Israelis see Iran nuclear breakout possible in 2-3 months
According to Israeli security officials, retired Gen. Uzi Eilam's contention that Iran is years away from becoming a nuclear state is inaccurate, an assessment shared by US and European intelligence agencies.
Uzi Eilam is a retired brigadier general and the former director of Israel's Atomic Energy Commission. This has got to be one of the most sensitive positions in Israel's defense establishment. For many years, Eilam was privy to top secrets and was one of the most senior and highly regarded experts on Israel's security. A man of many merits, he is the salt of the earth in the full sense of the expression. Yet, all these superlatives do not render men like Eilam infallible, as seen by his May 8 interview with the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
Arguing that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, was using the Iranian threat for "political goals," he also added that Israeli politicians were busy striking terrible fear in the Israeli public. Wondering whether Iran even "wants the bomb," Eilam topped the tale by arguing that even through a very pessimistic prism, Iran's nuclear project would not be finished to become a deliverable nuclear missile for at least 10 years.
