Israel considered bombing Iran's nuclear sites but US President George W Bush refused to give his support, a newspaper reported Friday.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke with Bush in mid-May about a possible attack, but the US president refused to give the green light, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported, citing senior European diplomatic sources, reported dpa.
Washington was concerned that the airstrikes could spark a full- scale war and also fail to fully destroy the nuclear sites.
Israel and the US suspect that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons. Tehran has always denied this, saying its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only.
Bush leaves office in January. Olmert resigned last weekend.