Israeli-Arab War

[samizdat]

Gloves off? Horrible thought. I'll have to pray about that to sleep tonight.

It's logical, Rick. Israel goes after Iran and Syria and ...
Gog annahilates all the inhabitants of Jerusalem- has to be a big event for them all to perish. It's rather logical and Biblical. A lot of strange things are in God's design. I wouldn't sleep in Jerusalem or LA. I don't like earthquakes.

[American Patriot]

Well... Tonght is Christmas Eve... and it is getting late in the evening there..... I can only sit and wait.

And perhaps this year will end on a bang, or it will end with a quiet fizzle. Either way, this year is over and 2007 approches. So does 2012. (No, we're not talking ancient Mayan calendars here, we're talking CIA pedictions).

Rick

[Aplomb]

http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=3683

DEBKAfile Exclusive: Iranian officers take command of Palestinian Gaza missile front. But Olmert ties IDF to pinpoint fire on missile crews after two Sderot schoolboys seriously hurt


December 27, 2006, 6:42 PM (GMT+02:00)
DEBKAfile Exclusive: Iranian officers take command of Palestinian Gaza missile front. But Olmert ties IDF to pinpoint fire on missile crews after two Sderot schoolboys seriously hurt


The cabinet decision Wednesday ordered the IDF to stick to attacking missile crews and refrain from breaching the month-long “ceasefire,” in the course of which the Palestinians fired 70 missiles from Gaza at Israeli civilian locations. An Israeli appeal went out to the (non-functioning) Palestinian Authority to halt the six-year old barrage.


Translation by DEBKAfile’s military experts: Sderot and its neighbors will continue to live under daily missile harassment. Until the latest attack, the army was constrained on the prime minister’s order – and against its will - to hold its fire against the daily assaults, although they could clearly see the assailants in Gaza. Surgeons operated through Tuesday night to save the life of Adir Basad, aged 14, who was critically injured in all parts of his body by a falling missile outside his home in Sderot, the 8th fired in one day. His friend, Matan Cohen’s foot was smashed. Eight civilians suffered shock.


Our military sources report that the IDF does not accept the Iran-sponsored Jihad Islami’s claim to have shot the missile which wounded the schoolboys because since Monday, Dec. 25, two changes were detected in the Palestinian offensive: A new type of homemade missile called Al Buraq 2 (after the Western Wall Jewish shrine in Jerusalem), and a new unit, calling itself the Mujahiddin Brigades, identified by military experts as the first Palestinian terrorist unit set up by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ al Quds Brigades.


This group’s first action was to fire the new missiles at Kibbutz Nahal Oz Monday. They were diagnosed at first as mortars, but the fragments did not match any ordnance seen before. It was then discovered that the Mujahiddin Brigades units - consisting of Hamas, Jihad Islami, Fatah-al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Popular Resistance Committees operatives - are commanded by an Iranian Revolutionary Guards officer.


Such direct Iranian command of front-line Palestinian missile units is another innovation; it did not occur even on the Hizballah side of the of July-August Lebanon war.


Monday, too, the Americans disclosed the capture in Baghdad of Iranian officers, members of the same RG al Quds Brigades, on another front line: against Iraqi and coalition forces. It looks as though the Islamic Republic has gone into action in Iraq and Gaza in reprisal for the tepid sanctions the UN Security Council imposed Saturday, Dec. 23, for its continuing pursuit of uranium enrichment.

[American Patriot]

Israel denies planning for Iran nuclear attack
AP via MSNBC ^ | Jan 8, 2007



LONDON - A British newspaper reported Sunday that Israeli pilots were training to strike targets in Iran with low-yield nuclear weapons, but Israel swiftly denied the report and analysts expressed doubts about its reliability.
Citing unidentified Israeli military sources, The Sunday Times said the proposals drawn up in Israel involved using so-called “bunker-buster” nuclear weapons to attack nuclear facilities at three sites south of the Iranian capital.


Israel has never confirmed it has nuclear weapons, although the Jewish state is widely believed to possess a significant stockpile.


Iran says its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes like generating electricity.


The Sunday Times reported that Israeli military officials believed Iran could produce enough enriched uranium to build nuclear weapons within two years, and the newspaper said Israeli pilots had made flights to the British colony of Gibraltar to train for the 2,000-mile round trip to the Iranian targets.


Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office declined to comment on the report. “We don’t respond to publications in The Sunday Times,” said spokeswoman Miri Eisin.


However Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev denied the report, saying: “if diplomacy succeeds, the problem can be solved peaceably.”

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...

[American Patriot]

Israel Denies Claims It's Preparing Nuke Attack on Iran

Monday, January 08, 2007

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,242261,00.html

Israel's Foreign Ministry is denying a British newspaper report that claims Jerusalem has drafted plans for a low-level nuclear strike on Iran to wipe out its uranium enrichment facilities using nuclear-tipped "bunker busters."

The London Times published in Sunday editions that Israel's intelligence service, Mossad, has determined that Iran will have enriched uranium to make a nuclear weapon within two years.

Click here to read The London Times article.

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has threatened to wipe Israel off the map. If Iran is able to produce nuclear weapons in its underground plants, then "mini-nukes" would be used to destroy facilities at Natanz, Isfahan and Arak, the article claims.

They would be the strength of one-fifteenth of the bombs that went off in 1945 at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and would hit underground to reduce radioactive fallout, the paper said.

"As soon as the green light is given, it will be one mission, one strike and the Iranian nuclear project will be demolished," an unnamed source told the newspaper. The report states that plans would be pursued only if a conventional attack is ruled out and the United States chooses not to intervene.

But the paper, which cites several military sources, says U.S. and American officials have met several times to consider military options and releasing the information could be aimed at putting pressure on Tehran to halt enrichment, cajoling America to take action or softening up world opinion ahead of any such attack.

The newspaper said Defense Secretary Robert Gates has described military action against Iran as a “last resort,” leading Israeli officials to conclude that it will be left to them to strike.

Asked about such a plan, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said his understanding is the Israelis "have emphatically denied there is any such plan. I was pleased to hear that."

Hoyer, D-Md., added that he agrees with President Bush's stated preference to "pursue negotiations and resolution of this through diplomatic means."

"But clearly, in a very volatile part of the world, we need to make sure that we pursue every possible avenue to preclude Iran from becoming a nuclear power. That would be dangerous for [the] region, dangerous for the international community," Hoyer said.

One Israeli military official said editors at The Sunday Times are delusional, and the official denied any such plan. Israel has had a position of ambiguity on its nuclear weapons since the 1960s, never officially claiming or denying to own such weapons. Last month, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he misspoke when he suggested in an interview that Israel was a member of the nuclear club.

"This is absurd information coming from a newspaper that has already in the past distinguished itself with sensationalist headlines that in the end amounted to nothing," the anonymous official said to Agence France Press about the London Times report.

"To think that we will launch an atomic attack against Iran, and on top of that that we would reveal it in advance to a foreign newspaper is doubly ridiculous," the official said.

