Below the Surface

Mossad accidentally finds an unknown weapon, ostensibly placed by Palestinian terrorists. More troubling, upon inspection, the weapon bears Chinese markings and is equipped with Iranian missiles. How did that happen? Mossad's investigations lead it to determine that the origin of the weapon is a U.S. discovery dating back a couple of years, and which was principally intended for peaceful purposes, for instance for civil aviation. Mossad was aware of the discovery, but both they and the U.S. authorities believed that it had been kept secret, precisely because they understood its potential military applications.

With the help of "The Shadow Experts," the group headed by Countess Renate, Mossad and the CIA uncover a plot that first took the discovery to China, through post-graduate students; then, China exploited it in its own weapon development. China used the discovery to gain influence in the Middle East, chiefly through Iran, which in turn used it to support regional terrorist organizations. Mossad and the CIA must neutralize the new weapon, shadowing the Palestinian ship which brings it from the Gulf of Aden to Southern Lebanon, and in the process uncover an unexpected source of Palestinian financing.