Military strike is only way to stop Iran, says top Israeli strategist

A top Israeli strategic analyst says armed force is the only way to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons if the international community does not impose effective sanctions.

Zvi Shtauber, director of Tel-Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies, was speaking last night after the Foreign Ministry denied a report in The Sunday Times that Israeli pilots were already training to strike three targets with low-yield nuclear weapons.

Mark Regev, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Israel was focusing on giving full support to diplomatic actions and the implementation of a UN Security Council resolution imposing limited sanctions on Tehran.

But Mr Shtauber said: "Experience shows that it is very hard to stop a state which is determined to build nuclear weapons."