Amb. Dennis Ross, a longtime Middle East envoy and FOX News contributor, said he does not think Israel is developing a plan to attack Iran with tactical nuclear weapons, but it is probably coming up with a contingency plan to deal with Tehran if the international community does nothing to stop the development of nuclear arms.

Ross said the international community must convince Iran that "the price they pay is one they don't want to pay" for developing those weapons. That includes a nuclear-armed Saudi Arabia, Iran's main rival; exclusion from the international financial system, which would be tough for a country that already has high inflation and high unemployment; and leverage from the Chinese, who are trying to create closer ties with the Saudis.

[American Patriot]

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...cle%2FShowFull

Jan. 8, 2007 16:10
Iran threatens to stop oil flow via Hormuz strait
By JPOST.COM STAFF


A senior Iranian officer warned that if the West continues to threaten Iran's economy over its nuclear program, Teheran will discontinue the flow of oil via the Strait of Hormuz, Israel Radio reported Monday.


According to the officer, 40% of the world's oil is transferred through the strait, and the world is dependent on Iran for a source of energy and a stable economy.


Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, added that Iran cannot allow itself to give up the right to develop its nuclear technology program.

[American Patriot]

Iran: We'll respond to Israeli attack, Iran warns Israel
Ynetnews ^

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says recent Israeli statements on Iran's nuclear project show Israeli government is frustrated from failure to bring international community to pressure Iran: 'Zionist authorities are well aware that if they make a foolish mistake against Iran, Iran's harsh response will be destructive and determined'

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Hamid Riza Asaffi, speaking with journalists in Teheran, said that recent Israeli statements on Iran's nuclear project showed that the Israeli government is frustrated from a failure to bring pressure from the international community to on Iran.

He claimed that a "serious crisis" within the "Zionist authorities" was the main factor behind what he described as Israeli threats. His comments were reported by the Islamic Republic News Agency.

"The Zionist authorities are well aware that if they make a foolish mistake against Iran, Iran's harsh response will be destructive and determined," said the spokesman. "Their approach comes from their anger over the fact that they can't realize their plans," he added.

Earlier, Benjamin Netanyahu told the Voice of Israel national radio network that "Israel must take every necessary step to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran must be prevented from developing this threat to the State of Israel. If, by the elections, the current government works to achieve this, I will give it my full support – and if it does not, I intend on establishing the next government, and then we'll act."

Meretz-Yahad faction head Yossi Beilin said that narrow considerations based on elections will drag Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Netanyahu to harsh comments that will be perceived as support for military action against Iran. Beilin said Israel must work for diplomatic activity to be led by the United States without endangering Israel in a confrontation with Iran with potentially disastrous consequences.

Also on Sunday the head of Tehran's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi was quoted saying by Tehran's official news agency IRNA that Iran's Atomic Energy Organization has been given license to set up another 20 nuclear plants, two of them by March 2006.

Iran's first nuclear plant is being built by Russia for USD 1 billion and is scheduled to begin operating by March 2006.

'Diplomatic pressure won't work'

According to Boroujerdi, the new power plants will be able to generate 20,000 megawatts of electricity. However, international and Israeli intelligence sources claim the program may be a front to build an atomic bomb, an allegation Iran's vigorously denies.

Last week Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said “Israel and other countries cannot accept a situation where Iran has nuclear arms.

“The issue is clear to us and we are making all the necessary preparations to handle a situation of this kind,” Sharon told journalists in Tel Aviv.

Israel needs not lead the campaign, yet we are in close contact with countries that are dealing with the issue,” the prime minister said.

Sharon said he agrees with U.S. President George W. Bush that dealing with Iran’s push for nuclear armament is a top priority, adding that he hoped the “large danger will be dealt with” by referring Iran to the United Nations Security Council.

“Israel is not hopeless and is taking all the necessary measures,” Sharon said.

IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz told foreign reporters Sunday he is skeptical that diplomatic pressure will put a halt to Iran's nuclear ambitions.

"The fact that the Iranians are successful time after time in getting away from international pressure...encourages them to continue their nuclear project," he said.

"I believe that the political means used by the Europeans and the U.S. to convince the Iranians to stop the project will not succeed," Halutz added.

[American Patriot]

If Israel had tactical nukes, would it use them against Iran?
Jerusalem Post ^ | 1-8-07 | YAAKOV KATZ

Strikes on key facilities could stop Teheran's nuclear drive, Israeli officials say.


A nuclear weapon has not been used since 1945, when the US Armed Forces dropped two such bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Now, according to London's Sunday Times, Israel is preparing for its own Hiroshima and has drawn up plans to not only introduce the weapon of mass destruction into the Middle East but even use it against Iran.


The newspaper report, improbable as it might sound, should not be immediately dismissed. While Israel is publicly rooting for diplomatic efforts to stop Iran's nuclear program, there is no doubt that the IDF - and particularly the Air Force - are preparing for the possibility that Israel might decide to launch a military strike against the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities.


But would Israel use tactical nuclear weapons - if it had them - to do so? According to foreign reports, Israel has a large arsenal of nuclear weapons and according to the Sunday Times report, has been training with low-yield warheads that are just large enough to cause the necessary destruction at Iran's nuclear facilities, but also just small enough to contain the blast and prevent major collateral damage and fallout.


While it would be difficult to completely destroy all of Iran's several dozen nuclear facilities, senior officials and IAF officers believe that a successful strike on a number of key elements of the nuclear program - such as the uranium enrichment center in Natanz, the heavy water facility at Arak and the Isfahan nuclear technology center - would be enough to stop the country's race for nuclear power.


Assuming strikes on these facilities would suffice in at least temporarily stopping Iran's atomic race, there are still many hurdles along the way, some of which could potentially be passed by using tactical nuclear weapons.


The Sunday Times report is not the first to raise the "tactical nuclear" possibility. Last April, Seymour M. Hersh wrote in the New Yorker magazine that the United States was considering using bunker-buster bombs tipped with nuclear warheads to strike at Iran's nuclear facilities.


If Israel decided to attack Iran, in addition to the difficulty in flying directly to the country and neutralizing its air defenses, the IAF would also have to succeed in penetrating bunkers at the nuclear facilities - some known to be dozens of feet below ground and reinforced by concrete and steel.


According to Israeli officials, while an air strike on Iran could be successful, the IAF would need exact intelligence on each target and on the type of bunker, its depth, and what type of reinforcements it featured. Those pieces of information are crucial for choosing the type and number of bombs the IAF would need to drop. This is where tactical nuclear weapons could conceivably come in.


While bunker buster bombs would still be needed, the powerful blast of a low-yield nuke could do the trick in further penetrating and destroying the underground facility. If Israel indeed has nuclear weapons and the ability to manufacture low-yield warheads, as the Sunday Times report claims, this option would definitely be under consideration.


While the use of nuclear weapons might be tempting - due to their strength - there is a downside that could in the end tilt the scales in the direction of conventional weapons. While Israel is suspected of possessing nuclear weapons, the official Israeli policy has for years been not to be the first country in the Middle East to introduce nuclear weapons into the region. In addition, Israel would be reluctant to use a WMD that could set off a regional war.


