GOP lawmaker surprised by Panetta’s comments on Israel and Iran

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said he was "surprised" to hear Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta say Israel is prepared to attack Iran.

Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said Israel has suggested that if it were to attack Iran, it would not warn the United States.

"I think they've made it very, very clear that they're not going to tell us," Rogers said to The Hill.

Rogers's comments come in response to a report in The Washington Post that said Panetta believes there's "a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June — before Iran enters what Israelis described as a 'zone of immunity' to commence building a nuclear bomb."

Panetta refused to confirm to reporters whether the report was true. He did say to Agence France Presse, though, that the United States had indicated its "concerns."

"I'm just not commenting," Panetta said according to published reports. "What I think, and what I view, I consider that to be an area that belongs to me and nobody else."

Rogers said he was surprised that "any definitive statement like that would come out of the administration."

Rogers added that he felt the United States hadn't taken a clear stance on Iran and that has caused Israel to act in like fashion.

"Not knowing for sure what the posture was with the United States toward Iran has caused Israel to make some calculations [on their own]," Rogers said.