by Uzi Eilam
“And what do you have to say about this, General Ja’afari?” asked the president.
“Well, um…” Ja’afari hesitated. “They’ve made progress in the investigation, but there are still a few issues they need to keep checking. However, there are more questions that need to be answered related to the procurement in Europe.Ja’afari Why aren’t we hearing about a satisfactory solution for the procurement of the parts and materials of which we are in such critical need? What’s going on at the center for the development of advanced explosive materials in Parachin? During my visit to the site last week, they did not appear to me to be making rapid progress.”
“It’s a shame you didn’t coordinate the visit with us,” Jamshidi replied angrily. “You would have been provided with the whole picture for a change.”
“I was hosted by the director of the labs at Parachin!” retorted Ja’afari, seething now. “He’s more knowledgeable about explosives than all of us put together!”
“We actually have been quite successful in these areas, as we have been in all the areas I covered in my report,” Jamshidi stated, calmly standing his ground. “Where progress is not being made, General Ja’afari, is in the removal of the human obstacles standing in our way.”
“Obstacles? What are you talking about?!” Ja’afari was beginning to lose his composure.
“In my report, if you remember, I drew specific attention to the Israelis who had joined the effort to block our procurement efforts. I placed special emphasis on the need to stop Dr. Gideon Ben-Ari and Dan Avni, the young Israeli scientist working in close collaboration with him. You assured us that the Quds Force would take care of them, and this has not happened. Could it be that our new cultural attaché in Paris has suddenly become enamored with Iranian cultural activity and has forgotten his true task as the coordinator of Quds Force operations in France?”
“I know that an operation was conducted at the Val Thorens ski area,” countered Ja’afari, looking to the president for support.
“And I know, General Ja’afari, that Dr. Ben-Ari and Mr. Avni are alive and well and continue to pose a major threat to our procurement efforts,” retorted Jamshidi tersely.
“What do you know about this, Ja’afari?” the president interjected with a look of concern.
“Um…” Ja’afari stammered. “I wasn’t informed about that. I’ll check it out. There must have been some kind of inaccuracy in my men’s report.”
At this point, Jamshidi stepped back and allowed the president to lead the discussion that, as far as he was concerned, had gone well so far. He looked silently at the president and hoped he would also raise the issue of the Modesty Guard.
“I believe we’ve said all there is to say on the issue, General Ja’afari. And at the end of our meeting, I’ll sum up what needs to be done,” said the president. “But there’s another issue, an internal one, unrelated to what we’ve been discussing thus far.”
“An internal issue?” said Ja’afari, looking confused.
“Yes. It pertains to the regulations that have been issued to your Modesty Guard.”
“What about them? Are they not being effective? Have they not been sufficiently stringent?”
“Perhaps they have been too effective,” the president explained, “with a focus on specific quarters, such as members of General Jamshidi’s family.”
“I don’t understand, sir. And I also don’t know anything about intentional harassment of the families of senior officials. I’ll check it out. And if inappropriate actions have been taken, I’ll certainly let you know,” he promised in a weak voice.
“That’s good to know. I’d appreciate an update on the matter, Ja’afari,” the president said. “And now back to the issues of development and procurement, which we’ve discussed here at length. General Jamshidi, I’m expecting you to make an effort to meet the deadlines for the development of our major projects. I’m also expecting you to find a safe way to transport the essential parts and materials.”
“I’m committed to doing so, sir,” Jamshidi assured him.
“As for the other activity, that of the Guardians of the Revolution,” the president continued, addressing General Ja’afari, “we must secure the safety and well-being of our scientists and ensure that our computer system is not vulnerable to breaches and attacks. And in terms of the al-Quds Force’s work in France, I’m asking you, General Ja’afari, to personally call Cultural Attaché Ali Reza Sulat to order, and to instruct him to meet all the needs of our procurement apparatus in Europe.”
“I’ll do so immediately, sir.Ja’afari And I’ll also inquire into the regulations issued to the Modesty Guard.”
“Thank you, gentlemen,” the president said, standing up to shake the hands of his generals and of Ja’afari’s aides, who had sat by silently as the verbal clash played out before the president.
It’s a good thing that the preliminary discussion took place in the president’s office, Jamshidi thought with a sense of relief. I still enjoy the support of the president, and I’m going to need it.
Chapter 30
Gideon had decided to allow himself the luxury of a late breakfast in the hotel. Dan, the young and the restless, had long since left for his communications room at the Defense Ministry Delegation building. Although monitoring communications was riveting, Dan had told Gideon, it also kept him busy almost all the time.
Haim had just returned from his regular morning jog through the streets of Paris and would undoubtedly join him shortly. The quiet, relaxing morning in the hotel gave Gideon the space he needed to tally up the successes of the task force as a whole and, in the process, to try to assess his own contribution to the Israeli team thus far.
It was clear that, within a short time, they had achieved a harmonious working relationship that enhanced the effectiveness of the task force. Professor Bernard led the meetings in an intelligent and pleasant manner and had succeeded, Gideon thought, not only in bridging the gaps among the representatives of the different countries but also in ironing out his problems on the home front.
