Israel Saudis IDF Iran, Biden

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1097882.html

Saudi Arabia has indicated to Israel that it would not protest use of its airspace by Israeli fighter jets in the event the government resolves to launch a military assault against Iran, according to a report which appeared in the British newspaper The Sunday Times.

The Prime Minister's office issued a statement in response Sunday morning, saying that "the Sunday Times report is fundamentally false and completely baseless."

According to The Sunday Times, Mossad chief Meir Dagan held secret meetings with Saudi officials, who gave their tacit approval to Israel's use of the kingdom's airspace.

"The Saudis have tacitly agreed to the Israeli air force flying through their airspace on a mission which is supposed to be in the common interests of both Israel and Saudi Arabia," The Sunday Times quoted a diplomatic source as saying last week.

The report also quoted John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, as saying that it would be "entirely logical" for Israeli warplanes to fly over Saudi Arabia en route to bombing nuclear targets in Iran.

Though any Israeli attack would be roundly condemned by Mideast leaders at the UN, Bolton said Arab leaders have privately expressed trepidation at the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran.

"None of them would say anything about it publicly but they would certainly acquiesce in an overflight if the Israelis didn't trumpet it as a big success," Bolton told The Sunday Times.

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http://jta.org/news/article/2009/07/05/1006321/biden-israel-has-right-to-attack-iran

Biden: Israel can decide for itself on Iran
July 5, 2009

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israel is "entitled" to decide for itself how to respond to Iran's nuclear program, Joe Biden said.

"Israel can determine for itself -- it's a sovereign nation -- what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else," the U.S. vice president told host George Stephanopoulos Sunday morning on ABC's "This Week."

Biden said Israel could decide to attack Iran whether the United States agrees or not.

"They're entitled to do that. Any sovereign nation is entitled to do that. But there is no pressure from any nation that's going to alter our behavior as to how to proceed," Biden said, adding: "What we believe is in the national interest of the United States, which we, coincidentally, believe is also in the interest of Israel and the whole world."

Pressed by Stephanopoulos, Biden said he was "not going to speculate" on whether or not the United States would grant Israel over-flight rights in Iraq to get to Iran.