King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (then Crown Prince) with George W. Bush (then President), 2002
In October 12, 2012, I speculated there was a strong likelihood that Saudi Arabia was bankrolling Israel’s Mossad. Those funds paid for, among other things, the assassinations of several of Iran’s top nuclear experts over the past couple of years. That cooperation was, I wrote, the latest bizarre development in a clandestine alliance between the Zionist State of Israel and Saudi Arabia, guardian of Islam’s most holy site.
The Huffington Post refused to run that blog because I only had one source, which I was not allowed to name. Instead, I posted it on my own and other sites.
That blog went viral, particularly in Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia, where it was picked up by several news agencies. Now that claim has received new backing from a reputable Israeli source. But before getting to that, here is my original blog.
A friend, with good sources in the Israeli government, claims that the head of Israel’s Mossad has made several trips to deal with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia—one of the results: an agreement that the Saudis would bankroll the series of assassinations of several of Iran’s top nuclear experts that have occurred over the past couple of years. The amount involved, my friend claims, was $1 billion dollars. A sum, he says, the Saudis considered cheap for the damage done to Iran’s nuclear program.
At first blush, the tale sounds preposterous. On the other hand. it makes eminent sense. The murky swamp of Middle East politics has nothing to do with the easy slogans and 30 second sound bites of presidential debates.
After all, nowhere more than in the Middle East does the maxim hold true: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. And both Israel and the Saudis have always detested Iran’s Shiite fundamentalist leaders. The feeling is mutual. Tehran has long been accused of stirring up trouble among Saudi’s restless Shiites.
Israeli and Saudi leaders particularly fear Iran’s attempts to develop nuclear weapons. Thus, it would only be natural that (along with the U.S.) they would back a coordinated program to at least slow up, if not permanently cripple, Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
It also makes perfect sense, that, in retaliation for the cyber attacks on their centrifuges, the Iranians reportedly launched their own cyber attack on a Saudi state-owned target: Saudi Aramco, the world’s most valuable company. Last August 15th, someone with privileged access to Aramco’s computers was able to unleash a virus that wreaked havoc with the company’s systems. U.S. intelligence experts point their finger at Tehran.
Indeed, a report earlier this year by Tel Aviv University cites Saudi Arabia as the last hope and defense line for Israel. With most of Israel’s traditional allies in the region sent packing or undermined by the Arab Spring, the Saudis are the Jewish State’s last chance to protect its political interests in the Arab world.
Now comes further confirmation of that strange alliance, from Richard Silverstein’s excellent blog Tikun Olam. Silverstein gets many of his scoops from Israeli reporters, often confiding information they’re not allowed to report in Israel. Silverstein also closely monitors the Israeli media.
He has been following the close cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia in targeting Syria and Iran. In his latest log he reports,
Saudi Arabia isn’t just coordinating its own intelligence efforts with Israel. It’s actually financing a good deal of Israel’s very expensive campaign against Iran. As you know, this has involved massive sabotage against IRG missile bases, the assassination of five nuclear scientists, the creation of a series of computer cyber weapons like Stuxnet and Flame. It may also conceivably involve an entire class of electronic and conventional weapons that could be used in a full-scale attack on Iran. Who knows, this might even include the sorts of bunker buster bombs only the U.S. currently has access to, which could penetrate the Fordo facility. It might include scores more super-tankers which could provide the fuel necessary for Israeli planes to make it to Iran and return. All of this is expensive. Very expensive.
As background to his story, Yerushalmi, cited a recent speech by Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Nethanyahu, referring to the possibility that Arab states, which privately maintain better relations with Israel today than does the European Union, would do so publicly if peace were to break out.
“Nethanyahu,” wrote the Israeli reporter, “referred almost certainly to Saudi Arabia which finances the expenses of the enormous campaign which we are conducting against Iran.”
“The question” Silverstein writes in his blog, “is how far is Saudi Arabia willing to go. If Bibi ever decided to launch an attack, would the Sunni nation fund that as well? The answer seems clearly to be yes.
The next question is, given there is airtight military censorship in Israel, why did the censor allow Maariv to publish this? Either someone was asleep at the switch or the IDF and Israel’s political and intelligence officials want the world to know of the Saudi-Israeli effort. Who specifically do they want to know? Obama, of course. In the event the nuclear talks go south, Bibi wants Obama to know there’s a new Sugar Daddy in town. No longer will Israel have only the U.S. to rely on if it decides to go to war. Saudi Arabia will be standing right behind….
I don’t think this news substantially alters the military calculus. Israel, even with unlimited funding, still can’t muster the weapons and armaments it would need to do the job properly. That will take time. But Israel isn’t going to war tomorrow. This news reported in Maariv is presumably Bibi playing one card from his hand. It’s an attempt to warn the president that the U.S. is no longer the only game in town. Personally, it’s the sort of huffing and puffing that I can’t imagine plays well in Washington. But it’s the way Bibi plays the game.
Barry Lando has just written a mystery, The Watchman’s File, about an American reporter attempting to unravel Israel’s most closely guarded secret. (It’s not the bomb). Available on Amazon in soft-cover and Kindle format.



