Was The Perfect Spy A Double Agent?

60 Minutes: Was Ashraf Marwan Israel's Greatest Spy Or Was He A Double Agent?

(CBS)  But General Farkash doesn't blame Marwan; he's convinced that the plans were so secret, Marwan didn't find out until the last minute. He believes Marwan's warning gave the Israelis just enough time to mobilize the reserves and ultimately save the state of Israel.

"Our army is based on 80 percent reserve forces. And he gave us the most important piece of information to bring the government of Israel and to force us, to "force us" I call it, to call the reserve forces," Gen. Farkash said.

The reserves arrived in time in time for the Israelis to turn back the Syrian army on the Golan Heights, after sustaining heavy casualties.

But the Sinai was a different story. Marwan had told the Israelis that the war would begin at 6 p.m. It actually began four hours earlier.

The Egyptians were able to break through the Israeli defenses, cross the Suez Canal and take back part of the land it had lost six years earlier. And according to the Egyptians, Marwan's deception was crucial.

"He gave us a number of hours before the Israelis started to mobilize and come to the front. And that was enough for us to cross the Suez Canal. That is the greatest achievement," Dr. Said told Kroft.

"So, we're talking about four, five, six hours extra," Kroft remarked.

"Every hour here counts. And that was enough to make the difference," Said replied.

After three weeks of fighting, a truce was declared, with the Egyptians still controlling the Suez and part of the Sinai. Six years later, in 1979, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat would reclaim all of it for Egypt by signing an historic peace treaty with Israelis.

For his part in the war, Sadat secretly awarded Marwan Egypt's highest medal.

"He was able to hold conflicting loyalties at the same time. And that was his genius - that's what made him a perfect spy," Howard Blum said.

After the war, Marwan made a fortune selling Egyptian arms to Arab countries, and reportedly forged intelligence ties to the CIA, the British, the Libyans and the Italians.

But his role in the Yom Kippur War remained a secret until a few years ago, when some of the details began to appear in print. Marwan told friends he was concerned about his safety.

In June of 2007, the mysterious Egyptian met a mysterious end, when he fell or was thrown from the balcony of his fifth floor apartment in the Saint James district of London, not far from Buckingham Palace. Initially the death was ruled a suicide, but today Scotland Yard is investigating it as a murder.

"You think somebody threw him off the balcony? Or forced him to jump?" Kroft asked Marwan's son Gamal.

"I'm not sure what happened but what I'm sure is that he was definitely killed, 100 percent," Gamal Marwan replied.

[eyemdope]

GDW666,

"He did? I thought it was Navy snipers. How much credit goes to he who says "go ahead". How much thought does that take?"

A lot of credit. By trivializing the decision, you appear rather ignorant of history with regard to leaders in crisis and how they respond being what defines them as great or poor leaders. There decision involved risks and you don't even acknowledge that had anything happened to the captain Obama would be the first to be blamed by types like you that are now hypocritically claiming his decision was a 'no brainer' and him not worthy of credit. Hindsight is always 20/20, and there were multiple options on the table for a successful rescue. He could have done what Sarkozy did, and negotiate a ransom, and after the hostages are returned to safety the pirates pursued and gunned down, and the ransom money retrieved. Carter was roundly blamed for the 444 days American embassy workers spent as hostages even though he eventually negotiated their release. He was blamed for the failed special forces mission even though its failure had nothing to do with him. Your claim that Obama deserves no credit for taking a tough stance against the pirates when such a choice is not obvious, especially if there was a more liberal president in charge, only reveals how disingenuous you're being.



"You mean release of a journalist that was subject of a show trial."

Yes, exactly that. Show trials result in successful conviction and subsequent punishment. She was released on appeal.

"Where was he when she was falsely arrested and then convicted?"

