Skip to main content

Ex-Obama Official Warns: Take Israel Iran Threat 'Very Seriously'

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl told Al-Monitor's Laura Rozen that he takes the signs that Israeli leaders are contemplating a fall strike on Iran “very seriously.” He said there is clearly a crescendo emerging and "Israeli leadership is building a case that they can trust no one but themselves on this issue." Read the full interview.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Dan Cesarea Hotel in Israel, March 25, 2011.  Defense Department photo by Cherie Cullen (released)

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl traveled to Israel 13 times during his tenure as the Obama administration’s top Pentagon Middle East civilian policy advisor from 2009 to the end of 2011. Kahl, now a Georgetown University professor, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, and foreign policy advisor to the Obama campaign, told Al-Monitor in an interview Tuesday that he takes the signs that Israeli leaders are contemplating a fall strike on Iran “very seriously.” 

“I think it is more likely Israeli leaders are preparing the Israeli public for a strike, and creating a narrative for the international community that diplomacy and sanctions have failed and thus Israel has no choice,” Kahl said. “There is clearly a crescendo emerging, and there is a lot of detailed, point-by-point argumentation …laying the foundation for a potential strike.”

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.