Degan has deep access to Mossad’s intelligence
files. His mission is to ensure that Iran does not
consolidate its position in Syria or develop a better
position in Iraq. Sometimes that means aiding Sunni
jihadis and Kurdish nationalists, so Degan has good
contacts with both. Many Israelis feel some affinity for
the Kurds as an oppressed and, until recently, stateless
people. As for Sunni jihadis, Degan has no fear
of them. Shia groups such as Hezbollah in Lebannon,
the Alawites in Syria, and the Islamic Republic of Iran
worry him far more.