Israel sought US support for airstrikes on Iran
Submitted by William Kaelin on Fri, 09/26/2008 - 10:31.
Israel considered bombing Iran's nuclear sites but US President George W Bush refused to give his support, a newspaper reported Friday.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke with Bush in mid-May about a possible attack, but the US president refused to give the green light, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported, citing senior European diplomatic sources.
Washington was concerned that the airstrikes could spark a full- scale war and also fail to fully destroy the nuclear sites.
Israel and the US suspect that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons. Tehran has always denied this, saying its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only.
Bush leaves office in January. Olmert resigned last weekend.
The German car market is facing its worse downturn, the nation's auto industry association warned Wednesday as the deepening sense of economic gloom in the country leads to a shakeout in the industry and the prospects of big job cuts.
A comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon as a couple trying to avoid their families at Christmas debuted in first place over the weekend at North American box offices, according to preliminary studio estimates issued Sunday.