Israel to kill in U.S., allied nations
By Richard Sale
UPI Intelligence Correspondent
From the Washington Politics & Policy Desk
Published 1/15/2003 4:50 PM
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Israel is embarking upon a more aggressive approach to the war on terror that will include staging targeted killings in the United States and other friendly countries, former Israeli intelligence officials told United Press International.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has forbidden the practice until now, these sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Israeli statements were confirmed by more than a half dozen U.S. foreign policy and intelligence officials in interviews with UPI.

With the appointment of Meir Dagan, the new director Israel's Mossad secret intelligence service, Sharon is also preparing "a huge budget" increase for the spy agency as part of "a tougher stance in fighting global jihad (or holy war)," one Israeli official said.

Since Sharon became Israeli prime minister, Tel Aviv has mainly limited its practice of targeted killings to the West Bank and Gaza because "no one wanted such operations on their territory," a former Israeli intelligence official said.

Another former Israeli government official said that under Sharon, "diplomatic constraints have prevented the Mossad from carrying out 'preventive operations' (targeted killings) on the soil of friendly countries until now."

He said Sharon is "reversing that policy, even if it risks complications to Israel's bilateral relations."

A former Israeli military intelligence source agreed: "What Sharon wants is a much more extensive and tough approach to global terrorism, and this includes greater operational maneuverability."

Does this mean assassinations on the soil of allies?

"It does," he said.

"Mossad is definitely being beefed up," a U.S. government official said of the Israeli agency's budget increase. He declined to comment on the Tel Aviv's geographic expansion of targeted killings.

An FBI spokesman also declined to comment, saying: "This is a policy matter. We only enforce federal laws."

A congressional staff member with deep knowledge of intelligence matters said, "I don't know on what basis we would be able to protest Israel's actions." He referred to the recent killing of Qaed Salim Sinan al Harethi, a top al Qaida leader, in Yemen by a remotely controlled CIA drone.

"That was done on the soil of a friendly ally," the staffer said.

But the complications posed by Israel's new policy are real.

"Israel does not have a good record at doing this sort of thing," said former CIA counter-terrorism official Larry Johnson.

He cited the 1997 fiasco where two Mossad agents were captured after they tried to assassinate Khaled Mashaal, a Hamas political leader, by injecting him with poison.

According to Johnson, the attempt, made in Amman, Jordan, caused a political crisis in Israeli-Jordan relations. In addition, because the Israeli agents carried Canadian passports, Canada withdrew its ambassador in protest, he said. Jordan is one of two Arab nations to recognize Israel. The other is Egypt.

At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said, "I have no intention of stopping the activities of this government against terror," according to a CNN report.

Former CIA officials say Israel was forced to free jailed Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and 70 other Jordanian and Palestinian prisoner being held in Israeli jails to secure the release of the two would-be Mossad assassins.

Phil Stoddard, former director of the Middle East Institute, cited a botched plot to kill Ali Hassan Salemeh, the mastermind of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre. The 1974 attempt severely embarrassed Mossad when the Israeli hit team mistakenly assassinated a Moroccan waiter in Lillehammer, Norway.

Salemeh, later a CIA asset, was killed in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1976 by a car bomb placed by an Israeli assassination team, former U.S. intelligence officials said.

"Israel knew Salemeh was providing us with preventive intelligence on the Palestinians and his being killed pissed off a lot of people," said a former senior CIA official.

But some Israeli operations have been successful.

Gerald Bull, an Ontario-born U.S. citizen and designer of the Iraqi supergun -- a massive artillery system capable of launching satellites into orbit, and of delivering nuclear chemical or biological payloads from Baghdad to Israel -- was killed in Belgium in March 1990. The killing is still unsolved, but former CIA officials said a Mossad hit team is the most likely suspect.

Bull worked on the supergun design -- codenamed Project Babylon -- for 10 years, and helped the Iraqis develop many smaller artillery systems. He was found with five bullets in his head outside his Brussels apartment.

Israeli hit teams, which consist of units or squadrons of the Kidon, a sub-unit for Mossad's highly secret Metsada department, would stage the operations, former Israeli intelligence sources said. Kidon is a Hebrew word meaning "bayonet," one former Israeli intelligence source said.

This Israeli government source explained that in the past Israel has not staged targeted killings in friendly countries because "no one wanted such operations on their territory."

This has become irrelevant, he said.

Dagan, the new hard-driving director of Mossad, will implement the new changes, former Israeli government officials said.

Dagan, nicknamed "the gun," was Sharon's adviser on counter-terrorism during the government of Netanyahu in 1996, former Israeli government officials say. A former military man, Dagan has also undertaken extremely sensitive diplomatic missions for several of Israel's prime ministers, former Israeli government sources said.

