US, Israel Discuss Plan B to Confront Iran’s Nuclear Program

Israeli National Security Council chairman Meir Ben-Shabbat (right) and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. AP
Israeli National Security Council chairman Meir Ben-Shabbat (right) and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. AP
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US, Israel Discuss Plan B to Confront Iran’s Nuclear Program

Israeli National Security Council chairman Meir Ben-Shabbat (right) and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. AP
Israeli National Security Council chairman Meir Ben-Shabbat (right) and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. AP

Former Israeli National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat revealed some of the Israeli demands made by his government during the friendly dialogue with the US administration, including setting a timetable for a possible Plan B if efforts to resume the nuclear talks with Iran fail.

In an interview with the Israel Hayom newspaper, Ben-Shabbat said that the government of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett shared the same US position on the need to reach a solution with Iran through diplomacy, but demanded that a deadline be set for the implementation of the agreement.

Ben-Shabbat, who is very close to former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a strong supporter of his hardline policy against Iran, said: “We cannot be satisfied with just a general statement; we need to define the stages and timelines, and develop a plan for each scenario.”

These statements came in the wake of reports in Tel Aviv and Washington about secret talks between the two sides to discuss a US contingency planning often referred to as Plan B to deal with the Iranian nuclear program, in the event that talks aimed at reviving the nuclear deal failed.

According to Axios Correspondent Barak Ravid, these discussions reached their peak last week, with a top-secret joint US-Israel strategic working group on Iran - the first of its kind at this level since the new Israeli government took office in June.

The meeting, which was held via a secure, enclosed video circle, was chaired by US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and Eyal Hulata, the head of the National Security Council in the Israeli prime minister’s office.

During the bilateral talks, the Israeli side underlined the need to move forward in coordinating a Plan B due to the stalemate in diplomatic talks on Iran’s nuclear prorgram, and Tehran’s acceleration of its nuclear activities.

According to Ravid, the US officials confirmed their intention to impose additional sanctions on Iran if the nuclear talks did not resume imminently.



Türkiye Ups Border Security as Iran-Israel Conflict Rages

FILE PHOTO - Syrians wait at a checkpoint at the Syrian border crossing of Bab al-Hawa on the Syrian-Turkish border in Idlib Governorate January 21, 2015. REUTERS/Abed Kontar
FILE PHOTO - Syrians wait at a checkpoint at the Syrian border crossing of Bab al-Hawa on the Syrian-Turkish border in Idlib Governorate January 21, 2015. REUTERS/Abed Kontar
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Türkiye Ups Border Security as Iran-Israel Conflict Rages

FILE PHOTO - Syrians wait at a checkpoint at the Syrian border crossing of Bab al-Hawa on the Syrian-Turkish border in Idlib Governorate January 21, 2015. REUTERS/Abed Kontar
FILE PHOTO - Syrians wait at a checkpoint at the Syrian border crossing of Bab al-Hawa on the Syrian-Turkish border in Idlib Governorate January 21, 2015. REUTERS/Abed Kontar

Türkiye has stepped up security on its border with Iran since the start of Tehran's conflict with Israel, but has not yet seen any increase in people trying to cross the frontier, a Turkish Defense Ministry source said on Thursday.

Türkiye - a NATO member which shares a 560-km (350-mile) border with Iran - has condemned Israel's attacks on Iran, saying they violate international law.

It has also offered to help arrange a resumption of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, according to Reuters.

"Intense security precautions have been taken via additional measures at all our borders including with Iran," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

There were no signs of "a mass immigration wave toward Türkiye," the source added.

Türkiye already hosts millions of refugees, most of them from another neighbour, Syria, and says it cannot take any more.

On Wednesday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel's attacks on Iran as "state terrorism" and said Türkiye would raise its own defences to such a level that "nobody will even consider" attacking it.

Türkiye has long said it is working to build up its defences, including long-range missiles - though officials and analysts say its plan for a "Steel Dome" defense system along the lines of Israel's "Iron Dome" is years away.

Barin Kayaoglu, a professor of international relations at Ankara Social Sciences University, said that while Türkiye's air defense systems could be effective if Ankara ever faced conflict scenarios like the fighting between Iran and Israel, more units were needed.

"Türkiye needs to gain range, altitude and anti-ballistic missile capabilities," he told Reuters. Any "Steel Dome" system "probably needs another five-six years", he said.