by Uzi Eilam
***
Quds Force commander General Soleimani wasted no time in getting the ball rolling and immediately convened a meeting with the commander of the Guardians’ forensics unit, Jamshidi’s scientific deputy Dr. Fakari, and the director of the president’s office.
“At this moment, what do you know about the glasses?” Soleimani asked the commander of the forensics unit. “What have the electronics experts found? Have we been able to determine the kind of explosives used? It must have been something particularly powerful.”
“The reports we’ve received are not encouraging,” the forensics commander admitted. “Neutron screening revealed that a micro transmitting system had been installed in the glasses that we found at the general’s home. The transmission of this spare pair appears to have been based on the optical performance for which the devices were built. They transmitted everything heard in the immediate surroundings of the person wearing them.”
“Did you take it apart? Did you identify the transmission system and its range?”
“Unfortunately, those are questions we cannot answer.”
“Why not, in the name of Allah?!” demanded Soleimani.
“When we tried to take it apart, it exploded—”
“What?!” Soleimani was furious.
“It may have been a self-destruct mechanism that had been installed in the devices,” the chief forensics officer’s voice trembled. “We weren’t able to disassemble it or learn anything more about how it works.”
“I cannot believe my ears!!” Soleimani roared. “Didn’t you consider that possibility?!”
“Honestly, sir, no one imagined that it was even possible to plant such an effective explosive mechanism within a device of that size. At least we still have a copy of the neutron screening, which offers insight into the transmission system and allows us to make conjectures about the explosive device.”
“How were the glasses brought into the country?!” shouted the incensed general.
“They arrived approximately two weeks ago, in a special diplomatic pouch, from our embassy in Paris,” Dr. Fakari replied. “They were sent by Farid Madani, our representative in Paris, who stipulated that they were meant specifically for Jamshidi. I personally opened the package myself, and all I saw inside were artistically designed golden boxes holding glasses.”
“What else do you know about it?” Soleimani demanded.
“General Jamshidi told me that our senior representative in Berlin, Dr. Arash Jawad, received the glasses—as a token of appreciation, from a German electro-optics company—in gratitude for our major contract with the company. The package was delivered to Madani in Paris, and he was the one who sent it from our embassy there.”
“Can we speak with them?”
“Yes, of course,” Fakari replied. “I’ll phone my office, and we’ll be able to contact them immediately.”
The phone numbers were retrieved immediately, but all the attempts made by Soleimani’s men to contact Jamshidi’s representatives in Berlin and Paris proved unsuccessful. Soleimani ordered that he be connected, via a secure line, to the ambassador in Paris, and a long conversation ensued. In the course of the call, those in attendance watched as Soleimani’s face grew increasingly despondent.
He put down the receiver and let out a long sigh. “We’re in serious trouble. Both Farid Madani and Arash Jawad are in custody in France, and another one of our people, whose identity is unknown to the ambassador, was also arrested by the French. The ambassador says that our network in Europe has collapsed and that, at this moment in time, we have no one we can consult with or make use of.” No one spoke, and Soleimani continued. “I’m ordering the forensics unit to continue investigating the glasses and the mechanism that activated their audio surveillance system and their detonation. And you, Dr. Fakari, need to get up to speed on the details of your network in Europe and try to locate any of our emissaries that have not yet been apprehended by the French and German authorities. You also need to locate any of our representatives who have not yet been exposed, in other European countries as well. And make no mistake, people,” he bellowed, “I need all this information before the night is over!”
***
The late-night meeting in the office of the Supreme Leader was brief and conducted in an unpleasant atmosphere. General Soleimani presented the findings on the listening devices that had been planted in the Deutsche Optics glasses. “We still don’t know how the listening systems were planted in the glasses,” he said. Soleimani also reported on the explosive mechanism that had been installed in the glasses and speculated that it was what had killed both Jamshidi and the president.
“Who is responsible for this contemptible act?” the Supreme Leader demanded. “Who installed these devices in the general’s seemingly innocent glasses? Did you check with the Germans? How could they let such a thing happen?”
All those in attendance were dumbfounded, but Soleimani knew that he had to respond, and he did so in an atypically quiet voice. “We haven’t yet investigated all aspects of the incident. We have not been able to get into contact with Dr. Arash Jawad, Jamshidi’s representative in Berlin. He was the one who accepted the gifts from the German company on Jamshidi’s behalf.”
“When will you be able to speak with him?” the Supreme Leader asked.
“Um…well… I’m sorry to say, Your Holiness, that we won’t actually be able to speak with Dr. Jawad or Farid Madani, who ran all of General Jamshidi’s operations in Europe, at any time in the near future.”
“And why not?” asked the Supreme Leader angrily.
“They were arrested by the French authorities and are being interrogated as we speak. The procurement, intelligence, and sabotage network we built in Europe has collapsed, Your Holiness.”
“And what about your men in Paris, Soleimani?” Ja’afari interjected. “What’s the status of the Quds Force detachment you sent over?”
