Top Israeli officer stresses Iran on first U.S. visit

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, on his first visit to Washington as Israel's top military officer, said on Wednesday it was crucial to block what he called "Iranian aggression" in the Middle East. Western nations accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of its civil nuclear program. Iran denies that, saying its atomic program is to generate power so it can export more of its valuable oil and gas. Washington also accuses Iran of fomenting violence in Iraq and of supplying arms to Palestinian militants and to Lebanon's Hezbollah, which the United States regards as a terrorist organization. "We are witnessing, I believe, a paradigmatic change in the Middle East in which radical countries and elements are trying to (install) a new order to replace the traditional national, secular... [read full story]