Another sign Israel intends to act against Iran?
On Sunday, Prime Minister Ehud K. Olmert extended the tenure of Mossad chief Meir Dagan for another year to the end of 2009. He cited Dagan's 'exceptional successes,' presumably a reference to the destruction of the Syrian nuclear reactor in September among other things.The organization's list of achievements under his six years of leadership was "very impressive," said the statement. "More, of course, cannot be said," it continued.But there's another reason why Olmert would want to extend Dagan's term for another year. As I have noted, the most likely time for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would be between the US Presidential election in November and the new President assuming office in January. The last thing Olmert would want would be to have to replace the head of the Mossad during that critical period. And the reverse may also be true: The fact that the head of the Mossad is not being replaced at the end of 2008 may indicate that Israel intends to attack Iran - or that it at least intends to maintain an option to do so.
Olmert's decision to extend Dagan's contract was first reported by The Sunday Times following the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh in February. According to the paper, the successful killing of Mughniyeh had clinched the government's decision to do so. Olmert reportedly summoned the Mossad chief to his office the day after the assassination, complimented him on a job well done and informed him of the decision.
This report has not been confirmed, and Israel has denied any involvement in Mughniyeh's death.
According to another Times report, Dagan was also the man who initiated preparations for Israel's attack on an alleged Syrian reactor in September, when he came to Olmert six months earlier and presented him with intelligence indicating that Syria was pursuing a nuclear capability.
Let's go to the videotape.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:44 PM
1 Comments:
I don't have a great deal of confidence that Ehud Olmert is up to job. The first priority of a Prime Minister should be defending the country instead of trying to save his political hide. In that respect, he's fallen short of the standards Israelis have every right to expect from the man who leads their country's government.
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