Well what have we here…a leak of some “secret” military strategy from Israel:

Israel has drawn up secret plans to destroy Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons, Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper said.

Citing what it said were several Israeli military sources, the paper said two Israeli air force squadrons had been training to blow up an enrichment plant in Natanz using low-yield nuclear “bunker busters.”

Now, assuming that they actually are trying for a nuke rather than nuclear power*, US intelligence estimates say that Iran is YEARS away from enriching enough for even one bomb, even if they get all green lights on the way.  Israel can get a second opinion with their spies, but considering the degree to which our operations are linked nowadays, anything they knew we’d know.  Besides that, the region is screwy enough as it is; either part of this scheme taken on its own — Israel attacking Iran, or any nation using nukes at all, even if “low-yield” — would be cause for concern.  But Israel nuking Iran, and claiming it’s in preemptive self-defense?

Gee, that’d go over well…

However, as we in the US know by now, some leaks have a hidden purpose.  This one is no different.  Observe:

Israeli pilots have flown to Gibraltar in recent weeks to train for the 2,000 mile round-trip to the Iranian targets, the Sunday Times said, and three possible routes to Iran have been mapped out including one over Turkey.

However it also quoted sources as saying a nuclear strike would only be used if a conventional attack was ruled out and if the United States declined to intervene. Disclosure of the plans could be intended to put pressure on Tehran to halt enrichment, the paper added. (emphasis mine)

This is a threat.  To Iran, sure, but also to us.  The Israeli government is in effect saying to the US that if we don’t follow them even further into the fever swamps, they’ll singlehandedly escalate our current problem.  Remind me again why Israel is an “ally”?

(* - considering our behavior on this subject, I wouldn’t exactly blame them if they did go nuclear.  I’d rather they not, because after all Iran is run by a total loon, but if I were in his shoes I’d think I was being goaded into it.  Israel and our resident itchy-trigger-finger crew need to learn to differentiate between credible threats and hollow bluster meant more for the home crowd.)