I do not really see what good Obama offering Israel this does. I would not imagine for a second that Iran would launch any sort of attack involving nuclear weapons that could be traced directly to Iran. That is too clear cut and they could not wriggle out of the terrible retribution that would come their way.

The danger in Iran's secret/covert/call-it-what-you-will nuclear weapons programme is that it is used to arm others and they carry out the attack. Two fairly small devices smuggled into the country and detonated in Haifa and Tel Aviv, no finger-prints, no smoking gun, nothing to connect the attack to any Sovereign State. Those who supported the attack can draw the international communities notice to the fact that their stockpiles remain intact, because the secret programme that created those weapons and the material to make them has not been totally transparent. They can prove and have it verified by the Russians, the Americans and whoever that no missiles were launched, no aircraft left their bases. So what is the reaction of the world going to be? Israel is already in ruins, bulk of the population dead. Collateral damage would also include a significant number of Palestinians dead, but those who direct and support the terror attacks on Israel from afar have never cared a toss about the lives of Palestinians, they will be regarded as being blessed and "in Paradise" as is the due of every true martyr. In such circumstances I can just imagine the degree of posturing that would be done internationally and the ever so sincere rationalising that would be argued in order to justify the fact that nothing will be done, the UN would settle upon setting up another totally ineffective and impotent Hariri type enquiry under threat of Security Council Veto by France, Russia and China, for anything more forceful.

The only way that the US offer of protection against a nuclear strike, once Iran had acquired a weapon would be to state loud and clear that it was now in Iran's best interest to make absolutely certain that nothing was ever launched at Israel ever again, otherwise on detection of launch, or in the event of an explosion within Israel's borders, Iran would be held responsible and attacked. Maybe then Hezbollah might have to return some of the 40,000 rockets to Tehran, and then maybe the material to make the Kassam's would not be smuggled through the tunnels into Gaza.