“At least one of my men was not captured, and when I spoke to him yesterday, I learned of another disappointment: we failed to assassinate Dr. Gideon Ben-Ari, who is currently the greatest threat, as far as we are concerned.”
“That’s an extremely serious matter, General Soleimani. Did your men succeed in doing anything helpful?” Ja’afari asked, secretly enjoying the failure of his future rival.
“Not particularly, Ali Mustafa. We were able to abduct the second Israeli prisoner, Dan Avni, but he was rescued by the French.”
“I would like to know the status of our organization in Paris,” the Supreme Leader said in exasperation. “Does anyone here know the truth?”
“I spoke with our ambassador in Paris last night,” Soleimani volunteered. “He told me that the agents we recruited in Paris, Madame de Saint-Germaine of the French prime minister’s office and General Haim Bar-Oz of the Israeli army, have been compromised and arrested. They were important sources of information for all of our work in France.”
“Our agency had another undercover agent,” Dr. Fakari added, “a Dr. Kayghobadi, who was handled by Dr. Jamshidi himself. We now know that he, too, is in the custody of the French gendarmerie, which has already started interrogating him.”
“Who is this Dr. Kayghobadi?” asked Ja’afariJa’afari. “I’ve never heard of him!”
“Dr. Kayghobadi was an undercover agent who General Jamshidi planted in Paris years ago,” explained Fakari. “He was a professor of business administration at the University of Paris. The general activated him prior to our major procurement operation, and I know for a fact that his contribution to the effort was excellent. Unfortunately, we’ve lost him too.”
These troubling reports regarding the collapse of the procurement, espionage, and terrorism network that had been established in Europe hung thick in the air, and everyone in the room waited for a pronouncement from the Supreme Leader.
“Iran has been in worse situations,
and it was ultimately able to extricate itself and regain the upper hand,” the Supreme Leader said slowly, weighing every word. “We need to issue a statement in the morning about the tragedy that has befallen our president and General Jamshidi, without going into detail. General Ja’afari, I’d like you to work with General Soleimani and my media advisor on formulating a brief, clear statement for me to read to the media.”
“We’ll get right to it, Your Holiness,” Ja’afari said quickly. “We’ll also buckle down, complete the investigations regarding the attack, and bring those responsible to justice.”
The Supreme Leader quietly thanked all those who had attended the meeting and asked to be left alone with his thoughts. Everyone left the room in silence. All but Soleimani, who appeared to be taking his time.
“Excuse me, Your Holiness,” said the general, when the two were alone. “There’s something important you need to know.”
The Supreme Leader raised his head and looked at Soleimani.
“I thought you already told me all the bad news,” he said, never breaking eye contact with Soleimani. “What else has happened?”
“Something extremely troubling, Your Holiness. Once you hear what I have to say, I have no doubt that you’ll understand why I stayed here to speak with you alone.”
“Speak, Qasem. You don’t need to go easy on me,” the Supreme Leader said in a weak voice.
“We’ve identified the source of the installation and activation of the explosive device in General Jamshidi’s glasses.”
“Tell me,” he hissed, sitting up straight in his chair.
“According to our investigation, the director of the explosive materials labs at Parachin was personally involved in developing the microexplosive device that was planted in the glasses.”
“I don’t understand,” the leader broke in. “He’s been directing the development of explosive mechanisms for nuclear weapons for years. He’s one of our most loyal and devoted people.”
“That may be true, Your Holiness, but we’ve discovered that he’s particularly loyal to General Ja’afari.”
“And…?”
“The explosive system was developed secretly under Ja’afari’s orders, Your Holiness. Only Parachin’s experts in advanced explosive materials are capable of developing such a powerful, devastating material. We know that the system was remotely activated by Ja’afari, who knew where General Jamshidi was at all times. We’ve been interrogating the director of laboratories for a few hours now. The information I just told you was the product of an aggressive interrogation by our best men.”
“I’m finding all this difficult to comprehend,” the Supreme Leader whispered. “Ja’afari? He was like a son to me.”
“I’m sorry, Your Holiness,” Soleimani said hesitantly, “but there’s one other thing.”
“What else could there possibly be?”
“General Ja’afari received the assistance of Dr. Fakari, who helped him pinpoint Jamshidi’s movements and came up with the assassination plan.”
The Supreme Leader withdrew into himself and sat silently for a few minutes before speaking again. When he returned to himself, he addressed Soleimani. “Arrest General Ja’afari and Dr. Fakari immediately. Do it yourself, and bring them to me immediately.”
“I will, Your Holiness. I’m truly sorry things worked out this way.”
Chapter 46
Gideon took the elevator downstairs to breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Still drowsy, he sat down, rubbed his eyes, and wondered if Dan was still asleep.
“Good morning, sir!” Dan said with a smile.
“Good morning, Dan. Sit down. I hope you got a good night’s sleep,” Gideon said affectionately to the young man whom he already regarded as family.
“Have you been awake long?” Dan asked, pulling up a chair and getting comfortable. “I don’t remember anything urgent on today’s schedule.”