Former Israel Defense Forces Lt. Col. Gal Luft, who served under Dagan, described him as an "extremely creative individual -- creative to the point of recklessness."

A former CIA official who knows Dagan said the new Mossad director knows "his foreign affairs inside and out," and has a "real killer instinct."

Dagan is also "an intelligence natural" who has "a superb analyst not afraid to act on gut instinct," the former CIA official said.

Dagan has already removed Mossad officials whom he regards as "being too conservative or too cautious" and is building up "a constituency of senior people of the same mentality," one former long-time Israeli operative said.

Dagan is also urging that Mossad operatives rely less on secret sources and rely more on open information that is so plentifully provided on the Internet and newspapers.

"It's a cultural thing," one former Israeli intelligence operative explained. "Mossad in the past has put its emphasis on Humint (human intelligence) and secret operations and has neglected the whole field of open media, which has become extremely important."

Regarding Mossad's new policy and budget increase, Kim Farber an Israeli Embassy official said, "There is so little information available on this, there is nothing I can add."

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030115-035849-6156r

Hmmm. I wonder if we'll ever see a Mad Max type of future. In a way, I'd be more comfortable with that. For the most part, cops can kill with impunity, now we'll have foreign intelligence doing it, of course, the criminals are doing it. This begs the question, why not the rest of us? Every man/womwan for him/herself. All I ask is an equal playing field.

"I wonder if we'll ever see a Mad Max type of future."

Does that mean I'll have to paint my Impala black? Damn you, Freespirit!

Oh, don't be so grumpy. Imagine how it might look with a rocket launcher on top.
Really, why are so many select groups allowed to be above the law?

Someone has been watching too much AXL oops AXN on TV.

Ethan

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
"Why shouldn't the American people take half my money from me? I took it all from them." - Edward Filene

Ethan, are you familiar with Dagan?

Lots of allegations and claims...doesn't make them facts...

LOL!! This is a UPI Story.

AP, UPI and Reuters are all controlled by the so-called pro-democracy, corporate-government media-complex. Look how AP distorted what's happening in Venezuela siding with the same rogue police that went door to door in April and assassinated 60 pro-Chavez supporters, and put a journalist in prison.

I doubt they let this out if it wasn't true!

A UPI story that doesn't actually talk about anything except allegations and opinions.

I doubt seriously if Richard Sal, a UPI Intelligence Correspondent with the Washington Politics & Policy Desk is going to put his reputation on the line for a lie. Journalists in the main stream are all gutless wonders who distort or omit the real truth that's filtered from the top.

Besides, our own CIA has been doing the same thing for years.

The article itself says important things:
1. Israeli attempts in the past have largely been botched. And few and far between.
2. Israel has avoided acting in countries friendly with Israel.
3. It was the USA which recently carried out a targeted assassination in the Yemen.
4. Sharon as PM is likely to develop this aspect of anti-terrorism.

The first 3 points indicate that Israel may well not be starting a policy of targetted killings in friendly countries. It would be very counter-productive for them.

Point 4) is that Sharon won't be PM for much longer even if he wins the upcoming election on Jan. 28th. Yesterday he hinted at a press conference that Netanyahu, who is much younger, will replace him in the not-to-distant future.

Louis

Thirty years ago, I remember vaguely, after the Munich massacre of Israeli athletes, then Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, gave Mossad instructions to track down and kill members of the Black September, responsible for the Munich killings.

Assasinations followed in Rome, Paris and Cyprus. Everything came unglued in Lilehammer, Norway when a Morroccan waiter was killed. Big mistake, wrong man in friendly country. Roadblocks were set up and the Mossad operatives were arrested and are still in prison (I think).

The trouble with these type of assasinations innocent people get killed. Israel then renounced this type of activity. If they resume it will cost them much goodwill they cannot afford to lose. Plus it leaves their diplomats an open target for terrorists.
I would not pay heed to news reports. The Israeli Mossad does not have leaks. They are not the CIA and FBI.

Guns don't kill people. Husbands who come home early kill people.

The Israeli Mossad does not have leaks

Everyone has leaks and so do all organisations.

But after Israel's negative experiences 30 years ago, they are unlikely to return to this sort of activity.

Louis

>3. It was the USA which recently carried out a targeted
>assassination in the Yemen.

There's no difference.

>Yesterday he hinted at a press conference that Netanyahu will replace him..."

Go read about Netanyahu and get back to us. He as bad as Sharon if not worse.

Mossad is not the CIA, and you have no clue as to what the CIA has or hasn't been doing. That you take the article as proof of anything is indicative of how little you understand of reality. It is a filler, that's all.

