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Washington Politics & Policy Desk</A>
Published 1/15/2003 4:17 PM
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Israel is embarking upon a more aggressive approach to the war on terror tha=
t=20
will include staging targeted killings in the United States and other=20
friendly countries, former Israeli intelligence officials told United Press=20
International.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has forbidden the practice until now,=20
these sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Israeli statements were confirmed by more than a half dozen U.S. foreign=
=20
policy and intelligence officials in interviews with UPI.

With the appointment of Meir Dagan, the new director Israel's Mossad secret=20
intelligence service, Sharon is also preparing "a huge budget" increase for=20
the spy agency as part of "a tougher stance in fighting global jihad (or hol=
y=20
war)," one Israeli official said.

Since Sharon became Israeli prime minister, Tel Aviv has mainly limited its=20
practice of targeted killings to the West Bank and Gaza because "no one=20
wanted such operations on their territory," a former Israeli intelligence=20
official said.

Another former Israeli government official said that under Sharon,=20
"diplomatic constraints have prevented the Mossad from carrying out=20
'preventive operations' (targeted killings) on the soil of friendly countrie=
s=20
until now."

He said Sharon is "reversing that policy, even if it risks complications to=20
Israel's bilateral relations."

A former Israeli military intelligence source agreed: "What Sharon wants is=20=
a=20
much more extensive and tough approach to global terrorism, and this include=
s=20
greater operational maneuverability."

Does this mean assassinations on the soil of allies?

"It does," he said.

"Mossad is definitely being beefed up," a U.S. government official said of=20
the Israeli agency's budget increase. He declined to comment on the Tel=20
Aviv's geographic expansion of targeted killings.

An FBI spokesman also declined to comment, saying: "This is a policy matter.=
=20
We only enforce federal laws."

A congressional staff member with deep knowledge of intelligence matters=20
said, "I don't know on what basis we would be able to protest Israel's=20
actions." He referred to the recent killing of Qaed Salim Sinan al Harethi,=20=
a=20
top al Qaida leader, in Yemen by a remotely controlled CIA drone.

"That was done on the soil of a friendly ally," the staffer said.

But the complications posed by Israel's new policy are real.

"Israel does not have a good record at doing this sort of thing," said forme=
r=20
CIA counter-terrorism official Larry Johnson.

He cited the 1997 fiasco where two Mossad agents were captured after they=20
tried to assassinate Khaled Mashaal, a Hamas political leader, by injecting=20
him with poison.

According to Johnson, the attempt, made in Amman, Jordan, caused a political=
=20
crisis in Israeli-Jordan relations. In addition, because the Israeli agents=20
carried Canadian passports, Canada withdrew its ambassador in protest, he=20
said. Jordan is one of two Arab nations to recognize Israel. The other is=20
Egypt.

At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said, "I have no=20
intention of stopping the activities of this government against terror,"=20
according to a CNN report.

Former CIA officials say Israel was forced to free jailed Hamas founder=20
Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and 70 other Jordanian and Palestinian prisoner being=20
held in Israeli jails to secure the release of the two would-be Mossad=20
assassins.

Phil Stoddard, former director of the Middle East Institute, cited a botched=
=20
plot to kill Ali Hassan Salemeh, the mastermind of the 1972 Munich Olympics=20
massacre. The 1974 attempt severely embarrassed Mossad when the Israeli hit=20
team mistakenly assassinated a Moroccan waiter in Lillehammer, Norway.

Salemeh, later a CIA asset, was killed in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1976 by a car=20
bomb placed by an Israeli assassination team, former U.S. intelligence=20
officials said.

"Israel knew Salemeh was providing us with preventive intelligence on the=20
Palestinians and his being killed pissed off a lot of people," said a former=
=20
senior CIA official.

But some Israeli operations have been successful.

Gerald Bull, an Ontario-born U.S. citizen and designer of the Iraqi supergun=
=20
-- a massive artillery system capable of launching satellites into orbit, an=
d=20
of delivering nuclear chemical or biological payloads from Baghdad to Israel=
=20
-- was killed in Belgium in March 1990. The killing is still unsolved, but=20
former CIA officials said a Mossad hit team is the most likely suspect.

Bull worked on the supergun design -- codenamed Project Babylon -- for 10=20
years, and helped the Iraqis develop many smaller artillery systems. He was=20
found with five bullets in his head outside his Brussels apartment.

Israeli hit teams, which consist of units or squadrons of the Kidon, a=20
sub-unit for Mossad's highly secret Metsada department, would stage the=20
operations, former Israeli intelligence sources said. Kidon is a Hebrew word=
=20
meaning "bayonet," one former Israeli intelligence source said.

This Israeli government source explained that in the past Israel has not=20
staged targeted killings in friendly countries because "no one wanted such=20
operations on their territory."

This has become irrelevant, he said.

Dagan, the new hard-driving director of Mossad, will implement the new=20
changes, former Israeli government officials said.

Dagan, nicknamed "the gun," was Sharon's adviser on counter-terrorism during=
=20
the government of Netanyahu in 1996, former Israeli government officials say=
.=20
A former military man, Dagan has also undertaken extremely sensitive=20
diplomatic missions for several of Israel's prime ministers, former Israeli=20
government sources said.

Former Israel Defense Forces Lt. Col. Gal Luft, who served under Dagan,=20
described him as an "extremely creative individual -- creative to the point=20
of recklessness."

A former CIA official who knows Dagan said the new Mossad director knows "hi=
s=20
foreign affairs inside and out," and has a "real killer instinct."

Dagan is also "an intelligence natural" who has "a superb analyst not afraid=
=20
to act on gut instinct," the former CIA official said.

Dagan has already removed Mossad officials whom he regards as "being too=20
conservative or too cautious" and is building up "a constituency of senior=20
people of the same mentality," one former long-time Israeli operative said.

Dagan is also urging that Mossad operatives rely less on secret sources and=20
rely more on open information that is so plentifully provided on the Interne=
t=20
and newspapers.

"It's a cultural thing," one former Israeli intelligence operative explained=
.=20
"Mossad in the past has put its emphasis on Humint (human intelligence) and=20
secret operations and has neglected the whole field of open media, which has=
=20
become extremely important."

Regarding Mossad's new policy and budget increase, Kim Farber an Israeli=20
Embassy official said, "There is so little information available on this,=20
there is nothing I can add."=20

Copyright =A9 2001-2003 United Press International