Ex-CIA agent lifts lid on what spies in Middle East will be doing amid ceasefire

An ex-CIA agent has told what the main focus will be for spies in the Middle East after themissile attacks on nuclear sitesand spoken of her fears about what Hezbollah and Hamas will do next.

Brittany Butler Jennings, 41, worked as a targeting officer for nine years in the US' Central Intelligence Agency before leaving in 2014. During her stint, she conducted meetings with terrorists to convince them to inform on their own, to help the CIA. And now speaking about the Iran and Israel conflict, Brittany said the US does not want to get involved in a regime change like they did with Iraq and Afghanistan. She said all eyes will be on Iranian-backed groups like Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis to see if they will reignite tensions in the region.

And she said, despite early intel suggesting that the strikes on Iran did not destroy nuclear sites, CIA agents will spend the next "months" trying to ascertain how much damage was done to the Iranian nuclear programme. Brittany, from Charleston, South Carolina, US, said: "We need to keep an eye on what is going on with those proxy groups like Hezbollah and the Houthis. Will Iran tell these groups to calm down, to stop the attacks?

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"If they continue to accelerate or if there is a feeling that these groups will get Israel or the US back, we will see tensions rise. I don't think Iran will do anything else; they will continue to use these proxy groups to wage their war through the Middle East. Watching what these groups do will be very important."

Brittany said she believes the US does not want to get involved with a regime change in Iran, especially after what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan. She said that Iran launching missile attacks on US bases in the region was largely symbolic as they are "outmatched" militarily.

Brittany said: "The US, we do not want to get involved in a long war like Iraq or Afghanistan. We have worked out that regime change from the outside doesn't work. We need to show that the people of Iran work it out for themselves and get a change of regime.

"Iran's launch of missiles was largely symbolic; they know they are outmatched. They know they are regionally isolated, and they do not have a friend willing to bat for them."

The former CIA officer said that military and intelligence agencies will be scrambling to find out the true damage to the Iranian nuclear programme. According to CNN, early intel suggests that the strikes on Iran did not completely destroy nuclear sites.

She said they will also be working out whether or not Iran has other nuclear facilities that are not publicly known. Brittany said: "I still believe it’s premature to assess the full extent of the damage, especially since the regime is unlikely to allow access to the site for the IAEA or international observers.

"That said, it’s almost certain there are undisclosed facilities, so even if some enriched uranium was destroyed, the broader threat remains very much alive. We don't know the impact that those bombs have had; it is difficult to assess whether they reached the cavity where the stockpile was kept, and how far we set the nuclear program back.

"The intelligence communities will also be working out whether or not the regime is going to further radicalize, the nuclear program is the only tool the regime has in its toolbox to hold on to power."

Brittany said that if Iran builds a nuclear weapon, it would have a ripple effect in the Middle East and other nations like Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Iraq would want one for themselves. She said: "Our stance has been for a long time that Iran cannot have nuclear weapon capabilities.

"It would set an example for other volatile countries in the Middle East. The Middle East has been a volatile and unpredictable region, the Iranians having nuclear weapons would encourage the Saudis and other countries to have nuclear weapons to defend themselves from Iran.

"It starts this trickle effect that the USA is not willing to entertain. Iran fuels all those proxy groups I mentioned, who is to say that any nuclear weapon capability wouldn't get into the hands of Hezbullah, Hamas or the Houthis?"