[Jpost] If Turkey did blow cover of Israeli spy ring, it would violate unwritten code of conduct between allied intelligence agencies.
In April 2012, Iran announced that it had uncovered a spy ring numbering 15 operatives working at the behest of Israel. Iranian authorities fingered the operatives as being responsible for the killings of nuclear scientists in recent years. Tehran had long suspected the Mossad as the mastermind of these operations. In announcing the arrests, Iran touted the apprehension of "Zionist spies" and the revelations regarding "Zionist" intelligence activity in a neighboring country.
The announcement, which didn't garner much attention at the time, takes on added importance Thursday just hours after The Washington Post reported that Turkish intelligence revealed the identities of 10 Iranian spies working for Israel. According to the report, Iranian agents would meet with their Mossad handlers on Turkish soil.
This information was revealed by the newspaper's senior foreign affairs analyst, David Ignatius, a journalist who is known to maintain extensive contacts with both the American and Israeli intelligence communities. If the report is accurate -- and it is difficult to doubt the credibility of Ignatius' sources -- then we are talking about a very egregious -- even unprecedented -- act. In fact, this is the basest act of betrayal imaginable.
For over 50 years, Israel and Turkey were strategic allies. At the heart of this relationship were the extremely close ties between the Mossad and Military Intelligence on one hand, and the Turkish MIT and its military intelligence apparatus on the other hand. These ties were first established in 1958, and they were an integral part of the "Trident" partnership that also included Iran's intelligence services during the reign of the Shah. It was only recently that Israeli intelligence chiefs permitted archived, previously classified material about the nature of this special relationship to be released for public consumption.
This strategic alliance is manifest in the bi-annual meetings between the heads of Mossad and MIT as well as intelligence analysts and experts on both sides. This relationship was also characterized by the frequent exchanges of information about common enemies and adversaries in the region, including Iraq, Syria, and post-Islamic Iran.
Perhaps not so common as the Israelis thought, hmmm?
Even during the most tense periods in relations between the two countries, intelligence ties remained intact, even if they did cool somewhat. While intelligence work is often interest-driven, devoid of sentiment and cruel in nature, there are still unwritten rules of conduct that govern relationships.
If it is indeed guilty of blowing the cover off of the Israeli spy network, then Turkey blatantly violated these codes. Despite the deteriorating ties triggered by the violent Mavi Marmara incident of two years ago, Israel and Turkey have never been -- and are not today -- enemies.
Perhaps it is time reassess that statement, given what is clearly Prime Minister Erdogan's attitude.
According to foreign media reports, Turkey has long been a base of operations for Mossad agents operating against Iran. Nonetheless, it was only recently reported that an Iranian-Belgian businessman who was arrested in Israel on charges of being a spy for the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force had created straw companies in Turkey to serve as a cover.
One may assume that Turkish intelligence was monitoring both Israeli and Iranian espionage activity taking place on its soil. Despite the caution and the efforts taken to maintain total secrecy even from close allies, it is possible that Turkish intelligence agencies discovered the Mossad apparatus and its ties with the Iranian network.
It was assumed that despite the bumpy road and tensions in relations, interests would trump all other considerations and smooth relations between the intelligence agencies would continue. Earlier this year, there were reports that Mossad chief Tamir Pardo met with MIT director Hakan Fidan in Ankara. According to Ignatius, Israeli officials wryly view Fidan as "Iran's station chief in Ankara." Though this statement was made with tongue firmly planted in cheek, it was meant to convey the sense that Fidan is perceived as very close to Iran.
If the Israeli spy network was indeed unveiled, it was done so at the order of Fidan and with the full approval of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. His obsessive animus toward Israel and his anti-Semitic tendencies are known to all.
[WashingtonTimes] Talks in Geneva on Iran's nuclear program are triggering fears within U.S. intelligence agencies that Israel is hardening its stance on Iran and could conduct a military attack to stave off what the Jewish state believes is a delaying tactic for Tehran to buy time to build nuclear weapons.
The clearest indicator of growing Israeli concerns, according to defense officials, is the recent large-scale Israeli air force drill Tuesday in the northern part of the country. The exercises along the northern border and over the Mediterranean were considered unusually large.
An Israeli defense source told Israel's Walla! news outlet: "Changes have recently occurred in the Middle East. The [Israeli Defense Force] is preparing for those changes in both the closer and more distant perimeters, and yesterday's exercise was intended to signal the IDF's serious intention of dealing with those problems and thwarting them."
Additionally, Israeli air forces conducted long-range fighter exercises last week involving in-flight refueling practice.
The talks in Geneva have produced press reports that the B.O. regime is preparing to ease sanctions on Iran following conciliatory statements by Iranian Prime Minister Hassan Rouhani at the U.N. last month.
#2
Israel is hardening its stance
I don't think their stance has changed one little bit. And it's crystal clear, it's just some folks don't take it seriously.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/18/2013 6:00 Comments ||
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#3
..triggering fears within U.S. intelligence agencies that Israel is hardening its stance
Their stance has never changed. They won't get into the boxcars again.
#4
They do this around this time every year - in the past they practiced to crete, greece, and turkey (when the were getting along). This is routine and much to do about nothing.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
10/18/2013 10:17 Comments ||
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#5
If I may rephrase Curtis LeMay:
Israel's adversary is Iran, its enemy is Obama.
#10
Baby Assad + Iran are now the US' PDeniable BFF = "Tip of the Spear" agz Al-Qaeda + other Foreign jihad groups in Syria + ME.
Ironically, it also means or infers that the same are now [reluctant?]Israel's pseudo-allies as well agz the Hard Boyz, AT LEAST THRU SUMMER 2014.
IMO SecState Jaaawhn's real job in the ME is notsomuch negotiating the destruction of Syria's ChemWar Arsenal but keeping Israel + even the KSA from unilaterally attacking Iran + Iran's NucProgs.
ALLEGED MARXIST-ANARCHIST-GLOBALIST NOW HAS HIS PCORRECT-DENIABLE EXCUSE OR COVER STORY AS TO HOW SHIA IRAN BECAME THE WORLD'S FIRST ISLAMIC NUCLEAR SUPERPOWER AMID A OWG-NWO "MULTIPOLAR/
POLYCENTRIC WORLD" VEE PROPOSED MEDITERRANEAN UNION, MIDDLE EAST UNION, ISLAMIC UNION, PERSIAN GULF? UNION, ETC. OWG GLOBAL FEDERAL UNIONS.
Lest we fergit, IIRC NET ARTIC = the Head of the inter-Muslim OIC wants his bloc of Muslim World-States to have a [permanent?] seat on the UNSC, WHICH WE ALL KNOW IS BROADLY COMPRISED OF THE WORLD'S TOP NUCLEAR + GREAT POWERS, MOSTLY JUDEOCHRISTIAN NATIONS.
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