Singapore Under Attack (International Espionage Book 1)

by Uzi Eilam

  An ear-splitting alarm echoed suddenly through the room, and red lights flashed on three of the conference room’s screens. The operations manager leaped from his seat and departed for his office, and the container shift manager disappeared, seemingly into thin air.

  “You’re witnessing an example of how swiftly our system reacts.” The manager of the port tried to maintain his calm. He examined the words flashing across the screens with the head of the Information and Technology Division. “The system has detected a discrepancy regarding the location of several containers and intentionally stopped the automatic operation of the conveyance system. This is a new control and response element we’ve incorporated after analyzing the previous incident. The container routing shift supervisor is already at the control center, supervising manual operation of container conveyance.”

  “What’s going on here? What caused the conflicting information?” Deutsch asked. “Why did the automatic conveyance need to be stopped? Did the defense system that your electronics experts designed after the first incident fail to do its job?”

  “We don’t know yet,” the head of the port’s Information and Technology Division stammered. “My staff has passed on the data for assessment by industry experts.”

  “Could this be a new attempt at external interference?” Rogel asked, avoiding using the explicit phrase “cyber attack.”

  The port manager and his staff seemed embarrassed and perturbed, and Gideon thought the electronics experts should be allowed to handle the problem. His eyes met Rogel’s, who signaled that the port’s management should be allowed to focus on handling the malfunction.

  “Sir, we’ve seen an actual, practical demonstration of the initial handling of a malfunction,” Gideon said approvingly. “I suggest we end our visit at this stage and check in for an update after you’ve received the results of the inquiry. We have no doubts about the importance of maintaining uninterrupted activity at the port. We’re here to help,” he promised. “Thank you for your time. You have some urgent tasks to attend to now, and we shouldn’t bother you.”

  On their way back to the National Security Institute’s offices, the four men continued to analyze what they had seen as the malfunction was being handled. Rogel insisted that it had been another cyber attack, which was already taking into account the defense apparatus constructed after the first incident at the container terminal. He claimed this was in preparation for a more large-scale sabotage of the container routing computer system. Deutsch recommended waiting for the results of the inquiry by industry experts. Gideon commended the rapid response of the staff at the container terminal’s control center, but he quickly added that it would prove insufficient were an actual cyber attack to take place. The head of the National Security Institute’s Technology Division told them that General Tan and Ms. Damia Nur had already been notified of the incident. He promised to follow the inquiry into the reasons for the malfunction and to keep the team posted.

  Gideon felt ill at ease and was pleased that Dan would be arriving shortly to contribute his clear thinking to the task force’s discussions. He hadn’t forgotten his conversation with Nahari, and Nahari’s emphasis on the implications of the cyber battles on the Singaporean front, as well as the conclusions that Israel must draw from them.

  Chapter 11

  The route that Ja’afari took from his home in one of Kuala Lumpur’s luxury suburbs to the embassy changed daily. His driver and bodyguard, a sergeant major from the Revolutionary Guard trained to protect Ambassador Ja’afari, stood tautly at attention as the ambassador approached. Ja’afari didn’t react to the guard’s salute, unlike his usual custom. The embassy was busy with preparations for his flight to Tehran this afternoon. For the first time since taking on the position of ambassador, he was returning for a visit to his homeland. Ja’afari, who had initiated the visit, was hoping to revitalize the personal connection he had once shared with the new Supreme Leader. He also wanted to see General Suleimani, commander of the Revolutionary Guard. Ja’afari had not forgotten that Suleimani had been responsible for his ousting from commanding the guard, as well as for his exile to distant Malaysia, but knew that the man’s support was essential for the approval of the ideas he was planning to raise with the Supreme Leader. In the morning, he said goodbye to his wife, who was concerned by the tension he was exhibiting before the trip. He could not hide this tension, certainly not from her.

  “Good morning, Farin,” he greeted his administrative assistant, who rose from her seat and bowed her head. “Please have Dr. Fakari come in to see me immediately,” he instructed. “And please take my travel bag for Tehran out of the safe.”

  Farin was the daughter of the Iranian President, a descendant of a distinguished Tehran family, and had joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after earning a degree in International Relations, cum laude, from the University of Tehran. She wore jeans and a long-sleeved button-down blouse to the office and did not cover herself with the traditional chadur. Ja’afari had maintained his friendship with Farin’s father for many years, since the days of the Iraq war, and treated her like a daughter. He appreciated her intelligence and perception, as well as the fact that she did not hesitate to confront him when her own stance on a matter conflicted with his. Ja’afari knew he must take into account the fact that the president, Farin’s father, would receive reports on his actions from her.

  “You remember that I’m flying to Tehran today,” Ja’afari said to Fakari, his assistant on scientific matters, who was standing taut and expectant.

  “Yes, sir. All the information you asked for is in the file you’re holding,” the assistant replied in a weak voice.

  “Speak up, Fakari! I can barely hear you. Maybe I really do need a hearing aid?” Ja’afari commented, half joking. “Who’s accompanying me?” he spat out.