“There’s nothing urgent. But we do have the task force meeting that Professor Bernard invited us to in the interior minister’s office. Remember?”
“I do now. I can’t imagine what else there is to talk about,” Dan grumbled, taking a bite of a baguette and cutting himself a piece of the vegetable omelet he had just retrieved from the buffet’s omelet station. “When’s the meeting?”
“Bernard wants to meet with the entire task force at noon. Not all the members are aware of the ins and outs of the project up until now, or the fact that it’s been completed. There are even things that we don’t know, and we were at the heart of it all. Bernard led the whole operation, and it makes sense for him to assemble everyone for a final meeting to sum things up and perhaps also to discuss the major lessons learned. This battle may be over, Dan, but Iran will never stop trying to arm itself with all kinds of weapons. The war goes on.”
“Tell me, Gideon, is there anything you don’t know?” said Dan with a smile, without hiding his respect and admiration for his future father-in-law. “And let’s not forget that this war has also taken one of our own.”
“You mean Haim?”
“Yes, I do. He’s probably already being interrogated in Israel. How do you feel about that?” asked Dan, in the open and direct style that Gideon had noticed was becoming increasingly characteristic of the younger generation.
“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve been able to fully process it yet,” Gideon said. “It flies in the face of everything I experienced during my military service, and it runs counter to the basic code of any combat soldier or commander in the paratroopers, not to mention that of a high-ranking officer in the IDF.”
“I see you’re having a hard time with it. Didn’t you anticipate his downfall, especially after coming to understand his far-reaching ambitions and his hunger for money?”
“Yes and no, but I guess that’s true of most things in life. I was relatively close to Haim from the moment I joined the project. I valued his combat experience and his knowledge of issues related to terrorism. I had no doubt about his bravery, and I welcomed the enthusiasm with which he joined the task force.”
“It’s true,” Dan said. He had brilliant ideas for ambushes and the measures we took to thwart the Quds Force’s assassination plans. In retrospect, however, there’s no way to be certain that those ideas were not also intended to serve the Iranians. What do you think made him cross the line?”
“It seems to me that one major reason was that he was no longer being promoted. After all, former commanders of the compulsory service paratroopers brigade are typically promoted above the rank of brigadier general and assigned senior positions. He must have missed the bus at some stop along the way, and it’s been eating away at him.”
“And there was also the issue of money.”
“Yes, that was also important,” Gideon agreed, “but maybe not in its own right. I can’t help thinking that the money was just one part of Haim’s quest for compensation for his frustration with his lack of promotion. He once told me that his wife nagged him about money all the time. But I never dreamed it would end up being stronger than him.”
“Personally, I’m extremely satisfied with what I’ve accomplished here. I feel like I helped settle a score with those lowlifes of the Guardians of the Revolution for using the temptation of wealth to lure others into betraying everything important to them simply for the sake of achieving their goals. But I’ll never forget what they did to my family.”
“I know you won’t, but I’m glad you found it worthwhile. Everyone on the task force knows how critical your contribution was. I’m proud of you, and I’m glad you agreed to join us.”
“I’m also glad, Gideon,” said Dan quietly. “But I’m the one who should be thanking you for believing in me enough to recruit me for the task force in the first place. The entire task force owes much of its success to your work, and that’s something you should be proud of.”
“Okay, Dan. En
ough with the compliments,” said Gideon, with a sheepish grin, before draining the remainder of his coffee. “Bernard should be here any minute to pick us up for the meeting.”
***
The conference room at the interior minister’s office was almost completely full when Gideon, Dan, and Bernard arrived. Gideon studied the familiar faces around the table—just a few weeks ago he had recognized very few of them.
“It’s so nice to see you all here!” Bernard said with a warm smile. “I’d like to begin by thanking you for your hard work these past few weeks. From now on, I want you to consider this your home. We’ll always remember the role you played in safeguarding the security of France and Israel, and the world as a whole.”
“We were just fulfilling our duty—to our own country and to the enlightened countries of the world,” Gideon said humbly in French noticing, for the first time since the beginning of the project, how much his French had improved.
“Gentlemen, I take my hat off to you for your crucial contributions to our effort,” said General de Villiers, firmly shaking the hand of each of the two remaining Israeli task force members. Gideon, however, found the general’s evasive gaze to be much less convincing than his strong grip. General de Villiers refrained from looking Gideon in the eye and, because he had been Dominique’s direct supervisor, Gideon could not help but wonder whether he had known about their past. Indeed, he had many questions for de Villiers that would remain unasked. Did he feel guilty about his senior aide’s betrayal? What really happened between Dominique and this womanizer? Was he some sort of bridge that had allowed Dominique to cross over and begin collaborating with the Iranians?
Deutsch and O’Connor smiled at Gideon and Dan from their seats on the other side of the conference table. The other two Americans, who were seated beside Deutsch and O’Connor, remained expressionless, and Gideon whispered to Dan that he had still not figured out the identity of the two other Americans who had dutifully but silently attended all the meetings of the full task force.