WarSclerotic

Source: German lawmakers approve €1 billion drone lease from Israel | The Times of Israel

Long-range surveillance Heron-TP aircraft deal had faced opposition by center-left parliamentarians because UAVs can also be armed

The Eitan drone, also known as the Heron TP flies during a display at the Palmahim Air Force Base in Israel, March 7, 2007. (AP/Ariel Schalit/File)

Interesting article, good to have an insight into what the sanctions mean in terms of examples on the ground.

For example, looks like Iranian soccer players won’t be getting the Nike cleats for their boots for the World Cup.

Oh well, that’s the price you gotta pay. Actions have consequences.

Good on ya Trump, and good riddance Obama for throwing money at the Iranians. 

P.S. Interesting comment at the end about the Iranian announcement to increase enrichment capacity.

Trump’s Pressure on Iran Working Better Than Expected, Says Israeli Intel

Tehran had hoped for high profits from deals with Europe and U.S. companies – but now the regime faces abandonment by them – and the economic woes have started to create pressures on Tehran

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-north-korea-summit-trump-iran-pressure-working-israel-says-1.6170642

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference after his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018

The decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to pull his country out of the Iran nuclear deal has already wreaked widespread economic damage to Iranians. According to intelligence assessments presented to Israeli leaders, the chain reaction of the American decision last month has been more severe than originally forecast.

Trump announced his decision last month, threatening at the same time to reinstate harsh sanctions against the Iranian oil industry and foreign firms that trade with it. These steps are supposed to go into full effect at the beginning of November. Some American companies, among them airplane manufacturer Boeing and General Electric, which signed contracts to supply equipment to Iran’s outdated oil industry, are already preparing to halt their investments in the country.

It was reported this week that sports equipment maker Nike canceled at the last minute a delivery of soccer cleats to the Iranian national squad, which is participating in the World Cup starting Friday in Russia. In Europe, British Petroleum announced that it would end its investment partnership with the Iranian oil company in deep-sea drilling off the Scottish coast.

Ministers from Great Britain, France, Germany and the European Union sent a letter at the beginning of June to Trump administration cabinet members, in which they asked the United States to exempt energy, aviation and health companies from the secondary American sanctions – which target European companies trading with Iran. European giant Airbus signed contracts worth $1 billion with Iran after the nuclear deal was signed in 2015. Another large European company liable to be hurt by the sanctions is French energy company Total.

According to Israeli intelligence, Iran had hoped to reap sizeable profits from deals with European and American companies during the coming period. However, now the Tehran regime faces abandonment by companies that already signed contracts, in addition to the negotiations with other companies, because of the American move. Thus, internal pressure on the regime, in the form of frequent demonstrations by the opposition in cities across the country, is also coming into play. Most of the demonstrations focus on the cost of living.

Israeli intelligence officials have the impression that the double economic pressure, domestically and from abroad, is accelerating the division at the top of the regime between the conservative camp and the more moderate one. Part of the dispute involves the question of Iranian foreign aid to terrorist and guerilla organizations across the Middle East. According to various assessments, Tehran disburses nearly $1 billion annually to these clients, including Hezbollah, Shi’ite militias fighting on its behalf for the Assad regime in Syria, Houthi rebels in Yemen and two Palestinian organizations in the Gaza Strip, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The moderate camp supports cutting these expenditures. Some protesters in Iran have made vocal calls or waved signs condemning the use of government funds for these purposes at the expense of the Iranian people.

Still, despite the combination of developments worrying the Iranian regime, Israeli intelligence officials do not rush to conclude that the regime’s stability is under threat. Iran’s leadership has already coped well with previous waves of protest, including early this year.

In the wake of America’s departure from the nuclear agreement, Iran announced last week that it would renew the process of increasing its uranium enrichment capability. However, these moves are still being taken within the limits set in the Vienna agreement and do not constitute a violation of it. It looks mainly like a declarative action aimed at the European nations signed onto the agreement, and not as a prelude to an Iranian withdrawal from it.

