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| US leaks of Israeli covert ops against Iran eroding trust, security ahead of Biden visit to region |
| 2022-07-12 |
| [Just the News] Many observers believe leaking this information is tied to the Biden administration's efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. As President Biden prepares to visit Israel and Saudi Arabia next week, experts and former officials are warning that an often-overlooked issue risks undermining efforts to increase cooperation among U.S. allies in the Middle East. That issue is anonymous U.S. officials consistently leaking information to the media about alleged covert Israeli operations against Iran, from targeted killings to explosions at nuclear sites. "It's a sign of extraordinary incompetence and unprofessionalism from Biden and his foreign policy team," said Fred Fleitz, a former CIA analyst who also served as a senior staffer on both the House Intelligence Committee and the National Security Council. "It's outrageous they would leak this kind of information." Unnamed officials recently told CNN that Israel has ramped up its covert attacks in Iran and is largely keeping the U.S. in the dark. A month earlier, an American intelligence official leaked to the New York Times that Israel told Washington it was behind the assassination of top officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an Iranian military force and a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. The leak infuriated Israeli officials, who often share intelligence with American counterparts. "It mainly harms trust," Ram Ben Barak, who heads the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of Israel's parliament, said at the time. "We have very many close relationships and a lot of cooperation between us, which all depend on trust, and when it is violated in some way then it damages future cooperation," he added. "I hope the Americans investigate the leak and figure out where it came from and why it occurred." Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer explained on the podcast "Diplomatically Incorrect" that the Biden administration seems to be trying to distance itself from Israel by putting the blame on Jerusalem and keeping Washington out of it. "That's very disturbing because that would only encourage attacks against Israelis," he said. "The fear of potential American action against Iran or other actors, that actually deters aggression. For the United States to think they're going to stabilize the situation by distancing themselves from Israel not only endangers Israeli citizens and officials but it actually also makes the chance of an attack much higher." Interpreting these leaks as a "message to Israel that the U.S. disagrees with the action that was taken," Derner said, "And essentially what that means is they are trying to curtail Israel's freedom of operation" to combat Iranian aggression. Such leaks have been occurring for years, indicating the problem is entrenched within America's national security bureaucracy, not just among political appointees. During the Obama administration, anonymous U.S. officials told media outlets about Israeli military plans to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. During the Trump administration, officials confirmed Israel bombed Iranian targets in Iraq. However, the leaks have been occurring with striking frequency since Biden entered office. Last year, for example, unnamed U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal that Israel had been attacking several Iranian ships. "This decreases trust," said Jason Brodsky, policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran. "I think it's irresponsible for any U.S. official to seek to implicate Israel in an attack in Iran using anonymous quotes in the media. Unfortunately, all too often, we have seen this tactic employed in the past, likely to express disapproval and send a message that Washington was not part of the operation." These leaks, added Brodsky, risk "provoking Iran to retaliate against a U.S. ally in the region." |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #1 Many need to understand that everything is already planned in advance, and some things are already in motion including the possibility that Israel cease to exist as a country as we know today. “Peoples” or what is left can be repositioned, by sugar or by fire. The way things are changing in the world.. make me think that I’m very lucky to have visited Israel few times, and it’s been scratched from my notes…. |
| Posted by: Aca Joe 2022-07-12 17:35 |