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12/30/2008: "Is Iran being provoked by Israel for strategic reasons?"

Khamenei's religious decree was not considered a government decision and did not oblige the government to launch attacks against Israel.

But Iran considers Israel its archenemy, and its President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for the destruction of the Jewish state. Iran also is Hamas' main backer, though Tehran denies sending weapons to the Islamic militant group that took control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007.

Israel's airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have sparked outrage in Iran and throughout the rest of the Muslim world. About 300 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded since the air assault began Saturday. Israel says it launched its campaign in retaliation for rocket fire aimed at civilians in southern Israeli towns.

[ Iran should resist the provocations, no matter how murderous they are. They should not fall into the trap of beginning an attack on Israel that will merely be the excuse Israel is looking for to attack Iran. Vladimir Putin must be looking on with some concern too. This is a situation that could quickly escalate. The report repeats the suggestion that Ahmadinejad wants Israel to be destroyed, which is not what he has ever said. He merely called for the Zionist regime to end, which is not a threat that implies war. ]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28423952/