If, however, Iran is Israel's greatest existential threat ever, as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert claims it is, then even the hitherto unthinkable might be considered - even tactical nukes - when it comes to Israel's survival.

[American Patriot]

FROM WND’S JERUSALEM BUREAU


Abbas urges: ‘Raise
rifles against Israel’


Media ignore Palestinian leader’s call to arms
and anti-Semitic claim Jews ‘corrupting world’

---

Posted: January 11, 2007
3:18 p.m. Eastern




By Aaron Klein


© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas with President Bush at White House in July 2003

RAMALLAH ‘In a speech today commemorating the 42nd anniversary of the founding of his Fatah party, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on Palestinian factions to put an end to weeks of infighting and instead "raise rifles against the Israeli occupation."

"Shooting at your brother is forbidden. Raising rifles against the occupation is our legitimate right, but raising guns against each other is forbidden. We should put our internal fighting aside and raise our rifles only against the Israeli occupation," said Abbas in a speech in Ramallah attended by WND.

Abbas’call to arms was not reported by most major media outlets featuring articles on the Palestinian leader’s speech.



His statements about using rifles against Israel come after WND broke the story this morning the United States, aided by Israel, over the last few weeks provided 7,000 assault rifles and more than 1 million rounds of ammunition to militias associated with Abbas’Fatah party, according to senior Fatah militants.



In today’s speech, Abbas went on to praise late Hamas spiritual leader Ahmed Yassin, who was assassinated by Israel in March 2004.



He also used Quranic verses to claim Jews are corrupting the world.



"The sons of Israel are mentioned as those who are corrupting humanity on earth," Abbas said during a portion of his speech in which he criticized recent Israeli anti-terror raids in the northern West Bank.



Abbas anti-Semitic remarks and his call to arms against the Jewish state were not quoted in hundreds of English-language articles reporting on today’s speech or by most major Israeli dailies, which featured pieces on their websites about the Fatah commemoration ceremonies.



A widely-circulated Associated Press article, titled "Abbas calls for respect at Fatah rally," states Abbas today called for rival factions to respect each other.



The AP quotes Abbas stating, "Shooting at your brother is forbidden," but the article stops short of quoting the rest of his sentence in which he recommends Palestinians use their weapons against Israel.



The AP article was featured on such top websites at the WashingtonPost.com and CBSNews.com



Articles by other news agencies and local Israeli papers also failed to quote Abbas’anti-Israel and anti-Semitic remarks.



WND reported today the recent U.S. shipments of rifles and ammunition were provided to bolster Fatah against rival Hamas factions, the Fatah militants said.



Fatah and Hamas have engaged in weeks of deadly firefights since Abbas last month called for new Palestinian elections in a move widely seen as an attempt to dismantle the Hamas-led PA.



Abu Yousuf, a Fatah militant from Abba’s Force 17 security forces, told WND while some of the weapons may be used in confrontations against Hamas, the bulk of the American arms would be utilized to "hit the Zionists."



He said if there is a major conflict with Israel, U.S. weapons provided to Fatah may be shared with other "Palestinian resistance organizations."



According to documents revealed Friday, the Bush administration will provide $86.4 million to strengthen security forces loyal to Abbas, including Force 17, Abbas’security detail, which also serves as de facto police units in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.



Some members of Force 17 also are openly members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror organization, Fatah’s declared "military wing."



U.S. officials confirmed the financial aid is set to be transferred to Fatah.

The multi-million-dollar grant will be used to "assist the Palestinian Authority presidency in fulfilling PA commitments under the Road Map (peace plan) to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism and establish law and order in the West Bank and Gaza," a U.S. government document said.



Force 17 members told WND the ammunition and 7,000 assault rifles they say were delivered the past few weeks reached Fatah security forces in the Gaza Strip and in Ramallah in the West Bank. It was unclear if the arms were part of the $86 million in U.S. aid.



Like other recent confirmed arms transfers from Egypt and the U.S., the latest American weapons shipments were driven through Israeli checkpoints by convoys protected by the Israeli Defense Forces, according to sources familiar with the transfers. In Gaza, the weapons were accepted by Fatah strongman Mahmoud Dahlan, the sources said.



A spokeswoman for the IDF refused to deny the latest purported U.S. weapons shipments.



"This is a matter for the state (of Israel) and the prime minister’s office," the IDF spokeswoman said.



Miri Eisin, a spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, could not immediately provide confirmation or denial of the American weapons shipment, saying Olmert’s visit today to China is "keeping the staff fully busy."



The U.S. State Department did not return a request for comment before press time.



In an interview with WND, Fatah Force 17 security officer Abu Yousuf said some of the U.S. weapons his group received would be used against Hamas.

"The first place of these U.S. weapons will be to defend the Palestinian national project, which is reflected by the foundation of the Palestinian Authority. If Hamas or any other group under the influence of Iran and Syria wants to make a coup de tat against our institution, these weapons are there to defend the PA," said Abu Yousuf.



"We don’t want to go to civil war with Hamas, because this is what both the U.S. and Israel want. This is our last option. We hope our brothers in Hamas won’t oblige us to find ourselves in confrontation," Abu Yousuf said.

But the Fatah militant said the new American weapons may also be used to target Israelis. He admitted previous American arms supplied to Fatah were used in "resistance operations" against the Jewish state.



"If Israel will deliver what it promised to Abu Mazen (Abbas), [meaning a] withdrawal from Palestinian lands, including east Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, remove all the checkpoints in the West Bank, release our prisoners, and find a clear solution for our refugees, we’ll control our forces and the distribution of weapons.



"But if Israel doesn’t deliver, and we find ourselves manipulated by Israel, we cannot guarantee members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Force 17 will not use these weapons against Israel. Our goal is to change the occupation," said Abu Yousuf.



" It’s unnatural to think these American weapons won’t be used against the Israelis," he said.



Like some other Force 17 members, Abu Yousuf is openly also a member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.



The Brigades, together with Islamic Jihad, has taken responsibility for every suicide bombing in Israel the past two years, including an attack in Tel Aviv in April that killed American teenager Daniel Wultz and nine Israelis. The Brigades also has carried out scores of deadly shooting and rocket attacks against Israeli civilians in recent months.



All Brigades leaders are also members of Fatah. Abbas last June appointed senior Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades leader Mahmoud Damra as commander of Force 17. Damra, who was arrested by Israel in November, was on the Jewish state’s most-wanted list of terrorists.



Abu Yousuf said the American weapons shipments may be shared with other Palestinian terror groups. He said that during large confrontations with Israel, such as the Jewish state’s 2002 anti-terror raid in Jenin, Fatah distributed weapons to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.



"We don’t look where this piece or that piece of weapon came from when fighting the Israelis," Abu Yousuf said.



He also pointed to what he said was Hamas’infiltration of some of Fatah’s security forces as a possible mechanism Hamas can use to obtain Fatah’s American-supplied weapons.



