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Israel weighs options for confronting Iran in event of nuclear deal

In the battle between Israel’s security agencies, the Mossad estimates that US President Joe Biden's administration is eager to reach a deal with Iran, at whatever cost.

Israeli Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi takes part in a candle lightning ceremony with Israeli soldiers on the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, Jerusalem, Nov. 29, 2021.
Israeli Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi takes part in a candle lightning ceremony with Israeli soldiers on the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, Jerusalem, Nov. 29, 2021. — Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP via Getty Images

Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), paid a visit this week to the headquarters of Unit 8200, the military intelligence arm tasked with collecting signals intelligence and decrypting cybertraffic.

Following his visit, Channel 12 News aired a video clip that Kochavi was reportedly shown by his hosts, said to document the results of a June 27 cyberattack that set fire to parts of a plant operated by Iran’s state-owned Khuzestan Steel Company and caused heavy damage. While Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, foreign news media have speculated that Israel was behind the attack claimed by hacktivists. Israel and Iran are waging an escalating cyberwar that has inflicted far more significant damage on Iran than on Israel.

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