Subscribe to Print Edition | Thu., April 03, 2008 Adar2 28, 5768 | | Israel Time: 06:03 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Hezbollah supporter waving a poster showing pictures of the leaders of Hezbollah, Syria and Iran in Beirut in September. (AP) Last update - 10:47 03/10/2006 Syria, Iran intelligence services aided Hezbollah during war By Ze'ev Schiff During the fighting in Lebanon Hezbollah received direct intelligence support from Syria, using data collected by listening posts jointly manned by Russian and Syrian crews. Hezbollah was also fed intelligence from new listening posts built on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, which are operated jointly with Iran. This information was confirmed in recent reports by the defense journal Jane's. Syria's centrality to the collection and transfer of intelligence to Hezbollah is based on separate agreements Damascus signed with Moscow and Tehran on intelligence cooperation. Advertisement The agreement with Russia is much older than the one with Iran, which was signed earlier this year. As happened with the significant numbers of advanced Russian anti-tank missiles procured by Syria and transferred to Hezbollah, Russia found itself operating indirectly in favor of the Lebanese Shi'ite organization in matters of intelligence. In addition to the profits from arms sales to Syria, the Russo-Syrian intelligence cooperation benefits Moscow in terms of the actual first-hand data collected by the listening posts. Russia is also involved in assisting Syria to enlarge two of its ports on the Mediterranean, Latakia and Tartus. Reports of this development have emerged only recently. Israel complained to Russia regarding the transfer of advanced anti-tank missiles sold to Syria. Moscow denied the reports but also promised to investigate Israel's claims. It is not clear whether Israel also protested over the transfer of intelligence collected by the Russo-Syrian listening posts to Hezbollah. The intelligence cooperation agreement between Syria and Iran is new. It is part of a broader strategic cooperation accord between the two states that was achieved in November 2005 and confirmed during the visit to Damascus in January 2006 of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad. The agreement on intelligence cooperation gives great emphasis to electronic surveillance and involves the construction of four listening stations. According to Jane's, the funding for the stations, estimated in the neighborhood of dozens of million dollars, came mostly from the budget of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Two of these stations were built prior to July 12, the date the fighting began in Lebanon. One was constructed at Baab al-Hawa, close to Syria's border with Turkey, and a second, which began operating in early June, was set up on the Golan Heights. Two other stations will be constructed no later than January 2007. Iran has focused on potential threats against its territory as a result of the friction that has emerged between Tehran and the international community over its failure to freeze its nuclear enrichment program. The Revolutionary Guard is keen to broaden its involvement in the Middle East in general and enhance its intelligence-gathering capabilities on activities in the Mediterranean region. In addition to Israel, which is an obvious target of this intelligence-gathering effort, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and American forces in the region are also of great interest. According to the Jane's report, in its agreement of intelligence cooperation with Syria, Iran insisted that no Russian intelligence officers should be allowed access to the new listening posts, in spite the long standing deal between Damascus and Moscow. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Dude, we're aiding terror A new anti-drug campaign equates smoking pot with terrorism. Bad company A BBC poll says Israel world's most hated country after Iran.   1.   Neo-Soviets reliving the old glory days 02:40  |  dave 03/10/06   2.   Russia 02:56  |  VLad 03/10/06   3.   Israel and US Intelligence? 03:10  |  cc 03/10/06   4.   no comparison 03:11  |  * TALKBACK OBSERVER* 03/10/06   5.   Sickening. When are we going to deal with Syria & Iran? 03:18  |  Ethan 03/10/06   6.   Academics Boycott , Irish penny`s theory. 