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ISRAEL ANGERED BY U.S. LEAKS OF SUBMARINE MISSILE ATTACK ON SYRIA
Israeli officials say leak should have been coordinated with Tel Aviv
Israeli naval submarine / APIsraeli naval submarine / AP
BY: Bill Gertz
http://freebeacon.com/israel-angered-by-u-s-leaks-of-submarine-missile-attack-on-syria/
July 24, 2013 5:00 am
Israeli government officials voiced anger at U.S. press leaks traced
to the Pentagon following the July 5 Israeli missile attack on the
Syrian port of Latakia that destroyed a shipment of Russian-made
anti-ship missiles, according to U.S. officials.
Senior Pentagon officials, including Deputy Secretary of Defense
Ashton Carter who is currently visiting Israel, discussed the leaks
during meetings with Israeli officials this week. The Israelis argued
in private meetings and other exchanges that the disclosures could
lead to Syrian counterattacks against Israel and should have been
coordinated first with the Israeli government.
Pentagon press secretary George Little declined to comment when asked
if Carter discussed the leaks in meetings with Israeli officials
on Monday.
The Israeli military attack was unusual because it involved
a submarine-launched cruise missile strike on the Syrian city of
Latakia, a major port.
The covert attack destroyed a stockpile of what was believed to be
50 new Russian-made anti-ship missiles called the Yakhont that U.S.
officials said could be used against ships that will provide arms in
the future to Syrian rebels.
According to U.S. officials, the Israeli government censored domestic
press reports about the attack over concerns that any public discussion
might prompt Syrian counterattacks against the Jewish state.
Israel also feared the Yakhont missiles would be transferred to
Hezbollah, the Lebanese-based Iranian terrorist organization that in
the past was supplied by Iran with advanced Chinese anti-ship missiles.
A Hezbollah-fired C-802 anti-ship missile was used to nearly sink an
Israeli corvette off the coast of Lebanon during the 2006 summer war.
The C-802s were sold to Iran in the 1990s and transferred to Hezbollah
to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the unprecedented security
cooperation between the United States and Israel, and to discuss
a range of issues of mutual importance, including Syria and Iran,"
by Tehran.
Carter met with senior Israeli security officials "Little said in a
statement issued Monday.
Among those who met with Carter were Defense Minister Moshe "Boogie"
Ya'alon, National Security Advisor retired Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror,
and retired Maj. Gen. Udi Shani, director general of the Defense
Ministry.
"They reaffirmed that the U.S.-Israel defense relationship has never
been stronger and agreed to continue to consult closely on shared
security interests," Little said.
The reports on the Latakia raid that angered the Israelis first
appeared on CNN July 12 and a day later in the New York Times.
The news organizations quoted "multiple U.S. officials," and "American
officials" respectively.
Israel has carried out several foreign military attacks in recent
years, most notably the airstrike that destroyed a Syrian-North Korean
nuclear facility at Al Kibar, Syria.
Israel's military has also conducted attacks in Syria in recent months
that were aimed at destroying caches of shoulder-fired surface-to-air
missiles and Iranian short-range ballistic missiles believed destined
for Hezbollah fighters.
A U.S. official said signs of Israeli anger over the Latakia raid
disclosures appeared in several Israel press outlets. One Israeli
official was described as "furious" over the leak because the Pentagon
did not coordinate its release of information first with Israel.
Other Israeli officials were quoted as saying that in the aftermath
of the Yakhont missile strikes that ties between Israel and Syria
had reached a new peak and that there are worries that tying Israel
to the attack will prompt Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to retaliate
soon or against a future Israeli attack.
Israel has said that it would take action to prevent chemical weapons
from falling into the hands of terrorists in Syria. But it has not
commented on its lesser actions against Syrian arms sent to the
Damascus regime by Russia or Iran, Assad's main backers.
Israeli press commentary on the Latakia raid disclosures suggested
the U.S. news reported risked the lives of Israeli and may have been
part of Obama administration debate over U.S. military intervention
in Syria's civil war.
Another commentator, Dan Margalit, stated in the daily newspaper
Yisrael Hayom that the leak was part of a U.S. ploy to force Israel
into the Syrian conflict as a way to pressure Assad into stepping down
and leaving the country, as a way to avoid U.S. military intervention.
Another journalist, Ron Ben-Yishay, wrote on the news website Ynetnews
that the Pentagon leaked the information to show that airstrikes in
Syria are possible.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, this week
outlined U.S. military options for Syria in a letter to Senate Armed
Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin (D., Mich.).
The Obama administration recently agreed to supply Syrian rebels
with small arms but is considering larger military intervention,
including the imposition of an air exclusive zone over Syria.
An Israeli government spokesman referred questions about the leaks
to a comment made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that
was published July 21 in the German news outlet Welt am Sonntag.
Asked if it bothered him that sensitive information was leaked on the
Latakia raid and other past operations by Israel's American friends,
Netanyahu said: "I am not responsible for what people say we do or
don't do. I am responsible for our policy which is to prevent the
transfer of dangerous weapons to Hezbollah and I am also responsible
for what we say and if I have anything to say, I'll say it."
This entry was posted in Congress, Middle East, National Security,
Politics and tagged Ashton Carter, Israel, Martin Dempsey, Pentagon,
Syria. Bookmark the permalink.