"Our organizations are infiltrated (by Hamas). In the last elections campaign, our Fatah party was astonished at how many of our security members votes for Hamas ‘we thought our own forces would vote 95 percent vote for us, but it was 70 percent for Fatah and 30 percent for Hamas," Abu Yousuf said.



A senior Fatah security official, speaking yesterday to WND on condition his name be withheld, says Fatah has a "significant problem" of its militia members in Gaza joining Hamas.



Sources close to Hamas said the Fatah militants, including members of Force 17, worked with Hamas after receiving larger paychecks from the terror group.



"When they join Hamas, they bring along their new weapons," said a Hamas source.



During a WND interview earlier this week, Hamas spokesman Abu Oubaida told WND his terror group will obtain any American weapons transferred to Fatah militias or purchased by Fatah using the incoming $86.4 million in U.S. aid.



"I am sure that like in the past, this $86 million from America will find its way to the Hamas resistance via the honorable persons in the Fatah security organizations, including in Force 17. I can confirm 100 percent that this money and purchased weapons will find its way to Hamas," said Abu Oubaida.



The last confirmed American arms shipment to Fatah took place in May. At first, it was denied by the U.S. and Israel, but Olmert in June admitted the transfer took place, telling reporters, "I needed to approve the shipment to help bolster Abbas."



The U.S. weapons were delivered to Gaza and Ramallah by the IDF, according to reports.



U.S. weapons prompting Palestinian arms race?

Meanwhile, Abu Abdullah, considered one of the most important operational members of Hamas’so-called military wing, told WND the U.S. aid and weapons shipments have prompted a Palestinian arms race.

The Hamas leader said weapons procured as a result of the U.S. shipment will be used against Israel.



"The more the Americans give Abu Mazen (Abbas) weapons, the more we will have in the future weapons to use against the Israelis, because it incites the different organizations to intensify their own supply of weapons," said Abu Abdullah of Hamas’Izzedine al-Qassam Martyrs Brigades, Hamas’declared "resistance" department.



According to Palestinian security sources, the increased drive by Hamas to obtain new weapons has raised the price of arms in Egypt and Jordan.

"An M-16 that sold for 6,000 Jordanian dinar now is worth 10,000 dinar, because Hamas is trying to get more weapons," a Palestinian security source told WND.



Like Hamas spokesman Abu Oubaida, Hamas ‘Abu Abdullah said U.S. weapons to Fatah would eventually fall into the hands of Hamas:

"These American weapons will be one day the property of all the Palestinian people and its resistance, including Hamas," Abu Abdullah said. "The U.S. gives weapons to Fatah during internal Palestinian clashes, but one day when we go back to carrying out operations together, these [weapons] will be shared."

[American Patriot]

London Mosque DVD: Jews Face Mass Extermination
INN ^ | Jan 12, '07 / 22 Tevet 5767 | Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu



A leading mosque in London is selling DVDs that proclaim the coming mass extermination of Jews around the world on a "day of judgment." It also attacks Christian groups and the United Nations.



The London Central Mosque, also known as Regent's Park Mosque, is "the spiritual focal point for Muslims" throughout Great Britain, the European Jewish Press reported. It is also home to the Islamic Cultural Center, which educates Muslim children.



The report said that a British television station will air on Monday a documentary on Muslim extremism in Britain, and will report the selling of the DVD.



The DVDs are being sold at the London Central Mosque Shop. One excerpt shows a preacher, Sheikh Feiz, imitating the sounds of a pig and referring to the Jewish people who will be killed on the "day of judgment."


Another preacher, Sheikh Yassin, states that United Nations missionaries and Christians conspired to inject an AIDS virus in inoculations against diseases in Africa.


Faced with charges of selling the DVDs, the manger of the shop at the mosque said there were only 10 DVDs and all of them have been sold. He claimed that the supplier asserted the excerpts were taken out of context.


The television documentary discusses Muslim extremism and the July 2005 attacks on London's transportation system, which killed 52 people.

[Aplomb]

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...cle%2FShowFull

Jan. 12, 2007 10:40
Lebanon complain to UNIFIL about IDF encroachment

Lebanon launched an official complaint to UNIFIL on Friday, saying that Israel encroached 100 meters into its territory when the IDF discovered a Hizbullah arms cache the previous day.
Israel denied the claim, Israel Radio reported.

[American Patriot]

Hizbullah is an Integral Part of Iranian Intelligence
MEMRI ^ | 1/19/07

Former Hizbullah Sec-Gen: Hizbullah is an Integral Part of Iranian Intelligence; The Abduction of the Israeli Soldiers Was an 'Unsuccessful Adventure'

___________________________

In an interview with the Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa, former Hizbullah secretary-general Sheikh Subhi Al-Tufeili said that Hizbullah was part of Iranian intelligence, and called the July 12, 2006 abduction of two Israeli soldiers, which sparked the July-August 2006 war with Israel, an "unsuccessful adventure." The following are excerpts from the interview.(1)

Hizbullah is an Integral Part of the Iranian Intelligence Apparatus

Question: "You were formerly Hizbullah secretary-general. Is the [situation in Lebanon] within the strategic framework of Hizbullah? Does Hizbullah have an outlined and prepared plan that is being implemented today? Why do you think Hizbullah has become a source of anxiety for the Lebanese? "

Al-Tufeili: "It wasn't like this in the beginning. Hizbullah's activity was limited to resistance [operations]... But, unfortunately, the problem has developed today to the point where they have succeeded in changing Hizbullah from a resistance force into a tool to be used in [whatever] direction they want."

Question: "Does this mean that Hizbullah does not make its own decisions, and that its orders come from outside [Lebanon]?"

Al-Tufeili: "Yes, Hizbullah is a tool, and it is an integral part of the Iranian intelligence apparatus. Unfortunately, all the elements in the [Lebanese] arena have become tools, and take orders from outside [Lebanon]..."

Abducting the Soldiers Was "An Unsuccessful Adventure"

Question: "Can you see any justification for the July [2006] war after southern Lebanon was liberated in 2000?"

Al-Tufeili: "Following the abduction of the Israeli soldier [Gilad Shalit] in Gaza, and the enemy's response to that operation, [i.e.] the shelling, and the abduction of Palestinian ministers and MPs... I was amazed when Hizbullah announced that it had abducted two Israeli soldiers...

"[Israel is] an enemy we know. It has plundered our land, murdered our people, and slaughtered our children. [Was it reasonable] for us to carry out an operation like this after we have seen the response to it in Gaza and in occupied Palestine? [Was it reasonable for us to carry out such an operation] when we know that Israel attacks us, murders our children, and destroys our country [even] without us giving it excuses to do so...? I think that any sensible person could have assessed the enemy's possible response to the abduction operation... On the one hand, they [Hizbullah] are saying, 'Had we known what the reaction would be, we would not have abducted the soldiers.' On the other hand, they are giving the Israeli enemy a pretext to launch aggression against us...

