MIDDLE
EAST’S PUBLIC TENSIONS MASK PRIVATE WORLD OF MULTIPLE SPY
WARS RIVAL INTELLIGENCE SERVICES JOCKEY FOR POSITION ON
SEVERAL FRONTS
John
White
The Middle
East has rarely seen such a frenzy of activity by the
region’s pervasive intelligence services. The undercurrents
of military preparation for the possibility of a cluster of
new wars erupting or existing conflicts expanding have
resulted in an intensification of intelligence operations
unprecedented even in such a volatile part of the world.
Following
the 9/11 attack of al-Qaeda on the US and the subsequent war
carried out under the leadership of the US against Iraq and
Afghanistan, a new threat, which both Israel and the Sunnis
were already familiar with, emerged: Iran and Shiism. With
this new threat the sides were forced to redefine their
strategic position and held clandestine meetings, which
could lead to fundamental changes in the geo-political scene
of the Middle East.
Iraq, which
is the base of all these activities, is drawing the most
significant actors such as Iran, the US, England, Saudi
Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Israel and Hezbollah
onto itself. Some countries like France, Germany, Italy,
Spain and the others participate in the process to a certain
extent. While the BND of Germany played a vital role for at
least two times between Israel and Hezbollah in the
bargaining process for prisoners, it is now seeking to serve
as an intermediary in another bartering process.
It is known
that the MOSSAD has its spies in Iraq and especially in
Kurdistan. In 1960s and 70s, Israel supported the Kurdish
peeshmargas in their long struggle against the Baath regime
in Baghdad. The MOSSAD is also getting increasingly active
in the region that lies between the north of Iran and former
Soviet Republics in the Central Asia. It is mentioned that
the MOSSAD and the Israeli Special Forces are training the
anti-Iran elements in Khuzastan. The mentioned region is has
most of the Iranian oil basins, is at the southwest of Iran
and is dominated mostly by the Arabs. Tehran claims that
intelligence services such as the CIA and the British SIS
cause tension among the minorities in the regions such as
the Sistan-Baluchastan and Kurdish area. It is believed that
the USA and Israel are active in Iran, in order to identify
strategic nuclear centers prior to a possible air operation.
The Iranian
intelligence services, which, for many years, were believed
to be the best of the other regional organization,
neutralized many CIA cells that carried out their activities
via Turkey, Greece or Western Germany. During those years,
there took place, mostly behind the scene, severe struggles
between the US and Iranian intelligence services when they
came face to face in Iraq.
