以色列美国驻美国大使耶希尔“迈克尔”莱特声称，在对伊朗进行了一系列打击后，以色列已经大大推迟了伊朗的核计划，但整个行动可能需要“数周”
莱特告诉《本周》的联合主持人玛莎·拉达茨说:“我们已经让他们大幅后退，但还不够。”。“这就是为什么这一系列袭击不会在今天或明天结束，而只会在一段时间内结束，这可能需要几周时间，届时我们绝对可以肯定，旨在武器化和威胁以色列的核基础设施已经终止。”
自从以色列对伊朗的核设施、科学家和军事领导层发动所谓的先发制人的打击以来，两国一直在进行致命的交锋。
当Raddatz问及伊朗的阿亚图拉·阿里·哈梅内伊是否不在以色列的目标名单上时，Leiter拒绝排除这种可能性。
“我认为可以公平地说，任何威胁摧毁以色列的人都不应被排除在目标名单之外，”利特说。“我们的想法是压制和终止伊朗通过核武器和弹道导弹摧毁以色列的意图。任何阻碍摧毁以色列事业的人，或者实际上正在推进这一事业的人，显然都是我们必须要对付的人。”
莱特说，在伊朗发射一连串弹道导弹袭击全国各地的目标后，以色列在周六晚上遭受了“重大袭击”，造成10多人死亡，数百人受伤。
“我们有一些很好的防御系统，反导弹防御系统，但它们并没有密封天空。所以大约有10%到15%的弹道导弹能够通过。”
以下是莱特和前中央司令部司令约瑟夫·沃特尔将军在“本周”节目中的采访要点:
莱特谈摧毁伊朗福尔道核基地
拉达茨:我们来说说Fordow。它在山腰的深处。有些人不相信没有美国的帮助和那些掩体炸弹就能摧毁福尔道。没有美国的帮助有可能吗?
莱特我们向美国请求的帮助仅限于防御姿态。我们非常非常感谢川普总统和特朗普政府的THAAD导弹、反导弹防御系统和宙斯盾导弹防御系统，但这只是处于防御状态。我们有很多应急措施，威尔-这能让我们对付福多。不是所有的事情都是，你知道，飞向天空，从远处轰炸。
拉达茨但你确定你能消灭福尔道?
莱特我们确信，我们确信我们可以在很长很长的时间内阻止伊朗核武器系统的发展。
Votel谈美国的潜在参与
拉达茨但你说延迟，所以你确信没有美国的帮助他们不能摧毁[福尔道]?
沃特勒我不知道以色列人拥有的所有能力，他们非常老练、精明的军队。有很多工具可供他们使用。我认为传统的观点是掩体爆破弹，这种用来对付类似情况的穿透弹药，在很大程度上仍然在美国的库存中。所以，是的，我认为——我认为——我认为这样做可能会有一些困难，而且，伊朗人在这方面表现出了一定程度的决心。我们不能否认他们将继续追求这个项目，甚至试图取得他们现在拥有的东西，试图制造某种武器。
关于升级可能性的Votel
拉达茨你认为这场战争蔓延的可能性有多大，这场战争变成一场涉及美国的地区性战争的可能性有多大?
沃特勒:是啊。我认为这在很大程度上取决于两国领导人的走向。试图传播这一点并不特别符合伊朗的利益，他们不需要激怒该地区的其他人。他们最终不得不生活在那里。所以，对他们来说，扩大这个范围不一定有什么意义。但是，随着事态的发展，伊朗人别无选择，坦率地说，他们现在没有太多好的选择。就他们正在做的事情而言，他们有点盲目。他们没有太多的选择。当他们用完了他们现在可以得到的东西，他们开始寻求其他方式来产生影响，我认为这是对冲突区域化的最大担忧。
Israeli ambassador says Iran’s nuclear program ‘set back dramatically, but not enough’
Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel "Michael" Leiter, claimed that Israel had set Iran's nuclear program back significantly after a series of strikes on the country, but that the full operation could take "weeks."
"We've set them back dramatically, but not enough," Leiter told "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz. "And that's why this series of strikes is not going to end today or tomorrow, but only at a period of time, which may take weeks, when we are absolutely certain that the nuclear infrastructure with the intention of weaponizing and threatening Israel is terminated."
The two countries have been engaged in a deadly back-and-forth since Israel launched what it called preemptive strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, scientists and military leadership.
Asked by Raddatz if Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was off of Israel's target list, Leiter declined to rule that out.
"I think it's fair to say that nobody who's threatening the destruction of Israel should be off the target list," Lieter said. "The idea is to neutralize and terminate the Iranian intention of destroying Israel through nuclear weapons and through ballistic missiles. And anybody who gets in the way of that, or -- or is actually advancing, that cause of destroying Israel is obviously somebody we're going to have to deal with."
Leiter said that Israel sustained "significant attacks" on Saturday night, which killed more than 10 people and wounded hundreds after Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles that struck targets across the country.
"We have some good defense systems, anti-missile defense systems, but they're not hermetically sealing the skies. So there's about 10 to 15 percent of these ballistic missiles that get through."
Here are more highlights from Leiter and former CENTCOM commander Gen. Joseph Votel's interviews on "This Week":
Leiter on destroying Iran's Fordow nuclear site
Raddatz: Let's talk about Fordow. It's deep in a mountainside. There are those who do not believe you can destroy Fordow without U.S. help and those bunker-busting bombs. Is it possible without U.S. help?
Leiter: The help that we've asked from the United States is confined to defensive posture. We're very, very thankful to President Trump and the administration for the THAAD missile, anti-missile defense system, for the Aegis missile defense system, but it's only in a defensive posture. We have a number of contingencies, will -- which will enable us to deal with Fordow. Not everything is a matter of, you know, taking to the skies and bombing from afar.
Raddatz: But you're certain you can wipe out Fordow?
Leiter: We're certain -- we're -- we're certain that we can set back the nuclear weapons system development within Iran for a very, very long time.
Votel on potential U.S. involvement
Raddatz: But you say delay, so you're confident they couldn't destroy [Fordow] without the help of the U.S.?
Votel: Well, I don't know the full range of all capabilities that the -- that the Israelis have, their very sophisticated, savvy military. There are lots of tools that are available to them. I think the conventional wisdom is that the bunker busters, the penetrating munitions that are needed to go after something like this are largely still within the inventory of the United States. So, yeah, I think -- I think -- I think probably would have some difficulty at doing that and, again, the Iranians are demonstrating some level of resolve here. And we can't dismiss the fact that they will continue to pursue this program or even try to make a dash to take what they have now and try to -- try to create some kind of weapon.
Votel on the possibility of escalation
Raddatz: And how likely do you think it is that this war spreads, that this becomes a regional war involving the U.S.?
Votel: Yeah. I think this largely depends on the directions that the leaders of both of these countries go. It's not particularly in Iran's interest to try to spread this, that they don't need to earn the anger of others in the region. They ultimately have to -- have to live there. So, it doesn't necessarily make a lot of sense for them to widen that. But again, as this progresses as the Iranians run out of options, and they don't have a lot of great options right now, frankly. They're fighting a little bit blind in terms of what they're doing. They don't have great options. And as they run out of the things that are available to them right now and they begin to reach out and look for other ways to have an impact, that's when I think the concern for regionalization of the conflict becomes greatest.
