Iran aiming to strike after scientist killings, claims top Israeli official

Afghanistan Sun Friday 3rd February, 2012

TEL AVIV - Iran is trying to strike Israeli targets around the world in retaliation for the assassination of its nuclear scientists, a top security official has warned.

Yoram Cohen, the head of Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency, told a closed forum in Tel Aviv that Iran believes Israel was behind the attacks on its nuclear experts, killing four of its scientists since November 2010.

"It doesn't matter if it's true or not that Israel took out the nuclear scientists," Cohen said.

"A major, serious country like Iran cannot let this go on. They want to deter Israel and extract a price so that decision makers in Israel think twice before they order an attack on an Iranian scientist."

Cohen said Iran was working very hard abroad through the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to hit Israeli targets.

He said three serious attacks over the past year that were on the verge of being carried out were thwarted .

"In Turkey against the general consul in Istanbul, in Baku, Azerbaijan, and two weeks ago in Thailand."

Cohen's warning of retaliatory attacks came amid mounting speculation Israel is moving closer to launching a unilateral military strike against Iran.

US defence secretary Leon Panetta has declined to deny claims. He said he believed Israel would launch an attack in April, May or June this year.

And Israel's defence secretary, Ehud Barak, told a security conference that the window for action would close when Iran reached an "immunity zone" with its nuclear enrichment activities moved deep underground beyond the reach of air bombardment.

"Those who say 'later' may find that later is too late," he said.