Israeli Officials Slam Former Mossad Chief for Rejecting Attack on Iran

Israeli DM Says Dagan Should Have Kept Opinions Secret

A number of other former officials are sticking up for former Mossad chief Meir Dagan’s right to criticize the possibility of a unilateral Israeli attack on Iran. The comments aren’t sitting well with members of the hawkish current government, however.

Dagan termed the possible air strike “the stupidest thing I have ever heard.” He added that the Iranian government could move infrastructure from place to place to avoid the attack. Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said Dagan should have “kept his remarks to himself.”

Defense Minister Ehud Barak likewise condemned the comments from Dagan, saying that it was “not right to share these thoughts – even if they are legitimate – with the public.” Israel has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran.

The comments are likely to add to the belief that, despite repeating these threats throughout the past several years, Israeli officials are not likely to actually attack Iran over their civilian nuclear program. Barak said it would be up to elected officials, not Mossad, whether or not to attack Iran.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.