Barack Obama's incoming administration will offer Israel a "nuclear umbrella" against the threat of a nuclear attack by Iran, an unnamed source close to the US president-elect has told the Israeli newspaper 'Ha'aretz'. The source, said the United States would declare that an attack on Israel by Tehran would result in a devastating US nuclear response against Iran. Secretary of state-designate Hillary Clinton had raised the idea of a nuclear guarantee to Israel during her campaign for the Democratic Party's nomination for the presidency. During a debate with Barack Obama in April, Clinton said that Israel and Arab countries had to be given "deterrent backing." She added, "Iran must know that an attack on Israel will draw a massive response."
According to the same source, the nuclear guarantee would be backed by a new and improved Israeli anti-ballistic missile system, 'Ha'aretz' reported. The Bush administration took the first step by deploying an early-warning radar system in the Negev Desert, which improves the ability to detect Iranian ballistic missiles. Obama said this week that he would negotiate with Iran and would offer economic incentives for Tehran to relinquish its nuclear program. He warned that if Iran refused the deal, he would act to intensify sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
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