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Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday harshly condemned former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, former Mossad chief Meir Dagan, and former Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin for downplaying the threat from Iran, saying the three are serving Tehran.
In an interview with Yisrael Hayom newspaper, Barak denounced Olmert, Dagan, and Diskin’s continued criticisms of him and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Iranian issue.
Barak said that the "Olmert gang is traveling around the world and speaking in a way that is serving Iran."
Olmert responded to Barak’s criticism later on Thursday, saying that the defense minister will surely disappear from politics soon.
"The fact is that a former prime minister and three heads of Israeli security bodies – that have over the years dealt with the most sensitive matters regarding Israel’s security – are positive that Barak, who will surely soon disappear from the Israeli political map, is leaving behind him great damages that harm the state’s security and every Israeli citizen must be alarmed," a statement from Olmert’s office read.
In the interview, Barak denounced the former prime minister and the former defense chiefs for weakening the Israeli resolve on Iran.
"Olmert, Dagan, and Diskin are travelling the world and are weakening Israeli leaders’ accomplishment of turning the Iranian issue into an important and urgent one – not only to Israel but to the world," he said.
Barak, who frequently interviews with foreign networks to speak at length about Iran, said that "there are some issues which could not be discussed openly without the discussion causing damage to the actual issue."
He condemned Diskin for his various statements on Iran, saying that "it is not even his field of specialization or his responsibility."