A security assessment drawn up Israeli defence chiefs calls for contingency plans to be drawn up for military action against Iran, the Haaretz daily reported on Sunday.
The assessment, to be presented to ministers next month as part of the National Security Council's annual review, also calls for Israel to prevent new Palestinian elections at all costs, even at the expense of a row with its US ally, the paper said.
Defence chiefs put "Iran's threat to Israel's survival" at the top of the list of challenges they face, followed by the "strategic threat" of long-range missiles and rockets from various countries in the region.
"Israel faces these threats almost alone," Haaretz quoted the report as saying. "It is imperative to mobilise the international community and obtain regional co-operation. The new American administration is an opportunity to do this." Defence chiefs warn that Israel has a limited window in which to act before Iran obtains nuclear arms and regional hegemony.
They call for Israel to establish a military option against Iran, in case other countries abandon the struggle, and advise the cabinet to "work discreetly on contingency plans to deal with a nuclear Iran." Their assessment also recommends close co-operation with the United States to prevent a deal between Washington and Tehran that would undermine Israeli interests.
President's home attacked in Guinea Bissau mutiny
BISSAU: The residence of Guinea Bissau President Joao Bernardo Vieira came under fire Sunday from troops in a post-election "mutiny" that left one soldier dead and three others arrested, officials said.
"A group of soldiers last night tried to get hold of a arms depot in the president's residence. There was an exchange of gunfire," an official from the army's general staff said. Three of the attacking soldiers were arrested but the others made off with some weapons including rocket launchers, the official said.
The African Union responded quickly to the overnight attack, saying it condemns "any attempt to seize power by force". African Union chief Jean Ping said he was in contact with Vieira and neighbouring leaders to monitor the situation in the coup-prone West African nation which also has a major drug trafficking problem.
"We have noted one dead from the side of the attackers and several wounded in our ranks," an interior ministry official, who wanted to remain anonymous, said, confirming that "several" soldiers had been arrested. There was no immediate indication if the attack was indeed a mutiny or possibly a failed attempt to seize power by one of the president's rivals.
The situation was said to be calmer later on Sunday. The area where the president lives "is entirely controlled by our troops," the source in the army's general staff told AFP. Interior Minister Cipriano Cassama said there had signs of an imminent attack.
"There were precursory signs that out agents noticed in the last few days. In any case investigations will reveal who committed the attacks," he told AFP. Guinea Bissau has been plagued by a series of bloody coups and uprisings, and in recent years has become a key African drugs hub.
The attack comes a week after parliamentary elections. Provisional results released on Friday showed the vote was won by the dominant African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC).
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