"When we look at the causes of the war, there is no choice but to [admit] this. If [the war] had gotten worse, it could have led to the loss of the [entire] country... Are we allowed to destroy our country [just] so we can say that we abducted two soldiers – when we all knew what the magnitude of the Israeli response [would be]? What happened was an unsuccessful adventure, and there is no escaping the fact that those who carried it out will bear the responsibility for it..."

Iran Must Stop Using Hizbullah for Its Own Aims in Its Struggle with the West

Al-Tufeili: "[Furthermore], why was... the South [Lebanese] front the only one left burning, and why was Lebanon the only arena of bloodshed? Why weren't all fronts opened?... Why has Hizbullah become a tool [serving] individual interests that have nothing to do with the resistance? In my opinion, the issue is broader than the local [context], and is connected to the regional struggle – but it is being carried out by a local tool [i.e. Hizbullah]...

"After all that has happened, I hope that Iran will change from an element seeking its political interests in the region [into an element acting for the] liberation of Jerusalem – if Iran indeed wants to liberate Jerusalem as it claims. [It must stop] using the resistance [i.e. Hizbullah] for its own aims in its struggle with the West..."

Hizbullah is Leading the Country to Civil War

Al-Tufeili continued: "Until not long ago, the March 8 Group [a term for the Lebanese opposition] was a partner in the government, and participated in parliamentary elections.

"The March 14 [Forces] did not mislead [the Lebanese opposition]... They are openly allied with of the U.S. and France; they say openly 'We do not agree to weapons in Lebanon, except for those of the military.' They are demanding that Hizbullah hand over its arms, but in the framework of [internal Lebanese] dialogue, not by force. [They are also saying] that they want an [international] court [for the Al-Hariri assassination]. All this they said prior to the elections as well as after the elections, before they became ministers and after they became ministers.

"So where is their treason? Whom have they betrayed? Their position is clear; this is their plan, and [Hizbullah] entered into [an alliance] with them [just] for the election campaign... Yesterday, [Hizbullah] had an alliance with them, and gave the March 14 Forces a majority in parliament and in the government, and had no dispute or problems with them. [Hizbullah considered this alliance] to be for the good of the homeland.

"Today, [Hizbullah] is leading the country to civil war, in order to obtain a third [of the government]... If this third is so important, then [Hizbullah] must be punished, because it itself was the one who gave it to the [March 14 Forces in the first place]. If it is not important, then Hizbullah is leading us to civil war, to destruction and to the ruin of the country, for no good reason..."

I Do Not Believe Those Who Say They Are Against Civil War Yet Behave in a Way that Will Lead to Civil War

"I find no [justification] for us having reached such a situation... This is how wars begin. What we are seeing today in Lebanon is the preparation of an emotional, popular, military, media, and security climate [leading] towards a war that might break out at any moment. I don't believe anyone who says he is not interested in [civil] war, [yet] behaves in this manner. This is the behavior of someone who wants war."

"Iran is the Main Nerve in the Activity Today in Lebanon"

Referring to Syria's role in the events in Lebanon, Al-Tufeili said: "Syria is undoubtedly Iran's ally. It has undoubtedly been harmed by the March 14 Forces, and by the establishment of the [international] court. Thus, it is part of this battle; but it is not the most influential factor...

"Iran is the main nerve in the activity today in Lebanon. All Hizbullah activity [is financed] by Iranian funds. Syria has an important role, but Iran is the main and primary support of [the Lebanese opposition]. On the other side, the U.S. is supporting the March 14 Forces."

Endnote: (1) Al-Siyassa (Kuwait), December 14, 2006.

[American Patriot]

Israel faces nuclear Holocaust warns Gingrich
.ynetnews.com ^ | Published: 01.23.07, 19:51 | Yaakov Lappin





Newt Gingrich: Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem facing
mortal Iranian threat, says former US Speaker of the
House; emphasizes 'three nuclear weapons are a
second Holocaust'



The Israeli people are facing the threat of a nuclear Holocaust, former US Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich warned the Herzliya Conference held by the Institute for Policy and Strategy at IDC Herzliya on Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, he said, the United States could lose a few million people or a number of cities to a terrorist attack with weapons of mass destruction.



Gingrich, who addressed the conference via satellite from the United States, said he thought Israel's existence was under threat again for the first time in 40 years.



"Israel is in the greatest danger it has been in since 1967. Prior to '67, many wondered if Israel would survive. After '67, Israel seemed military dominant, despite the '73 war. I would say we are (now) back to question of survival," Gingrich said.



He added that the United States could "lose two or three cities to nuclear weapons, or more than a million to biological weapons."



Gingrich added that in such a scenario, "freedom as we know it will disappear, and we will become a much grimmer, much more militarized, dictatorial society."



"Three nuclear weapons are a second Holocaust," Gingrich declared, adding: "People are greatly underestimating how dangerous the world is becoming. I'll repeat it, three nuclear weapons are a second Holocaust. Our enemies are quite explicit in their desire to destroy us. They say it publicly? We are sleepwalking through this process as though it's only a problem of communication," Gingrich said.



The former House speaker expressed concern that the Israeli and American political establishments were not fully equipped to take stock of the current threat level.



"Our enemies are fully as determined as Nazi Germany, and more determined that the Soviets. Our enemies will kill us the first chance they get. There is no rational ability to deny that fact. It's very clear that the problems are larger and more immediate than the political systems in Israel or the US are currently capable of dealing with," said Gingrich.


'Time to come to grips with threat'



"We don't have right language, goals, structure, or operating speed, to defeat our enemies. My hope is that being this candid and direct, I could open a dialogue that will force people to come to grips with how serious this is, how real it is, how much we are threatened. If that fails, at least we will be intellectually prepared for the correct results once we have lost one or more cities," Gingrich added.



He also said "citizens who do not wake up every morning and think about the possible catastrophic civilian casualties are deluding themselves."



"If we knew that tomorrow morning we would lose Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem, what we would to stop it? If we knew we would tomorrow lose Boston, San Francisco, or Atlanta, what would we do? Today, those threats are probably one, two, five years away? Although you can't be certain when our enemies will break out," he warned.



Earlier, Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, said that Islamic jihadism was "the nightmare of this century."



"The war in Lebanon demonstrated that Israel is facing a jihadist threat that runs through Tehran, to Damascus, to Gaza. Hizbullah are not fighting for the coming into being of a Palestinian state, but for the going out of being of the Israeli state," he said.



Romney emphasized that Iran could not be compared to the former Soviet threat, because the Islamic Republic was following a suicidal path. "For all of the Soviets' deep flaws, they were never suicidal. Soviet commitment to national survival was never in question. That assumption cannot be made to an irrational regime (Iran) that celebrates martyrdom," he said.

The former governor called for the utilization of the widespread opposition held by the Iranian people to their own regime, in order to facilitate regime change, while also adding that "the military option remains on the table."

"Iran must be stopped. Iran can be stopped," Romney declared, receiving applause.

