Former prime minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday that Israel cannot destroy Iran's nuclear program the way it destroyed Syria's more than 10 years ago. Speaking at the Jerusalem Post Conference in New York, he explained, "Syria is relatively close, there was one structure, one nuclear reactor that was the whole thing, and when it was destroyed, you destroyed all their capabilities until they decided to build a new one." Regarding Iran, Olmert said, "The distance is greater, the structures are scattered in different locations, especially underground, and Israel's ability to destroy Iran's potential for nuclear weapons is much smaller, and it requires a different kind of capability."
Olmert said that "if there is peace between us and the Palestinians, then overnight there will be peace between Israel and 10 Arab Muslim countries and Israel will become the capital of the Middle East and all the money coming to the region will pass through Tel Aviv."