News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Minister Rafi Eitan (Pensioners), former head of Israeli intelligence, said Wednesday morning that he would not be surprised if the United States leads an attack on Iran before American President George W. Bush leaves office in January. His comment, on Voice of Israel government radio's Another Matter program, comes several hours after the Bush administration categorically dismissed a similar report in Israel that originated on Army Radio and was published in the media.

White House press secretary Dan Perino stated that the report "is not worth the paper it’s written on…. No president of the United States should ever take options off the table, but our preference and our actions for dealing with this matter remain through peaceful diplomatic means."