Israeli government blasts former spy chief's 'PM unfit to conduct war' comments

Jerusalem, Apr 30 (ANI): Israeli Government officials have rejected former chief of security agency Shin Bet, Yuval Diskin's criticism of the country's political leadership.

Diskin had said that the "messianic" pair of Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister, Ehud Barak were unfit to lead the country and could not be trusted to conduct a war.

He also accused them of misleading the public in Israel over Iranian issue and on the merits of an attack.

"I've seen them from up close. They are not messiahs, either of them, and they are not people whom I, on a personal level, trust to lead the state of Israel into an event of that scale. They are not the people whom I would truly want to be at the helm when we set out on an endeavour of that sort," The Guardian quoted Diskin, as saying.

Opposition leader Shaul Mofaz backed Diskin's comment by saying, "To me, Diskin's words are a warning sign to be taken seriously."

Neither Netanyahu nor Barak responded personally, but aides dismissed Diskin's act as a man frustrated about not being offered the job of director of Israel's external intelligence agency, the Mossad.

"Why did he seek to become the head of the Mossad under the present government if he thought so little of it?" they claimed.

The comments have fuelled the belief among some observers that there is a clear gap over the issue of Iran between Israel's political leaders and its security establishment. (ANI)