Real Time Discussion thread - Many things

[American Patriot]

Guys.... I'm putting this thread up for real time discussion.

Here's what I have heard today, things that have me HIGHLY concerned.

1) Putin abolished his current government this morning, Russia time and appointed a new Prime Minister, wholly unknown to either the US or to the Russians. This is something that needs to be watched VERY CLOSELY.

2) The US is OPENLY considering military strikes against Iran this morning. Making the news on FOX at least.

3) A FOX news alert this morning skirted this issue quickly, and nothing new has been heard from this this morning, but APPARENTLY Israeli aircraft have made a big strike on Syria. Variously, I heard "to take out possible nuclear weapons" and "to take out IRANIAN WEAPONS being moved from Iran to the border with Israel". This one bears close watching as well.

4) Russia is testing a type of MOAB (Mother of All Bombs). It was tested and has the capability of using extreme amounts of energy, on the order of nuclear weapons, without using nuclear material. They are calling it the "Father of All Bombs" apparently.

Here's the deal, and what this thread is for.

Everyone reading and posting today, make a quick remark, post something, whether it's your opinion, editorial or even a new news article related to these things, or bring your own "I heard this today" message to the thread please.

Let's get some real-time discussion going about these things, rather than randomly posting messages. Let's have some pointed discussion here in this thread for a few days and see what we can come up with.

Rick

PS Consider this like "Think Tanking".

[American Patriot]

FOXNEWS.COM HOME > WORLD
Syria Complains to U.N. About Israeli 'Aggression'

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Syria complained to the United Nations about Israeli "aggression," saying Israeli warplanes dropped munitions in Syria, the country's ambassador to the U.N. said Tuesday.

A U.S. military official said the Israeli incursion, which took place last week, was an airstrike "deep into Syria" that hit a target. The offical, who spoke on condition of anonymity because it was an intelligence issue, said he did not know what the target was.

Syria has called the incursion a "hostile act" but has stopped short of calling it an airstrike. Israeli officials have refused to comment.

Syria's U.N. ambassador, Bashar al-Jaafari, said Damascus made its complaint in two letters to the U.N. secretary general and the president of the Security Council. The letters said the Israeli action also was in violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement that was reached after the 1973 Mideast war.

The letters warned that "continuing to disregard denunciation of this act could result in consequences that no one knows its limits," according to al-Jaafari. He said Syria awaits a stand from U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon "that would hold Israel responsible and demands that it ceases" such acts.

Syria reported the incursion on Thursday, saying Israeli aicraft flew over the northern part of the country and dropped munitions over an empty area after being fired on by Syrian anti-aircraft defenses.

Al-Jaafari said the Israeli aircraft dropped munitions and fuel tanks to lighten their weight as they fled the anti-aircraft fire.

"They were fleeing and in order to speed up the planes they dropped the munitions," he said, speaking to The Associated Press from New York.

The tanks, he added, fell in Turkish territory. Turkey complained to Israel over the weekend about the dropping of the tanks.

He said he had no further details on the incident, but denied news reports that Israel had landed troops on the ground inside Syria. "This is absolutely not true," saying the reports were an attempt to show that Israel could land troops wherever it wants.

"Israel is seeking military escalation. We are exerting efforts so that we don't fall into this trap. We are dealing with the matter with utmost keenness, precision and responsibility," he added.

A U.S. Television network reported Tuesday that the incident was an Israeli attack on Iranian weapons being transferred through Syria to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The report, citing U.S. government sources, said the operation involved warplanes and ground forces that were meant to mark targets or inspect the damage caused by the attack.

Asked whether he could confirm an Israeli strike on an Iranian arms shipment, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said, "No. I think you should talk to the Syrian government or the Israeli government."

[American Patriot]

Col. David Hunt made these comments recently, and I thought that this is an odd time for people to be thinking this way, but it's ABOUT FREAKIN' TIME:

Thanks for your service and thanks for getting the truth out about our military. I am a retired Marine and am very concerned about terrorism, as is everyone. However, I think we need to start looking at Russia and China. We have made drastic cuts in all areas of our military, and I think it is time to start rebuilding. Do you have any thoughts on this? Do the politicians have the willpower to spend more on defense? — Charlie

Col. Hunt: Charlie, thanks for you service there “Devil Dog.” Russia and China are scary apart, together they could be world beaters. They just held joint military maneuvers in Russia, the Russians just restarted strategic reconnaissance flights, and the Chinese have been upgrading their military for the past 16 years or so and stealing every secret we have. So, yeah, we should be looking at them both. Those in power here have not shown the guts or commitment for this terrorism fight let alone another cold war with Russia and China. I think we might need a service draft and more guys, like you, involved; we are in serious trouble

[American Patriot]

Report: Israel spots nuclear installations in Syria
Washington official says Israeli surveillance shows possible Syrian nuclear installation stocked by North Korea, Israeli Arab newspaper claims target of alleged raid last week was Syrian missile base financed by Iran Ynetnews

Latest Update:

09.12.07, 14:21 / Israel News

Israel believes that North Korea has been supplying Syria and Iran with nuclear materials, a Washington defense official told the New York Times. “The Israelis think North Korea is selling to Iran and Syria what little they have left,” he said.

Threat

Syria warns flyovers will have tragic consequences / Roee Nahmias Damascus warns that international community's silence on Israel's violation of Syrian airspace will have tragic consequences Full Story

The official added that recent Israeli reconnaissance flights over Syria revealed possible nuclear installations that Israeli officials estimate might have been supplied with material from North Korea.

Meanwhile on Wednesday the Nazareth-based Israeli Arab newspaper The Assennara cited anonymous Israeli sources as saying that Israeli jets "bombed a Syrian-Iranian missile base in northern Syria that was financed by Iran... It appears that the base was completely destroyed."

