First we read information from one source and then we hear it from another.  It started trickling out last week, is being denied in Iran and doubted by spokesman Jay Carney in the White House, but it persists.
Seems there are those who feel that there was a major explosion in an underground facility in Iran that might have done great damage to that country’s ability to carry out its nuclear program and its threat to Israel. This would not be the first report of damage done to the Iranian nuclear program, but it sounds like it could be the most serious.  If reports of an explosion at the Fordo facility, a 300-foot deep, under a mountain repository for nuclear reactors, is true, then we are witnessing a story of major proportions unfolding without much definitive information to go on at this time.  Developments which would have definitively changed the balance of power in the Middle East in Iran’s favor might be moot or at the very least postponed.
Ryan Mauro of FrontPage Magazine also notes today (Jan. 29, 2013) that Kenneth Timmerman, an expert on Iran and her nuclear program says that the timing of this as yet unconfirmed explosion is critical in light of the nomination of former Senator Chuck Hagel as the United State’s Secretary of Defense. A widely acknowledged critic of Israel, Hagel’s ascension to that office would signal the possibility of a ‘grand bargain’ that would impede Israel’s efforts to stifle this existential threat to her existence. With Iran’s nuclear program halted or delayed, the threat of that ‘bargain’ is minimized.
According to Mauro “We should hope that the report of an explosion inside the Fordow site is accurate.  Only strong action will convince the Iranian regime that its enemies are capable and — most importantly — willing to stop it.”
Over the next few days, this story will unfold and either be verified as true or not. Obviously, we would like to see it confirmed. If not, then the task remains and is as daunting to Israel and the world as ever.

—nrg

To read Ryan Mauro’s article in its entirety visit www.frontpagemag.com or the Ledger website at www.jewishledger.com.