High-level British government officials believe that Israel will launch a military attack on Iranian nuclear sites within two months. Sources in the British government say that there is a consensus understanding that Israel will try to damage or destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities with American logistical support, according to a report in the British newspaper Daily Mail.

A senior source in the British Foreign Office divulged that government ministers were informed of the assessment that an Israeli attack on Iran, to try to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons, could come ‘sooner rather than later,’ saying, “We’re expecting something as early as Christmas, or very early in the new year.”

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said that a report released Tuesday by the International Atomic Energy Agency ‘completely discredits’ Iran’s contentions that its nuclear facilities are only developing energy for peaceful purposes. The IAEA report concluded that Iran is in fact developing the components necessary to build nuclear missiles.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The report, which was handed over to the 35-member states of the IAEA Board of Governors, details a series of tests, acquisition of materials, and technology that suggests Iran has continuously worked to produce a nuclear weapon since 2003.

Tehran’s history of hiding sensitive nuclear activity from the IAEA, continued restrictions on IAEA access and its refusal to suspend enrichment – which can yield fuel for atom bombs – have drawn four rounds of UN sanctions, as well as separate punitive steps by the United States and European Union.

Hague added that the U.K. would advocate to increase economic sanctions on Iran at an upcoming meetings of an IAEA committee.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount