‘Trump passed sensitive intelligence about Israel to Russia’

US President Donald Trump has passed Russia some sensitive intelligence information about Israel’s mission in Syria, Huffington Post has reported. Quoting an article in Vanity Fair, it claimed that Trump passed the information to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the Russian Ambassador to Washington, Sergei Kislyak, in May.

An article in the Times of Israel explained the details of the Israeli intelligence mission, which was carried out by the Mossad and another intelligence unit. It cited an Israeli official describing Trump’s move as a “stab in the back for the system of sharing intelligence information between Israel and the US.”

The sources for the Vanity Fair article, said Huffington Post, were “experts in the Israeli intelligence operations.” It added that the information related to an espionage operation against Daesh, with plans to plant explosives in laptop computers.

According to the Times of Israel, the Israeli government shared intelligence information with the Americans despite warnings by officials in Washington that Trump, under Russian pressure, might pass details to Moscow.

Anadolu claimed that Trump did not name Israel when he passed the information to Russia, but did give key details about the operation against Daesh. The concern in Israel is that information given to Moscow could be passed on to Russia’s ally Iran, which Israel considers to be its most dangerous enemy.

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