Iran strike would ‘further destabilize region,’ former intel chief warns

A former Israeli intelligence chief on Sunday cautioned Israel not to attack Iran at the moment, lest it further undermine the regional stability of the Middle East.

“The whole region is boiling and an overly rushed military action is likely to help [Syrian President Bashar] Assad, Tehran’s ally, stay in power,” Aharon Zeevi Farkash, former head of Military Intelligence in the IDF, told Army Radio.

Before meeting with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Sunday in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that sanctions and diplomatic efforts have not slowed Iran’s nuclear program, and therefore “we need a strong and credible military threat coupled with sanctions” to halt it.

Last week Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s commitment “to doing everything it possibly can in order to stop Iran from going nuclear.”

Netanyahu’s comments were the latest in a series of statements indicating an Israeli readiness to use military action if necessary to thwart Iran’s nuclear drive.