Bush Authorizes New Covert Action Against Iran

The elements of this recent ABC News story came to our attention (and then some) back in April of 2006, by, who else but Sy Hersh in his essay "The Iran Plans" , when he divulged that the US has "combat troops now operating in Iran would be in position to mark the critical targets with laser beams, to insure bombing accuracy and to minimize civilian casualties. As of early winter, I was told by the government consultant with close ties to civilians in the Pentagon, the units were also working with minority groups in Iran, including the Azeris, in the north, the Baluchis, in the southeast, and the Kurds, in the northeast," and Hersh later added that "activities, if conducted by C.I.A. operatives, would need a Presidential Finding and would have to be reported to key members of Congress" but did not go as far as saying that such a finding was signed off, and finally wrote (April 2006) that a Pentagon adviser offered that thought back then: "If we move against Iran, Hezbollah will not sit on the sidelines. Unless the Israelis take them out, they will mobilize against us.” he said that, if Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel, “Israel and the new Lebanese government will finish them off.”