According to the Times, American officials confirmed Tuesday that Israeli jets launched an airstrike inside Syria. Sources said that Israel struck at least one target in northeastern Syria, but could not provide more details.

The most likely target was, according to some administration officials, weapon caches sent by Iran to Hizbullah through Syria.
North Korea commented on the incident Tuesday, calling it a "dangerous provocation", Chinese News Agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday.

"This is a very dangerous provocation little short of wantonly violating the sovereignty of Syria and seriously harassing the regional peace and security," a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea strongly denounces the above-said intrusion and extends full support and solidarity to the Syrian people in their just cause to defend the national security and the regional peace."

First Published:

09.12.07, 08:22

[American Patriot]

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Ne...sh.aspx/133192

NY Times: Israel Filmed Nuclear Materials in Syria

(IsraelNN.com) Israeli Air Force planes that flew over Syria last week took pictures of possible nuclear stations and nuclear materials that North Korea may be supplying to the northern neighbor, according to the The New York Times. "The Israelis think North Korea is selling to Iran and Syria what little they have left," an American official told the newspaper.


The same source also confirmed the Israeli air strike in Syrian territory. He did not reveal details, but most observers have assumed that Israel was targeting weapons being smuggled to Hizbullah terrorists.

North Korea criticized Israel for "a very dangerous provocation little short of wantonly violating the sovereignty of Syria and seriously harassing the regional peace and security."

[American Patriot]

Iran caught red handed in smuggling nuclear material

By Olivier Guitta


http://counterterrorismblog.org/2006...red_handed.php


Last week Agence France Presse reported that Bulgaria had stopped at its border with Romania a truck filled with radiocative material destined to Iran.
According to Serguei Tstatchev, head of the Bulgarian Nuclear Control Agency, the truck rented by a British company and Turkish registration was on its way to Istanbul and then Tehran. It contained radioactive material including cesium and its radiocative rate was 200 times the normal rate. Some more info can be found here.


While Iran is a little diverting attention with its proxy Hezbollah, it's still focused on implementing quickly its nuclear program. It is high time that the international community acted firmly on Iran because the problem is not going away anytime soon. Hezbollah is the living proof of this...


July 23, 2006 10:07 AM

[American Patriot]

Border guards seized a British lorry on its way to make a delivery to the Iranian military - after discovering it was packed with radioactive material that could be used to build a dirty bomb.

The lorry set off from Kent on its way to Tehran but was stopped by officials at a checkpoint on Bulgaria's northernborder with Romania after a scanner indicated radiation levels 200 times above normal.

Outcry as border guards seize British 'dirty bomb' lorry heading for Iran

By JASON LEWIS, The Mail on Sunday - Last updated at 22:00pm on 22nd July 2006

The lorry was impounded and the Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NPA) was called out.

On board they found ten lead-lined boxes addressed to the Iranian Ministry of Defence. Inside each box was a soil-testing device, containing highly dangerous quantities of radioactive caesium 137 and americium-beryllium.

The soil testers had been sent to Iran by a British firm with the apparent export approval of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Last night, the head of the Bulgarian NRA, Nikolai Todorov, said he was shocked that devices containing so much nuclear material could be sold so easily.

He said: "The devices are highly radioactive - if you had another 90 of them you would be able to make an effective dirty bomb."

And a spokesman for the Bulgarian customs office, said: "The documentation listed the shipment as destined for the Ministry of Transport in Tehran, although the final delivery address was the Iranian Ministry of Defence.

"According to the documentation they are hand-held soil-testing devices which were sent from a firm in the United Kingdom."

A leading British expert last night said the radioactive material could easily be removed and used to construct a dirty bomb.

Dr Frank Barnaby from the Oxford Research Group, said: "You would need a few of these devices to harvest sufficient material for a dirty bomb. Americium-beryllium is an extremely effective element for the construction of a dirty bomb as it has a very long half-life, but I would be amazed to find it out on the street.

"I don't know how you would come by it as it is mainly found in spent reactor-fuel elements and is not at all easy to get hold of. I find it very hard to believe it is so easily available in this device."

Senior Labour MP Andrew MacKinlay called for the Government to tighten up export controls to prevent the Iranian military getting its hands on nuclear material.

He said: "The Prime Minister has accused the Iranian Government of sponsoring international terrorism, yet his officials are doing nothing to prevent radioactive material which has an obvious dual use being sold to their military."

Little control

The discovery will add to fears about the lack of control over the sale of nuclear material to so-called 'rogue states' which the Government claims sponsor international terrorism, particularly as it comes at a time when Iran is ignoring international calls to halt its nuclear programme.

The case has echoes of the arms-to-Iraq affair during which the DTI approved exports of apparently innocent civilian equipment to Saddam Hussein that was then used to build weapons.

Mr MacKinlay added: "Our export controls are a mess.

"The Iranians are resourceful and sophisticated and, just as we saw with Saddam Hussein in the past, this is just the sort of method they would use to get their hands on the equipment they need for their supposedly banned weapons programmes."

Andrew Maclean, a director of Kent-based Orient Transport Services, which was paid by another unnamed British firm to transport the radioactive devices to Iran, said the shipment was perfectly legal.

He said: "We had a letter from the DTI confirming that no export licence was needed to send these items to the Iranians.

"We also alerted customs officials about the goods we were transporting before they left the UK and the truck carried all the appropriate warning symbols to alert officials and the emergency services of what it was carrying."

Last night a DTI spokesman confirmed: "Exporters do not need a licence to transport this sort of material to Iran. It is not covered by our export controls."