Source: Report: Syrian army boosts air defenses near Golan frontier – Middle East – Jerusalem Post

Last month, Israel accused Damascus-allied Iranian forces of launching a rocket salvo across the frontier.

An old military vehicle can be seen positioned on the Israeli side of the border with Syria, near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights. (photo credit: AMMAR AWAD/REUTERS)

BEIRUT – The Syrian army has reinforced its anti-aircraft defenses near the frontier with the Golan Heights, a commander in the regional alliance that backs President Bashar Assad said on Tuesday.

Additional defenses are set to be deployed in the coming days, the commander told Reuters. The stationing of the Russian-made Pantsir S1 weapon aims “to renew the air defense system against Israel in the first degree,” added the commander, a non-Syrian who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Syria’s multi-sided war has pivoted towards the southwest in recent weeks, risking escalation in an area of major concern to Israel where the conflict has been contained since last year by an agreement underwritten by the United States and Russia.

The Syrian government has been preparing an assault on rebels who hold territory at the border with Israel and Jordan. This led Washington last month to warn of “firm and appropriate measures” against any ceasefire violations.

The commander said preparations for the government offensive in the southwest were complete but government forces were now working to finish off a pocket of Islamic State militants near the government-held town of Sweida.

Israel wants Iran-backed forces such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah kept away from its frontier and removed from Syria more widely. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said last week the group would stay in Syria as long as Assad wanted it there.

Rebel forces in southwestern Syria have played down the prospects of a government offensive in the area, saying the United States and Jordan are committed to upholding the “de-escalation” agreement with Russia.

But they have also prepared for the possibility of an attack. A rebel commander in the southwest, Colonel Nassim Abu Arra of the Youth of Sunna Forces, told Reuters that opposition forces had formed a joint military leadership on Monday.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said this month the government aimed to recapture insurgent areas in the southwest through a settlement in which fighters accept state rule or leave – the approach used by the state to win back other areas.

Sounds like someone might be getting scared.

Trump and the Norks getting cosy, Israel kickin Iranian ar*e in Syria, Russia plus Syria trying to move away from Iran….

Things are adding up, bound to be breaking into a sweat.

Let’s hope so.

Toning down rhetoric, Khamenei claims Iran never wanted to throw Jews in sea

https://www.timesofisrael.com/khamenei-seeks-to-explain-israel-policy-after-saying-it-must-be-eradicated/

Supreme leader says only Egypt’s Nasser called for expulsion, while Tehran wants a referendum of descendants of all who lived in Palestine 100 years ago, including Jews

Iran’s supreme leader has sought to clarify his position on Israel after threatening its destruction and now says his country has never expressed genocidal aims against the Jewish people.

Earlier this month, a tweet posted on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s official Twitter account said Iran’s “stance against Israel is the same stance we have always taken. #Israel is a malignant cancerous tumor in the West Asian region that has to be removed and eradicated: it is possible and it will happen.” The account is run by Khamenei’s office and it’s not known if he dictates the tweets himself.

But in a series of tweets early Monday, Khamenei said the conflict should be resolved through a popular referendum among those who trace their roots back to before the creation of Israel, including Muslims, Jews and Christians.

“To define #Palestine’s destiny, original Palestinians—those who lived in Palestine over 100 years ago, #Muslims, #Jews & #Christians—in/outside occupied territories, will be polled: whatever they decide will happen,” he wrote.

That would seem to include the Palestinians as well as the small community of Jews who lived in the Holy Land before the mass immigration of Jews in the 20th century and the creation of Israel in 1948.

To define #Palestine’s destiny, original Palestinians—those who lived in Palestine over 100 years ago, #Muslims, #Jews & #Christians—in/outside occupied territories, will be polled: whatever they decide will happen. Is this a bad proposal? Does Europe not want to understand it? pic.twitter.com/mJfdlPJVr5
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 10, 2018

Khamenei did not address the fate of the vast majority of Jewish Israelis, who claim historical and biblical roots to the land but whose immediate ancestors arrived in the last century.