03:28  |  Joseph E . 03/10/06   7.   Really? 03:54  |  mike 03/10/06   8.   Syria, Iran intelligence services aided Hezbollah during war 03:59  |  sam 03/10/06   9.   Explains Assad`s immediate threat if attacked 04:08  |  William 03/10/06   10.   Russian listening posts for Syria 04:19  |  Sam 03/10/06   11.   Help Difference 04:28  |  Jorge 03/10/06   12.   Failure of Soviet Jewery 04:29  |  Solomon 03/10/06   13.   The big difference 04:34  |  William 03/10/06   14.   Intelligence wasn`t a problem 04:39  |  Simon G 03/10/06   15.   How sickening to see that Russia is so blind and counterproductiv 04:41  |  Yanek 03/10/06   16.   aid hezbolla. 04:44  |  rangan kalimuthu 03/10/06   17.   RUSSIA HELPING HEZ? 04:51  |  US Citizen 03/10/06   18.   lack of intelligence 04:59  |  Rob 03/10/06   19.   incompetence 05:07  |  Michael-Syd 03/10/06   20.   answer to #5 05:27  |  reality 03/10/06   21.   #16 A N INDIAN BUFFOON WRITE SIN AND GETS POSTED 05:28  |  paul harris 03/10/06   22.   Expel Russian diplomats from Israel 05:30  |  Peter Burman 03/10/06   23.   Israel should sell arms & tech. to Chechnya 05:32  |  Peter Burman 03/10/06   24.   Re: # 17 06:09  |  Druid 03/10/06   25.   Arabs have always used mercenaries.Nazis,Brits,Russians,Iranians 06:11  |  PETER SM 03/10/06   26.   to #21: Since When Has Criticizing Israel Become A Sin? 06:11  |  Jason 03/10/06   27.   Israel knew this or better have known about it 06:40  |  BradL 03/10/06   28.   Mercenary Army 06:46  |  Dan Seebot 03/10/06   29.   RUSSIA, IRAN, AND ALLIES ... THE TIME DRAWS NEAR 06:46  |  Craig Crawford 03/10/06   30.   Russia the chief sponsor of terror 06:52  |  Kapule David Mabuta 03/10/06   31.   Excellent move by Syria 06:56  |  Ahmad Abouali 03/10/06   32.   To Jason#26 07:04  |  Kapule David Mabuta 03/10/06   33.   wacky # 5 07:36  |  Sheryle 03/10/06   34.   to # 32 07:44  |  Jason 03/10/06   35.   Paul Harris 07:45  |  Walid 03/10/06   36.   Ethan, you are an evil person, Shalom 07:46  |  gus 03/10/06   37.   Joseph E , I rather have the dogs then the tyrants 07:47  |  gus 03/10/06   38.   Peter Burman 07:51  |  Walid 03/10/06   39.   Is the defeat much bigger then we know 07:52  |  Lebanese citizen 03/10/06   40.   Dan Seebat, more lies by Olmert`s regime 07:53  |  Lebanese citizen 03/10/06   41.   # 29 Craig 08:07  |  Paul 03/10/06   42.   Nepotism and arrogance are the main foe of Israel 08:07  |  Oleg 03/10/06   43.   Sickening: how are we going to deal with Florida #5 08:14  |  Clickfool 03/10/06   44.   Modern Cossacks 08:15  |  * BEN JABO 03/10/06   45.   So what are you going to do about Syria and Iran? 08:17  |  Clickfool 03/10/06   46.   Tit for tat, no? 08:20  |  Maral 03/10/06   47.   #31 Ahmad Abouali 08:22  |  Josef 03/10/06   48.   solomon and william #12& #13 08:23  |  Rangan Kalimuthu 03/10/06   49.   Russia under the carpet 08:27  |  Nora 03/10/06   50.   Why working so hard?? 08:29  |  Dr D 03/10/06   51.   When the British loose a football match 08:32  |  Adel 03/10/06   52.   to peter burman 08:33  |  clickright 03/10/06   53.   #25 to Peter SM 08:48  |  maoriboy 03/10/06   54.   #5 critics - supposed iran nuked israel first 08:52  |  george 03/10/06   55.   Clickfools in love with the party of god...maybe he is god 08:52  |  British academic 03/10/06   56.   the real issue 09:02  |  arab 03/10/06   57.   For # 55 "British Academic", a man with a short memory 09:13  |  Clickfool 03/10/06   58.   # 37 gus , Sleep with dogs and wake up with tyrant`s fleas 09:15  |  Joseph E . 03/10/06   59.   To # 56 Arab 09:34  |  Yossi 03/10/06   60.   Ethan, A man like you once rose to ..... 09:34  |  Mike 03/10/06   61.   Joseph E, you should be banned 09:35  |  Maral 03/10/06   62.   Ben Jabo 09:37  |  Ericrock 03/10/06   63.   MAORIBOY. Where has Israel used non-Jewish mercenaries?? 09:37  |  PETER SM 03/10/06   64.   Good job 09:38  |  Jaroslav Secansky 03/10/06   65.   Kapule David Mabuta 09:39  |  Walid 03/10/06   66.   C.FOOL Re short memory.Where is your evidence for Mossad - 09:42  |  PETER SM 03/10/06   67.   Jason 09:51  |  Walid 03/10/06   68.   No.34#Jason 09:53  |  Kapule David Mabuta 03/10/06   69.   Clickfool..try debating not obvious predictable rhetoric 09:57  |  British academic 03/10/06   70.   *Ben Jabo 10:09  |  Walid 03/10/06   71.   For Peter SM #66 10:09  |  Clickfool 03/10/06   72.   Breaking News