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.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

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.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make your Passover gift today!

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount