WarSclerotic

Hezbollah Withdraws 1,200 Troops from Syria – Middle East – News – Israel National News.

Assad may lose one of his staunchest allies as Hezbollah increasingly divided over bloody Syria operations.

(Illustration) Hezbollah fighters carry coffin of fallen comrade

Reuters

The Lebanon-based Hezbollah terrorist group has been one of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s staunchest allies as he battles dozens of rebel groups bent on overthrowing his government. But now, after taking part in a number of key battles on behalf of the regime, it seems Hezbollah’s support may be coming to an end.

According to Arabic media outlets, Hezbollah is withdrawing roughly 1,200 troops from Syria. The fighters were sent in to help Assad retake the city of Qusair, near the border with Lebanon, which they did in early June. They were accused of murdering women and children during the fighting, which exacted a heavy toll on both sides.

Hebollah then redirected its efforts towards Homs, to help Assad’s troops retake that area, and intended to move on afterward to Aleppo.

However, instead of quickly retaking the area, the Hezbollah and Syrian soldiers, and their Iranian advisors, found themselves increasingly trapped in endless bloody skirmishes in the region. Not only did they not retake land from the rebels, but they found themselves suffering heavy losses.

The losses lead to increasing division within Hezbollah, with many criticizing the group’s head, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, for spending Hezbollah lives in a foreign country. Nasrallah’s own brother Khader was among the dead.

Hezbollah has seen a rapid fall in its popularity among the largely Sunni Muslim Arab world, where it used to enjoy widespread support in spite of its identity as a Shi’ite Muslim group and its alignment with Iran, as a result of its perceived successes in fighting arch-foe Israel.

But taking up arms on behalf of Bashar al-Assad (who is a member of the Alawite sect (an offshoot of Shia Islam) against the majority Sunni Muslim rebels angered many of its former supporters, many of whom now derogatively refer to the group as Hezbul-Shaytan (Party of Satan) as opposed to Hezbollah (Party of God).

Nasrallah also faced pressure due to recent attacks on Shi’ite Muslim strongholds in Lebanon, attacks that were apparently carried out in revenge for Hezbollah’s support for Assad. With many of Hezbollah’s combatants stationed in Syria, the group has found itself increasingly unable to secure its traditional supporters at home.

According to the reports, the Hezbollah troops returning to Lebanon will not immediately resume their old positions near Israel’s northern border. They may be stationed across Lebanon instead, possibly in an attempt to reconsolidate the group’s grip over its traditional strongholds.

However, despite the withdrawal many Hezbollah troops will still remain in Syria, including 550 who were recently sent to the Damascus area.

Those who have been called back to Lebanon will apparently be replaced by Iranian “volunteers” from the ranks of the Revolutionary Guards, reports say, as part of the increasingly direct involvement of Iranian troops fighting on the ground in Syria on behalf of  Assad.

A recent report revealed the key role payed by Iranian forces on the Syrian battlefield.

Israel no longer certain Obama would ever use force against Iran, Likud MK indicates | The Times of Israel.

Tzachi Hanegbi: In his UN speech, PM was telling Iran that Israel will take action ‘even if the Americans will be prevented from acting against you’

Tzachi Hanegbi (right) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (photo credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90)

NEW YORK — Israel is no longer certain that the Obama administration would employ military force even as a last resort to thwart Iran attaining nuclear weapons, a senior colleague of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated for the first time.

That new uncertainty was a relatively recent development, Tzachi Hanegbi, a Likud Knesset member and former cabinet minister, further indicated. The turning point was America’s response to the crisis over the alleged use of chemical weapons by Syria’s Assad regime in late August. And it explained why Netanyahu, in his speech at the UN General Assembly, felt the imperative to warn the Iranians that Israel would act on its own if necessary.

Speaking to The Times of Israel in New York in the wake of Netanyahu’s speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Hanegbi said “the most dramatic part” of the prime minister’s address was the passage in which he warned, “Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone.”

Why was this so dramatic, Hanegbi asked rhetorically? “Because it marked the first time it was said in public, and not behind closed doors, that Israel will act even if stands alone.”

“What does that mean, to ‘stand alone,’” he asked, again rhetorically? “After all, we didn’t expect the world to act. But our expectation was and remains that the United States — if the negotiations do indeed fail — would employ the military option which the president has said several times is not removed from the table. But we saw recently that even if the president has a clear and unequivocal position, as in the Syrian case, sometimes all kinds of constraints are placed upon him that are not under his control, like the position of Congress or American public opinion. (President Barack Obama initially threatened punitive military action for the Assad regime’s August 21 alleged chemical weapons attack, later said he would consult Congress, and ultimately accepted a Russian-instigated diplomatic initiative.)

