In a breaking story by the New Your Times the leaked results of a secret war simulation shows that an Israeli attack on Iran would be likely to lead to a region wide war.
U.S. War Game Sees Perils of Israeli Strike on Iran
By MARK MAZZETTI and THOM SHANKER
WASHINGTON — A classified war simulation held this month to assess the repercussions of an Israeli attack on Iran forecasts that the strike would lead to a wider regional war, which could draw in the United States and leave hundreds of Americans dead, according to American officials.
But the game has raised fears among top American planners that it may be impossible to preclude American involvement in any escalating confrontation with Iran, the officials said. In the debate among policy makers over the consequences of any Israeli attack, that reaction may give stronger voice to those in the White House, Pentagon and intelligence community who have warned that a strike could prove perilous for the United States.
The results of the war game were particularly troubling to Gen. James N. Mattis, who commands all American forces in the Middle East, Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia, according to officials who either participated in the Central Command exercise or who were briefed on the results and spoke on condition of anonymity because of its classified nature. When the exercise had concluded earlier this month, according to the officials, General Mattis told aides that an Israeli first strike would be likely to have dire consequences across the region and for United States forces there.
While this secret war simulation was never meant for publication (as any secret war simulation wouldn't be) I'm sure the U.S. has shared its outcome with Israeli leaders along with their concerns about its perilous repercussions for the United States and our armed forces.
Heightening the potential for perilous repercussions were these announcements by various Israeli officials.
AP source: Israel will keep US out of the loop if it decides to strike Iran’s nuclear program
WASHINGTON — Israeli officials say they won’t warn the U.S. if they decide to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, according to one U.S. intelligence official familiar with the discussions. The pronouncement, delivered in a series of private, top-level conversations, sets a tense tone ahead of meetings in the coming days at the White House and Capitol Hill.
As George W. Bush found out in Iraq, the one who starts a war only knows how it will start, not how or when the conflict will eventually end.
Any regional war would be almost certainly would involve the U.S. The consequences of the threatened Israeli attack on Iran could be grave for the United States and the whole world.