In August last year there was a similar incident when a Turkish truck carrying a ton of zirconium silicate supplied by a British firm was stopped by Bulgarian customs at the Turkish border on its way to Tehran, after travelling from Britain, through Germany and Romania, without being stopped.

Zirconium is used in nuclear reactors to stop fuel rods corroding and can also be used as part of a nuclear warhead. The metal can be extracted from zirconium silicate and its trade is usually tightly controlled.

[American Patriot]

And then I find this.... very old, but I've not read this before.

Syria's Secret Nuclear Program and Long Term Threat
Posted GMT 8-14-2006 15:25:33

Washington -- On May 5, 2004 RPS reported that there is growing concern in the Bush administration that Syria has been pursuing a clandestine nuclear weapons development program, and may already have centrifuges that can purify uranium for use in bombs. Centrifuges are a vital component in any nuclear weapons development program, as they can be used to purify uranium for use as nuclear fuel or in weapons. Experts say getting weapons-grade material is the biggest hurdle for any country that desires the bomb.

On Septmeber 16, 2005, John Bolton, then Undersecretary for Arms Control & International Security - U.S. Department of State, testified before the Middle East and Central Asia Subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee on Syria's bio/chem and atomic programs. In his testimony, Mr. Bolton said: "..on the nuclear side we are concerned about Syria's nuclear R&D program and continue to watch for any sign of nuclear weapons activity or foreign assistance that could facilitate a Syrian nuclear weapons capability. We are aware of Syrian efforts to acquire dual-use technologies that could be applied to a nuclear weapons program."

Since Washington began its post-September 11 policy of aggressively pursuing countries it believed had weapons of mass destruction that could be used against the United States and its allies, it has repeatedly issued warnings about Syria. Recent reports issued by the CIA have highlighted growing concern over Syria.

As an important player in the U.N. Oil for Food program, Syria also diverted important resources to its nuclear program by purchasing equipment, expertise, and delivery systems from other rogue nations or individuals.

Early on, various countries such as Belgium, China, Germany, and the former Soviet Union assisted Syria in their nuclear research. Additionally, over the years, Syria has solicited proposals from other countries including Argentina, India, and Italy. Further, the IAEA helped Syria on numerous projects including uranium exploration, uranium extraction from phosphoric acid, isotope production, construction of a cyclotron facility, development of nuclear research laboratories, and preparation for a nuclear power program.

A report by Middle East Newsline (MENL) in July of 2004 disclosed that the Bush administration has expressed concern that Syria might exploit dual-use components and technology approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency for a nuclear weapons program.

MENL further went on to say that officials said the United States has been tracking Syrian orders for dual-use components and technologies for its civilian nuclear research program. They said Russia has also been offering Damascus expertise and cooperation in the development of a Syrian nuclear reactor.

Nuclear Site

Sources close to RPS have disclosed that Syria is involved in military nuclear research not too far from Deir el-Hajjar, a tourist area in Syria. Deir el-Hajjar is also known for agricultural research, which is intended to hide the real purpose of nuclear research. Experts believe that some of the satellite early detection technology will be dismissed because of the agricultural component of the location.

"The CIA is aware of the site and is monitoring the situation closely" Sources told RPS. The site is built underground and has two facilities: civil and military. The civil facility is a cover for the military one, the real purpose of the site.

Furthermore, the Central Intelligence Agency has unclassified recently a report that was sent to Congress on the "Acquisition of Technology Relating to Weapons of Mass Destruction and Advanced Conventional Munitions". In it, the CIA accuses Syria of promoting a nuclear, chemical and biological programs.

The report states: "Syria...has a nuclear research center at Dayr Al Hajar. Russia and Syria have continued their long-standing agreements on cooperation regarding nuclear energy, although specific assistance has not yet materialized. Broader access to foreign expertise provides opportunities to expand its indigenous capabilities, and we are monitoring Syrian nuclear intentions with concern.

Nuclear Scientists

RPS is aware of three Syrian nuclear scientists who work closely with the regime of Assad. The most prominent is Dr. Ibrahim Othman who heads the Atomic Energy Commission (AECS), an organization established in 1979 by Hafez al-Assad for, in disclosures to the IAEA, peaceful use of nuclear technology for power plants. Dr. Othman is a habitual visitor to all IAEA annual meetings in Vienna. It is believed that he was the contact man with the Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan known to have delivered important secrets to rogue nations.

The other two scientists are Dr. Mustapha Hamolella, a Kurdish nuclear physicist and Dr. Faris Al-Asfari. Both work closely on the Syrian nuclear program and are closely associated with the regime.

It is also believed that Iraqi nuclear scientists may have escaped to Syria and are working closely with the Syrian regime to build a nuclear bomb. A group of about 12 middle-ranking Iraqi nuclear technicians and their families were transported to Syria before the collapse of Saddam's regime. The transfer was arranged under a combined operation by Saddam's now defunct Special Security Organization and Syrian Military Security, which was headed until recently by Assef Shawqat, Assad's brother-in-law.

The Iraqis, who brought with them CDs crammed with research data on Saddam's nuclear program, were given new identities, including Syrian citizenship papers and falsified birth, education, and health certificates. Since then they have been hidden away at a secret Syrian military installation where they have been conducting research on behalf of their hosts.

Expertise and Equipment

According to an IAEA official, Abdul Qadeer Khan, who has sold nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea, is also behind the proliferation of sensitive nuclear technologies to Syria.

"The leadership of Pakistan was well aware of the export of Pakistani nuclear technologies," the unnamed source in the International Atomic Energy Agency was quoted as saying by a Russian news agency, RIA Novosti.

"It is not ruled out that besides Iran, Libya and North Korea, such supplies could have been made to Syria" the official said.

Several Western diplomats who follow the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), have been saying for months that Syria was a customer of Khan's.

