Former CIA director and retired general David Petraeus said it was “unlikely” that Israel would target Iran’s nuclear facilities in retaliation for last week’s ballistic missile attack.
“There are certain nuclear facilities that we can’t deal with unless there’s a really diabolical, sophisticated plan that would be very difficult to execute without U.S. assistance,” Petraeus said Wednesday in an interview with CTV Power Play host Vassy Kapelos. It is publicly known that there is.”
The debate over the scale of Israel’s retaliation began last week after Iran attacked Israel with 181 ballistic missiles. Israel has promised “serious consequences” for Iran, which supports extremist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, and its approach could have major repercussions for the Middle East and the world.
US President Joe Biden has voiced opposition to targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities and suggested that Israel should refrain from attacking oil facilities.
Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday for the first time in nearly two months.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the conversation was “direct” and “productive” but did not discuss whether Israel would notify the Biden administration in advance of any actions it planned to take against Iran. Details were not disclosed.
Israel’s defense minister warned on Wednesday that the country’s retaliation would be “deadly, precise and surprising.”
When asked about that warning, Petraeus told Kapelos, “I think it’s going to be all three.”
But Petraeus said he did not believe this retaliation would even target oil infrastructure.
Petraeus cited examples such as Hamas and Hezbollah, citing “very significant attacks against various military-related targets and infrastructure, particularly those that support Iran’s nefarious activities that support these malign proxies.” It will be done.”
The former CIA director also told Kapelos that “there is a greater risk” of conventional war in the region.
“A lot will depend on how Iran responds to this particular Israeli retaliation,” Petraeus said. “Israel has extraordinary capabilities and capabilities if things continue to escalate. Iran needs to realize that. I think it does.”
Jolie responds to Poièvre’s support for nuclear targets
Petraeus’ comments came after Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Wednesday that Israel’s response to Iran needs to be “proportionate.”
Joly’s comments came after Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poièvre doubled down on his support for Israel to pre-emptively strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“If Israel could prevent a genocidal, theocratic, unstable government from acquiring nuclear weapons, it would be a gift from the Jewish state to humanity,” Poièvre said on Tuesday.
Poièvre first expressed support for the move on Monday at a commemorative event marking the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
“Israel must be able to prevent Iran from using nuclear weapons if necessary,” Poièvre said at a commemorative event. “That means aggressively attacking Iran’s nuclear and oil facilities to cut off funding to the terrorist regime.”
When asked by reporters whether an attack on nuclear facilities is appropriate, Jolie simply replies, “The president of the United States has already said he is against it.”
Defense Secretary Blair said on Monday that it was “appropriate” for Israel to attack Iranian oil production facilities, but did not mention nuclear facilities.
But Prime Minister Blair said in an interview with CTV Powerplay host Vassie Kapelos last week that both Iran’s oil infrastructure and nuclear facilities should not be targeted.
The federal government condemned Iran’s attack on Israel and expressed support for Israel’s self-defense, but said the international community must do everything in its power to avoid a larger regional war.
