Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 16-05-2017
Reports have emerged that Israel was the source of intelligence that US President Donald Trump disclosed to the Russians during a White House meeting last week, igniting further controversy for the beleaguered administration.
The New York Times reported yesterday that Israel shared with US spy agencies sensitive intelligence about an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIS bomb plot targeting airliners using laptop computers.
National Security Advisor HR McMaster denied that Trump had disclosed any sources or methods to the Russians, saying the Washington Post report that first broke the story was “false”.
Trump later confirmed on Twitter he shared information with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
Several US media organisations confirmed with their own sources the Times’ report that Israel was the source of the information.
In a statement, Israel’s Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer said Israel has “full confidence in our intelligence-sharing relationship with the United States”.
But he did not comment specifically on the veracity of the Times’ report.
This information is said to have led the US government declaring the ban last March on all large electronic devices on board airlines coming to the US from eight Muslim-majority nations.
The ban affects nine companies: Royal Jordanian Airlines, EgyptAir, Turkish Airlines, Saudi Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad Airways.
– Al Jazeera
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