"Syria certainly had contact with Khan," said a non-U.S. Western diplomat, adding that suspicions of Syrian research in atomic weapons have existed for decades.

MENL reported on August 25, 2004 that the U.S. intelligence community obtained evidence that the Khan network sold and delivered components for an unspecified number of Pakistani-designed P1 centrifuges to Syria.

On April 29, 2004 then U.S. Undersecretary of State for Arms Control John Bolton said that Adbul Qadeer Khan had "several other" customers who may want the bomb. Western diplomats in Vienna said Bolton was clearly referring to Syria.

And on June 9, 2004, a North Korean expert disclosed to Future Korea that Syrians visited North Korea to acquire equipment. He said that:

* Syria ordered a large number of Scud missiles tipped with bio/chem warheads.
* Syria ordered Rocket engines that were made at "January 8th Factory" in Kaechon.
* Syria ordered Missile bodies that were made at "No. 26 Factory" in Namchon-dong, Kanggye City.
* The missiles were assembled at "Shin-eum-ri Factory" in Pyongyang City.
* And Bio/chemical warheads, the most sensitive parts, were finished at "Namheung Chemical Factory" and transported via train.

Enriched Uranium

RPS reported on March 5, 2004 that large amounts of uranium have gone missing from a nuclear technology company in Sweden. The CIA fears a worst-case scenario where the material has already fallen into terrorist hands, newspaper Expressen reports.

"The company (Ranstad Mineral) is a security risk and we have taken the matter to top level to get the Swedes to stop them," a CIA spokesman told the Swedish newspaper.

The CIA operative claims to know that the little Swedish company has educated Syrian nuclear physicists in the treatment of uranium. The Syrian scientists left the company right after the disappearance of the uranium. He also has information that a Swedish consultancy has sold nuclear equipment to Syria that can be used in the treatment of radioactive material.

"If it transpires that radioactive or nuclear material has been sent on from Sweden to Syria then this is a very serious matter for Sweden," the CIA source said.

After a meeting with the CIA operative Swedish authorities raided Ranstad Mineral several times and shut the company down on the grounds of deficient security.

"It was one of the worst things I have seen. The company has extremely serious deficiencies in its registration system," said Carl Magnus Larsson, divisional leader of the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority after their inspection.

Chemical Testing

According to well informed sources inside Syria, the Syrian Air Force base in Homs has tested chemical weapons aerial delivery on July 11, 2006 just one day prior to the attacks carried out by Hezbollah inside Israel. Unit 416 and Unit 417 in the Air Force were responsible to carry out the tests.

The tests involved the delivery of Sarin and VX through Syria's Scud missile arsenal (Scud-B and Scud-C) produced in Syria with the help of North Korea. A civilian research center located near Damascus, the Syrian Center for Scientific Studies and Research (Centre d' Etudes et de Recherche Scientifique--CERS) was also involved in the procurement of dual-use technologies that went into the development of the chemical stockpiles in Syria.

Delivery Systems

Syria was the conduit for the purchase of SAM engines for the Iraqi government from Belarus that would have enabled Iraq to use them to deliver any weapon up to 180km in radius. These same engines can be mounted two-to-a-rocket, which would have enabled Iraq to deliver any missile up to 600Km in clear violation of the UN sanctions. Of the 352 engines that were purchased by Syria from Belarus, only a handful have been delivered to Iraq and accounted for, the rest are in Syria's possession.

On May 14, 2004 RPS reported that western diplomatic sources said Beijing has sent several delegations and technicians to accelerate Syria's program for extended-range Scud missiles. The sources said the increased aid was first detected in late 2003 in what they termed a major development.

"The Chinese effort is meant to provide Syria with technical assistance that it has not been able to receive from other countries," a diplomatic source said. "The focus is to extend the Scud from short-range to medium- and even intermediate-range."

The sources said the Chinese assistance appears to be replacing that of North Korea, which was the prime supplier to and developer of Syria's missile programs. Pyongyang supplied and helped develop the Scud C and Scud D programs.

Russia, at one point, planned to sell the Iskander-E missile technology to Syria but backed down after the US lodged its objection to the sale. However, Belarus will be getting these highly accurate missiles and there is no reason, given the level of cooperation between the Belarusian government and the Assad regime that Belarus may not transfer that technology to Syria.

The Russian Role

Russia's arms business has found in Syria (and Iran) willing buyers. Russia has supplied Syria with SA-18 surface-to-air missiles, which according to arms specialists could be easily dismantled and handed over to terrorists. It has been a mystery of how Hezbollah been able to down Israeli helicopters in Lebanon.

According to MissileThreats.com, in June of 2006, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported Moscow's decision to establish naval bases in the Syrian ports of Tartus and Latakia. As part of the plan, the port of Tartus would be transformed into a naval base for Russia's Black Sea Fleet when it is away from the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol. The Russian plan involves the installation of an air defense system with S-300PMU-2 Favorit ballistic missiles. The missiles have a range of 200 kilometers (124 miles), allow a larger warhead and are equipped with a better guidance system than the previous version. The air defense system would be operated by Russia for the defense of the Tartus base and would provide potential protection for a large part of Syria. Through these initiatives, it is clear that Russia wants to strengthen its position in the Middle East.

Russia is searching for a new role in the diplomatic balance in the Middle East and a decision to move into Syria is a step on the path toward increasing its influence in the region. Syria seems to be the best target for this approach because of Damascus' heightened weakness as a result of its international isolation that was reinforced after the U.S. intervention in Iraq and Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is searching for allies to move the country out of isolation. This increases its incentive to turn to Moscow, even if this relationship will not be as strong as it was during the Cold War era. For Russia, its increasing ties with Syria provide Moscow with added leverage in the region.

