Israel mulled 2010 Iran attack, claims TV Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak asked Israel's army and intelligence chiefs in 2010 to prepare for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, but were ultimately rebuffed, according to an Israeli television report. The news report gives a detailed account of a dramatic exchange between Israel's prime minister and defence minister on the one side, and Gabi Ashkenazi, the army chief of staff, and Meir Dagan, the director of the Mossad intelligence agency, on the other. Following a meeting of Israel's seven most senior cabinet members in 2010, Mr Netanyahu reportedly called on the two men to prepare the security establishment for a "P Plus" scenario - meaning an imminent attack by Israeli forces. The claim is part of a one-hour investigative report by Uvda, a news programme broadcast on Israel's Channel Two. The full report was due to be aired on Monday night, but the channel released some of its findings on Sunday. Both the army chief and intelligence director were reportedly shocked by Mr Netanyahu's request. Mr Dagan retorted that a decision to prepare for war could only be made by the cabinet, while Mr Ashkenazi pointed out that the very request to prepare for war could lead to an outbreak of hostilities. "This accordion makes music when you fool around with it," he reportedly said. Mr Dagan is said to have accused Mr Netanyahu and Mr Barak of trying to "steal a war." The incident, if true, would shed a fresh light on the long-standing split between Israel's political and security leadership on the question of Iran. Both Mr Dagan and Mr Ashkenazi have left office since 2010, but analysts and officials believe that Israel's intelligence and defence leadership continues to regard the idea of an Israeli attack on Iran with far greater scepticism than the current political leadership. For his part, Mr Barak told the Uvda programme that he took Mr Ashkenazi's rejection of the idea of preparing for "P Plus" as a sign that the army was not in a position to carry out a strike against Iran. The defence minister added: "The assumption that if the chief of staff doesn't recommend an implementable action, then the decision cannot be implemented - that is entirely groundless. The chief of staff has to build the operative capabilities, he needs to tell us whether we are capable or not, and he can and should make a recommendation, but it can be implemented against his recommendation.