This cooperation , as note below ,  isn't news , but Saudi allegedly  bankrolling Israel espionage and targeted killings is a white hot  item ! 


http://rt.com/news/stuxnet-iran-nuclear-mossad-565/


'Saudis, Israelis developing new ‘super Stuxnet’ against Iran nuclear program'

Published time: December 02, 2013 03:11
Edited time: December 02, 2013 05:12
A general view of the Bushehr main nuclear reactor (Reuters / Raheb Homavandi)
A general view of the Bushehr main nuclear reactor (Reuters / Raheb Homavandi)
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Saudi Arabia and Israel’s Mossad intelligence division are co-conspiring to produce a computer worm “more destructive” than the Stuxnet malware to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program, according to a report from the semi-official Iranian Fars news agency.
“Saudi spy chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and director of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency Tamir Bardo sent their representatives to a meeting in Vienna on November 24 to increase the two sides' cooperation in intelligence and sabotage operations against Iran’s nuclear program,” an anonymous source close to the Saudi secret services told Fars over the weekend.
The source noted that one of the major methods discussed was “the production of a malware worse than…Stuxnet.”
Stuxnet, a computer worm discovered in 2010, formed the basis of a cyberattack that sabotaged Iran’s uranium enrichment program. Its complexity prompted researchers to claim that it could only have been developed by a nation state.
It was generally believed to have been developed by the US and Israel, with former NSA contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden only confirming their covert roles in an interview this July.
The intention behind the development of the new malware would be “to spy on and destroy the software structure of Iran’s nuclear program.” The source expressed a desire to remain anonymous on account of the sensitivity of information being shared.

The plan would need a great deal of time and funding, with a rough figure of US $1 million being given as an estimate. It was apparently welcomed by Saudi Arabia with open arms.
Saudi spy chief Bandar met with Mossad’s Bardo in Jordan’s Aqaba port city, inciting some concern from Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulazi, who had advised against Bandar engaging in direct consultations, instead deeming ‘clandestine’ discussions with Israel over strategic Middle Eastern issues more appropriate.
The Fars source mentioned that a recent agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, France and Britain plus Germany) unsettled Saudi officials, with Bandar having previously denounced the interim deal as the “West’s treachery.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lambasted the agreement, which was reached on November 23, as “a historic mistake.” 
On November 17, The Sunday Times reported that the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency and Saudi officials were working together to develop a contingency plan should Iran’s nuclear program not be adequately curtailed. Both governments reportedly expressed concern that negotiations could result in concessions being made to Iran.
Prince Bandar also participated in a meeting in Tel Aviv with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Francois Hollande to discuss US relations with Iran last week, according to local media.


http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4454202,00.html

Report: Israel, Saudi Arabia cooperating on possible attack on Iran

With nuclear talks set to resume Wednesday, Sunday Times reports Israel, Saudi Arabia heightening cooperation, in bid to formulate contingency attack plan on Iran should talks succeed in reaching agreement, but fail in halting Iranian nuclear program
Ynet
Published: 11.17.13, 08:58 / Israel News
The Mossad is currently working with Saudi Arabian officials on contingency plans for a possible attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, the Sunday Times reported.

According to the paper, both Israel and the Saudi kingdom are skeptical of the nuclear talks between Iran and world powers and are working together on a possible attack plan should such an agreement actualize but fail to stop the Islamic republic from continuing its nuclear project

Related stories:

“Once the Geneva agreement is signed, the military option will be back on the table. The Saudis are furious and are willing to give Israel all the help it needs,” a diplomatic source is quoted by the paper as saying.

According to the Sunday Times, as part of what it called the growing cooperation between Jerusalem and Riyadh, it is possible the kingdom has already given Israel a green light to make use of its airspace in the case of an attack.

In addition to use of airspace, the growing partnership between the unlikely regional allies has reportedly manifest as cooperation regarding usage of rescue helicopters, tanker planes and drones which could aid Israel in the case of an attack.

Last week the BBC reported that Saudi Arabia is investing in Pakistani nuclear weapons projects, and believes it could obtain atomic bombs at will. According to the report, it is now possible that the Saudis might be able to deploy such devices more quickly than Iran.

Newsnight's Mark Urban reported that earlier this year, a senior NATO decision maker told him that he had seen intelligence reporting that nuclear weapons made in Pakistan on behalf of Saudi Arabia are now sitting ready for delivery.

He quoted former Israeli Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin as telling a Sweden conference that if Iran got the bomb, "the Saudis will not wait one month. They already paid for the bomb, they will go to Pakistan and bring what they need to bring."

He further noted that "unlike other potential regional threats, the Saudi one is very credible and imminent."

According to the report, Saudi Arabia has sent the Americans numerous signals of its intentions since 2009, when King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia warned visiting US special envoy to the Middle East Dennis Ross that if Iran crossed the threshold, "we will get nuclear weapons."

Newsnight further quoted Gary Samore, President Barack Obama's former counter-proliferation adviser, as saying: "I do think that the Saudis believe that they have some understanding with Pakistan that, in extremis, they would have claim to acquire nuclear weapons from Pakistan."

A close friend

Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande, as well as French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, a key participant in talks on curbing Iran's nuclear program which ended in deadlock last weekend, are heading to Israel on Sunday.

On Sunday Hollande will meet President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has described the French president as "a close friend of the state of Israel."

Netanyahu and Peres have both urged France, which took a tougher line than its Western partners in last weekend's negotiations with Iran, to maintain its firm stance at the next round of talks which open on November 20.

"We are convinced that if Iran manufactures its bomb, all the countries of the Middle East will want to follow suit," the Israeli president told French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche.

Israel and Western powers suspect the Islamic republic's uranium enrichment program is part of a covert drive to acquire a nuclear weapons capability, an allegation vehemently denied by Tehran.

The P5+1 group negotiating with Tehran is made up of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - plus Germany.

When talks resume Netanyahu will fly to Moscow on Wednesday to raise the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Hollande's office said that although France's "tactical approach" on Iran was different from Israel's more bellicose stance, both seek to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.