As Israel attacks Iran's nuclear programme, it is ambiguous about its own
Israel says it is determined to destroy Iran's nuclear programme because its arch-enemy's furtive efforts to build an atomic weapon are a threat to its existence.
What's not-so-secret is that for decades Israel has been believed to be the Middle East's only nation with nuclear weapons, even though its leaders have refused to confirm or deny their existence.
Israel's ambiguity has enabled it to bolster its deterrence against Iran and other enemies, experts say, without triggering a regional nuclear arms race or inviting pre-emptive attacks.
Israel is one of just five countries that are not party to a global nuclear non-proliferation treaty. That relieves it of international pressure to disarm, or even to allow inspectors to scrutinise its facilities.
Critics in Iran and elsewhere have accused Western countries of hypocrisy for keeping strict tabs on Iran's nuclear programme – which its leaders insist is only for peaceful purposes – while effectively giving Israel's suspected arsenal a free pass.
On Sunday, the US military struck three nuclear sites in Iran, inserting itself into Israel's effort to destroy Iran's programme.
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