Defense Minister Ehud Barak is expected to announce the appointment of the next Israel Air Force commander within days, the Yediot Aharonot daily reported Tuesday.

The nomination of a successor to Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan, who will step down in April, has reportedly been delayed due to sharp disagreement between the army's Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz, and Barak over the latter's demand to be involved in the selection process.

Barak and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, both of whom have more than hinted that Israel is gearing for a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, have also sought to assess the opinions of the candidates for the top post regarding the viability of such a strike, according to Tuesday's report.

The front-runner for the job is Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel, head of the military's planning directorate and the former deputy commander of the IAF. Eshel, 53, previously served in other senior posts, as commander of an F-4 fighter jet squadron, two major air bases and as head of the IAF's air division.

Eshel has so far declined to publicly state his position regarding a possible strike on Iran's uranium enrichment plants, which Israel and the West claim are intended to produce nuclear weaponry.

"(The decision to strike) is up to the government and the military would provide it with a 'tool box' of options," Eshel said in a briefing to foreign correspondents and diplomats in Jerusalem last month, adding, "We have the ability to hit any adversary very, very hard."

Another officer who until recently was considered a leading contender for the post is Maj.-Gen. Yohanan Locker, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's military secretary and close confidant. Last week, army chief Gantz dismissed reports that he was being pressured to appoint Locker, who now awaits nomination as the next military attache in Washington.

"I have never been pressured and have never been spoken to about this ... I make the appointments in the military according to what I think is right," The Jerusalem Post quoted Gantz as saying during a military ceremony last week.

On Monday, Barak also interviewed Brig.-Gen. Nimrod Sheffer, the current deputy commander of the IAF, for the post, though his chances appear slim.

Israel views a nuclear-armed Iran as a mortal threat to its existence, and has repeatedly said it is considering all options to defend itself. Tehran insists that its nuclear program is geared for peaceful purposes, mainly electricity production.

Despite a fresh round of sanctions imposed last month by the U. S. and European Union member states that target Iranian oil exports, Israel is poised to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iran's well-protected desert nuclear facilities sometime this year, according to numerous media reports.