Israel denies report it is planning an Iran attack

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's deputy defense minister denied on Saturday that Israel was in talks with the United States to use Iraqi airspace as part of possible plans to attack Iranian nuclear sites.

Britain's Daily Telegraph, citing an unnamed senior Israeli defense official, said on Saturday that Israel had sought permission from the U.S. Pentagon to be able to use an "air corridor" in Iraq in the event that the Jewish state decided to launch air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

"We are planning for every eventuality, and sorting out issues such as these (airspace passage) are crucially important," the Daily Telegraph quoted the Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as saying.

"If we don't sort these issues out now we could have a situation where American and Israeli war planes start shooting at each other," he added, according to the newspaper's Web site.

Asked if Israel had turned to the U.S. to use Iraqi airspace in any possible attack, Ephraim Sneh told Israel Radio: "No such approach has been made -- that is clear."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070224/ts_nm/israel_iran_dc_1

never been adequately explained.