Israel has complained to U.S.

Israel has complained to the United States over criticism by US officials of a possible Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, dpa reported quoting Ha'aretz.

Israeli officials told US National Security Advisor Tom Donilon during his visit at the start of the week that comments coming from Washington benefited Iran, according to the daily Ha'aretz.

An unnamed senior Israeli official told the newspaper that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak had expressed displeasure at an interview the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey, gave to CNN.

Dempsey told the broadcaster that an Israeli attack on Iran would be "destabilizing" and "not prudent." The Israeli officials also objected to a briefing senior US officials gave American correspondents, who wrote in recent weeks about a possible Israeli attack in Iran, Ha'aretz reported.

"We made it clear to Donilon that all those statements and briefings only served the Iranians," an unnamed senior Israeli official told the daily.

"The Iranians see there's controversy between the United States and Israel, and that the Americans object to a military act. That reduces the pressure on them," the official said.

Asked to comment on the Ha'aretz report, an Israeli government spokesman said only that "we do not comment on that sort of press speculation."