A story out of the UK tells of a general from Iran who has most likely defected to the United States. This is very good news.
Ali Resa Asgari, 63, a general in the elite Revolutionary Guards and former Deputy Defence Minister, vanished on February 7 after arriving in Istanbul on a flight from Syria. He had reservations at the Ceylan Intercontinental Hotel but never checked in.
several sources confirmed reports in America that General Asgari had fled to the West, becoming the first senior Iran official to defect since the revolution 27 years ago.
Danny Yatom, the former head of Mossad and a member of the Knesset, said that the general could provide Western intelligence with a unique insight into Irans foreign operations in Lebanon and beyond.
It means for the first time, Hezbollahs adversaries may have accurate estimates of stockpiles, weapons types, even perhaps placement and tactics, said Nicholas Noe, the author of a forthcoming book on Hezbollah. This is crucial because the limits and placement of Hezbollahs weaponry has been a major problem.
Iranian officials have played down General Asgaris importance, saying he has been out of the loop for four or five years. But his defection could cause a serious blow to Iran.