[Aplomb]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/823118.html

Last update - 01:20 08/02/2007

IDF shells Lebanese Army positions across northern border

By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and Agencies

Israel Defense Forces troops fired warning shells late Wednesday at Lebanese Army positions across their shared frontier, after Lebanese troops fired light weapons at IDF tanks north of the border fence, although still inside sovereign Israeli territory. IDF troops issued a warning to the Lebanese forces in the wake of the initial incident, and a short time later fired shells at the Lebanese position, opposite Moshav Avivim. There are no reports of IDF casualties, but the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, an international peace-keeping force bolstered following the second Lebanon war last summer, reported that five soldiers in the Lebanese Army were wounded during the exchange of fire.

Lebanese Army officials disputed UNIFIL claims that any soldiers were wounded, and said their forces suffered no casualties.

UNIFIL are trying to mediate.

Earlier Wednesday, IDF troops crossed the border fence in the area where four Hezbollah bombs were discovered Monday, in order to search the area for additional explosive devices.

While the troops are operating north of the border fence, they are not expected to cross the international border, which lies several dozen meters beyond the fence.

IDF bulldozers accompanied by Engineering Corps and infantry troops overturned mounds of earth in order to ensure that there were no additional bombs.

"The aim of the operation is to confirm that no additional explosive devices are located in the area and to make it difficult for the Hezbollah terror organization to conceal explosive devices in the area in the future," said the IDF in a statement.

"Furthermore the operation emphasizes the Israeli sovereignty along the international border and increases the effectiveness of IDF operations along the border," added the statement.

On Wednesday morning, the Lebanese Army threatened to fire on IDF troops crossing the international border. The IDF said in response that it has no intention of crossing the border, but that soldiers will defend themselves if fired upon.

At this point, the IDF Northern Command has been unable to determine as of yet whether the bombs found Monday were placed by Hezbollah recently, or whether the bombs were simply exposed due to heavy rains in the area.

Hezbollah said Tuesday that the devices had been there since before the July 12 outbreak of the war.

The IDF operation is being carried out under heavy security, in order to prevent Hezbollah from attacking the troops.

Israel has updated UNIFIL on the military operation, making it clear the troops will not cross the international border.

This is not the first time the IDF has operated north of the border fence.

Following the army's withdrawal from south Lebanon in 2000, the fence was redrawn. At several points its path was routed south of the border, as far as 100 meters in, in what the army cited as strategic considerations.

In searches conducted in recent months along the fence, IDF troops have discovered Hezbollah positions and equipment which appear to have been used in the abduction of two IDF soldiers in July 2006.

'Syria rearming Hezbollah'
Defense Minister Amir Peretz on Wednesday accused Syria of allowing the rearmament of Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon and said Israel has the right to act forcefully against the Shiite militia to counter the threat.

Speaking to visiting U.S. Jewish leaders, Peretz said Syria, Hezbollah's main ally, is continuing to allow weapons shipments to the group to cross its border with Lebanon.

"We can't under any circumstances ignore the transfer of weapons and ammunition to Hezbollah," Peretz said. "While Israel remains committed to the cease-fire we reserve the right to protect the citizens of the State of Israel and we will do this forcefully without any compromises."

In Beirut, a Hezbollah official declined comment.

About two weeks ago, IDF troops destroyed two Hezbollah bunkers uncovered during searches of the area around the border fence. One of the bunkers was found during the war, and the other was uncovered last month.

Both bunkers were within Israel's territory, somewhere between the international border and the border fence. The bunkers housed supplies, food and tools that would enable a long stay underground.

[Aplomb]

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=121023

Terrorists Tunneling Towards Israeli Civilians
17:40 Feb 06, '07 / 18 Shevat 5767
by Gil Ronen

Arab terrorists in Gaza are digging tunnels towards Jewish communities in southern Israel, according to General Security Service (Shabak) chief Yuval Diskin [pictured].

Diskin says that the terrorist organizations have dug a network of tunnels from Gaza towards Israeli territory. The purpose of the tunnels is to detonate large charges under Israeli civilian and military targets. Israel's security arms believe a number of tunnels, in various states of completion, already exist.

Diskin says that underneath what he termed the "relative quiet" on the Gaza front in recent months, the terrorists have been digging tunnels. Unlike those they dug in the past, which ran mostly towards Egyptian territory and were meant to smuggle weapons and personnel in from the Sinai area, these tunnels are being dug towards Israeli territory. It was a similar tunnel that Hamas and its allies used to enter an army camp near the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Gaza, Israel and Egypt last June, when they abducted Corporal Gilad Shalit and killed two other soldiers.

A resident of one of the kibbutzim near Gaza recently reported that the inhabitants have been hearing the sound of hammer blows underground, although it was not clear from where precisely they were coming. The residents, he says, are convinced that they are hearing the sound of an Arab terrorist tunnel being dug underneath their feet.

The civilians in the area are concerned that terrorists might detonate explosives underneath one of the Jewish communities or infiltrate through the tunnel and carry out an attack against a civilian community.

[Aplomb]

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=121064

Jerusalem Arabs Riot, Kassams Fired, After Old City Excavations
00:24 Feb 07, '07 / 19 Shevat 5767
by Hillel Fendel

Four Kassam rockets were fired into Israel and Arabs rioted in Jerusalem - in protest of Antiquities Authority works at the Western Wall Plaza entrance to the Temple Mount.

Restrictions were placed on Moslem worshipers allowed to the Temple Mount, and the police were out in force Tuesday morning at the excavation works site, in anticipation of a fierce Arab reaction to the work. Though less violent than expected, rock-throwers rioted in eastern and northern Jerusalem; 11 Arabs were arrested.

In addition, terrorist groups fired four Kassam rockets, in two waves, claiming to retaliate for the excavation work. In the first Kassam wave, around 1 PM, one rocket landed on the fence of a sensitive infrastructures installations outside Ashkelon, and one crashed into the western Negev. Three hours later, two more rockets smashed down near Sderot, including one that landed in a nearby community. No one was hurt.

The Antiquities Authority is carrying out a "salvage excavation," a preparatory operation before the construction of a new pedestrian pathway to the Temple Mount. The existing one, leading to the Mughrabim Gate, was rebuilt over the past two years after earthquake and weather damage, and cuts off much of the women's prayer area at the Western Wall.

Jerusalem arachaeologist Yuval Baruch said that the excavations are not at all near the Temple Mount, and that the Arabs have no reason to protest. Jerusalem District Police Chief Ilan Franko agreed, adding that the works were coordinated in advance with the Moslem Waqf that oversees the Temple Mount.

Arab leaders were unfazed, however, and continued to stoke the fires of conflict. Hamas Authority leader Ismail Haniyeh called on Moslems all over Israel, including in the PA-controlled areas, to "prevent" the continuation of the works, and Fatah figures made similar calls. Arab MKs Tzartzour and Zechalke showed up in the Old City and demanded to see the excavation plans, while MK Taleb A-Sana warned of the outbreak of "a third intifada." Other Arab leaders warned Israel of the dangers of "playing with fire."

Left-wing Knesset Members were quick to condemn the Israeli initiative. Colette Avital (Labor) said the work is unnecessary, and Meretz Party chairman Yossi Beilin said the project could cause a disaster.

