Is US president Joe Biden making a mistake?.Should we take a moment, a breath, a pause, and perhaps listen to what Mossad Director David Barnea said in a Monday speech?.While the world is closely monitoring developments in the Russo-Ukraine war, and also events in the Taiwan Strait, it might be ignoring a part of the world where things could go bad, very quickly..The head of Israel’s spy agency said the revival of a nuclear deal with world powers will not give Iran “immunity” from Israeli operations, Al Jazeera reported.Israel has long opposed the 2015 Obama-era nuclear deal, saying it did not go far enough to halt Iran’s nuclear program and does not address what it sees as hostile Iranian military activity across the Middle East and the world..“We won’t take part in this charade,” David Barnea said in a speech, his first since becoming Mossad’s chief in June, Al Jazeera reported. “Even if a deal is signed, it will not provide immunity from Mossad operations.”. IDF chief Aviv KohaviIDF chief Aviv Kohavi .The spy chief also claimed to have prevented Iran-sponsored attacks around the world..“We thwarted dozens of Iranian terror attacks… It is not the Islamic Republic of Iran, it is the Terror Republic of Iran,” the Jerusalem Post quoted him as saying..“In Cyprus, an attempted terror attack against Israeli businesspeople was thwarted. In Turkey, a terror attack attempt against a local Israeli businessman and an Israeli diplomat was thwarted, in Colombia, an attempt to attack Israeli businesspeople was thwarted."."In many additional places in the world, terror attacks were thwarted,” Barnea said, speaking at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism’s 21st annual conference in Herzliya..In all such cases, he said, terrorists were caught with deadly weapons and provided information about the identity of their target during questioning, the Jewish News Syndicate reported..The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence agency sent three hit squads to Istanbul simultaneously, with orders to kill any Israelis they could, said Barnea..“We stood a hair's breadth away from harm to our people. The crosshairs were actually on peoples’ heads."."Thanks to the dedicated intelligence personnel of the Mossad, with excellent cooperation with the Israel Defense Forces, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the National Security Council, we, with Turkish assistance, foiled terror incidents that were imminent a moment before the trigger was pressed, a moment before terrible tragedies would have occurred,” he said, adding the targets were innocent tourists.. Iran's President Hassan RouhaniIran's President Hassan Rouhani .Addressing the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and world powers, Barnea said the talks had no restraining effect on Tehran, adding its terror activities expanded to the United States and Europe to target former American administration officials, Iranian dissidents and others, the Jewish News Syndicate reported..He accused the world of “allowing Iran to work like this” and failing to hold Iran to account for its lethal attacks, giving Tehran a green light to continue..“Once the nuclear deal is signed, there will be no restraint on Iranian terror,” he said, noting the removal of crippling sanctions will bring streams of revenue back into Iran..Barnea said during his recent visit to the US, he strongly conveyed to American officials the repercussions of accepting a new nuclear deal, saying this would result in an immediate US$6 billion for Iran, to be followed by some US$90 billion in the first year from unfrozen assets and revenue from increased oil sales..Tens of billions of dollars would follow each year, resulting in an immediate addition of 25% to the Islamic Republic’s GDP, the Jewish News Syndicate reported..“No other country would come close to such a rise in growth,” he said..While Israel has never admitted to any attacks, it has been accused of engaging in a shadow war with Iran for years, mainly to slow down Iran’s nuclear program..In 2020, Iranian nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated by a remotely controlled machine gun..Others — including an engineer, a military officer, and an aeronautical scientist — were killed in recent months with rumours circulating that Israel was involved..Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani — in response to Barnea’s comments — told the Tehran Times: “We do not expect (from) a terrorist regime anything other than terrorist actions.”.Iran maintains its nuclear aims are peaceful and its actions fall within the country’s sovereign rights to a civilian nuclear program..Negotiations to revive the landmark deal resumed in 2021 after former US president Donald Trump withdrew his country from the agreement in 2018 and re-imposed debilitating sanctions on Tehran, Al Jazeera reported..With a revived nuclear deal, the US and the deal’s other signatories — China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom, known collectively as the P5+1 — aim to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb..Nevertheless, nuclear deal or no nuclear deal, Israel and the Mossad, will not stand idly by..Toward that end, the Israel Air Force recently signed a contract with Boeing to purchase four multi-mission KC-46 refueling tankers in a deal valued at US$927.5 million..The multi-mission KC-46 refueling tankers will replace the IAF's aging fleet of refueling aircraft, needed for any future action against Iran..IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi has made clear that he views a rekindling of the 2015 nuclear deal as dangerous and has said openly that he has asked for fresh operational plans to be drawn up to strike Iran and stop its nuclear program, if necessary.."Preparing the home front for war is a task that must be accelerated in the coming years, especially in light of the possibility that we will be required to act against the nuclear threat," he said in July.."The IDF continues to prepare vigorously for an attack on Iran and must prepare for any development and any scenario. Preparing a military option against the Iranian nuclear program is a moral obligation and a national security order.".According to The Jerusalem Post, The plane also carries IR countermeasures, RF warnings, threat avoidance systems, and NVIS (Night Vision Imaging System) lighting that allow it to land in complete darkness, affording it very broad covert capabilities..As of the last public IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) count, Iran has a stockpile of some 3,800 kg. (8,370 lbs.) of enriched uranium, Associated Press reported..More worrying, Iran now enriches uranium up to 60% purity — a level it never reached before that's a short, technical step away from 90%. Experts warn Iran has enough 60%-enriched uranium to reprocess into fuel for at least one nuclear bomb..One bomb that could change the playing field throughout the Mideast region.. An Israeli F-16 fighter jet trains with AmericansAn Israeli F-16 fighter jet trains with Americans
