As the world powers are working out a nuclear deal with Iran, some in Israel are hinting at a different approach. Israeli Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel said Wednesday at a conference at the Ben-Gurion House in Tel Aviv that "from a purely military standpoint, there is a very large advantage [in a pre-emptive strike], because it achieves the goal, assuming that you have the capability." Eshel made his remarks during a debate titled "Can the IAF Launch a Surprise Attack on a New 'Focus'-" hosted by the Kinneret Center on Peace, Security and Society in Memory of Dan Shomron. The name of the discussion references Operation Focus, the IAF attack that took out the Egyptian Air Force on the ground and launched the Six-Day War in 1967. Eshel noted that "there are those who argue that because the enemy now has greater capability to strike the Israeli home front than [it did] in the past, the question is more relevant than ever." "Unlike that attack [referring to Operation Focus], Israel is [now] seen as strong. Our military actions require international legitimization. Would an action like this -- a surprise -- would it get that legitimization? I think that's a major change. We were weak then. Now we're in a different place."
