Bolton: Israel may hit Iran after election

MOSCOW, June 27 (UPI) -- John Bolton, a controversial foreign policy adviser to U.S. President George Bush, told a Russian news agency Israel is likely to hit Iran after the election.

Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said that Israel would not attack Iran's nuclear capability before the November election but might do so before the next president is inaugurated, Interfax reported Friday. Bolton said that Israeli leaders would not want to affect the outcome of the vote.

He suggested that the Israelis would feel more comfortable about an Iranian attack while Bush is still in the White House.

Bolton, who also served as undersecretary of state, received a recess appointment to the U.N. post because he was unable to win Senate confirmation. He is now with the American Enterprise Institute.

In the interview, Bolton also said U.S. recognition of Kosovo after it declared independence from Serbia was a mistake.