Jerusalem, December 01: Former director of the Mossad spy agency Meir Dagan has warned that an Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities would lead to a regional war.
Dagan said in a television interview on Tuesday that Iran, and the Hezbollah and Hamas resistance movements will respond with massive rocket attacks on Israel if the Tel Aviv regime attacks Iranian atomic sites, Haaretz reported.
He noted that Syria would also join Iran in that scenario.
Dagan added that such a war would take a heavy toll in terms of lost lives and would paralyze life in Israel.
Earlier in May, Dagan publicly argued against an airstrike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
He described the possibility of a future Israeli airstrike on Iran as “the stupidest thing he has ever heard.”
The former Mossad chief said that any military strike was likely to prompt a regional war and missile attacks from several fronts on Israel, adding that any attack on Iran would have no advantage for Tel Aviv.
Israeli officials roundly criticized Dagan for calling a possible attack on Iran “a stupid idea,” saying such remarks undermine Israel’s ability of prowess.
“Any ability to disperse the ambiguousness surrounding the issue of Iran hurts Israel’s standing against Iran,” Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said during an interview with Israel Radio on July 5.
He added that the military option against Iran must remain on the table.
Israel’s Science and Technology Minister Daniel Hershkowitz also said an indictment against Dagan should be considered, adding that he should not have made the comments whether they were correct or not.
“If someone came out of a cabinet meeting and discussed Israel’s capabilities or lack thereof, he would be indicted for compromising national security…His statements harm the people who stood behind him. Perhaps it would have been better to just keep his mouth shut,” Hershkowitz said.
The United States and Israel have repeatedly threatened Tehran with the “option” of a military strike, based on the allegation that Iran’s nuclear work may consist of a covert military agenda.
Iran has refuted the allegations, saying that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
While Israel refuses to allow inspections of its nuclear facilities or to join the NPT based on its policy of nuclear ambiguity, Iran has been subjected to snap IAEA inspections due to its policy of nuclear transparency.
Israel recently test fired a new long-range missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The test was carried out at the Palmahim air base in central Israel.
This three-stage Jericho-3 missile, which is capable of delivering a 750-kilo warhead to a distance, is estimated to have a range of up to 10,000 kilometers. Paradoxically, Israel’s new nuke-capable missile, which can target many parts of the globe, is not considered a threat in the eyes of the West.
——Agencies