Embassies in Israel brace for Iran raid - Gayo Lues

According to a report by ynetnews.com, foreign embassies have initiated emergency plans in order to evacuate their citizens from Israel in the framework of the preparations for possible fallout in case of an Israeli strike on Iran.

Diplomatic missions in Israel have reportedly requested to be equipped with gas masks and there is fear that thousands of dual-citizenship Israelis will seek evacuation.

The Israeli foreign ministry has provided foreign embassies with a list of public bomb shelters across the country.

The Home Front Command is also preparing to launch a two-day drill in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon with Israel Defense Forces (IDF), firefighters and police officers taking part in the exercise.

This comes on the heels of a warning by US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, saying there is a strong possibility that Israel will launch an attack on Iran in April, May, or June 2012.

The United States, Israel, and some of their allies accuse Tehran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program. Washington and Tel Aviv have repeatedly threatened Tehran with the “option” of a military strike against its atomic facilities.

Iran refutes the Western allegations and argues that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has every right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

This is while the Israeli regime is widely known to possess between 200 and 400 nuclear warheads. Furthermore, Tel Aviv refuses to allow its nuclear facilities to come under international regulatory inspections and rejects any international nuclear regulatory agreements.

TNP/AZ