Pres. Obama and PM Netanyahu
Pres. Obama and PM NetanyahuFlash 90

United States President Barack Obama’s “red line” on Iran is a pretense, according to a senior diplomatic source quoted by Ma'ariv/nrg.

“His ‘red line,’ according to which he’ll attack if the Iranians get a nuclear weapon or get very close, is fiction,” the source accused.

“The gap between Israel and the United States regarding the ‘red line’ is enormous, and is not expected to shrink during the visit,” he continued.

The source also expressed concern over Obama's planned speech in the Binyanei Ha'uma convention center in Jerusalem. “In his speech to the Israeli public, Obama is trying to delegitimize any decision by Netanyahu to attack in Iran,” he warned.

His statement came just hours after former Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin warned that Obama’s choice not to speak in Knesset was “a worrying sign… a statement a lack of faith in the representatives of the nation he’s addressing.”

Obama recently told Israeli media that he believes Iran is “over a year or so” from obtaining a nuclear bomb. All options are “on the table” for preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, he said.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to thank Obama for his strong criticism of Iran’s nuclear program and his public support for Israel’s right to defend itself.