“Therefore,” Hanegbi went on, “the prime minister essentially is telling the Iranians: ‘Do not delude yourselves. Even if the Americans will be prevented from acting against you, we will know how to defend ourselves, with our own forces.’”

Asked whether, rhetoric aside, Israel could actually strike at Iran when the US president was engaged with Tehran in a diplomatic effort to resolve the nuclear crisis, Hanegbi dismissed such a scenario. “The non-diplomatic option will only become applicable once it is clear that the diplomatic option failed,” he said. “Since the American president clarified what he expects in the diplomatic realm, it is clear that if this doesn’t work, he couldn’t come and complain to any other player.”

Hwoever, a senior official in the prime minister’s delegation to the US told The Times of Israel Wednesday that a preemptive Israeli strike against Iranian nuclear facilities remains a viable option even while Washington is engaged in a diplomatic process with Tehran.

“The prime minister was very clear about it. He said that that option is still on the table,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It is not the preferred option, as we prefer a successful solution to the crisis through diplomatic means, but it’s always on the table.”

In his comments to The Times of Israel, Hanegbi added that “the prime minister’s position represents the State of Israel, and he is very skeptical about Iran’s willingness to give up on a dream they have tried to advance for more than 15 years.”

Hanegbi, who is considered close to the prime minister, also noted that Netanyahu’s speech included a “hardening of positions” regarding Jerusalem’s demands of Iran, as for the first time he required that Iran close its uranium enrichment plant in Natanz, as well as its facilities at Qom and Arak.

Any “meaningful” diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear standoff would require four steps, Netanyahu told the UN: “First, cease all uranium enrichment… Second, remove from Iran’s territory the stockpiles of enriched uranium. Third, dismantle the infrastructure for nuclear breakout capability, including the underground facility at Qom and the advanced centrifuges in Natanz. And, four, stop all work at the heavy water reactor in Arak aimed at the production of plutonium.”

Previously, his four stated conditions had included closure of the Qom and Arak facilities, but Tuesday’s speech for the first time included the demand to close Natanz as well. “Apparently, what can be done in Qom can also be done in all other facilities,” said Hanegbi.

Netanyahu on Wednesday morning spoke to presidents and directors of leading media companies, staffers said. In his counter-Rouhani media blitz, he was later giving interviews to NBC, CBS and Univision (Spanish). On Thursday, he was to speak to CNN, ABC, and others, before heading home.

Israel, Gulf states said discussing new alliance to stop Iran | The Times of Israel.

Israeli TV: Intensive talks with leading figures taking place over recent weeks, amid concern that Tehran will dupe Washington

A formation of IAF Lockheed Martin F-16s (photo credit: Tsahi Ben-Ami/Flash90)

Israel has held a series of meetings with prominent figures from a number of Gulf and other Arab states in recent weeks in an attempt to muster a new alliance capable of blocking Iran’s drive toward nuclear weapons, Israel’s Channel 2 reported Wednesday.

According to the report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been supervising a series of “intensive meetings” with representatives of these other countries. One “high ranking official” even came on a secret visit to Israel, the report said.

The report came a day after Netanyahu, in an overlooked passage of his UN speech, noted that shared concerns over Iran’s nuclear program “have led many of our Arab neighbors to recognize… that Israel is not their enemy” and created an opportunity to “build new relationships.”

The Arab and Gulf states involved in the new talks have no diplomatic ties with Jerusalem, the report noted. What they share with Israel, it said, is the concern that President Hasan Rouhani’s new diplomatic outreach will fool the US and lead to a US-Iran diplomatic agreement which provides for “less than the dismantling of the Iranian nuclear program.”

“There is a deep sense of anxiety concerning what’s happening in Iran,” Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor told Channel 2 Wednesday. While he avoided comment on any direct contact between Israel and the Gulf states, he said there were messages “from all over the region” being transmitted to the highest ranks of the US government.

Likud MK Tzachi Hanegbi, who is close to Netanyahu, indicated to the Times of Israel after the prime minister’s speech to the General Assembly on Tuesday that Israel was no longer certain that the Obama administration would use force against Iran even in a last resort to stop[ it attaining nuclear weapons.

In the past, Israel maintained an interest office in Doha, Qatar, but it was closed in 2009. It is widely believed that Jerusalem still maintains some sort of engagement with various states in the Persian Gulf region, with whom it has many joined interests. The government is extremely careful not to publicly acknowledge such ties — in order not to jeopardize them.

On Tuesday Netanyahu made it clear that “Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons” and could take military action to stop it from doing so. ”If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone. Yet, in standing alone, Israel will know that we will be defending many, many others,” he stated.

He immediately added: “The dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran and the emergence of other threats in our region have led many of our Arab neighbors to recognize, finally recognize, that Israel is not their enemy. And this affords us the opportunity to overcome the historic animosities and build new relationships, new friendships, new hopes.”

