Iranian Source: Mossad Sought To Assassinate Ahmadinejad In Lebanon

By Abdul Sattar Hatita
This article was published in Asharq al-Awsat on 9/12/2010

Cairo - An informed Iranian source revealed that Israeli Mossad attempted to assassinate Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his recent visit to Lebanon. The source also revealed that a number of Iranians visited the Israeli border [with Lebanon] two weeks ago under the protection of Hezbollah, and also accused Washington of attempting to bring the Iranian opposition together under one leadership in order to create tension in Iran.

 
The Iranian source, whom Asharq al-Awsat met early this week, claimed that Iran had observed a number of attempts by Mossad to assassinate Ahmadinejad during his visit to Lebanon in October via the opponents of the Iranian regime, many of whom live in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.
 
The Iranian source added that his country is monitoring the movement of most of these opposition figures "who have sold themselves to the forces of arrogance and Zionism (the West and Israel)."
 
The source said that Tehran did not want to issue an official statement on this issue in order not to give these figures a platform. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that "we do not call them opposition, like the political opposition that we have in the country who stood in the elections against President Ahmadinejad, rather we call them hypocrites, because from abroad they are cooperating with Zionism against the Islamic Revolution, as well as against the people of Iran.." This was a veiled reference to the People's Mujahedin of Iran group [which advocates overthrowing the Iranian government] and other opposition groups.
 
The source also told Asharq Al-Awsat that while the Iranian security authorities cooperated with the official Lebanese security forces in ensuring protection for President Ahmadinejad's visit, the Iranians had "relied more heavily upon the security and military apparatus of the Lebanese Hezbollah party."

 
The Iranian source also disclosed that a number of Iranians had visited the Israeli border two weeks ago under the protection of Hezbollah, although he refused to reveal to Asharq Al-Awsat whether these were government officials, security officials, or ordinary citizens. The source said that this group had reached the Fatima Gate [also known as the Good Fence crossing] close to the village of Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon, which is just a stone's throw from the Israeli border. He said that this Iranian group had been able to view "Zionist military vehicles from there" adding that "it was possible to see their [Israeli] soldiers." He also said that this group had visited the al-Khayam camp in southern Lebanon, an infamous Israeli detention camp where Lebanese citizens are said to have been tortured during the Israeli presence in the country, from 1982 – 2000.
 
As for whether there was any proof that these Iranians had visited the Israeli border from either the Lebanese army that is deployed throughout southern Lebanon or UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon] that are deployed along the Israeli – Lebanese border, the source told Asharq Al-Awsat that "members of Hezbollah were waiting for the Iranian visitors at all checkpoints they passed through in the south until they reached the Fatima Gate." He added that "if they reached a checkpoint that was guarded either by Lebanese soldiers or internationals observers, members of Hezbollah came to authorize them to pass, and they did not allow any other party to interfere…this region is completely controlled by the resistance…and they are the ones who make the decisions there."
 
The source, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, also accused Washington of seeking to bring together the armed Iranian opposition – including the Kurd, Baluch, Arab, and other secessionists – under one leadership. He claimed that Tehran was in possession of information that 3 parties were acting in coordination to unite the Iranian opposition; revealing that these 3 parties are the US, Israel and Britain. He said that the US was acting directly in this regard, whilst Britan and Israel were acting indirectly. The Iranian source also claimed that the objective of unifying the armed Iranian opposition was to carry out bombings inside Iran.

 
The Iranian source went on to the say that his countries' authorities are carefully monitoring Washington's attempts to unify the Iranian opposition, and that the Iranian authorities had come into possession of this information – and others – following the arrest of opposition leaders and cadres recently.

 
The Iranian source also spoke of attempts by Israel's Mossad – in cooperation with a number of armed opposition groups in Iran – to carry out bombings in Iran. He added that this [cooperation between Mossad and armed anti-governmental groups] was responsible for the recent spate of bombings targeting Iranian nuclear scientists in the country.
 
The Iranian source ended his talk with Asharq Al-Awsat saying that his country is at war with "its enemies" and that "when the public sees its enemies supporting any opposition wing, they distance themselves from it."