JERUSALEM (AP) -- The U.S. and Britain are urging Israel not to attack Iran's nuclear program.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and British Foreign Minister William Hague both say an Israeli attack on Iran would have grave consequences for the entire region.
He tells CNN that sanctions imposed by the U.S. and the European Union are beginning to have an effect, and they should be given more time.
Israel has welcomed the sanctions, but it refuses to rule out military action if Iran doesn't curb its nuclear ambitions.
There is precedent for Israeli action. In 1981, the Israeli air force destroyed an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor. And in 2007, Israeli warplanes are believed to have destroyed a target that foreign experts think was an unfinished nuclear reactor in Syria.
White House national security adviser Tom Donilon arrived in Israel today for meetings with top officials.
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