U.S. strike on Iran to include Britain and France, not Israel

The United States has dropped Israel as a potential partner in any attack against Iran.

Sources close to the administration said that instead the White House has been discussing a joint military campaign with two European states to destroy Iran's nuclear program. They identified the states as Britain and France.

“Whatever happens, Israel will not be part of an operation,” a source close to the administration said. “There will be other players.”

The sources said Israel was located too far from Iran to provide significant support for an air strike on the nuclear facilities of the Islamic republic. They said Tehran's neighbors, including Turkey, would not allow Israeli fighter-jets to enter their air space on any mission against Iran.

Over the next three months, the sources said, the United States and its allies would seek to pass a United Nations Security Council resolution that would pave the way for military force against Iran. The resolution would invoke Chapter 7, which calls for sanctions or military force should Iran continue to enrich uranium in violation of demands by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Read more....