However, he said Iran had never expressed a desire to “throw the Jews in the sea,” accusing late Egyptian leader Gammel Abdel Nasser of seeking the watery genocide instead.

“The Islamic Republic has never said anything like that since its inception,” he tweeted.

The Islamic Republic plays rationally in all issues. On the issue of the Zionist regime, Gamal Abdel Nasser would say ‘we will throw the Jews in the sea’. The Islamic Republic has never said anything like that since its inception.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 10, 2018

Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials have relentlessly encouraged the destruction of Israel, and Iran finances, arms and trains terror groups on Israel’s borders. Officials occasionally clarify that Iran would only attack Israel in “self-defense” and bears no hostility toward Jews as a religious community.

Khamenei also chided Europe for listening to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warnings about Iran’s aims during a recent trip to Europe. During the trip to Germany, France and the UK, Netanyahu discussed the need to end the nuclear deal with Iran and support pushing Iranian forces out of southern Syria.

The children-killer PM of Zionist regime–the Shimr of the time– visits Europe to play the victim, claiming, ‘#Iran wants to eliminate our population of a few millions.’ European audience listens, nods& refuses to say, ‘you [Zionist regime] are committing crimes in Gaza & Quds.’
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 10, 2018

On Friday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned that Israel “can never” feel safe, as many thousands of Iranians marched in an annual day of protest against Israel.

Khamenei has previously branded Israel as “barbaric,” “infanticidal,” and the “sinister, unclean rabid dog of the region.” More recently, he blamed “Zionists” for the anti-government demonstrations held across Iran earlier this year.

Netanyahu was asked last week about Khamenei’s threat at a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“Iran calls for our destruction, but it’s also seeking nuclear weapons to carry out its genocidal design,” said Netanyahu, who was visiting Europe to press for the further dismantling of the Iranian nuclear deal after the US pulled out.

Merkel also condemned the tweet, while insisting the nuclear agreement was the best way to keep Iran from developing atomic weapons.

Khamenei, in his remarks on Sunday, also called Netanyahu a “criminal” who had “lied” to European leaders by saying that Iran wanted to annihilate Jews.

Iran is home to the largest Jewish community in the Middle East outside of Israel, and has a number of synagogues and popular shrines. The Jewish community has a representative in Iran’s parliament.

Iran had between 80,000 and 100,000 Jews before the 1979 Islamic Revolution but most have since fled, mainly to the United States, Israel and Europe. There are now only about 8,500 left, mostly in Tehran but also in Isfahan and Shiraz, major cities south of the capital.

Source: Trump, Kim sign ‘comprehensive’ joint document as historic summit nears end | The Times of Israel

Singapore parley ‘better than anybody could have expected,’ ‘really fantastic,’ says US President. Kim calls unspecified document ‘historic’

US President Donald Trump (2nd R) and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un (2nd L) sign documents as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) and the North Korean leader’s sister Kim Yo Jong (L) look on at a signing ceremony during their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. (SAUL LOEB / AFP)

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un signed a ‘comprehensive’ joint document at the end of their historic summit in Singapore on Tuesday.

“We are signing a very important document, a pretty comprehensive document, and we have had a really great term together, a great relationship,” said the US President before the two inked the unspecified document.

Trump announced he would be giving a press conference in the coming hours.

“We are both very honored to sign the document,” he said.

Kim called the document “historic.”

Minutes before, the two leaders had emerged from talks with the US president hailing what he said was “a lot of progress” and a “really fantastic” meeting.

The meeting went “better than anybody could have expected,” Trump said as he strolled out of the Capella Hotel side by side with the North Korean leader, adding that the two of them were going on to sign an unspecified document.

The two men met one-on-one for around 48 minutes Tuesday accompanied only by their interpreters.