During the first five years of Putin's presidency, Moscow and Damascus did not share close relations; since the beginning of 2005, however, that situation changed. In the last two years, Russia has built a closer relationship with Syria. The country is an important cash-buyer of Russian arms and an interesting partner for Russia's energy industries. Moreover, Putin is searching for a stronger role in the Israeli-Arab peace process; Russia's February 2006 meeting with Hamas is a clear example of this policy. Through that meeting, Russia tried to seize the initiative from the United States and the European Union, with the latter two's decision-making about the future of the peace process paralyzed by Hamas' election victory.

Furthermore, the London based "al-Awsat" reported on August 11, 2005 that Iran and a number of Gulf States have worked out a way to handle Syria's $12 billion arms debt to Russia so that Syria can now sign a new major arms deal with Russia which will include: 48 MIG-29's; 14-24 Sukhoi-27 [which is claimed to be a better performer than the Israeli F-15's]; SAM-11 ground to air missiles to replace the SAM-6's; SAM-12's for defense against missiles and jets to replace the SAM-5's, M300BMU - a development of the SAM-10 which is claimed to be superior to the American Patriot, able to strike jets 100 kilometers away and missiles 40 kilometers away; as well as 300 T-80 tanks.

The Iranian Role

On February 29, 2005, during a press conference in Beirut - Lebanon, Iranian defense Minister Shamkhani said that his country has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Syria and another with Lebanon to bolster the military apparatuses of both countries. The Syrian MOU in fact was intended to send a clear signal that cooperation between Iran and Syria are an integral part of their foreign policy, which lead many to believe that Iran may be working closely with Syria on a parallel nuclear program.

Moreover, Iran came quickly to the defense of Syria two weeks ago and threatened Israel with retaliation if Syria is attacked. This shows that the NATO-like MOU signed between Iran and Syria will make it very hard to peel Syria off by offering it any incentives.

Iran is calculating that Syria's involvement may distract attention away from its own nuclear program (Which did not happen) but also the intended purpose is to present the US with another challenge that Iran knows well the US will be unable to face simultaneously and because of a multiple fronts opened to confront terrorism.

Conclusion

All indications are that Syria is building a potent nuclear program with Iran's assistance and help. The United States government has never disclosed publicly the information but some believe that the CIA is fully aware of the damage that Khan has done and that Syria's nuclear program is more advanced than previously stated.

Syria has a potent chemical arms arsenal with a delivery system that can reach 700km that Assad is willing to use as has been proven through his direct Syrian-made missiles to Hezbollah.

Reform Part of Syria

[American Patriot]

Israel hit Missiles - the US Pleased - Story Stinks

http://joshualandis.com/blog/

Tuesday, September 11th, 2007

[IMG]http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?blobcol=urlimage&blobheader=image%2Fjpeg&blobheadername1=Cache-Control&blobheadervalue1=max-age%3D420&blobkey=id&blobtable=JPImage&blobwhere=1189411388104&cachecontrol=5%3A0%3A0+*%2F*%2F*&ssbinary=true[/IMG]The news of Israel's strike against Syria is beginning to come out fairly quickly now that the story has broken. CNN's reporting is confirming much of what has been rumored and what sources had suggested to me several days ago - that the operation was a military strike on arms and not a test of radar or road to Iran. We are still not sure what exactly was hit, but it does seem like missiles. Whether they were being transported or the site was a factory has yet to be cleared up.


Addendum: The CNN story still smells. So now we are told, through unnamed sources, that it was Iranian weapons heading to Hizbullah and clinching the evil axis of Iran-Syria-Hizbullah.



But why would Iran be flying to the Lieberman-Damascus International airport only to be transported back to Deir al-Zur and then toted back to Lebanon? Or, Why would Iran be flying to Deir? It doesn't make sense.
The real reason this doesn't make sense is that if Israel had intelligence that Syria was violating UNCR 1701 and acted on it, they would have trumpeted the happy news to the world, rather than sit on it for a week.


Where are the family pictures? CNN would be treating us to endless loops of the camera footage from strike aircraft. They play it all the time when they WANT us to see what they hit.


There is still a final chapter here.


CNN: U.S. pleased by Israel's Syria flyover, Published: 09/11/2007

The United States reportedly is pleased by Israel's alleged incursion of Syria last week.


The report followed Syria's charge that Israeli warplanes invaded its airspace Sept. 6 and dropped ordnance — an allegation that Israeli and U.S. officials declined to confirm or deny.


According to CNN, the Americans believe that the operation may have involved Israeli ground troops as well as aircraft, and that the incursion may have targeted weapons supplied by Iran and passing through Syria en route to Hezbollah in Lebanon.


CNN quoted a U.S. source as saying the Israeli airstrike "left a big hole in the desert" in Syria.

Syria denies that IDF ground troops participated in overflight op. Jerusalem Post
CNN: writes:

Sources in the U.S. government and military confirmed to CNN's Barbara Starr that the airstrike did happen, and that they are happy to have Israel carry the message to both Syria and Iran that they can get in and out and strike when necessary.


Right now, diplomats in the region are trying to ensure the incident does not escalate.


The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, is serving as a conduit between Israeli and Syrian foreign ministers, urging both sides to allow cooler heads to prevail, Solana's office said.

Story Highlights

Syria calls incursion a "breach of airspace" in letter to U.N. – France, the current president of the Security Council, said it had received no letter from Syria.
Israeli airstrike last week may have targeted weapons stores, sources tell CNN
Operation may also have involved ground forces, U.S. and regional sources say
Israel Defense Forces has made no comment

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday lashed out at Israel for intruding Syria's territorial air space last Thursday, the official news agency reported.