Is US president Joe Biden making a mistake?.Should we take a moment, a breath, a pause, and perhaps listen to what Mossad Director David Barnea said in a Monday speech?.While the world is closely monitoring developments in the Russo-Ukraine war, and also events in the Taiwan Strait, it might be ignoring a part of the world where things could go bad, very quickly..The head of Israel’s spy agency said the revival of a nuclear deal with world powers will not give Iran “immunity” from Israeli operations, Al Jazeera reported.Israel has long opposed the 2015 Obama-era nuclear deal, saying it did not go far enough to halt Iran’s nuclear program and does not address what it sees as hostile Iranian military activity across the Middle East and the world..“We won’t take part in this charade,” David Barnea said in a speech, his first since becoming Mossad’s chief in June, Al Jazeera reported. “Even if a deal is signed, it will not provide immunity from Mossad operations.”. IDF chief Aviv KohaviIDF chief Aviv Kohavi .The spy chief also claimed to have prevented Iran-sponsored attacks around the world..“We thwarted dozens of Iranian terror attacks… It is not the Islamic Republic of Iran, it is the Terror Republic of Iran,” the Jerusalem Post quoted him as saying..“In Cyprus, an attempted terror attack against Israeli businesspeople was thwarted. In Turkey, a terror attack attempt against a local Israeli businessman and an Israeli diplomat was thwarted, in Colombia, an attempt to attack Israeli businesspeople was thwarted."."In many additional places in the world, terror attacks were thwarted,” Barnea said, speaking at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism’s 21st annual conference in Herzliya..In all such cases, he said, terrorists were caught with deadly weapons and provided information about the identity of their target during questioning, the Jewish News Syndicate reported..The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence agency sent three hit squads to Istanbul simultaneously, with orders to kill any Israelis they could, said Barnea..“We stood a hair's breadth away from harm to our people. The crosshairs were actually on peoples’ heads."."Thanks to the dedicated intelligence personnel of the Mossad, with excellent cooperation with the Israel Defense Forces, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the National Security Council, we, with Turkish assistance, foiled terror incidents that were imminent a moment before the trigger was pressed, a moment before terrible tragedies would have occurred,” he said, adding the targets were innocent tourists.. Iran's President Hassan RouhaniIran's President Hassan Rouhani .Addressing the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and world powers, Barnea said the talks had no restraining effect on Tehran, adding its terror activities expanded to the United States and Europe to target former American administration officials, Iranian dissidents and others, the Jewish News Syndicate reported..He accused the world of “allowing Iran to work like this” and failing to hold Iran to account for its lethal attacks, giving Tehran a green light to continue..“Once the nuclear deal is signed, there will be no restraint on Iranian terror,” he said, noting the removal of crippling sanctions will bring streams of revenue back into Iran..Barnea said during his recent visit to the US, he strongly conveyed to American officials the repercussions of accepting a new nuclear deal, saying this would result in an immediate US$6 billion for Iran, to be followed by some US$90 billion in the first year from unfrozen assets and revenue from increased oil sales..Tens of billions of dollars would follow each year, resulting in an immediate addition of 25% to the Islamic Republic’s GDP, the Jewish News Syndicate reported..“No other country would come close to such a rise in growth,” he said..While Israel has never admitted to any attacks, it has been accused of engaging in a shadow war with Iran for years, mainly to slow down Iran’s nuclear program..In 2020, Iranian nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated by a remotely controlled machine gun..Others — including an engineer, a military officer, and an aeronautical scientist — were killed in recent months with rumours circulating that Israel was involved..Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani — in response to Barnea’s comments — told the Tehran Times: “We do not expect (from) a terrorist regime anything other than terrorist actions.”.Iran maintains its nuclear aims are peaceful and its actions fall within the country’s sovereign rights to a civilian nuclear program..Negotiations to revive the landmark deal resumed in 2021 after former US president Donald Trump withdrew his country from the agreement in 2018 and re-imposed debilitating sanctions on Tehran, Al Jazeera reported..With a revived nuclear deal, the US and the deal’s other signatories — China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom, known collectively as the P5+1 — aim to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb..Nevertheless, nuclear deal or no nuclear deal, Israel and the Mossad, will not stand idly by..Toward that end, the Israel Air Force recently signed a contract with Boeing to purchase four multi-mission KC-46 refueling tankers in a deal valued at US$927.5 million..The multi-mission KC-46 refueling tankers will replace the IAF's aging fleet of refueling aircraft, needed for any future action against Iran..IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi has made clear that he views a rekindling of the 2015 nuclear deal as dangerous and has said openly that he has asked for fresh operational plans to be drawn up to strike Iran and stop its nuclear program, if necessary.."Preparing the home front for war is a task that must be accelerated in the coming years, especially in light of the possibility that we will be required to act against the nuclear threat," he said in July.."The IDF continues to prepare vigorously for an attack on Iran and must prepare for any development and any scenario. Preparing a military option against the Iranian nuclear program is a moral obligation and a national security order.".According to The Jerusalem Post, The plane also carries IR countermeasures, RF warnings, threat avoidance systems, and NVIS (Night Vision Imaging System) lighting that allow it to land in complete darkness, affording it very broad covert capabilities..As of the last public IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) count, Iran has a stockpile of some 3,800 kg. (8,370 lbs.) of enriched uranium, Associated Press reported..More worrying, Iran now enriches uranium up to 60% purity — a level it never reached before that's a short, technical step away from 90%. Experts warn Iran has enough 60%-enriched uranium to reprocess into fuel for at least one nuclear bomb..One bomb that could change the playing field throughout the Mideast region.. An Israeli F-16 fighter jet trains with AmericansAn Israeli F-16 fighter jet trains with Americans
