Israel’s Minister of Defense declared on Wednesday that the cost of hostilities to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is not as great as the cost of living with an Iran in possession of nuclear weapons. Minister Ehud Barak told the nation’s military college that “without a doubt, dealing with the threat itself will be far more complicated, far more dangerous and far more costly in resources and human life.” Echoing a thought expressed by other Israeli leaders, Barak said that the conclusions drawn from the Arab Spring reinforce the belief by Israelis that the international community cannot be relied upon to come to its assistance. It was Barak who revealed Israel’s red-line: the impending “zone of immunity” – the point at which Iranian nuclear facilities are so well-entrenched that an assault would be futile.