'Iran obtained 12 long-range missiles'

Army intelligence chief accuses US of "dragging its feet" with Iran.

By SHEERA CLAIRE FRENKEL, JPOST STAFF
farkash 298 88 aj (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
farkash 298 88 aj
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
Iran recently acquired 12 cruise missiles with a range of up to 3,000 kilometers, according to OC Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Aharon Ze'evi (Farkash) on Tuesday. He noted the missiles had the ability to carry a nuclear warhead. Speaking at the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for the last time before leaving his position, Ze'evi noted the missiles originated in a batch of 18 missiles shipped from Ukraine to Russia. Twelve of the missiles made their way to Iran, while the other six ended up in China. He warned that Iran posed a substantial threat to Israel's security, and that the United States was "dragging its feet" in dealing with the situation. Still, the OC Intelligence head said that diplomatic pressure slowed the Iranian nuclear program, though it was still determined to produce an atomic bomb. Ze'evi also mentioned that Palestinian terrorist groups were still managing to smuggle weapons across the Egyptian border at the Rafah crossing, although not to the same degree as they had previously. The weapons included shoulder-launched anti-tank and anti-aircraft rockets. The outgoing intelligence officer also warned of an imminent escalation along the Israeli-Lebanese border, including launching of rockets into Israel. He said that the cooperation between Syria and Hizbullah was meant to ensure a continued state of instability.