  “Uhm… this is Sergeant Major Arsham, who’s in charge of security in the embassy. He’ll carry your bag, which will be packaged as diplomatic mail so they won’t dare open it if, heaven forbid, someone at airport security has the inclination to do so.”

  “Okay,” Ja’afari replied, his voice calmer. “I don’t need to remind you of our conversation yesterday and of your obligations here on the days I’m away.”

  “Yes, sir, I remember every detail, and will do my best to complete every single task.”

  “Doing your best isn’t enough. It all has to be done! We promised to give a presentation on future communication to the senior staff members of Malaysia’s Royal Intelligence Corps. This will help ensure their support beyond just obeying General Razek’s orders. I promised the head of the technology division here at the Ministry of Defense that we’d give them a series of lectures on the topic of missiles and rockets. This has to be a success! When I come back, I’ll look into their degree of appreciation. Your series of lectures for the training course for Hezbollah and Hamas members at the Center for Terror Warfare is also very important. All of these are areas where we’re currently being tested, Dr. Fakari.”

  ***

  Qatar Airways’ business class was a testament to the tiny kingdom’s aspirations to impress the world with its wealth. Ja’afari took the attention bestowed upon him by the charming business-class flight attendants for granted. They had no problem serving him an alcoholic beverage so long as it came in a regular water glass. Based on the purser’s recommendation, Ja’afari chose a cocktail called Comfortable Lady, which consisted of cream, coffee liqueur, Irish cream, and nut liqueur. After takeoff, which always made him nervous, he leaned back in his comfortable reclining seat with his drink and began to conduct a mental accounting of sorts.

  His first few months as ambassador in Kuala Lumpur had been a success in terms of the connections he had forged. The assistance from the head of the Malaysian Royal Intelligence Corps, General Razek, had played an important role in his accomplishments in this regard. Establishing the training center for Hezbollah and Hamas activists ha
d been a considerable achievement, but not one that would establish his reputation with the new Supreme Leader. Some significant sabotage activity in Singapore might be effective, but he knew he was still a ways away from carrying it out.

  Ja’afari felt that he had to come up with an extraordinary idea with a high chance of success. The field of cyber warfare seemed promising to him. The problem, he told himself, was the necessity of relying on experts who were not available in Kuala Lumpur. Dr. Fakari had provided him with a list of brilliant scientists in Tehran who might join his efforts in this field. Ja’afari also knew that his crowning achievement might be recruiting assistance from China. He believed his contacts with the Chinese ambassador in Kuala Lumpur would provide a strong groundwork for future collaboration with this superpower. He decided to meet with General Suleimani and the president of the republic before he met the Supreme Leader. He knew that only by managing to win the support of the forces determining Iran’s policy could his plan ultimately be executed.

  ***

  A vehicle and a driver doubling as a security guard met Ja’afari at the airport, on the runway, right next to the plane that had just landed. This was a gesture of respect on the part of the Revolutionary Guard officers, who had remained his true friends even after he had fallen from grace and been dispatched to a distant country. Ja’afari instructed the driver to head straight for his home in a prestigious suburb populated by the senior members of the Iranian regime. He knew his son and daughter were waiting for him and was happy to be seeing them. Ja’afari regretted being unable to live near his children and protect them from the sort of mistakes many young people in Tehran were making. He would have been happy to accompany them through their studies, which he perceived as the key to success and future security. At least, he thought, he could make use of this short visit to make up somewhat for lost time. He also knew that his wife, who had been left behind in Kuala Lumpur, would insist on hearing every detail about his reunion with the kids.

  ***

  “Welcome to Tehran,” Suleimani greeted Ja’afari. “How was your flight?”

  “The Qatar Airways plane was exceptional,” Ja’afari said.

  Ja’afari did not forget, even for a minute, the period in which he had exerted complete control over the Revolutionary Guard from this very building.

  “What’s happening in sleepy Malaysia? Are you getting acclimated?”

  “It’s not as calm as you’d think over there. There are tensions between Singapore and Malaysia. The Malaysians are cooperating willingly, and I’m happy to tell you that your idea of establishing a training base for Hezbollah and Hamas members in Malaysia has succeeded beyond all expectation.”

  “Really? I’m glad to hear that. We’re truly grateful to you. It’s important that we support these two prominent organizations in the Middle East and establish our influence over them.”

  This positive exchange pleased Ja’afari. To an untrained ear, the conversation might have sounded like a dialogue between friends. However, both remembered their ongoing rivalry. Ja’afari had no illusions; he knew Suleimani was assessing his every step and was aware of every meeting he had planned for his visit in Tehran.

  “As far as activity in Singapore, we’re still in the preparation stage. Currently, infiltrating Singapore is as difficult as ever, and we know they’ve made provisions to seal their borders tightly. We’re currently examining several options and are receiving plenty of assistance from the Malaysian intelligence service, mostly from General Razek, who heads it,” Ja’afari said.

  “You should take into account that our current situation is different.”

  “What exactly do you mean? Our situation in what regard?”

