Israel, Saudis working on Iran strike plans

Israel and Saudi Arabia are working on contingency plans for a possible military strike on Iran, a Sunday Times report said. The British newspaper reported the two countries are working on plans for a possible strike on Iran's nuclear facilities if a a deal struck by the P5 plus1 countries in Geneva later this week fails to significantly curb Iran's nuclear program. Israel's intelligence agency Mossad is reportedly working with Saudi officials on the plans. "Once the Geneva agreement is signed, the military option will be back on the table. The Saudis are furious and are willing to give Israel all the help it needs," a diplomatic source told the newspaper. In the framework of cooperation between the two countries, Riyadh has given Jerusalem a green light to use its airspace in the event of a military strike on Iran, the newspaper said. Both countries are alarmed by Iran's nuclear ambitions, the report added. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has been appealing to Western audiences to oppose an agreement with Iran, Haaretz said. Netanyahu Sunday said there is still time to change an agreement with Iran that will bring about a far better diplomatic solution. Netanyahu said Iran is still suffering from the effects of economic sanctions imposed by the West, Israel Radio said. It is the Israeli government's obligation to stand firmly against a bad agreement in the making with Iran, he said. In recent weeks, Netanyahu has been interviewed by a number of international networks and spoken out against a deal that would leave Iran's nuclear program intact, saying such an agreement will directly threaten Israel's survival. Netanyahu's stand on the matter has put him at loggerheads with the Obama administration, which continues to push for an agreement to be signed in Geneva when the P5 plus1 countries -- United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany -- reconvene later this week to discuss a deal with the Islamic Republic.