Limited strikes

According to a Special report in The Economist (14 Jan) on Iran, rather than a full-scale attack, the US might prefer

to launch an attritional campaign by attacking Natanz and Bushehr, recognising that the resulting damage would at best delay Iran's nuclear progress. This is certainly the most that Israel could contemplate unilaterally. Such an attack would be a declaration of a war that Israel could start but might not finish without American protection. And Israeli fighter-bombers would find it hard to reach Iran without passing through American-controlled airspace.

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