  “I’m referring to the implications of our nuclear agreement with the six superpowers. On the one hand, the agreement resulted in a cancelation of the sanctions, financial well-being, and a significantly increased flow of funds to the country in general and the Revolutionary Guard in particular. On the other hand, the emerging policy, enforced mainly by the United States and other Western countries is, in their words, close supervision to prevent terrorist activity. After the signing of the nuclear agreement, we in the Revolutionary Guard have been left with the impression that the country needs us less now. We need the fire of terrorism to burn somewhere, and Singapore, which receives aid from Israel and the United States, seems like a good target, but we have to be careful.”

  “That’s exactly the path we’re taking, General Suleimani, and your blessing means a lot to us. We don’t have to activate the Quds Force specifically,” Ja’afari claimed. “We have trained, motivated fighters in Malaysia among the Hezbollah and Hamas activists. And if we wanted to, we could also use volunteers from Malaysia, at least for coordination and collecting information. They could blend in in Singapore among the thousands of people who cross the Johor Causeway every day.”

  “In our current circumstances, and considering the possibility that we might be linked to our delegates, we have to be extremely careful. The sanctions might resume, and we’ve already suffered enough during the years of negotiating the nuclear agreement. We have to find ways that would preclude linking the attacks to Iran.”

  Ja’afari didn’t want to share the idea of employing cyber warfare to target essential facilities in Singapore with his rival. Due to his years as commander of the Revolutionary Guard, he vividly remembered the structure of the unit responsible for using cyber technology for defense and attack purposes, which had been under his direct command. Raising the subject with the Supreme Leader as his own idea would give him more leverage. At the very least, he thought, he could share the idea of a cyber attack with his friend the president, who would back him up rather than, perish the thought, trying to steal his thunder in his interaction with the Supreme Leader.

  ***

  The president’s bureau was as lavish as Ja’afari remembered, and yet it managed to impress him anew every time. Security arrangements had grown more stringent since the previous president had been killed in a mysterious accident. The general passed through the security checkpoint without stopping. The security guards, who had been his subordinates for years, still remembered and maintained their respect for him. The president walked over to Ja’afari and kissed him on both cheeks.

  “I’m glad to see you looking hale and healthy. We have a few more minutes before we have to leave for our meeting with the Supreme Leader, and I want to hear what’s going on in Malaysia and how you’re getting along there. How do you feel in Kuala Lumpur? How is your staff there? And how’s the aid that we’re providing you?” The president did not try to conceal his concern for his friend.

  “Thank you. I feel good at the embassy, and the staff is small but efficient,” Ja’afari replied. “I’ve set myself a goal of carrying out some attacks in the area. Ultimately, you’re well aware that this is the area where I really feel ‘at home’…”

  “Yes, you’ve always excelled at it. And what’s going on? Have you managed to set anything concrete in motion?”

  “Things are beginning to move, but I’m aspiring to something large and impressive, something everyone will be talking about. I’ve thought of a sophisticated operation involving computer-assisted attacks. The target I have in mind is the Port of Singapore, which has great financial significance. Fatally hitting it—without leaving our fingerprints there—seems to me like it would be a major success.”

  “That’s an interesting idea,” the president said. “How do you intend to proceed?”

  “We’ll need computer experts to join my assistant, Dr. Fakari, and the communication officer the Revolutionary Guard has sent me. Dr. Fakari is an excellent scientist, but he’s only one man, and we need a full team. I’m not expecting our entire cyber division in the Revolutionary Guard to show up, at my service, in Kuala Lumpur, but I do want to emphasize it would be accurate to view an attack on the container terminal as an essential
phase in enhancing our ability to assist Hamas and Hezbollah, our organizations in the Middle East, in harming Israel. This could be a substitute for using the Gaza Strip tunnels, a means of operation that will become harder and harder to utilize.”

  The president listened with interest to his friend the general’s pitch, but his face reflected his doubts. He decided to assist Ja’afari in enhancing his presentation. Ja’afari identified his companion’s skepticism and quickly elaborated.

  “It’s quite simple, Mr. President. Thousands of shipping containers reach Israel by sea every year. Without the enemy’s knowledge, we could smuggle in fighters and explosive charges by altering the route of the containers.”

  “Ah, I see, and that could certainly be a preparation for an attack against ‘Little Satan.’ But since you’ve already mentioned Israel and using cyber warfare to initiate a sophisticated attack, what do you think of the mission to dry Israel up?”

  Now it was Ja’afari’s turn to be confounded.

  “Israel, a pioneer in the field of water desalination, is becoming increasingly dependent on water from its desalination facilities. Hitting this vital resource could prove to be a fatal blow. And the connection to Singapore is obvious. The scarcity of water is a crucial strategic issue there as well. Attacking Singapore’s desalination facilities would serve Malaysia well and increase Singapore’s dependence on imported water. A successful attack on Singapore’s water desalination facilities would be considered preparation for a major attack on Israel.”

  “That’s a brilliant idea!” Ja’afari called out. “And what about the cyber aspect? What do you think would be the right thing to do?”

  “You’re familiar with our cyber capabilities in Iran and, in addition, our big friend China could help,” the president replied. “You could raise the topic with the Supreme Leader and get his authorization. My friend Ja’afari, you’ll receive my full support. But now it’s time to leave for our meeting with the Supreme Leader. My car is already waiting outside. Let’s get going, and may Allah be with you.”