Former intelligence chief warns of 'Jihad tsunami'

The Middle East is on the verge of a 'global Jihad tsunami,' former IDF Intelligence Chief Aharon Zeevi-Farkash said at a conference in Tel Aviv University on Monday.

"Iran's determination to obtain nuclear arms represents the most significant strategic development in the Middle East against the free Western world and the United States in the recent period," Zeevi-Farkash, who retired from his post only several months ago, stated. He also stressed that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's declarations should be taken seriously.

"At the moment," Zeevi-Farkash said, "Iran has missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads up to a distance of 500 kilometers (roughly 312 miles)." However, he estimated that Iran would eventually have missiles with a 5,000 kilometers (roughly 3,120 miles) range, "and then the entire Europe will be in their reach."

The former intelligence chief expressed concern over what he defined as the international community's moderate stance toward Tehran. "As long as the 'smoking gun' is not found, the interests of Germany, France and even Britain regarding Iran will take precedence… and this could be too late," he said.

'Classic war' a threat

According to Zeevi-Farkash, another scenario that should worry Israel refers to the possible eruption of a "classic" war on its northern border with Syria and the Hizbullah.

The former commander also commented on the penetration of the Internet to the Arab world. "This is something that enables anyone to learn how to prepare a bomb and be informed of other terror techniques at home," he explained.

Referring to the political processes the Arab world has been undergoing in recent years, Zeevi-Farkash stated that to a large extent the appearance of a change toward democracy was false: "In Egypt this is what caused the global Jihad bombings, and in general the global jihad is focusing on the Middle East, which has become a center for the groups affiliated with it."