By
– January 11, 2012
Drawing on newly declassified archives, Bergman, one of Israel’s top investigative reporters, Although Israel once supported Iran’s military efforts under the Shahs, its relationship with Iran dramatically changed in 1979, when the Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the Shah and led the country into a radical Islam that fomented hatred against Israel and the West. With all the bone-chilling tension of a good thriller, Bergman’s book reveals the behind-the-scene efforts of the Mossad and the CIA to thwart the terrorist ploys of Hezbollah. Although Bergman points to the failures of intelligence organizations in Israel and the U.S. as a major reason for the strengthening of Iran, he points out that Israel’s 2007 ghost raid on Syria’s suspected nuclear facilities demonstrated Israel’s commitment to the Begin doctrine: The Jewish State will not tolerate the development by its neighbors of weapons that may be used to destroy it. Gloomy and frightening, Bergman’s fast-paced study is nevertheless a clarion call to all the parties involved in the preservation of the future of Israel.
Henry L. Carrigan, Jr. writes about books for Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, BookPage, and ForeWord. He has written for numerous newspapers including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Charlotte Observer, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Orlando Sentinel, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Washington Post Book World.