The Best article by an Israeli is by Larry Derfner in the Jerusalem Post, copied below


For once, Israelis seem to believe that Syria is telling the truth - that Israeli jets invaded Syria's airspace last Thursday, and that Syria fired at our jets but missed.


The reason Israelis believe the Syrian story is because if it wasn't true, Israel would deny it. Why would Israel deny it? Because countries aren't supposed to fly their jets into another country's airspace without permission. It's considered an invasion. An act of aggression. It gives the invaded country a casus belli - a justification to strike back.
In short, it's wrong. It's the sort of thing that starts wars, and countries are supposed to try to avoid wars, not start them.


So Israeli leaders have nothing to say about the Syrian reports. This is the diplomatic equivalent of a wink. Everyone understands.


What's hard to understand, though, is how the Israeli media can be so docile, so obedient, in the face of such a reckless Israeli act. I was watching Channel 2 Thursday night, and I couldn't believe what I was hearing, or rather not hearing.


None of the journalists, who clearly assumed that this incident had really taken place, thought it worth mentioning that Israel had just risked starting a war with Syria. None of them challenged Israeli officials on the wisdom of this. All they talked about was what Syria might do now, whether Syria would go to war. That Israel had just provoked Syria, had just escalated the conflict, was the elephant in the newsroom that they pretended not to see.


This has been the tenor of the coverage ever since - lots of speculation on what Israel was trying to achieve and how Syria might react, hardly a hint about the incredible risk Israel took, about the morality of tossing a lighted match in a dry forest as this country's leaders just did.
It's almost surrealistic. It's like there's a conspiracy of silence. The people who are supposed to ask questions act as if they've been lobotomized. I feel a little bit like I'm living in a police state.


What would have happened if Syria had shot down one of our jets? We would have been at war with a country on our northern border that has biological and chemical weapons as well as lots of missiles - and Israel would be guilty of having provoked the war.


FOR MONTHS now, Israeli political and military leaders have been saying the danger on the border is not that Syria will invade, but that Syria is afraid we will invade, and that one thing will lead to another and a war will break out due to one side "miscalculating" the other's intentions. Implicit in this was that Israel would never invade Syria because Israel doesn't want war, Israel doesn't do things like that, so the real danger was Syria's paranoia.
Evidently, Syria wasn't so paranoid.


Since Thursday, spokesmen for this country have been trying to calm everyone down, assuring everyone that Israel doesn't want war.


What a joke. If Israel wanted to calm things down with Syria, why did it fly its jets into Syrian airspace at a time like this? If Israel doesn't want war, why did it risk war?


While I'm surprised the Israeli media are just falling quietly into line behind the government and the army, I'm not surprised the Israeli public is doing so. When it's Israel vs. the Arabs, there is no policy too belligerent or too dangerous for a majority of Israelis to support.


They will accept any official explanation or non-explanation without question, they will put their children's lives at risk with trepidation but without protest - anything rather than wonder aloud whether Israel might be in the wrong this time and the Arab enemy in the right. As was the case on Thursday.


IT TURNS OUT that nothing has changed since last summer's war in Lebanon. With rare exceptions, the Israeli media didn't ask any questions then, and they aren't asking any questions now. Same with the public. In fact, the situation seems to have gotten worse. Last summer's war was started, after all, by Hizbullah, so even Meretz, even I supported it at first.


The failure by the media and the public came later, when they didn't ask what purpose Israel had in continuing the fighting indefinitely. Now we've got a situation where the country has gone mum after its leaders behaved recklessly not in self-defense, as in Lebanon, but in aggression.


We've set up a strict double standard for ourselves and the Arabs. We believe Israel is entitled to breach Syrian airspace, or Lebanese airspace, because - well, because they're bad and we're good. But if they breach ours? If Syrian jets dared fly over Israeli territory, everybody knows what would happen - we'd shoot them down without a moment's hesitation. And afterward we'd complain to the whole world, we'd say, "You see? The Arabs are trying to kill us all, just like the Nazis." Yet if, on the other hand, Israeli jets fly over Syria - and get away with it? Wink, wink. The little country with the big heart has done it again. Damn, we're good.


DESPITE WHAT some readers think, I'm not one of those people who blame Israel for all of the Middle East's troubles, who think the Arabs would leave Israel alone if we'd only leave them alone. That's a ridiculous idea. But it's no less ridiculous to claim that Israel wants peace with its whole being and it's only the Arabs who are preventing it. I think Thursday's incident showed otherwise.


No, I'm one of those people who believe the Middle East is a bloody mess because both the Arabs and the Israelis are oriented to war. I like to think the Arabs are the bigger part of the problem, but even if that's true, we are no small part of it.
By Larry Derfner

[American Patriot]

U.S. Officials Begin Crafting Iran Bombing Plan

Tuesday, September 11, 2007
By James Rosen

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AP

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns



WASHINGTON — A recent decision by German officials to withhold support for any new sanctions against Iran has pushed a broad spectrum of officials in Washington to develop potential scenarios for a military attack on the Islamic regime, FOX News confirmed Tuesday.

Germany — a pivotal player among three European nations to rein in Iran's nuclear program over the last two-and-a-half years through a mixture of diplomacy and sanctions supported by the United States — notified its allies last week that the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel refuses to support the imposition of any further sanctions against Iran that could be imposed by the U.N. Security Council.


The announcement was made at a meeting in Berlin that brought German officials together with Iran desk officers from the five member states of the Security Council. It stunned the room, according to one of several Bush administration and foreign government sources who spoke to FOX News, and left most Bush administration principals concluding that sanctions are dead.


The Germans voiced concern about the damaging effects any further sanctions on Iran would have on the German economy — and also, according to diplomats from other countries, gave the distinct impression that they would privately welcome, while publicly protesting, an American bombing campaign against Iran's nuclear facilities.


