Claim: Account describes Israel's preparations for an imminent military attack on Iran.
Example: [Collected via e-mail, September 2012]
Intel from Israel on what's getting set to happen in the Middle East
My brother and his family live in Jerusalem - he is a minister - his office is close to one of Israel's largest underground military bases.
He called me last night which is very unusual - usually it is email.
He called to tell me that he is sending his family back to the US immediately due to what he is seeing happen within the last week and what he is being told by his military contacts in both the Israel and US military.
He said he is seeing with his own eyes military movements the likes of which he has never seen in his 20+ years in Israel .
What he called a massive redeployment and protective tactics of forces is underway.
Over the last two days he has seen anti-aircraft missile deployments throughout the Jerusalem area including 3 mobile units that he can see from his office windows.
In addition, he has seen very large Israeli armored columns moving fast toward the Sinia where Egypt has now moved in Armor.
There are reports of the top military leaders meeting with Israel 's Sr. Rabi which is something that has happened preceding every prior military campaign.
His admonition is to watch carefully and pray for Israel and its people.
He is convinced that barring something extraordinary Israel will attack Iran - with or without the US - and very soon.
It is the belief in Israel that Obama does not stand with Israel but with the Arab countries.
He has told me before that Israel will saber rattle from time to time but that this time is very different from what he is seeing and hearing.
He was at the Wailing Wall 2 days ago and there were hundreds of IDF soldiers there. As he was leaving he passed at least 20 military buses full of soldiers in route to the wall.
He has never seen this before either.
Just thought I would pass this along. My brother is not an alarmist by any means.
When he talks like this it gets my attention for sure and usually I find he knows more than he shares.
There are reports that Israel is asking Obama to come to Israel immediately but they are being answered with silence.
My opinion is that I see the making of the perfect storm.
Origins: Rumors have long been percolating about the possibility that Israel might launch a military strike against nuclear facilities in Iran in order to prevent that country from successfully developing nuclear weapons. (Israel undertook such an operation in 1981, bombing a French-built nuclear plant in Iraq.) In mid-September 2012, the U.S. and its allies launched a
major naval exercise in the Persian Gulf intended to demonstrate determination to keep that waterway open to oil shipping in the event of a war between Israel and Iran, an event which added more fuel to simmering rumors that such a war was imminent:
Publicly announced in July, the operation, known as IMCMEX-12, focuses on clearing mines that Tehran, or guerrilla groups, might deploy to disrupt tanker traffic, notably in the Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and the Arabian peninsula. The start of the event, with a symposium for officers from more than 30 navies, came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. television viewers that Tehran was close to being able to build a nuclear bomb; his words fuelled talk of an Israeli strike, and of Netanyahu pressuring President Barack Obama to back Israel as Obama battles for re-election. Military officials, diplomats and analysts - as well as Iran itself - all sought to play down the significance of the timing and to stress the defensive and hypothetical aspects of the exercise, which moves on to the water with ships from a much smaller number of nations taking part in manoeuvres. However, it was a clearly deliberate demonstration of the determination on the part of a broad coalition of states to counter any attempt Iran might make to disrupt Gulf shipping in response to an Israeli or U.S. strike on its nuclear facilities - a form of retaliation Iran has repeatedly threatened. Netanyahu's comments on U.S. television on the potential progress Iran might make over the next few months in enriching uranium towards the point where it would be useable in a weapon were short on detail but stressed the notion that Tehran was on the brink of a major breakthrough which Israel would not accept. Obama, who has faced criticism from Republican challenger Mitt Romney of being too soft on Iran and too hard on Israel, has stressed a desire to give international economic sanctions and diplomacy time to persuade Tehran to change tack on a nuclear strategy it says is intended only for civilian purposes.
The United States and its allies have launched a major naval exercise in the Gulf that they say shows a global will to keep oil shipping lanes open as Israel and Iran trade threats of war.
As of now, however, no other accounts have confirmed "massive military redeployments" within Israel, as posited in the account quoted in the Example block at the head of this page. It is also exceedingly unlikely that, as claimed, Israel would summon the U.S. President to travel to an imminent war zone.
Last updated: 17 September 2012