Obama adviser wraps up talks in Israel, looking for promises on Iran

GlobalPost

President Barack Obama's national security adviser Tom Donilon concluded three days of talks with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem amid an escalating focus on Iran's nuclear intentions, the Associated Press reported.

The visit comes a month before President Obama is to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on March 5 in Washington.

The White House said Donilon met with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak among other Israeli officials, Bloomberg reported.

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The statement from the White House explained that Donilon and the US. delegation discussed “the full range” of mutual security concerns and the visit "reflects our unshakable commitment to Israel’s security.”

Army General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a television interview that an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would be “destabilizing,” and that such a move wouldn’t be “prudent at this point.”

CBS News reported Donilon brought what media reports described as a clear message to Israeli leaders: "Don't attack Iran." But the country isn't making any promises, according to Israeli spokesman Mark Regev.

"Israel cannot tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran," Regev said.

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