Israel Engaged in Covert War Inside Iran

[tekisui]

Source: Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - Israel is involved in a covert war of sabotage inside Iran in an effort to delay Tehran's attempts to develop a nuclear weapon, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Quoting intelligence experts and an unnamed former CIA agent, the newspaper said Israel's "decapitation" strategy had targeted members of Iran's atomic program, hoping to set back the country's nuclear ambitions without resorting to war.

The program has taken on extra emphasis with the election of President Barack Obama, who has adopted a more diplomatic line with Iran, quietening former Bush administration talk of a possible military strike against Iran to hit its nuclear assets.

"Disruption is designed to slow progress on the program, done in such a way they don't realize what's happening," the paper quoted a former CIA operative as saying.

"The goal is delay, delay, delay until you can come up with some other solution or approach.

"We certainly don't want the current Iranian government to have those weapons. It's a good policy, short of taking them out militarily, which probably carries unacceptable risks."

Asked about the newspaper report, Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, told Reuters: "It is not our practice to comment publicly about these sorts of allegations, not in this situation, not in any situation."

As evidence of Israel's reported strategy, Iran watchers have pointed to events such as the death of Ardeshire Hassanpour, a nuclear scientist at the Isfahan uranium plant who died at home from apparent gas poisoning in 2007.

Meir Javendafar, an Iran expert at Meepas, a Middle East analysis group, said there were also reports Iran was being sold faulty equipment for its nuclear program on international markets, and that there were attempts to disrupt the electricity supply to Natanz, a uranium enrichment facility in central Iran.

more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/burningIssues/idUKTRE51G1VR20090217

[babylonsister]

1. Does covert make it better? When it's not really, judging from this

article? :grr:

[tekisui]

3. It does seem more like 'threatening' rather than 'covert' actions.

Assassinating scientists. :mad:

[Tarc]

2. When its done by others, it is "terrorism". When Israel does it, it is a "covert action"

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