From London Times, 2 August, 1996

THE operational structure of Mossad, Israel's secret intelligence service, which has always prided itself on weaving a cloak of impenetrable secrecy around its covert operations, has been disclosed by a British specialist journal.

The details of Mossad's "family tree" appear in Jane's Sentinel journal, which has published a special edition on the eastern Mediterranean. The Israeli defence establishment has already reacted with concern over revelations in the same publication about the Israeli Air Force, including the location of all its air bases.

The detailed focus on the air force and intelligence services is due to be published in Sentinel next week. Apart from studying the internal workings of Mossad, which is estimated to employ about 1,200 people, the journal looks at the rest of the Israeli intelligence community, including Shin Bet, the counter-espionage agency and internal security service.

Mossad, the Central Institute for Intelligence and Special Missions, is the equivalent of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, or MI6. Israeli newspapers and broadcasting services are prohibited from writing about Mossad.

According to the journal, Mossad's largest operational branch is the Collections Department, responsible for intelligence- gathering operations abroad. The Collections Department is split into sections and includes separate "desks" covering different regions. Branch A is said to cover Spain, Egypt, Cyprus and Algeria. Branch C is reported to cover the Mossad stations in London, Paris and Marseilles.

The journal also says that Mossad has a clandestine operations command, known within the Israeli secret service as Metsada, which runs "small units of combatants who carry out actions abroad against those considered to be a threat to Israeli security". The journal says: "These missions have included assassinations and sabotage."

The Metsada unit is said to be answerable directly to the head of Mossad, who was recently named by the Israeli Government as Major-General Danny Yatom, 51. General Yatom, said to be nicknamed "The Prussian", replaced Shabtai Shavit who resigned earlier this year after nearly seven years as Mossad's head.

Other Mossad branches are listed as the Political Action and Liaison Department which deals with friendly foreign intelligence services, including the American CIA and Britain's MI6, and a special section called LAP (Lohamah Psichlogit) which covers psychological warfare.

The journal says that one of the most important of the support departments is the Research Department, which has 15 separate desks, including ones for the United States, Canada, Western Europe, the former Soviet Union, Libya, Syria and Iran. It says there is also a nuclear desk which specialises solely in nuclear developments around the world. Israel is known to be keeping a close watch on Iran's nuclear ambitions; Iran is said to be ten to 15 years away from a nuclear bomb.

Sentinel says Mossad's Research Department produces short daily reports and longer weekly summaries on all areas of interest.

Shin Bet, the internal service, is reported to have three operational departments and five support departments. The operational sections are listed as the Arab Affairs Department, which monitors suspected Arab subversives; the Non-Arab Affairs Department, which is involved in "the penetration of foreign intelligence services and diplomatic missions" in Israel; and the Protective Security Department, responsible for protecting national representatives and assets.

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/51b/005.html

Yeah, so? Do you have a point?

More power to them. As long as they are willing to do the time if they get caught doing a crime.
But if they get caught breaking US laws and try to pull immunity...

Scary I side with that, but when our laws focus more on restricting the law abiding rather than the criminals something needs to be done.

Don't forget it was Israel who stopped a terrorist on US soil because El Al has their own set of rules for airport security.

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History teaches us that history has taught us nothing.

Forget about due process and all that huh? Forget about all those constitutional safeguards you allegedly hold so dear. And what about the law abiding citizens they might target by mistake?

You've got a warped sense of democracy.

I guess my sense of democracy is warped too. When all else(legal) fails, I can understand vigilante justice taking over. And this is just another form of vigilantes.

Bill K.

I can't condone what Israel does or does not do in the interest of survival, but I can sympathize their plight. Unless the large powerful US, China, Russia who can afford to lose minor battles Israel is in an unenviable position.

If some person continually told me that, one day, you know not when, but one day I will come to your house and kill you and your family. I might be tempted, no I will, probably take a premptive strike.

The action will be condemned but I will be still alive. Does the end justify the means? I really don't know and don't want to.

Guns don't kill people. Husbands who come home early kill people.

Hmm,
Hal breaks into my house. Should I call the police so that he can have due process or should I give him his due process all over my carpet? I'll take the option that brings justice to Hal and keeps him from ever breaking in any other house.

Law abiding? You mean like some people who were not breaking provable laws until they took a few box openers onto three US flights?
Officer Hal: "Sorry ma'am, I know your ex-husband has threatened your life but we can't do anything until he actually kills you. Besides, I have to give these donuts their due process."

Democracy? You have a warped sense of America. Since when have we ever been a democracy?

--------------
History teaches us that history has taught us nothing.

