"Black" operations against Syria, Iran, and Lebanon by both CIA and Pentagon

larisa does her usual in-depth and thorough investigative reporting...

[T]he Pentagon is continuing to conduct more aggressive “black” operations, approved by the National Security Council and the Office of the Vice President.

Current and former intelligence officials would not identify new specific covert programs running out of the Pentagon, though sources stressed these are far riskier and more truly covert operational activities against Iran than the activities of the CIA.

These operations started almost immediately after the Iraq war and have continued for several years. Because they can be considered part of a military operation, they are not subjects to the same requirements for Congressional authorization as the activities of the CIA.

The majority of these efforts to destabilize Iran through a covert war of aggression have been carried out by the Department of Defense, largely steered by the Office of the Vice President and by then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

but we can rest assured, at least on the cia side... (ya, right...)

“The CIA does not, as a matter of course, publicly discuss allegations of covert action, whether the assertions are wrong, right, or somewhere in-between,” [CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano] said. “That's one reason why the term ‘covert action’ still exists.”

“But it's important to remember that, through the Congress, there is vigorous oversight of secret intelligence activities,” he added.

given the obsession with stonewalling, secrecy, and lawlessness in the bush administration, the almost complete abdication of congressional oversight responsibility during the republican-led years, and the lack of spine being shown by the dems today, i think "vigorous oversight" is nothing but a line of crap... you can be sure, if larisa has managed to uncover this much, there's a ton more going on we know nothing about... you only need to read something like the following to feel the certainty of that assumption...

Intelligence sources interviewed for this article all expressed concern over the lack of attention to the Pentagon’s covert activities. Some believe illegal activities like those of the Iran-Contra days are now being hidden under the loophole of “traditional military activities” to avoid Congressional oversight.

so, even if there was "vigorous oversight" being conducted - which there isn't - the blackest of the "black" ops are exempt anyway... someday, maybe it'll be all out on the table and we can collectively gasp at the brazen and illegal deeds of our government...

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