Israel's defence chief claimed Thursday that President Obama has new intelligence which changes the U.S. assessment of the imminent danger represented by Iran's clandestine nuclear work, bringing the White House's views closer to those held by the Jewish state.
An article published Thursday by the Haaretz newspaper said Defense Minister Ehud Barak had "confirmed" the paper's earlier report that Mr. Obama had received a new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) "which shares Israel's view that Iran has made surprising, significant progress toward military nuclear capability."
Speaking later to Israeli Radio, Barak confirmed that, as he understood it, a new U.S. intelligence report "being passed around senior offices" in Washington did make the American government's concerns more urgent. He did not explicitly say the new intelligence report was in the form of an official NIE provided to Mr. Obama.