Flash Points: Are Iran and Israel closer to war?

In his weekly CBSNews.com series "Flash Points," CBS News senior national security analyst Juan Zarate discussed escalating tension around Iran with CBS News national security correspondent Bob Orr.

"What you have is a sense that the Israelis are running out of patience and that we may be running out of time before the Iranians shield their nuclear program from the potential of an aerial assault," Zarate said. "The war drums are beating faster and louder with respect to a potential strike on Iran."

Zarate said that as a result of recent Iranian military exercises and the Israelis talking more openly about striking Iran, "we are closer to war."

"Any flash point could launch us into a conflict that we may not want to get into."

Watch the rest of Zarate's analysis of the Iran situation in the video above. In addition to Iran, Zarate and Orr also discussed these "Flash Points":

Syria: Russia and China to the Rescue

Hungary: Europe's Outlier?

Hackers: Ongoing Cyber Rumbles

Follow Zarate on Twitter for more national security updates and to suggest topics for future editions of "Flash Points."

[tvwatcher5345]

they deserve eachother, too bad the US will get dragged into it, the US has no interest in the middleast

[stevehamilton858]

I think Ron Paul should have the decency to leave the race for the
GOP candidacy. He isn't fit to be the Commander in Chief of America's armed forces.

[tvwatcher5345]

apparently 10 to 20 percent of voting republicans in the primary think he is

[micmac666]

As stated earlier, the Mossad, CIA, et al. have operatives in place that can elecronically disrupt any non-peaceful nuclear program. 'No military strike(s) necessary.