Washington and Jerusalem have fallen out on issues relating to Israeli security and current estimates of where the Iranian nuclear program stands, DEBKAfile's military and Washington sources report. Wednesday, Dec. 15, Defense Minister Ehud Barak denied permission for the president's Special Adviser on the Middle East Dennis Ross to meet separately with the IDF's incoming and outgoing chiefs of staff and head of intelligence as an attempt to go over the heads of the Prime Minister Netanyahu and himself. The espionage devices found on Mount Sannine, northeast of Beirut and Barouk Mountain in the Chouf east of the capital, and dismantled by the Lebanese army Wednesday, Dec. 15 after receiving a tipoff from Hizballah, were there to detect and keep track of ground-to-ground missiles installed and operating in central and western Syria and all of Lebanon, DEBKAfile's intelligence sources report. The photos released show no sign of the winter conditions prevailing in the region. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's first visit to Israel in mid-January, part of a Middle East tour, will signify a major switch in Kremlin Middle East policy to warmer relations with Israel and cooler ties with Iran, Syria and the radical Palestinian Hamas. The Russians see a chance of stepping into US shoes in Middle East diplomacy, having come around to certain Israeli positions. They are also seriously eyeing investment in Israel's Mediterranean gas finds.
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
Thursday, 16 December 2010
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report December 16, 2010,
Defense Minister Barak with US presidential adviser Dennis Ross
Spy devices on Lebanese peaks monitored long-range missile activity
December 16, 2010, 12:31 AM (GMT+02:00)
Alleged mountain site of spy devices. Where was the winter storm?
Russian President Medvedev to visit Israel in mid-January
December 15, 2010, 12:20 PM (GMT+02:00)
Russian President plans ice-breaking visit
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