News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Likud party chairman and MK Opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu acknowledged Wednesday that a secret operation was carried out in Syria. Netanyahu was the first to confirm what until then had been classified information about which the government had remained silent, despite media reports on the operation.

Former Prime Minister Netanyahu told Channel One TV that he had been briefed by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on the impending operation “from the start” and had praised Olmert’s decision to go ahead with the attack. He also said he had personally congratulated Olmert, chairman of the rival Kadima party, on the success of the operation.

Netanyahu was slammed by defense officials who called his public leak to the media “the highest level of irresponsibility.”  Likud MK Yuval Steinitz agreed, telling Voice of Israel government radio that Netanyahu’s release of the information was “unwise” but added that it has caused no damage.

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