JERUSALEM Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, spiritual head of the haredi Orthodox Shas party, reportedly remains opposed to an Israeli strike on Irans nuclear facilities.
Israels Channel 10 reported Aug. 29 that Yosef said he will oppose any unilateral Israeli attack on Iran. Other news outlets verified the report with unnamed political sources.
He believes the price would be too high, and for an action that may not achieve its goal, the Reuters news service reported, quoting an anonymous source briefed on Shas Party internal discussions.
Last month Yosef was briefed on the threat from Iran by the head of Israels National Security Council, Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror.
The meeting reportedly was part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus efforts to obtain support from government ministers for an Israeli strike on Irans nuclear facilities.
Shas Chairman Eli Yishai, who is a member of the nine-minister security Cabinet, reportedly also opposes such a strike. Other Shas Cabinet members would likely follow Yosefs opinion on the matter as well.
In his weekly Saturday night sermon two weeks ago, Yosef called on Jews to pray on Rosh Hashanah for the destruction of Iran and Hezbollah.
