The question in the air here in Jerusalem, Israel and in fact throughout the Middle East is ... will Israel attack Iran?
The question started to take on a more serious tone following last week's revelation that Israel's air force held an elaborate maneuver over the Mediterranean Sea, which seemed to mirror a potential attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Iran's predictably said it would give a "devastating" response to any Israeli attack.
Following that revelation, two high profile visits -- one just concluded and the other planned for later this week -- by U.S. military brass further fueled speculation about an attack.
The Jerusalem Post reported today that US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Michael Mullen will meet with IDF (Israel Defense Forces) Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenzi at the end of the week. This unprecedented visit follows a visit by US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary Roughead.
According to the Post, "Defense officials have said that in the event of a conflict with Iran, it was possible the US would deploy an Aegis system off Israel's coast to provide another layer of defense against Iranian ballistic missiles."
"I believe that the proliferation of ballistic missiles is something that will continue to occur [and] I believe that ballistic missiles in the future will become weapons of intimidation and blackmail," Roughead said.
Feeding more fodder to this question was the statement by Jon Bolton, the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
Bolton said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph that Israel might attack Iran's nuclear facilities following the November 4th US Presidential election and before the next president is sworn in:
"The Israelis have one eye on the calendar because of the pace at which the Iranians are proceeding both to develop their nuclear weapons capability and to do things like increase their defenses by buying new Russian anti-aircraft systems and further harden the nuclear installations," Bolton said.
"They're also obviously looking at the American election calendar. My judgment is they would not want to do anything before our election because there's no telling what impact it could have on the election," he said.
Last week, MEMRI released a transcript of an interview with Mohammad Al-Baradei, the director general of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency).
He made a stunning announcement when he told an interviewer of Al-Arabiya TV that "If it wants to produce nuclear weapons, Iran would have to "leave the NPT [Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty], expel the IAEA inspectors, and ... it would need at least six months to one year."
This assessment fits very closely with Israel's intelligence assessment of how far along Iran is in its race to acquire a nuclear weapon. Al-Baradei said an Israeli attack would turn the Middle East into a "ball of fire."
But others disagree and feel despite the consequences Israel faces its most serious existential threat in its history and must respond.
How it responds. whether it attacks. or not. will write the history of the Middle East for years to come.