Ex-Pentagon Chief Warns Israel Not to Strike Iran Without Trump’s Support: Would Put Americans ‘At Risk’

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer asked former Clinton-era Defense Secretary William Cohen about bombshell new reporting that Israel is preparing to strike Iranian nuclear facilities with or without U.S. involvement.

“CNN has learned that the U.S. has obtained new intelligence suggesting that Israel is making preparations to actually strike Iranian nuclear facilities. Officials caution that Israeli leaders have not made a final decision, but this comes, as you well know, as the Trump administration has been pursuing a diplomatic deal with Tehran on this whole issue of nuclear capability. How do you see this playing out?” Blitzer asked Cohen.

“I would hope that the Israeli prime minister would coordinate this very closely with the Trump administration. The Israelis have an enormous military capability, and maybe they can carry out this mission without us. I suspect that we would want to be involved or would have to be involved. If that’s the case, I don’t think Israel should take a step without coordinating with the president of the United States because the reaction would be asymmetric by the Iranians,” Cohen warned, adding:

They would place Americans over in that region at risk, as well as our other allies in the region, not to mention globally. So I think Israel, if they go ahead, they better understand that they need to have at least consultations, if not support from the president of the United States.

They owe us a great deal. And we have helped them with the Iron Dome. We have helped them with Arrow system. We help them defend their small country against those multiple threats. They have an obligation to make sure they don’t take steps that put us at risk in that region or elsewhere.

“Well, on that issue, Mr. Secretary, if Israel were to move forward with an actual military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, how do you see the risk of this starting a broader regional conflict in the Middle East actually breaking out?” Blitzer followed up.

“Well, that’s always been the risk involved. We have hesitated to go after Iran to prevent them from developing a nuclear weapon. Israel has that goal. That should be our goal as well. So the president is trying to pursue it on a diplomatic basis with economic incentives, et cetera,” Cohen replied, adding:

But going to war, you don’t know what the consequences are going to be. There may be, quote, collateral damage that we haven’t contemplated yet. We don’t know exactly what that would mean in terms of asymmetric threats to us in the region, to us and our country and to our allies.

So this is very serious. I don’t think Israel should do this on its own. Yes, they’re concerned about Iran getting a nuclear weapon. We are, too. But I think they have an obligation to work very closely. We are their best friend, and they have to be mindful of that as they decide whether they’re going to attack or not.

“Former Defense Secretary William Cohen, thanks as usual for joining us,” Blitzer concluded.

Watch the clip above via CNN.