At the risk of turning Global Dashboard into a book club, I have to recommend a book for the autumn reading list. Written by Ronen Bergman, one of Israel’s best investigative journalists, The Secret War with Iran details the three-decade “intelligence struggle” between Iran and the West.
While the book will not be out before September, I recently had dinner with Ronen and he gave me a preview of the book, which includes hitherto unpublished information about:
- The 2007 Israeli “Ghost Raid” against a Syrian nuclear reactor
- Links between Iran an al-Qaeda in Bosnia
- Israeli cooperation with the regime of the late shah
- The assassination of Imad Moughniyeh, one of Hizbullah’s top security officials and high on America’s wanted list
To collect material about Iran’s involvement in terrorist operations around the world, Ronen travelled from Argentina to Bosnia, poured over classified military intelligence reports and interviewed hundreds of spies.
Ronen also says he shows that Israeli intelligence has failed time and again in its wars against both Iran and Hezbollah for the past 30 years, despite its reputation. With the autumn sure to be focused on Tehran’s drive for a weaponized nuclear programme, Ronen’s book is bound to be high on the DC reading list.
