Israel denies planning attack on Iran's nuclear facilities

Jan 7, 2007, 15:17 GMT

Tel Aviv/Tehran - Israel vehemently denied Sunday a report by a British newspaper which claimed that it plans to attack Iran's uranium enrichment facilities using nuclear weapons.

According to the report quoting Israeli military sources, two Israel Air Force squadrons are training to blow up an enrichment plant at Natanz, around 220 kilometres south-east of Tehran, using 'bunker buster' nuclear bombs. Two other sites would also be hit with conventional weapons.

'As soon as the green light is given, it will be one mission, one strike and the Iranian nuclear project will be demolished,' one of the Israeli military sources told the newspaper.

However, labelling the report as 'incorrect,' Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that 'Israel supports 100 per cent the efforts of the international community, via the United Nations Security Council, to stop Iran's nuclear programme.'

The nuclear weapons would be used only if an attack with conventional weapons was ruled out and the US decided not to intervene, the Sunday Times report said.

Meanwhile in Tehran, Iran once again vowed retaliation in case of a military attack by Israel against its nuclear sites.

'Any attack against Iran would not remain without a decisive reply and any aggressor would quickly regret its action,' Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said in a press briefing.

Tehran has always claimed its nuclear programme is for purely peaceful purposes but Israel and Western countries such as the US believe the Islamic state is intent on building nuclear weapons.

Israel has repeatedly called for Iran's nuclear drive to be halted, fearing that any Iranian nuclear weapons would be used against it, given President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's frequent calls for the Jewish state to be wiped off the map.

Last month the UN Security Council voted to impose sanctions on Tehran over its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.