Israel Air Force (IAF) war planes are practicing in Iraqi airspace and land in US airbases on the country as preparation for a potential strike on Iran, sources in the Iraqi Defense Ministry told a local news network, Friday.

The report, carried also by Iranian news outlets, claimed that recently massive nocturnal activity by IAF craft was noted in several American held airbases, including measures by the US army to increase security around the bases.

The Jerusalem Post could not confirm the veracity of the report.

According to the sources, former military officers in the Anbar province said IAF jets arrive during the night from Jordanian airspace, enter Iraq's airspace and land on a runway near the city of Hadita. The sources estimated the jets were practicing for a raid on Iran's nuclear sites.

The sources also said the American bases in Iraq might serve as a platform for the IAF from which to attack Iran. If Israeli warplanes will take off from Iraq, they can reach Bushehr in five minutes - a "record time," the sources said.

After reports of a massive IAF exercise over the Mediterranean surfaced several weeks ago, an Israeli official told the times that the drill was "the dress rehearsal" for an attack on Iran's nuclear sites.

On Thursday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel was the "strongest country in the region." Sending a thinly veiled warning to Iran, Barak said Israel "has already proved it did not shy away in the past from acting when it fears its vital interests are at stake."

Okay, so this is only No. 2 on the list of things we could do to turn Arab popular sentiment totally against us (bombing Mecca and Medina would still be No. 1).

I GET wanting Israel to to our dirty work, since they are universally despised in the region already. I get that Bush & Co. have no interest in seeing peace in Israel because that would serve to reduce our hostile insertion into the theatre. But this is too much. Some in the Arab world (Sunnis) would accept a strike by us on Iran to maintain a balance of power with their rivals. But if we allowed Israel to do it -- and by allowed I mean directly facilitated and supported -- even those who could otherwise accept the action would turn against us.