Some feel that the Arab rage was actually caused by other archaeological finds in the area, which disprove the Arab theory developed over the past ten years claiming that Jerusalem and the Temple Mount were never historically Jewish.

Doron Spielman, Director of Development for the City of David foundation, says that anti-Zionists and Arabs truly have something to complain about. Speaking today on IsraelNationalRadio about a recent "phenomenal" discovery that left show hosts Yishai and Malkah Fleisher "speechless," Spielman informed listeners of the find of a 150-foot-wide staircase and an accompanying roadway leading directly up to the Temple from the Siloam Pool. He explained that the many thousands of Jews who arrived in Jerusalem three times a year would have used that stairway on their way from ritually immersing in the Pool to reach the Temple. See related Arutz-7 article, soon to follow.

[American Patriot]

Israeli police confront worshipers at Al-Aqsa
Reuters ^ | Fri Feb 9, 2007



JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli police forces entered the area around Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and fired stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinian worshippers in clashes at the end of Friday prayers.



Muslim leaders had called for protests over excavations near Islam's third holiest shrine. Arab states had asked Israel to halt the work, charging it could undermine the foundations of Al-Aqsa. Israel says the work will do no damage.



A police spokesman at the scene said 15 policemen and nine protesters had been lightly injured in the clashes. Seventeen people were arrested, some of them in the streets outside Jerusalem's Old City walls.



Police estimated that 9,000 worshippers prayed at the site on Friday.


Dozens were stuck inside the mosque as stone-throwers clashed with police outside on the compound known to Jews as Temple Mount and to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif.



"Police have used stun grenades and are in full control of the Temple Mount. They are working cautiously in order to disperse the rioters," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.



He said police did not fire rubber bullets as initially reported by Israel Radio.

Only women and men aged over 45 had been allowed to participate in prayers because of fears of riots.



The ZAKA emergency service reported stone-throwing incidents had taken place at other points around Jerusalem. There were no reports of casualties in those incidents.



ZAKA added that police were being diverted to the north of the country to prepare for possible unrest at a major protest in expected later on Friday in the city of Nazareth.



In Hebron in the occupied West Bank, local witnesses said the Israeli army closed the center of the city after youths threw stones and burned tires. Three people were treated at a local hospital for tear gas inhalation.



Rosenfeld said police were working with Israeli Arab lawmakers and clerics to disperse worshipers who were enclosed inside the mosque after police closed the doors on them.

[Jag]

Re-arming Race In Mideast

"In recent Middle East conflicts shipments of Kornet AT-14 (pictured) and Metis AT-13 anti tank missiles to Syria were passed on to Hezbollah and some penetrated the armor of Israel's most advanced tanks, the Markava Mark IV."

by Joshua Brilliant
UPI Correspondent
Tel Aviv (UPI) Feb 22, 2007

Six months after the attacks against Lebanon, Syria, Hezbollah and Israel are all beefing up their forces, preparing for another round of hostilities though none seem imminent. The Haaretz newspaper reported Thursday that the Syrian armed forces "are being strengthened in an unprecedented way in recent memory." The emphasis is on bolstering its missile and long-range rocket capability, the newspaper said.


The Syrians recently test-fired two Scud-D ballistic missiles whose range would reach most of Israel. Syria has also shorter range rockets and supplied many of them to the Lebanese Hezbollah (that fired 4,000 rockets during the war).

"The missiles and rockets are part of an effort to compensate for the obvious weakness of the Syrian air force. This way Syrians could strike Israeli cities and also carry out accurate attacks against military targets inside the country," Haaretz' defense expert Zeev Schiff wrote.

"Information received in Israel recently" says that Damascus is about to conclude a deal underwhich it would buy thousands of advanced Russian anti-tank missiles, Haaretz added.

Earlier shipments of Kornet AT-14 and Metis AT-13 anti tank missiles to Syria were passed on to Hezbollah and some penetrated the armor of Israel's most advanced tanks, the Markava Mark IV. Schiff did not identify his sources. However his report, and another on Hezbollah's buildup by Yediot Aharonot's military commentator Alex Fishman, immediately followed a militay intelligence briefing to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

According to intelligence leaked to Yediot Aharonot, Hezbollah has more than 10,000 short range rockets in southern Lebanon and more are being smuggled from Syria. The Lebanon war proved that a continuous barrage of such rockets has a strategtic impact. According to Yediot Aharonot's sources, Hezbollah realized that its daily barrage of 250 rockets was insufficient and it would like to double or treble that number.

Some weapons reach Hezbollah from Iran via Syria. The shipments are flown to Syria through Turkish airspace and the Israelis suspect some are transported by trucks, also via Turkey. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert raised the matter in his talks in Ankara last week and his interlocutors maintained they were not aware of it, a senior official on Olmert's plane told United Press Internatrional. Olmert intends to pursue the matter.

Retired Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror, who headed a team that investigated the military intelligence performance before and after the war, told UPI the weapons reach Hezbollah, "Slowly so as not to worsen the atmosphere." The shipments violate the United Nations' Security Council's resolution, he noted.

Hezbollah needs, however, time to recruit new people and train them, sometimes in Iran. It is returning to southern Lebanon but is keeping a lower profile, in civvies, he said. According to Yediot Aharonot Hezbollah is gradually rebuilding its bunkers, rocket launching sites and command and control centers. However with the reinforced UNIFIL peacekeepers around, and the Lebanese army troops reaching the Israeli border, Hezbollah has more difficulties gathering intelligence on Israel. One of the consequences of last year's war is that Israel's deterrence has been eroded. Amidror said the Syrians "have begun thinking that perhaps it is possible to fight Israel."

Moreover, Iran whose help to Syria had been "minor," is now willing to provide "more significant help." Teheran changed its attitude because it is facing the United States, Amidror said.

However, Syria's significant missile buildup still does not alter some basic flaws in its air and armored forces, he continued.

Defense experts do not expects new hostilities in the spring or summer. The head of the Defense Minister's Diplomatic-Security Staff, Maj. Gen. in the reserves Amos Gilad, said Thursday there were no signs of any Syrians or Hezbollah preparations for attack in the coming months.

Once Hezbollah resumes provocations, however, "we shall have to take the Syria army's capabilities into account," Gilad said. Syria "is building its forces for the long run," he added.

The Israeli military has meanwhile analyzed its mistakes during the war, the chief of general staff and two other generals resigned, Israel is acquiring more military hardware and enhancing the capabilities of its Arrow anti-ballistic missile that should stop the Syrian Scuds and Iranian Shehabs.

One of the main flaws discovered in the last war was that its army hasn't trained properly because so much effort was invested in policing the occupied territories.
That too is changing. This week the paratroop brigade had an extensive exercise on the Golan Heights, a possible battlefield with Syria. For five years there hasn't been such an exercise and some of the army's senior commanders lacked experience in managing big forces.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz, who watched those maneuvers, said described them as, "a very significant beginning of implementing the army's work plan for 2007 that focuses on training the standing army and later the reserves."

