After months of babbling warmongering remarks aimed at Iran that resulted in disagreements among Israeli ranks, it seems that the regime’s officials have finally tired of issuing empty threats against Tehran.

[caption id="attachment_5396" align="alignright" width="180"] Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Military Affairs Ehud Barak[/caption]

Since the beginning of 2012, the US and Israel increased their war rhetoric and threats against Iran over the country’s nuclear program which they claim might be containing covert military aspects, an allegation never proved during inspections of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

?Israel’s blatant threats against Iran faced international condemnation and warnings against dire consequences of such an attack for the Middle East and the entire world. Political analysts believed such an assault would provoke a strong reaction from the international community and Tehran allies particularly Russia and Hezbollah.

Israel’s incumbent and former security officials, however, did not agree with such threats, mainly issued by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Military Affairs Ehud Barak, and their assessment about consequences of war with Iran.

Israel’s former Supreme Court judge Eliyahu Winograd harshly criticized Netanyahu and Barak for their “extremely irresponsible” statements about striking Iran and their assessment of Israeli casualties in case of a war on Iran, asking "No more than 500 killed? How do you know? Did you already count?”

Barak claimed in 2011 that in case of an Israeli attack against Iran “there will not be 100,000 casualties, and not 50,000 casualties, not 5,000 casualties and not even 500.”

"The chiefs of the entire defense establishment - Shin Bet and Mossad chiefs past and present, Military Intelligence - they all oppose a strike but Netanyahu and Barak alone will decide?” Winograd said.

Shortly after, the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot published a story titled “Disagreement about Iran among the intelligence agencies” on September 5. According to the report, Israel’s different intelligence services - the Mossad, Shin Bet, and Army Intelligence - do not agree about the period where a possible Israeli attack would no longer be effective due to Iran’s progress on its nuclear energy program.

Meanwhile, the administration of US President Barack Obama has reportedly sent a confidential message to Iran via two European governments, saying that Washington would not support Israel if it decided to carry out a “unilateral and without coordination” attack on Iran if Iran refrains from attacking American assets in the Persian Gulf, Yediot Ahronot also reported. Although the US later rejected the report.

Iranian officials have promised a crushing response to any aggression against the Islamic Republic, warning that any such measure could result in a war that would spread beyond the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Brigadier General Yahya Rahim Safavi, senior military adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said on Sunday that resistance groups particularly Hezbollah would retaliate against Israel if Tel Aviv attacks the Islamic Republic.

It is noteworthy that the recent developments in the region such as the Islamic Awakening have altered the power balance in the region as Hosni Mubarak, one of the most important allies of the Israel, was disposed during popular revolution in Egypt.

Egypt’s first freely-elected President Mohammad Morsi declared during his inauguration speech that “Egypt, its people and presidential institution stand with the Palestinian people until they regain all their rights."

Given these developments and considering that the suitable season for launching an attack against Iran has passed, it seems that the issue of an Israeli assault on Iran would not be raised for some time.