MESOPOTAMIA NEWS EXCLUSIV : THE MOSSAD on ISRAELS FUTURE
Israel’s Intel Ministry: One Eye on Tehran, the Other on the Future – 3 Apr 2018 – CIPHER BRIEF
Our Executive Editor, Kimberly Dozier, recently spoke with Chagai Tzuriel, Director of Israel’s Ministry of Intelligence.
Tzuriel discussed what’s his agency is worried about: the growing Iranian presence in Syria, and better predicting other future threats. • On Iran: “If they start building air, sea and ground bases for them and Shi’ite militias, a forward base like they built in Lebanon with Hezbollah, we have made clear we will not accept the situation. We have presented it as a red line.”
- On speaking to Moscow: “The Russians, having had a very formidable achievement in Syria, are not interested in destabilizing their achievement. They understand that if the Iranian proxy presence in Syria is a source of friction and tension and a potential flashpoint, they can also be a constructive player and can play a limiting and restraining role vis a vis Iran and Hezbollah.”
- On future threats: “To remain relevant is a strategic challenge, not only for intel organizations but for the private sector. Everybody is talking over the last few years of how to deal with this reality of the dizzying pace of change and instability.”
Read Dozier’s piece on her conversation with Tzuriel—and how Israel views its surroundings.