Peretz seemed to have a problem at one point in that exercise. Yediot Aharonot Thursday ran on its front page a picture in which Peretz observed a maneuver through binoculars. It was a typical picture of a commander in a military setting but his lenses had the covers on.

Source: United Press International

Jag

[Sean Osborne]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/828914.html

Last update - 03:01 22/02/2007

Syria bolstering forces, troops moving closer to border
By Amos Harel, Aluf Benn and Ze'ev Schiff, Haaretz Correspondent

The Syrian armed forces are being strengthened in an unprecedented way in recent memory with the help of generous funding from Iran and its troops appear to be moving closer to the border with Israel.

The Syrians are bolstering their forces in all areas except the air force, which has been believed to be weak for some time. The main emphasis of the efforts has been missiles and long-range rockets to compensate for the weak air force.

The Syrian navy, after years of neglect, is also being reinforced with an Iranian version of a Chinese anti-ship missile, similar to the oneused by Hezbollah during the second Lebanon war to strike the Israeli destroyer INS Hanit.

In addition to the overall strengthening of the armed forces in Syria, there has been a redeployment of forces along the front lines. It appears that the Syrians have moved forces closer to the border with Israel on the Golan Heights.

The Yom Kippur War on the Syrian front began with a raid by helicopter-borne Syrian commandos on the Hermon listening post, which was occupied by them. The position was not taken by Israeli forces until the end of the war in a very costly battle involving Golani and Paratrooper Brigade troops.

Syria's rebuilding of its military strength has also included test launches of ballistic missiles. Lately, the Syrians test-fired a Scud-D surface-to-surface missile, the latest version of a Soviet-era missile. The Scud-D has a 400-kilometer range and covers most of the territory of Israel.

More than a year ago the Syrians held a missile test but suffered a failure when one of them diverted from its trajectory and fell inside Turkish territory. The debris also fell in populated areas but no losses were reported. Turkey filed an official complaint with Syria, and Damascus apologized for the unusual accident.

In the Scud-D test, two missiles were fired, and the test is believed to have been successful. It is not known what type of warhead the missiles were armed with.

In addition to the larger Scud-type missiles, Syria is in possession of two smaller rockets, and both have been supplied to Hezbollah. One rocket is a 220mm rocket armed with a cluster-bomb warhead, and the other is a 305mm caliber rocket. The range of these rockets is estimated to be several dozen kilometers.

The missiles and rockets are part of an effort to compensate for the obvious weakness of the Syrian air force. This way Syrians could strike Israeli cities and also carry out accurate attacks against military targets inside the country.

The newest and most surprising aspect of the Syrian effort is taking place in its naval forces. In recent years the Syrian navy had been neglected, starting with the decommissioning of its submarines. Later, most of its missile boats came into disrepair or were not upgraded.
The Syrian navy made do with the task of coastal defense, using Russian-made surface-to-sea missiles, some with long-range capability, in the area of the port of Tartus.

However, it appears that the Syrians have chosen to adopt some of the Lebanon war's lessons, and with Iranian help they have renewed emphasis on their navy. The Hezbollah success against the Israeli navy came with the use of upgraded Chinese-made C-802 missiles. Hezbollah
launched these missiles against the destroyer INS Hanit, probably with the direct support of Iranian officers. A missile struck the ship, killed four crew members and caused serious damage.

Syria set to secure advanced anti-tank missiles from Russia
Damascus is close to concluding a large deal with Russia to procure thousands of advanced anti-tank missiles for the Syrian army, according to information received in Israel recently. Such a development suggests that Israel's diplomatic efforts to block the sale have failed.

According to various estimates the deal is worth several hundred million dollars and involves several thousand advanced anti-tank missiles.

For years Syria secured anti-tank missiles from the Soviet Union and later from Russia. During the war in Lebanon last summer Israel found proof that Syria had transferred to Hezbollah advanced Russian-made anti-tank missiles from its arsenal.

Evidence of the existence of these advanced missiles, the Kornet AT-14 and Metis AT-13, came in the form of crates discovered in the villages of Ghandurya and Farun, close to the Saluki River. The shipment documents showed that they had been procured by the Syrian army and transferred to Hezbollah.

Until Israel was able to produce such evidence the authorities in Moscow refused to acknowledge that advanced Russian-made weapons were being transferred to Hezbollah.

But after the war, an Israeli delegation that included members of the National Security Council and the Foreign Ministry presented the evidence to senior Russian officials.

The Russians promised to reevaluate some of the planned arms deals with Syria to ensure that advanced weaponry would not make its way to terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah.

However, there are now concerns in Israel that Russia will not keep its promise and that the deal with Damascus for the anti-tank missiles is near being finalized.

Syria stepped up its efforts to convince Russia to make the sale following the lessons it reached from the war in Lebanon. The fact that Hezbollah succeeded in delaying an Israeli armored column at the battle near the Saluki River with accurate fire from anti-tank missiles was noted favorably in Arab armies.

In retrospect, and following an IDF study, the number of tanks that were actually damaged during fighting in the war did not exceed several dozen, and in some of them the damage suffered was very minimal. But missile types like the Kornet and the Metis proved their destructive abilities and in some cases even penetrated the armor of
the Merkava Mark IV, which is considered to be the best protected tank in the world.

The IDF found it difficult to counter this threat, particularly since the weapons could be fired accurately from distances of five kilometers.

One of the lessons of the war for Syria was that it needed to improve areas in which it had a relative advantage against the IDF, like the anti-tank missile, and surface-to-surface missiles that can threaten Israel's home front.

In addition, Palestinian militant groups have intensified their efforts to smuggle anti-tank missiles from Sinai to the Gaza Strip.

Armor and infantry units in the IDF are now undergoing training in
tactical maneuvers that will enable them to counter anti-tank
missiles. In addition, there are efforts to upgrade the anti-tank
missiles in Israel's arsenal.

[American Patriot]

Hamas shoots Israeli, breaking own truce
Reuters ^ | March 19 | Nidal al-Mughrabi



GAZA (Reuters) - The armed wing of Hamas said its gunmen shot an Israeli near the Gaza Strip on Monday, effectively breaking a truce with Israel declared by the Islamist group in November.


An official in Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office called the shooting a "terror" attack.


The Israeli electricity company employee was working near the Karni commercial crossing between Israel and Gaza when he was shot and seriously wounded, Israeli rescue services said.


"The (Hamas) Qassam Brigades announced its responsibility for shooting a Zionist (Israeli) and firing two mortar bombs against a gathering of Zionist soldiers near Karni crossing," the statement by Hamas's armed wing said.
"Our strikes against the enemy will continue," it added.


The attack occurred two days after Hamas formed a unity government with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction. It was the first claimed by Hamas's armed wing since the November truce, which it had upheld.


"This is precisely the type of terror that the new Palestinian government steadfastly refuses to condemn, thus rejecting a principle condition placed upon it by the international community," the official in Olmert's office said.

(Excerpt) Read more at ca.today.reuters.com ...