatened by the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapon that it would take pre-emptive military action to derail or delay it."

In his prepared testimony, Petraeus also said that greater U.S. involvement in an Arab-Israeli peace process would help to limit "the negative impact" of Iran's influence in the region.

He said "a credible U.S. effort on Arab-Israeli issues that provides regional governments and populations a way to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the disputes would undercut the idea of militant 'resistance,' which the Iranian regime and extremists organizations have been free to exploit."

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