They then went into a second meeting where they were joined by key aides.

Trump was flanked in the larger meeting by chief of staff John Kelly, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton. They sat across the table from Kim and his team.

The extraordinary summit — unthinkable only months ago — comes after the two nuclear-armed foes appeared on the verge of conflict late last year as they slung personal insults and Kim conducted nuclear and missile tests.

US President Donald Trump (R) gestures as he meets with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un (L) at the start of their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. ( AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB)

North Korea’s state media lauded Singapore Tuesday as they highlighted Kim Jong Un’s visit to some of its top tourist attractions.

A few hours ahead of his historic summit with Donald Trump — the first encounter between a leader of the isolated, nuclear-armed North and a sitting US president — Kim took a break from preparations for a waterfront stroll.

He was accompanied by the city-state’s foreign and education ministers — with whom he posed for selfies — and surrounded by officials as police held back pursuing reporters.

But images of the young leader are carefully controlled and managed in the isolated North, and travelling media from Pyongyang enjoyed close access to their leader.

No fewer than 14 images of his visit to the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) hotel, casino and convention centre and other sights were printed on the front page of the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper.

A woman reads the latest copy of the Rodong Sinmun newspaper showing images of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore ahead of his meeting with US president Donald Trump, at a news stand on a subway platform of the Pyongyang metro on June 12, 2018. (ED JONES/AFP)

It showed him smiling on the MBS’ rooftop Sky Park observation platform, adding he “learned about the social and economic development” of Singapore.

Other pictures showed onlookers taking pictures of Kim, who has made only two previous trips beyond the Korean peninsula as leader, both of them to China.

Praising Singapore’s “clean and beautiful” environment, Kim vowed to “learn a lot from the good knowledge and experience of Singapore in various fields in the future,” the newspaper added.

The fulsome praise for another country is unusual for the media in the impoverished North, which generally do not show detailed images of affluent foreign countries.

The bright lights of the Singaporean city scape are a notable contrast to Pyongyang, much of which remains dimly lit at night despite Kim overseeing a number of prestige development projects during his rule.

During their stroll, President Donald Trump gave Kim a rare peek inside the US presidential limousine.

They walked up to the limousine, nicknamed The Beast, and Trump could be seen talking and gesturing before a Secret Service agent opened the door and the leaders looked in.

It wasn’t immediately clear how Kim felt about the presidential tour, but he seemed to be smiling.

Interesting tactic.

Wonder what those BDS haters would say about this? *crickets*

WATCH: BYPASSING REGIME, NETANYAHU OFFERS WATER TECH TO IRANIANS

“The Iranian regime shouts: “Death to Israel!’ and in response, Israel shouts, ‘life to the Iranian people!'”

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/WATCH-Netanyahu-bypasses-the-Ayatollahs-offers-water-tech-to-Iranians-559618

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  went over the heads of the Iranian regime with a message delivered via social media directly to the Iranian public on Sunday.

“Today I am going to make an unprecedented offer to Iran,” Netanyahu said after pouring water from a pitcher into a glass and taking a drink in a two-minute YouTube video.

“It relates to water,” continued Netanyahu.

“The Iranian people are the victims of a cruel and tyrannical regime that denies them vital water. Israel stands with the people of Iran and that is why I want to save countless Iranian lives.”

Netanyahu explained that Iran’s meteorological organization has said that nearly 96% of Iran suffers from some level of drought, and after highlighting Israel’s achievements in water management, Netanyahu offered to help: “Sadly, Iran bans Israelis from visiting – so we’ll have to get creative. We will launch a Farsi website with detailed plans on how Iranians can recycle their waste-water… We will show how Iranian farmers can save their crops and feed their families… The people of Iran are good and decent. They shouldn’t have to face such a cruel regime alone. We are with you, we will help so that millions of Iranians don’t have to suffer.”

“The hatred of Iran’s regime will not stop the respect and friendship between our two peoples,” concluded Netanyahu.