Germany's withdrawal from the allied diplomatic offensive is the latest consensus across relevant U.S. agencies and offices, including the State Department, the National Security Council and the offices of the president and vice president. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns, the most ardent proponent of a diplomatic resolution to the problem of Iran's nuclear ambitions, has had his chance on the Iranian account and come up empty.


Political and military officers, as well as weapons of mass destruction specialists at the State Department, are now advising Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the diplomatic approach favored by Burns has failed and the administration must actively prepare for military intervention of some kind. Among those advising Rice along these lines are John Rood, the assistant secretary for the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation; and a number of Mideast experts, including Ambassador James Jeffrey, deputy White House national security adviser under Stephen Hadley and formerly the principal deputy assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs.


Consequently, according to a well-placed Bush administration source, "everyone in town" is now participating in a broad discussion about the costs and benefits of military action against Iran, with the likely timeframe for any such course of action being over the next eight to 10 months, after the presidential primaries have probably been decided, but well before the November 2008 elections.


The discussions are now focused on two basic options: less invasive scenarios under which the U.S. might blockade Iranian imports of gasoline or exports of oil, actions generally thought to exact too high a cost on the Iranian people but not enough on the regime in Tehran; and full-scale aerial bombardment.


On the latter course, active consideration is being given as to how long it would take to degrade Iranian air defenses before American air superiority could be established and U.S. fighter jets could then begin a systematic attack on Iran's known nuclear targets.


Most relevant parties have concluded such a comprehensive attack plan would require at least a week of sustained bombing runs, and would at best set the Iranian nuclear program back a number of years — but not destroy it forever. Other considerations include the likelihood of Iranian reprisals against Tel Aviv and other Israeli population centers; and the effects on American troops in Iraq. There, officials have concluded that the Iranians are unlikely to do much more damage than they already have been able to inflict through their supply of explosives and training of insurgents in Iraq.


The Bush administration "has just about had it with Iran," said one foreign diplomat. "They tried the diplomatic process. China is now obstructing them at the U.N. Security Council and the Russians are tucking themselves behind them.


"The Germans are wobbling …There are a number of people in the administration who do not want their legacy to be leaving behind an Iran that is nuclear armed, so they are looking at what are the alternatives? They are looking at other options," the diplomat said.


Vice President Cheney and his aides are said to be enjoying a bit of "schadenfreude" at the expense of Burns. A source described Cheney's office as effectively gloating to Burns and Rice, "We told you so. (The Iranians) are not containable diplomatically."


The next shoe to drop will be when Rice and President Bush make a final decision about whether to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and/or its lethal subset, the Quds Force, as a terrorist entity or entities. FOX News reported in June that such a move is under consideration.


Sources say news leaks about the prospective designation greatly worried European governments and private sector firms, which could theoretically face prosecution in American courts if such measures became law and these entities continued to do business with IRGC and its multiple financial subsidiaries.


If the Bush administration moves forward with such a designation, sources said, it would be an indication that Rice agrees that Burns' approach has failed. Designation of such a large Iranian military institution as a terrorist entity would also be seen, sources said, as laying the groundwork for a public justification of American military action.

[American Patriot]

U.S. Confirms Israeli Strikes Hit Syrian Target Last Week
New York Time ^ | Sept 12, 2007 | By MARK MAZZETTI and HELENE COOPER

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 — After days of silence from the Israeli government, American officials confirmed Tuesday that Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes inside Syria last week, the first such attack since 2003.

A Defense Department official said Israeli jets had struck at least one target in northeastern Syria last Thursday, but the official said it was still unclear exactly what the jets hit and the extent of the bombing damage.

Syria has lodged a protest at the United Nations in response to the airstrike, accusing Israel of “flagrant violation” of its airspace. But Israel’s government has repeatedly declined to comment on the matter.

Officials in Washington said that the most likely targets of the raid were weapons caches that Israel’s government believes Iran has been sending the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah through Syria. Iran and Syria are Hezbollah’s primary benefactors, and American intelligence officials say a steady flow of munitions from Iran runs through Syria and into Lebanon.

In the summer of 2006, during fighting between Israeli and Hezbollah forces, the militant group fired hundreds of missiles into Israel, surprising Israel with the extent and sophistication of its arsenal. Israel has tried repeatedly to get the United Nations to prevent the arms shipments across the Syria-Lebanon border.

One Bush administration official said Israel had recently carried out reconnaissance flights over Syria, taking pictures of possible nuclear installations that Israeli officials believed might have been supplied with material from North Korea. The administration official said Israeli officials believed that North Korea might be unloading some of its nuclear material on Syria.

“The Israelis think North Korea is selling to Iran and Syria what little they have left,” the official said. He said it was unclear whether the Israeli strike had produced any evidence that might validate that belief.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...

[American Patriot]

'Advisors to Assad pressuring him to respond with force'
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...cle%2FShowFull ^

Advisors to Syrian President Bashar Assad are pressuring him to respond to the alleged IAF attack by "landing a blow to an Israeli target," the Kuwait-based Al-Jareeda reported Wednesday. According to the report, Israel targeted long-range missile batteries that were brought to Syria from Iran. The report said five IAF fighter jets carried out the attack.

Syrian President Bashar Assad and Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shake hands in Damascus. Photo: AP [file]

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. Photo: AP [file] RELATED 'IAF targeted Iranian weapons in Syria' Analysis: Israel's tense holiday season Israel Radio quoted the Kuwaiti paper to the effect that the group advocating a military response is being spearheaded by Assad's brother in law, who has met in recent days with senior Hizbullah and Hamas officials in an effort to draw up an operation plan.

