The Samson Option
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The Samson Option is the doctrine of last-resort Israeli nuclear use, and the subject of an assessment John Kiriakou gave during the 2026 Iran war when asked how plausible it was that Israel would resort to nuclear weapons if it were losing.

His condition is the survival of the state rather than the outcome of any particular war. If the Israelis believed "that the state of Israel was untenable", that Arab or Iranian advances "could lead eventually even to the end of the state of Israel", then "yes, I think they would use the Samson option."

What he stresses is that this is a changed position. "I gave an interview yesterday in which I said that even a year ago, I would have said that was ridiculous. It was a doom ideology." His current answer is unhedged: "I believe the Israelis would carry this out if they really believed they were in threat of collapse. Yes, they would take everybody out with them."

The arsenal

Kiriakou notes that Israel "has never acknowledged the existence of a nuclear program or nuclear arsenal," and gives the analytic estimate as "between 80 and 200 warheads." His gloss on the range is that the distinction hardly matters: "That's enough to kill everybody. Everybody."

The programme itself is treated at the Israeli nuclear program.

See also

- Israeli Nuclear Program
- 2026 Iran war
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- Greater Israel
