I suspect if that Israel concluded that their survival depended on taking out Iran’s program, they’d find a way (without using nukes in a first strike). Nonetheless, I don’t know the specifics of Israel’s military capability well enough to rebut this emai from a reader:
There are two concepts here, the “Should” and the “Can”-were I a better writer I’d find more a more deft phraseology. You make the case about whether Israel SHOULD attack Iran, preemptively. I’d argue that it is IRRELEVANT, as Israel simply CAN NOT attack Iran, can not in the physical sense.
The range is too far and the target array to vast for Tzahal to achieve any lasting effects. The 1982 Osirak raid stretched the Israeli forces to the maximum. The raid involved less than 30 aircraft, striking a point target. Israel will have to fly further and attack a larger target array. The Israelis simply don’t have the “reach” necessary to deliver the necessary sorties to negate the Iranian program or to significantly disrupt it. Plus, to strike Iran will require US cooperation as the Israeli strike package(s) would be flying over or near US forces in the Gulf or Iraq.
This time out it’s either the US or no one, UNLESS Israel will use NUCLEAR Weapons on the Iranian sites and I don’t think that is a very good idea.