Israel fears for existence if war with Iran breaks

Jerusalem: More than half of Israelis fear that war with Iran would endanger the Jewish State’s very existence, a new poll has found. It is a startling finding that will worry Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has argued that a pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities is necessary to prevent it from obtaining the atom bomb. The Tel Aviv University Poll found that a majority of Israelis thought the likelihood of a conflict with Iran “high” or “medium,” while half either feared or “greatly” feared for Israel`s existence.

According to the Independent, it also suggests that few were convinced by Defence Minister Ehud Barak``s surprising assertion last November that Israel would suffer fewer than 500 casualties were Iran to retaliate to an Israeli attack. But even as Israelis appear to accept the inevitability of a showdown with Iran, the poll suggested that it would not affect Netanyahu`s ability to form a coalition government if elections were held today, the report added. Netanyahu has stepped up his rhetoric in Iran in recent weeks, and tried unsuccessfully to push Washington to set “red lines” over Iran, a demand dismissed by President Barack Obama in a recent interview as “noise,” the report added. ANI