First, the Israeli Embassy in Washington denied the story - " But an official at the Israeli Embassy in Washington told UPI: "That is rubbish. It is completely untrue."

Second, the story is based on innuendo and annonymous sources.

Third, Hal accepts the mainstream press when he agrees with it and when he doesn't it is the voice of corporate America corrupting us.

Whether the Israeli's will pursue the policy that is written about by Richard Sales remains to be seen. If we are looking for morality in dealing with some of the folks perptrating terrorist acts we are making an error. A quick review of just a few events of the last year:

1. Innumerable suicide bombers kill civilians in Israel.
2. Three bombs of increasing intensity kill large numbers of innocent folks in Bali - mostly Australians.
3. The Phillipines has continuous bombings by Abu Sayyaf
4. A French tanker is rammed by an explosion laden boat off the coast of Yemen.

I could go on ad nauseum with events that are acts of pure terror aimed at civilian populations. You want morality to deal with these events? Just explain how. I am willing to listen.









http://www.bobbalogh.com/

Does this mean you do or don't believe AP's story about Venezuela's benevolent police force fighting against the evil President Chavez.

Should I throw a strawberry shake in Myk's face and pour mustard and ice chips down his pants cuz he looks like a fag Moroccan waiter masquerading as butch Mr. Mountain Man who thinks he's an expert on the constitution because he's memorized a few lines but doesn't understand its underlying principles and sees no reason to live by it?

Yes, because he's a limp wristed hypocrite and joke with a rifle perched in the back window of his pick-up ready to execute any Blockbuster clerk who he thinks might be a terrorist and then brag about it cause he's proud to be an ass kickin' foot stompin' American. Yee haw, break out the jug Jed, make em' squeal like a pig. That's it, twist his ear. Lets go have a Bud at Balo's and drive around and look fer some more fun.

Caught with your knowledge pants down again so all you can do is throw out insults. Sad but predictable.

Maybe you should read slower, "As long as they are willing to do the time if they get caught doing a crime.
But if they get caught breaking US laws and try to pull immunity..."

What's the matter? Is it that I don't fully agree with you so now I'm another corporate pawn who's out to get you too?

Don't you have some fur farm to raid and set the animals free so they can get run over by cars and have fun playfully attacking and killing each other? Or are you busy tonight because you have to drive your SUV to some pollution protest?

--------------
History teaches us that history has taught us nothing.

That means as long as they don't get caught breaking the law, you condone them breaking it--which means violating a person's due process, you know, innocent until proven guilty and all that. Like I said, you're a hypocrite.

Like hell you did? Let's take a vote on that, after all we are a democracy aren't we?

I don't know how you got that out of what I said.
Let's try it again. If they chose to come to this country and break our laws even if it is for a good cause, they'd better be prepared to pay the price. And I don't want to hear any whining about it.

I never once said they should get away with breaking the law or that the law should look the other way. If one agent takes out a terrorist cell and accepts the death penalty, more power to them.

Hell yeah, more power to them. More power to the granny who pulls out a pistol and administers some instant justice too. And if she's wrong don't come crying to me because she gets the electric chair, even if she's right and gets the electric chair that was a chance she took.

But you're probably against the death penalty in all cases and against self-defense with deadly force too, aren't you.

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History teaches us that history has taught us nothing.

MORE POWER POWER TO THEM

Nice try Myk...the line speaks for itself. I don't care what form of government you wanna call it..it's a lynch mob. Mobs are full of followers. I rest my case.

You don't know what it is because it hasn't happened yet. And it most likely won't be happening.

Once again you are going off half cocked. You should have your sear checked.

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History teaches us that history has taught us nothing.

Odd response. Is it chemicals?

People's hypocrisy and a little fun.

Whenever I read some outstanding news I back track and check the source.
First of all the article that began this thread quotes a whole bunch of unidentified FORMER employees of various organizations.

Second Mr Sale works for an organization that until recently was owned by a Saudi business group and is now owned by the Unification Church. http://cisar.org/000516d.htm . I have my doubts with the credibility of an organization with such a background.

Large numbers of former operatives do not talk to the press about agency policy, If so they would never have been agents in the first place. They also are not Privy to breaking policy.

It is in the interest of Israel's enemies to spread misinformation that in our age of instant information becomes "truth" as it is quickly published in internet forums and chats.

I suspect that Mr Sale was courted by agents of Israel's enemies that fed him this information over a few martinis, shaken, not stired.

Ethan

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
"Why shouldn't the American people take half my money from me? I took it all from them." - Edward Filene

The voice of reason. (thanks Ethan)WALDO

Walter A Robertson

Waldo...

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