Are you really that ignorant of the details of what happened? It was only after her conviction when SoS Clinton expressed her displeasure and the Obama diplomats protested vigorously through back channels did Ahmadinejad intervene by writing a letter to the juror and requesting a fair and open appeals process be granted. Your questions reveal an ignorance that comes in spades. What do you mean where was he when the trial was happening? If you had read up on what had happened, the Iranian judiciary had good reason to believe that she was a spy, which is why the previous poster labeled her as such. But of course you remain ignorant of such details. As has already been reported widely, the lawyer that represented her in Iranian court revealed she was found in possession of a classified document detailing the plans for the invasion of Iraq by the US, prepared by a research agency for then president Khatami. She was also in possession of papers from the Iranian conservative political party and had made multiple trips to Israel. So Iranian officials had concrete reasons to believe she was involved in espionage. She also admitted under questioning that she had been approached by the CIA to work
for them but did not take it seriously. So whether she was a spy or not was debatable, but your claim that she absolutely was not is based on your own lack of knowledge on the incident. And questioning where Obama was in the first place when she was arrested, I'll help you out there as well. She was arrested in January before Obama was inaugurated. The dull limits of your knowledge is quite telling.

"Why? Did he work without his teleprompter?"

Once again, the constituents that represent the toothless party out of power on all levels of government rears its ugly jealous head because they've never had such a charismatic leader with such natural talent for oratory. FYI, every president such the teleprompter was made has used it. So why is it that GOP presidents have such difficulty using such a simple device? Of course you're threatened because Obama is proving to be a far better communicator than the supposed 'great communicator' himself, Reagan in case you didn't know. Plus, the oratorical skills of Obama and Clinton put that of the bush duo to utter shame. Why can't republicans learn how to use a teleprompter?

[mjlewis6]

This is a contract disposal by a third party to eliminate any further damage.

Whatever was possible to be written, has been stymied. Marwan played
both sides to insure his viability and his lifestyle. THAT alone is motive
sufficient for a Third Party to eliminate him as a possible player in a larger
negotiated/posturing situation in the MIddle East....Syrians, Saudis, or
even another of the General's Group in Israel may have taken him out.

The biggest clues are in the walls and nearby apartments to Marwan's
to have seen his writing or know what he was doing....A fall is pretty
convenient, regardless of which group is involved, but sensitive enough
to have acted with the goal of making it an accident.

[ibsteve2u]

That is one of the perks of being a double-agent: Unless you are caught by and returned to the nation you are betraying so that the appropriate pounds of flesh can be extracted in public revenge, "national pride" - that thing that so many claim is sufficient reason alone for war - will ensure that your betrayal is kept secret.

[antoniof123]

Looks to me like he made a lot of money off the two of them.

Morons they keep fighting only to bring death to their children.

They had better hope their children never wake up.

[edward1975-2009]

Seems to me he had two idiot nations as clients.

[gdw666]

"It's now common knowledge that the US has often used Murder Squads even Dick Cheney had a Assassniation Squad during the 8 years of the US crime wave to silent those who would tell the truth."

Then we can assume that you have a reference to this "common knowledge".

[gdw666]

"Had the US not painted over the US flags on their jets & stopped the tank advance"

Nonsense. Never happened.

"there would be no Israel today"

Despite the Israeli butt-kicking of the Arab armies every time they attacked.

" Islam would not be warred on by the Bushies. "

There is no such war. Unless you want to hide behind a blasphemous interpretation of Islam so that you can kill.

[gdw666]

"Kills pirates that kidnapped captian."

He did? I thought it was Navy snipers. How much credit goes to he who says "go ahead". How much thought does that take?

"Now secures the relaese of a convicted spy. "

You mean release of a journalist that was subject of a show trial. Where was he when she was falsely arrested and then convicted?

"Looks like he works well under pressure. "

Why? Did he work without his teleprompter?

[nextgenman09]

The jewraelis are our worst enemies. They leech off US Taxpayer welfare (60 year welfare babies) and they spy on us. All the stereotypes are apparently correct.....

[mejordelahistoria]

and I thought that the greatest spy was 007 , chuck norris and vin diesel............ I guess there is a difference between fiction and reality.