Sharon orders targeted killing outside Israel even if it risks complications to Israel's bilateral relations

WASHINGTON, January 16 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – As the U.S.-led war on terror continues unabated, Israel is exploiting the situation for its own good under the pretext of security and "anti-global jihad" with Washington's full-fledged support.

Israel is championing a more aggressive approach to the war on terror that will include targeted killings in the United States and other friendly countries, Chicago Sun-Times quoted former Israeli intelligence officials as saying Thursday, January 17.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has forbidden the practice until now, said the Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The new Israeli policy was confirmed by several U.S. foreign policy and intelligence officials.

With the appointment of Meir Dagan, the new director of the Mossad, Israel's secret intelligence service, Sharon is preparing "a huge" budget increase for the spy agency as part of "a tougher stance in fighting global jihad," one Israeli official said.

Since Sharon became prime minister, Tel Aviv has limited its practice of targeted killings to the West Bank and Gaza because "no one wanted such operations on their territory," a former Israeli intelligence official said.

Another former Israeli government official said that under Sharon, "diplomatic constraints have prevented the Mossad from carrying out 'preventive operations' on the soil of friendly countries until now."

He said Sharon is "reversing that policy, even if it risks complications to Israel's bilateral relations."

"What Sharon wants is a much more extensive and tough approach to global terrorism, and this includes greater operational maneuverability," a former Israeli military intelligence source agreed.

Does this mean assassinations on the soil of allies? "It does," he asserted.

"Mossad is definitely being beefed up," a U.S. government official said of the Israeli agency's budget increase.

He declined to comment on the geographic expansion of targeted killings.

An FBI spokesman only said: "This is a policy matter. We only enforce federal laws."

A congressional staffer with knowledge of intelligence matters said, "I don't know on what basis we would be able to protest Israel's actions."