Time to attack Israel?

Amir Taheri

Has the time come for Iran to destroy Israel?

With �Supreme Guide� Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad promising to wipe Israel off the map, the question is being debated in Khomeinist political and theological circles.

Khamenei has recently claimed that, under his leadership, the Islamic ummah is heading for victory against Israel and the United States. Implicitly comparing himself with the Prophet Muhammad, Khamenei asserts that his victories will be as great as those of the founder of the faith at Badr and Kheibar.

The battle of Badr (624) resulted in the expulsion of �pagan forces� from the region of Medina, where Muhammad ruled. Khamenei believes that, with the United States retreating from the Middle East, his Islamic Republic is about to score as great a victory.