US warns Israel against attack on Iran

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has cautioned Israel against launching a military attack on Iran to halt its nuclear program. Gates who was speaking to a group of Marine Corps students in Washington said that any Israeli attack on Iran will have dangerous consequences, The Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday. Gates noted that a strike against Iran would only delay Iran's nuclear program one to three years and it would further commit the Iranian nation to develop its nuclear program. An attack on Iran would "cement their determination to have a nuclear program, and also build into the whole country an undying hatred of whoever hits them," the US official noted. Gate's comments come amid speculations that Israel might attack Iran's nuclear facilities to halt its nuclear program. The new Israeli government led by hawkish politician Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced its commitment to stop Iran's nuclear program, even through a military attack.