Israeli Security Establishment Criticize Mossad Chief: "He Caused Damage To Israel"

Via The PULSE, here

"Mossad Director Meir Dagan's recent statements about the timing of Iran's possession of nuclear weapons sharply differ from the assessments made by the IDF Intelligence Branch and Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Ben Caspit in Ma'ariv:

Harsh criticism of Mossad Director Meir Dagan's statements in Foreign the Affairs and Defense Committee this past Tuesday has been heard in recent days from high ranking sources in both the IDF and the security establishment.

Many in the Prime Minister's Bureau also raised an eyebrow after Dagan was quoted as saying that Iran would possess a launch-ready nuclear rocket only in 2014, and added that recent riots in Tehran would soon die out and not jeopardize the regime. There were those in the security establishment who said that even if Dagan's remarks were misconstrued, such statements caused Israel damage in view of the fact that the country has mounted an effort in recent years to warn of the Iranian nuclear threat.

The assessment by the IDF Intelligence Branch regarding the date by which Iran will attain nuclear capabilities differs from that of Dagan, while the recently publicized discord between Israel and the United States on this very issue is the focal point of the talks between the two countries.

Netanyahu's bureau refused to comment on the matter. Meanwhile, associates of the prime minister expressed behind closed doors their dissatisfaction with Dagan's statement, which was given wide international coverage, saying that it undermined the foundations on which Netanyahu's policy was based. The prime minister is investing all his energy in an effort to warn of the looming Iranian threat and its fast expiring timetable....

A clarification with sources in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee confirms that Dagan provided a time span and spoke of an Iranian bomb sometime between 2011 and 2014. However, his statements indicated that the 2011 option was fairly insignificant and would become feasible only if the Iranians went all out.

Dagan's predictions about the riots in Iran were also criticized, and sources in the security establishment commented, "Why did he have to go and say that?"....