But what had they actually achieved so far? The ambushes in the Pyrenees Mountains had been a serious blunder, and they had not yet intercepted a procurement shipment bound for Iran. The work in Switzerland had been successful, but they still needed to remain vigilant and keep their eyes open. The task force was organized and ready to act, he thought with satisfaction, thanks in no small part to the exceptional intelligence that Dan had gathered.
His thoughts now returned to Dominique and their relationship, which appeared to be faltering. What was she feeling? What did she want? And what were his true feelings toward her? As he sat alone in the hotel restaurant, these were questions for which he had no clear answers. He also did not know exactly what Dominique was being told by Dr. Kayghobadi. Although, in a one-on-one meeting, Professor Bernard had told him that Dominique was receiving a reasonable flow of information, Gideon could not shake the feeling that all of this now stood in the long shadow of the unexplained relationship between Haim and the foreign man, whose conversations Dan had recorded.
“Good morning, Gideon.” Haim wrenched Gideon out of his thoughts as he joined him at the table with a plate holding a massive, steaming omelet, smoked salmon, and cut vegetables. “You look like you’re on vacation.”
“Good morning, Haim. I wish. I’m afraid my vacation will have to wait until the project is over. I just needed some quiet time to gather my thoughts.”
“All right, Gideon,” said Haim, “then I have something else for you to think about.”
“And what’s that?”
“Late last night I was put in contact with the Swiss deputy chief of staff!” Haim blurted out, bubbling over with enthusiasm. “He kept going on and on about my experience in the war against terrorism.”
“He’s certainly right,” Gideon said, smiling. “But what does that have to do with th
e work of the task force?”
“Okay. So here’s what I need you to think about and give me your advice. They want me to give their commando unit two to three days of antiterrorism warfare training. I think that, to some extent, it could help curry their good will regarding the supervision of the funds for Iranian procurement. I didn’t promise him anything. I told him I’d check it out and get back to him.”
“That was the right response,” Gideon said. “Do you think we should discuss it with Bernard?”
“Yes! That’s just what I wanted to ask of you. You have influence over him and over the task force as a whole.”
“I can see how important this is for you, Haim. And there’s a lot of truth in what you’re saying about cultivating the good will of the Swiss. If you’d like me to, I’ll go with you to meet with Bernard this morning.”
There was no problem setting up a meeting with Bernard, who listened to Haim’s account of the Swiss request with great interest. He agreed that, because Haim was affiliated with the task force, his willingness to help could foster Swiss support of the effort to stop the transfer of funds for Iranian defense procurement. Bernard suggested that Bar-Oz’s time in Zürich could also be used to monitor the agreements regarding the supervision of Iranian funds.
They quickly drew up a plan for a small monitoring team, which was to include Dominique and O’Connor. Haim worked hard to give no outward indication of the joy that surged through his veins at the thought of having the opportunity to spend time with Dominique in Zürich. Haim said he would convey his agreement to the deputy chief of staff and prepare himself to leave for Zürich later that day.
***
“Gideon! There’s an important development!” The urgency in Dan’s voice was clearly discernible, even over the phone. “I discovered it after decrypting the communications from the morning.”
“Can you give me hint?”
“Um…well, it’s rather sensitive,” Dan replied. “It would probably be best if you came over here. That way we can also look at the source and the communication sessions together.”
Gideon had learned to trust Dan’s judgment and quickly made his way to the Defense Ministry Delegation building. Dan had informed the delegation’s director of security of Gideon’s imminent arrival, and he was immediately escorted to Dan’s communications room.
“Great. You made it here quickly,” Dan said.
“What’s the news? It sounded pretty urgent. I’m assuming it’s something big.”
“Judge for yourself,” Dan said, laying out the pages of decrypted communication on the desk for Gideon to review. “This is a transcript of decrypted phone calls from Berlin to the Iranian embassy here in Paris, as well as internal conversations within the embassy itself.”
“And what’s the bottom line?” Gideon asked, with mounting curiosity.
“An integrated, coordinated operation for transporting materials from Germany and France to Portugal. They’re sending hundreds of kilograms of Kevlar fibers and carbon fibers, from a small German company, out of the airport in Cologne. They’re also sending a large shipment of electronic components from the large electronics company. The cargo is already being stored at the airport, but I don’t have specific details about the location or the plan for transport.”
“And what about France?” asked Gideon, infected with the enthusiasm of his younger colleague.
“Here, they’re talking about large quantities of switches, manufactured by Peugeot, and small jet engines purchased through the mediation of Safran, ostensibly for a customer that isn’t prohibited from buying engines. The shipment will be flown from Beauvais–Tillé Airport in France to Portela Airport near Lisbon on a chartered Ryanair plane.”
“When is this all supposed to happen?”
“They plan on transferring the cargo from the small chartered planes to an Iran Air plane in four days’ time. I found indications of someone high up in Portela Airport management in Portugal who’s helping them facilitate the operation.”
“Get all your printouts together, Dan,” Gideon ordered. “We’re going straight to meet with Bernard. I’ll call in Dr. Deutsch now. We have no time to lose.”
