Israeli Defence Minister Resigns After Exposed Plot to Provoke US-Arab Conflict

Israel was once caught conducting a covert intelligence operation designed to provoke the United States and Egypt into armed conflict. The exposure of this conspiracy led to the resignation of Israeli Defence Minister Pinhas Lavon, who was found to have orchestrated the deceptive intelligence operation.

The incident began in 1954. At that time, Egypt experienced a series of explosions that shook the cities of Alexandria and Cairo. The attack targets included post offices, railway stations, terminals, cinemas, and American facilities such as the consulate and other strategic buildings. Although the attacks caused no fatalities, they triggered political turmoil and a crisis of confidence in the Egyptian government led by Gamal Abdel Nasser, particularly in Washington.

After several days, authorities apprehended Philip Nathanson, an operative who was subsequently identified as an Israeli intelligence agent. Further investigation revealed a wider network, with a total of 13 Israeli agents suspected of involvement in the sabotage operation known as Operation Susannah.

According to Leonard Weiss in his 2016 book “The Lavon Affair: How a false-flag operation led to war and the Israeli bomb,” the covert operation aimed to damage Egypt-US relations and provoke Washington into attacking the Arab nation.

For context, Nasser was known to be close to US President Dwight D. Eisenhower at that time, and the two countries were nearly reaching an arms agreement. Israel was unhappy and feared that US weaponry could be used by Egypt to attack the Jewish state.

“If successful and Egypt experienced instability, then the West would think twice before providing further support. Israel’s hope was that Operation Susannah would strengthen Nasser’s enemies and weaken the argument for Western support,” Weiss wrote.

Naturally, Israel’s dream of provoking the US into attacking Egypt failed completely. As a result, the scandal triggered a political crisis in Israel. Defence Minister Pinhas Lavon was reported to have approved the operation before resigning. In Egypt, Nasser was said to be furious, reaching a crescendo one year later when he nationalised the Suez Canal, prompting military attacks by Israel, Britain, and France.

Now, 72 years later, a similar incident is strongly suspected to be recurring in the Iran conflict. According to a Middle East Monitor report, the Iranian government has accused Israel of orchestrating attacks on civilian facilities in neighbouring countries, such as Saudi Arabian oil refineries and airports in Azerbaijan. Tehran claims it never conducted attacks in those locations.

The Iranian government has revealed that Israel is orchestrating false-flag operations—covert operations designed to appear as though carried out by another party—with the aim of triggering conflict.