Mossad chief’s warning on Iran
On Iran's nuclear program and a potential agreement with world powers that would see sanctions on Iran eased, Barnea urged the international community to "be on high alert".
(TIMES OF ISRAEL) – Mossad director David Barnea said on Sunday that Israel was concerned about Russia selling advanced weaponry to Iran, and revealed that the spy agency and its allies in the international intelligence community foiled 27 Iranian attacks against Jews and Israelis abroad over the past year.
Speaking at an annual conference of the Institute for Counter-Terrorism Policy (ICT) at Reichman University in Herzliya, Barnea said Iran had intentions to provide Russia with short and long-range missiles in addition to the UAVs that it sold to the Russian military for its invasion of Ukraine.
“Our fear is that the Russians will transfer to the Iranians in return what they lack, advanced weapons that will certainly endanger our peace, and maybe even our existence here,” Barnea said.
The Mossad chief also noted that Iran has continued with its attempts to attack Israelis and Jews abroad, with the spy agency and its allies foiling 27 such attacks over the past year.
“The squads that were captured, the weapons that were seized together with them, all had clear targets,” he said, noting that the attempts occurred “all over the world, in Europe, Africa, the Far East and South America”.
“All this under the direction and guidance of Iran. We are witnessing a significant increase in attempts to harm Jews and Israelis around the world, and we are working even now at this very moment to follow Iranian and proxy squads to prevent them from killing Jews and Israelis around the world,” Barnea said.
Barnea said, “The time has come to exact a price from Iran in a different way.
“Harming Israelis and Jews in any way – by proxy, by Iranians or by Iranian weapons smuggled into Israel – will lead to activity against the Iranians who sent the terrorists and also against the decision-makers, from the ground operators to the commanders who approved the operation, and I mean that,” he said.
“These prices will be exacted with great precision in the depths of Iran, in the heart of Tehran,” Barnea warned.
He said the “Iranian regime no longer has room for denial and above all, it has no immunity”.
“Our message is loud and clear, and determined: Make no mistake, those of you who decided to dispatch the squads, be assured that we will get to you, and justice will be done for all to see,” the Mossad director said.
On Iran’s nuclear program and a potential agreement with world powers that would see sanctions on Iran eased, Barnea urged the international community to “be on high alert”.
“Iran’s known nuclear weapon ambitions, and its past attempts to implement them, require that the international community be on high alert, and demonstrate unflagging determination to foil these ambitions,” he said.
“The current dialogue between Iran and the West does not reflect genuine willingness on the part of Iran to curb its nuclear program. Rather, it demonstrates Iran’s cynical attempt to release money frozen as part of the international sanctions imposed on it, while continuing to develop and expand its nuclear capabilities,” Barnea said.
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