Gideon knew he could count on Bernard to understand the urgency of the matter and make time to meet with them. Dr. Deutsch arrived and threw a curious look Gideon’s way as he entered the room. He had learned to trust Gideon’s judgment, and he was filled with interest.
“What have you found, Dan?” Bernard asked, getting right down to business.
“The Iranians are making preparations for a major operation to smuggle products purchased in Germany and France to Tehran by air. They’ve been working on it for days now. I had indications of elements of their activity, but it was only this morning that I was able to fit the pieces of the puzzle together to understand the overall picture. It’s a complex operation that could enable them to move significant cargo, consisting of a variety of materials and parts, at one time.”
“How will it go down, Dan?” Deutsch asked, bursting with curiosity. “And what exactly do you mean when you say ‘by air’?”
“They plan on flying merchandise purchased in Germany and France on chartered planes to Portela Airport, just north of Lisbon, where they’ll be met by an Iranian Air plane. The Iranians were able to recruit someone high up in the airport’s management, who promised them that there won’t be any disruptions. The plan is for the cargo to be transferred directly from the chartered planes to the cargo hold of the Iranian plane in the parking area.”
“That sounds unreal,” Bernard commented, looking seriously at Gideon and Dan. “Are you sure it’s really about to happen? Couldn’t it be another Iranian ploy?”
“Based on what Dan was already able to decrypt,” replied Gideon, “my instinct tells me it’s real. The operation is scheduled to take place in four days, and Dan can continue gathering intelligence to help us plan an operation to block the shipment in Portugal. But if we come across anything that adds to Dan’s information—something that seems accurate, like the locations of loading in Germany and France—we should try to stop them there.”
“Dan,” Deutsch said. “What do we know now about the plans for loading in Germany and France?”
“In Germany, loading will take place in the cargo transport area of the airport near Cologne. I still don’t have the details I’ll need to identify the chartered plane. In France, they’ll be loading at Beauvais–Tillé Airport, approximately sixty-five kilometers north of Paris. From there, Ryanair will fly the parts purchased in France to Portela Airport in Portugal.”
“Excellent work, Dan,” Bernard said. “Gideon, I’m accepting your assessment that this is a genuine operation and that we need to prepare for it immediately. There are number of parties with which we need to coordinate. The political side of things is critical here, not to mention sensitive. In this context, Dr. Deutsch, I’d like to see the United States work vis-à-vis Germany if the need arises, and especially vis-à-vis Portugal. I’ll speak with the interior minister about political support for our operation in Germany, in the event that we end up executing it.”
“I’ll deal with getting the American diplomatic apparatus working to broach the subject with the Portuguese government,” Deutsch volunteered.
“Professor Bernard,” Gideon interjected. “At this stage of the game, at least, it might be wise to keep the number of those in the know to a minimum. I suggest that we don’t involve the entire task force. In any event—and perhaps it’s for the best—the team monitoring the movement of funds—O’Connor, Bar-Oz, and Dominique—are in meetings in Zürich.”
“That sounds logical to me,” Bernard said. “We need to think about how to make concurrent use of our two commando forces. Dr. Deutsch, perhaps your SEAL team should prepare itself for action in Germany, and our special gendarmerie force will deal with the Ryanair plane in Beauvais. If we end up nee
ding to take action at the airport in Portugal, it will require an extensive deployment of forces in order to contend with the worst-case scenario of having to deal concurrently with three planes. Dr. Deutsch, I’d like to ask you to inform the SEAL force and, Gideon, it would be great if you could help brief our gendarmerie unit.”
“No problem, Eugene. I’ve got it covered. It might also be worthwhile,” Gideon continued, addressing Deutsch now, “to praise their work so far and to try to inspire them to do their best in the coming days.”
“I’ll make sure to do that, Gideon,” Deutsch promised.
“We’ll first focus on attempting to stop the planes before they take off from Germany and France,” Bernard concluded. “I’m designating this as the task force’s ultimate preference. As a backup, in case we’re unable to prevent their departure, we’ll also prepare a joint operation of both forces in Portugal. Dan, we’re counting on the continuation of your excellent work. We’ll be expecting additional updated information. There’s a lot riding on this.”
***
Deutsch and Gideon spent the day engaged in briefings and preparations for the special forces’ operation. The commanders of the different teams also took part in the planning and in briefing their men. This mission was to prevent the planes that had been chartered by the Iranians from taking off from Cologne and Beauvais. Their aerial photographs of the airports were updated, and Dan supplied Deutsch and Gideon with as much information as he and his colleague at the American embassy could collect and decrypt. Both planes, Dan informed them, were scheduled to take off shortly after nightfall.
At the airports in Cologne and Beauvais, the two forces got into position in buildings located near the point at which loading was expected to take place. Bernard designated his own office as headquarters for the operation and, as evening approached, Deutsch and Gideon arrived, as well as representatives of the French and US commando forces. Dan worked out of the communications room at the US embassy with his colleagues from the NSA, with a secure line linked directly to Bernard’s office. Everything seems to be under control, Gideon thought. He had persuaded Bernard and Deutsch to leave the executive jet in which the American commandos had been flown into Cologne on standby at the airport, and Bernard had agreed to place a plane on standby in Beauvais.
