Historical Dictionary of Israeli Intelligence

the Egyptians as potential threats to the sources of the Nile, its own

paramount strategic interest—there was no contest.

In Lebanon, by contrast, with the first sign of trouble for the Ma-

ronites since the mid-1970s, the alliance was restored with even

greater intensity. The 1982 Lebanon War, with its disastrous Israeli-

Maronite, Israeli-Christian collaboration, sounded the death knell of

the Periphery Doctrine. This was mainly due to the Mossad’s failure

to perceive the Maronites’ incapacity to establish a state of their own

in Lebanon—contrary to the Military Intelligenceassessment that

disparaged Maronite capabilities in this respect.

Since then, for better or for worse, Israel has played the Middle

East strategic game by the local rules: an informal strategic alliance

with non-Arab Turkey, but also with Arab Jordan; non-Arab Iran now

tops the pile of Israel’s enemies, while Arab Egypt is invited to help

Israeli out in the Gaza Strip. See alsoANYA NYA; BAKHTIAR,

TAIMOUR; CAROZ, YA’ACOV; ÖCALAN’S CAPTURE; TRI-

DENT NETWORK.

PLUMBAT OPERATION.Also known as the Uranium Ship Opera-

tion. In November 1968, a combined Bureau of Scientific Liaison

and Mossadoperation was undertaken in support of the Israeli nu-

clear weapons program. A West German chemical corporation

named Asmara had bought uranium through subsidiaries from a Bel-

gian company, Société Générale de Mianro. The uranium was loaded

in Antwerp onto the vessel Scheersberg A, which flew a Liberian flag

of convenience. According to the manifest, the destination of the ship

and its cargo was Genoa, Italy. After entering the Mediterranean, the

ship continued east past Italy instead of making for its declared desti-

nation. Somewhere between Cyprus and Turkey, it rendezvoused with

an Israeli freighter chartered by the Mossad. The cargo of some 200

tons of yellowcake uranium in 560 oil drums was smuggled onto the

Israeli freighter; the drums were labeled Plumbat, which means

“Lead.” The Scheersberg Athen simply disappeared for a couple of

days. When the freighter reappeared in the port of Iskenderun, Turkey,

its cargo was missing. The West German government may have been

involved directly but remained undercover to avoid antagonizing the

Soviets or the Arabs. Israeli intelligence information of the Nazi past

of some West German officials may have provided the motivation.

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