Jerusalem – A former chief of Israel’s Mossad spy agency on Friday rejected claims made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his contentious address to Congress about Iran’s nuclear program.
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In an interview aired on Channel 2 TV, Meir Dagan questioned Netanyahu’s claim that the deal under negotiation with world powers would allow Iran to create a nuclear weapon within a year or less.
“The time is longer than what he describes,” Dagan said.
Dagan also rejected Netanyahu’s assertion that Iran’s intercontinental ballistic missile program could allow it to deliver a nuclear arsenal to “every part of the United States.”
“The missiles cannot reach the U.S.,” Dagan said. When asked if Netanyahu does not know that, Dagan replied: “He knows. So what?”
Channel 2 showed Dagan making the comments as he watched Netanyahu’s televised speech to Congress.
When Netanyahu said that “the Jewish people can defend ourselves,” Dagan said: “That is a threat of attack.”
Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz, of Netanyahu’s Likud Party, told Channel 2 that he rejected many of Dagan’s assertions.
Dagan has been a fierce critic of Netanyahu’s approach to Iran, emerging as a key opponent of a potential Israeli military attack against its nuclear facilities. He has said Netanyahu’s trip to Washington, over White House objections, was pointless and counterproductive.
Dagan directed the Mossad from 2002 to 2010, a period when it reportedly carried out covert attacks against Iranian nuclear scientists and unleashed cyberattacks that delayed Iran’s progression toward a bomb.
Last week, Dagan told an Israeli daily that “the person who has caused the greatest strategic damage to Israel on the Iranian issue is the prime minister.”
Dagan clearly has his OWN hidden agenda. He’s more into Dagan than Israel.
Dagan. You’re talking in riddles. Iran’s breakout time is more than a year. How much longer? Two days? Two years? Why? you know for a fact? How come all Israeli and American intelligence doesn’t know as much as you? What do you envision for the future? What is your plan? Do nothing? Wait? Go with the Obama deal? Is there something you know that you don’t want to tell us?
Its nice to see that not only 90% of the jews around the world are condemning bibi’s speech even Israeli leaders are,
For bibi to say that jews are powerless & voiceless till now is a shame & its kfirha, cause jews have a god in heaven “we had a bashefer till now & will have him always” we war never voiceless & never powerless.
This guy would’ve attacked Netanyahu on his speech no matter what Netanyahu would’ve said. He’s a former chief-of-Mossad turned budding politician
If Iran can get a nuclear bomb, then they can work out how to make or buy a missile to reach the USA, especially in ten years time.
Alter G and Meir Dagan have much in common: ayver botel.
I feel sorry for both of them and we should let them do their thing.