JERUSALEM, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Special bombs and the green light for an airway over Iraq were included in a military aid package the United States has refused to offer Israel for a possible strike against Iran, local daily Ha'aretz reported Thursday.

    During the past few months, high-ranking Israeli officials repeatedly warned that Iran would possess nuclear weapons soon andthat all options were on the table to deal with the imminent threat, giving rise to a surge of speculations that Israel might launch military strikes against Iran's nuclear sites.

    Yet in a series of meetings at a very senior level, the Americans made clear to the Israelis that for now they are sticking to the diplomatic option to halt the Iranian nuclear project, and rejected the Israeli request for advanced weaponry that would be used to attack Iran, said the report.

    The requested package included a large number of "bunker-buster" bombs, permission to use an air corridor to Iran via the Iraqi air space, an advanced technological system and refueling planes, according to the newspaper.

    The rejection, which followed discussions during U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to Israel in May and during Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak's trip to Washington in July, would make it very difficult for Israel to attack Iran, said the report.

    Meanwhile, the report added that in compensation for turning down Israel's "offensive" requests, the U.S. has agreed to strengthen Israel's defensive systems, possibly by stationing an advanced U.S. radar system in southern Israel.

    At the beginning of the year, the Israeli leadership considered it reasonably possible that Bush would decide to attack Iran before the end of his term in January, said the newspaper, adding that the likelihood now is close to nil.