The Kuwaiti paper also reported that the Syrian army has begun drafting reservists from the armed corps, missile corps and anti-aircraft units, and quoted "sources in the know" who said the draft was a response to Israel raising its level of readiness in the north.

According to a report by The Nazareth-based al-Sinara newspaper Wednesday, the IAF targeted a joint Syrian-Iranian missile base in northern Syria. Reportedly, the Iranian-funded installation was razed to the ground.

The report claimed its information was gleaned from an "Israeli source."

An official in the Bush administration told the New York Times Wednesday that in recent days the IAF has flown over Syria several times in an attempt to gain intelligence on a number of suspected nuclear facilities Israel believes have been sponsored by North Korea.

"The Israelis think North Korea is selling to Iran and Syria what little they have left," the official told the Times, adding that the alleged strike had not necessarily provided evidence to confirm the intelligence.

Meanwhile, North Korea slammed Israel for the alleged air strike, calling it a "dangerous provocation" aimed at breaching Syria's sovereignty and upsetting peace and security in the region.

"North Korea harshly condemns the said incursion and expresses solidarity and support of the Syrian nation in its righteous cause of safeguarding national security and peace in the region."

Also on Wednesday, the Lebanese daily Almustakbal reported that since the alleged IAF foray over Syria last week there have been severe disturbances in Lebanese communications systems and cellular frequencies.

[American Patriot]

Israel Reportedly Hit Syrian Missile Base Financed by Iran
AFP / Jerusalem Newswire ^ | 12 Sep 07, 09:11

Israeli warplanes last week bombed and destroyed a northern Syrian missile base that was financed by Iran, an Arab Israeli newspaper reported on Wednesday. Citing anonymous Israeli sources, the Assennara newspaper said that Israeli jets "bombed in northern Syria a Syrian-Iranian missile base financed by Iran ... It appears that the base was completely destroyed."

.....

Jerusalem Newswire :

Syria's ambassador to the United Nations warned Wednesday Israel has yet to hear Damascus' answer to the "act of hostility" committed by the Israeli Air Force last week.

"Our response has not yet come," Bashar al-Jaafari told the BBC's Arabic-language service.

(Excerpt) Read more at naharnet.com ...

[American Patriot]

Dad of all bombs
http://citizenxpress.com/blog/view/4106/ ^ | Wed, 2007-09-12 03:49. | Nksagar

http://citizenxpress.com/blog/view/4106/ Dad of all bombs World's most powerful bomb Tested Submitted by Nksagar on Wed, 2007-09-12 03:49. Posted under:

* World * Dad of all bombs

Russia device a Dad of all bombs shown on their National Television more powerful than with US explosives.

The bomb, also known as a high-impulse thermobaric weapon, disperses a cloud of hydrocarbons. It explodes in a fraction of a second, setting the area on fire and emitting very strong heat.

On Tuesday Russia unveiled a new seven-tonne explosive device "dad of all bombs" on national television,bomb "permits us state security and at the same time the ability to battle against international terrorism in any situation, in any region," Russian Army chief General Alexandre Rushkin said.

This technology originated from the Vietnam war, where American soldiers called it "daisy clippers" because it was used to deforest jungles with devastating effect.

Rushkin likened the test results to the effects of a nuclear bomb.

Russian television showed a 30-metre (98-foot) four-storey building reduced to rubble after it was hit by one of these 7,100 kilogramme (16,000 pound) bombs.

No independent experts were interviewed regarding the still-unnamed bomb on Russian television and it is not possible to determine how new this bomb is or the veracity of the claims made by the Russian army.

[Luke]

Things seem to be reaching a boiling point. I have noticed these things also. For what it is worth, Drudge is reporting oil at $80 a barrel.

Now it the time to pay close attention to world events, Putin may become a very dangerous foe.

Be prepared.

[American Patriot]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/ne.../posts?page=50

I'd ask that several members here jump on that thread and start posting over there. LOL. I've got an obviously old-timer "Anomalies creep" over there whining and trolling. LOL

[American Patriot]

9/11 Car Bomb Attack Foiled in Turkey

Wed, Sep 12, 2007 at 11:15:55 am PST
Yesterday, Turkish police narrowly averted a huge car bomb attack in the capital of Ankara.

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish police foiled a bomb attack in Ankara on Tuesday, the sixth anniversary of 9/11 attacks on the United States, averting what officials said would have been a disaster for the capital.


Ankara governor Kemal Onal said police had found a vehicle packed with explosives in a multi-storey car park in a central district of the city of four million. Shops and offices in the area were quickly evacuated.


“The police efforts prevented a possible disaster ... It is too early to say who was behind this but the bomb was big and I do not want to think what might have happened if it had gone off,” Onal told reporters.


Private broadcaster NTV said police had found about 300 kg of explosives in the vehicle, a stolen mini-bus parked on the second floor of the car park.

UPDATE at 9/12/07 11:22:27 am:
The finger seems to be pointing at Kurdish rebels.

Experts said explosives found in the vehicle, which was stolen from Istanbul last year and yielded no fingerprints, were similar to those seized in the past from Kurdish separatists. Police have said the findings so far suggest Kurdish rebels were behind the foiled attack.


Sniffer dogs led officers to the blue minibus as Turkey, an ally of the United States, had increased security ahead of the Sept. 11 attacks.


The governor’s office said police found sacks of bomb-making materials, including chemicals and gas canisters connected to a cell phone — a method often used by Kurdish rebels in roadside bombings against troops in the Kurdish-dominated southeast near the Iraqi border.

[Backstop]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/ne.../posts?page=50

I'd ask that several members here jump on that thread and start posting over there.

Done.

Post 83.

[American Patriot]

thanks, saw that. He shut up for some reason.

[Backstop]

Putin and his new gov't certainly have me interested...