He went on: “Israel welcomes engagement with the wider Arab world. We hope that our common interests and common challenges will help us forge a more peaceful future.”

A number of Sunni countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, have been vocally opposed to Iran’s nuclear program, placing them and Israel on the same side of the debate.

A carelessly edited version of the 2013 Israeli state budget revealed that Israel opened a diplomatic office somewhere in the Persian Gulf between 2010 and 2012. Foreign Ministry sources asked the Finance Ministry to remove the sensitive clause from the budget — and from the public’s eye.

Raphael Ahren contributed to this article

Rohani: Netanyahu’s desperate efforts please us – Israel News, Ynetnews.

Day after Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech to UN, Iranian president says ‘Israel’s sword gone blunt, while Iran grows powerful.’ Meanwhile, Lithuanian FM says West considers letting Iran enrichm uranium

Ynet

Iranian President Hassan Rohani slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his “desperate efforts” to prevent rapprochement between Tehran and Washington, and said Netanyahu’s “furious and bold words” can just please Iran.

“That an aggressive regime in the region names Iran with coarse language is the cause of our happiness,” Rohani told reporters in Tehran on Wednesday, according to the Iranian news agency FARS. “Israel is upset to see that its sword has gone blunt and Iran grows more powerful day by day,” he added.

Regarding negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, Rohani added that Tehran is open to discussing “details” of its nuclear activities to reach out a deal with world powers, but its right to enrich uranium is not negotiable.

The US fears that uranium enrichment could be used in developing a nuclear weapons capacity. Rohani reiterated his country’s pledge that it’s not seeking nuclear weapons, and that it will keep its nuclear facilities open to international inspection.

“Iran’s enrichment right is not negotiable but we must enter into talks to see what would the other side propose to us about the details,” he said.

Rohani also discussed his New York trip, and boasted that he refused several requests by the Americans to meet with President Barack Obama during his visit to the UN General Assembly.

“Before my trip (to New York), the Americans had sent 5 messages to arrange a meeting between me and Obama, but I turned them down. Then they raised a plan for a brief meeting, but I didn’t agree (with it) much; we didn’t disagree with (the idea to have) a meeting, but its grounds weren’t prepared,” said Rohani.

Iranian President Hassan Rohani (Photo: AP)

Earlier, Iran’s chief of staff made similar comments, rejecting Israel’s threat of military strikes as an act of “desperation” after Tehran‘s charm offensive to repair ties with the West.

“Today the choice of military option is rusted, old and blunt. It is put on a broken table that lacks stability,” said Hassan Firouzabadi, quoted by Fars news agency.

“Such remarks stem out of desperation,” he said, slamming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “warmonger”.

General Hassan Firouzabadi

Netanyahu told a UN summit Tuesday that Israel was ready to act alone to halt Iranian efforts to build a nuclear bomb, a charge Tehran vehemently denies.

“Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone,” Netanyahu said in an attack on overtures made by Iran’s President Hassan Rohani.

Iran’s new president has vowed to engage the international community in constructive dialogue, ease tensions with the West and increase transparency on the Islamic state’s nuclear activities.

Firouzabadi, a hardline military figure, appeared to back Rohani’s diplomatic initiative, which has been well received in the West.

Netanyahu speaks to UN, Tuesday (Photo: AP)

“Islamic Iran will be the winner in this case for its revolutionary stance of heroic flexibility,” he said referring to remarks in mid-September by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that such tactics were sometimes necessary in dealing with foes.

Firouzabadi said Netanyahu’s remarks had only served to “increase the threat against the Zionists.”

Ease of tensions

Meanwhile, Western governments are considering allowing Iran to continue some uranium enrichment, as part of a possible deal to resolve a decade-old dispute that Tehran says it wants to reach within six months, a senior EU diplomat said.

The new stance – a reaction to President Hassan Rohani’s overtures to the West – would mean easing a long-standing demand that Iran suspend all enrichment, due to concerns Tehran could be developing nuclear weapons.

In an interview with Reuters, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said: “I believe part of the game is that if the Iranians prove that whatever they are doing is peaceful, it will, as I understand, be possible for them to conduct it.”

“It’s conditional. It is not a done deal, but nevertheless it is a possibility to explore,” he said. “Thanks to this rapprochement. How it will look, we don’t know.”

Lithuania holds the rotating presidency of the European Union until the end of this year, giving Linkevicius a closer insight into many internal policy debates.

Iranian cyber warfare commander shot dead in suspected assassination – Telegraph.

The head of Iran’s cyber warfare programme has been shot dead, triggering further accusations that outside powers are carrying out targeted assassinations of key figures in the country’s security apparatus.

The killing of Ahmadi coincides with a new diplomatic effort by President Hassan Rouhani (pictured) Photo: JOHN MINCHILLO/AP