'Surgery announcement compromised Dagan's safety'
Former Mossad chief's associates bewildered at Belarusian president's decision to reveal his whereabouts following liver transplant
Former Mossad chief Meir Dagan's associates fear his safety has been compromised after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko revealed Tuesday he had underwent a liver transplant in Belarus.
They are claiming that the Belarusian president had in fact exposed Dagan to threats adding that Israel must now demand that Belarus immediately step up security around the hospital where he is admitted.
Related stories:
Since the transplant, Dagan's condition has stabilized and his prognosis improved. His friends have expressed hope that he would recover completely and return to public life. Fellow former Mossasd chief Danny Yatom told Ynet that he was "keeping his fingers crossed and hoping that (Dagan) comes back to us as soon as possible."
Dagan's condition had been kept secret partly due to security concerns. According to defense officials, the former Mossad chief is the target of revenge attacks by Iran, Syria and Hezbollah.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Daniel Azoulay of the Paris transplant center who is considered a world renowned expert. Senior Israeli officials helped arrange the operation.
Dagan appeared optimistic prior to the emergency surgery, which took place 10 days ago, and told his friends, "I hope to survive this and there's a good chance that will happen." He is currently recovering in isolation for fear of infection.
Despite falling ill, Dagan was recently busy promoting his plan to change the form of government in Israel. "I will return to the fold and work towards changing the form of government, the most important topic on the agenda," he told his friends earlier this month.
Dagan, 67, was hoping to undergo his liver transplant in the United States but did not meet the age and citizenship criteria. His condition did not allow him to wait for a liver for much longer and he eventually chose to travel to Belarus for the surgery.
Dagan's illness was kept secret until it was revealed by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at a press conference on Tuesday. Lukashenko said that the surgery took place 10 days ago and was declared a success.
He said that Belarus agreed to host the surgery after the US, Germany and Sweden refused. However, sources close Dagan denied the latter claims, saying that Sweden was never asked to operate and the US did not fulfill criteria for the transplant.
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop
