Israel believes Russia could sell advanced weaponry to Iran, the director of the Mossad intelligence agency said, in rare public criticism of Moscow by an Israeli official.
(Bloomberg) — Israel believes Russia could sell advanced weaponry to Iran, the director of the Mossad intelligence agency said, in rare public criticism of Moscow by an Israeli official.
“We are concerned that the Russians will meet Iran’s demands to supply it with weapons and raw materials that will put Israel at risk,” Mossad’s David Barnea said in a speech on Sunday.
Iran has been seeking sophisticated new air-defense systems from Russia, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News in March. Russia hasn’t said if it will supply the S-400s, which Israeli officials believe would hamper their ability to strike Tehran’s nuclear program.
Israel has repeatedly vowed it won’t allow arch-nemesis Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and frequently threatens military action. Russia and Iran have bolstered their ties over the war in Ukraine, while Israel has issued only mild criticism of Moscow to keep its relations warm with the Kremlin on Middle East issues.
In his public remarks Barnea said his agency foiled over two dozen planned attacks by Iran targeting Jewish and Israeli sites around the world this year, without providing specifics.
The Mossad director threatened to strike Iranian officials and policymakers “from the bottom all the way to the top” should any attack plot linked to Iran harm Jews or Israelis.
Israel’s retaliation would strike “deep inside Iran, in the heart of Tehran,” he warned.
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