In brief: Israel vows silence before Iran strike
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.
Israeli officials said that if they eventually decide a strike is necessary, they would keep the Americans in the dark to decrease the likelihood that the U.S. would be held responsible for failing to stop Israel’s potential attack. The U.S. has been working with the Israelis for months to persuade them that an attack would be only a temporary setback to Iran’s nuclear program.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak delivered the message to a series of top-level U.S. visitors to the country, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the White House national security adviser and the director of national intelligence, and top U.S. lawmakers, all trying to close the trust gap between Israel and the U.S. over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Netanyahu delivered the same message to all the Americans who have traveled to Israel for talks, the U.S. official said.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment, and the Pentagon and Office of Director of National Intelligence declined to comment, as did the Israeli Embassy.
Fire in engine room stalls a Costa liner
LOS ANGELES – A sister ship of the cruise liner that ran aground in Italy last month was adrift Monday in the Indian Ocean with 636 passengers on board, including eight Americans, after a fire broke out in the engine room.
No casualties or injuries were reported on the Costa Allegra, which is owned by Costa Cruises, the same Italian company that operates the Costa Concordia. The Concordia ran aground on the Italian island of Giglio on the night of Jan. 13, killing 25 people, with an additional seven still unaccounted for.
Costa Cruises confirmed in a statement that a fire broke out in the electric generator room, but was promptly extinguished. The fire did not spread to other parts of the ship, but the engines were stopped until an inspection could determine whether it was safe to continue, the statement said.
The cruise ship sent out a distress signal, summoning tugboats and naval ships to its location, about 200 miles southwest of the Republic of Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, in an area known to be frequented by pirates.
Costa Cruises said a French fishing boat reached the disabled cruise liner this morning.
The Costa Allegra departed from Madagascar on Saturday and was scheduled to arrive today in Mahe, Seychelles, according to the cruise ship operator.