Israeli officials say leak should have been coordinated with Tel Aviv
Israeli naval submarine / APIsraeli naval submarine / AP
BY: Bill Gertz
http://freebeacon.com/israel-angered-by-u-s-leaks-of-submarine-missile-attack-on-syria/
July 24, 2013 5:00 am
Israeli government officials voiced anger at U.S. press leaks traced
to the Pentagon following the July 5 Israeli missile attack on the
Syrian port of Latakia that destroyed a shipment of Russian-made
anti-ship missiles, according to U.S. officials.
Senior Pentagon officials, including Deputy Secretary of Defense
Ashton Carter who is currently visiting Israel, discussed the leaks
during meetings with Israeli officials this week. The Israelis argued
in private meetings and other exchanges that the disclosures could
lead to Syrian counterattacks against Israel and should have been
coordinated first with the Israeli government.
Pentagon press secretary George Little declined to comment when asked
if Carter discussed the leaks in meetings with Israeli officials
on Monday.
The Israeli military attack was unusual because it involved
a submarine-launched cruise missile strike on the Syrian city of
Latakia, a major port.
The covert attack destroyed a stockpile of what was believed to be
50 new Russian-made anti-ship missiles called the Yakhont that U.S.
officials said could be used against ships that will provide arms in
the future to Syrian rebels.
According to U.S. officials, the Israeli government censored domestic
press reports about the attack over concerns that any public discussion
might prompt Syrian counterattacks against the Jewish state.
Israel also feared the Yakhont missiles would be transferred to
Hezbollah, the Lebanese-based Iranian terrorist organization that in
the past was supplied by Iran with advanced Chinese anti-ship missiles.
A Hezbollah-fired C-802 anti-ship missile was used to nearly sink an
Israeli corvette off the coast of Lebanon during the 2006 summer war.
The C-802s were sold to Iran in the 1990s and transferred to Hezbollah
to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the unprecedented security
cooperation between the United States and Israel, and to discuss
a range of issues of mutual importance, including Syria and Iran,"
by Tehran.
Carter met with senior Israeli security officials "Little said in a
statement issued Monday.
Among those who met with Carter were Defense Minister Moshe "Boogie"
Ya'alon, National Security Advisor retired Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror,
and retired Maj. Gen. Udi Shani, director general of the Defense
Ministry.
"They reaffirmed that the U.S.-Israel defense relationship has never
been stronger and agreed to continue to consult closely on shared
security interests," Little said.
The reports on the Latakia raid that angered the Israelis first
appeared on CNN July 12 and a day later in the New York Times.
The news organizations quoted "multiple U.S. officials," and "American
officials" respectively.
Israel has carried out several foreign military attacks in recent
years, most notably the airstrike that destroyed a Syrian-North Korean
nuclear facility at Al Kibar, Syria.
Israel's military has also conducted attacks in Syria in recent months
that were aimed at destroying caches of shoulder-fired surface-to-air
missiles and Iranian short-range ballistic missiles believed destined
for Hezbollah fighters.
A U.S. official said signs of Israeli anger over the Latakia raid
disclosures appeared in several Israel press outlets. One Israeli
official was described as "furious" over the leak because the Pentagon
did not coordinate its release of information first with Israel.
Other Israeli officials were quoted as saying that in the aftermath
of the Yakhont missile strikes that ties between Israel and Syria
had reached a new peak and that there are worries that tying Israel
to the attack will prompt Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to retaliate
soon or against a future Israeli attack.
Israel has said that it would take action to prevent chemical weapons
from falling into the hands of terrorists in Syria. But it has not
commented on its lesser actions against Syrian arms sent to the
Damascus regime by Russia or Iran, Assad's main backers.
Israeli press commentary on the Latakia raid disclosures suggested
the U.S. news reported risked the lives of Israeli and may have been
part of Obama administration debate over U.S. military intervention
in Syria's civil war.
Another commentator, Dan Margalit, stated in the daily newspaper
Yisrael Hayom that the leak was part of a U.S. ploy to force Israel
into the Syrian conflict as a way to pressure Assad into stepping down
and leaving the country, as a way to avoid U.S. military intervention.
Another journalist, Ron Ben-Yishay, wrote on the news website Ynetnews
that the Pentagon leaked the information to show that airstrikes in
Syria are possible.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, this week
outlined U.S. military options for Syria in a letter to Senate Armed
Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin (D., Mich.).
The Obama administration recently agreed to supply Syrian rebels
with small arms but is considering larger military intervention,
including the imposition of an air exclusive zone over Syria.
An Israeli government spokesman referred questions about the leaks
to a comment made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that
was published July 21 in the German news outlet Welt am Sonntag.
Asked if it bothered him that sensitive information was leaked on the
Latakia raid and other past operations by Israel's American friends,
Netanyahu said: "I am not responsible for what people say we do or
don't do. I am responsible for our policy which is to prevent the
transfer of dangerous weapons to Hezbollah and I am also responsible
for what we say and if I have anything to say, I'll say it."
This entry was posted in Congress, Middle East, National Security,
Politics and tagged Ashton Carter, Israel, Martin Dempsey, Pentagon,
Syria. Bookmark the permalink.