A senior Israeli defense official said Israel would not be ableto wipe out Iran's nuclear sites with one single strike, and added that theUnited States has a better chance than Israel to convince Iran to halt its nuclear program. "We're not talking about Iraq or Syria where one strikewould derail a program," the unnamed official said, referring to Israel's1981 air strike that destroyed Iraq's atomic reactor and the bombing in 2007 ofa Syrian site which the U.N. atomic agency said was very likely a nuclear reactor. The official made the statements during a recent meeting withforeign journalists where he delivered an assessment of the security situationin the region. In the past both Israel and the US have hinted they may considermilitary action as a last resort to halt Iran's nuclear activities and preventit from building an atomic bomb. The Islamic Republic has denied the claims saying its nuclearactivities are geared to generate electricity.