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In Iraq, Hezbollah’s Got U.S. Tanks, and Washington Wants Them Back

February 21, 2018

David Axe 02.20.18 4:39 AM ET Via The Daily Beast

Source Link: In Iraq, Hezbollah’s Got U.S. Tanks, and Washington Wants Them Back

{Still cleaning up the mess left behind by Barack Barry Sotero Hussein Obama…and dealing with the Iraqi government this former sorry excuse of a POTUS so greatly admired. – LS}

The Pentagon is pressuring Iraq to seize any M-1s that are still in the hands of Iran-backed militias but is vague about how many have been recovered––or not.

Pro-Iranian militias in Iraq got their hands on at least nine high-tech, U.S.-made M-1 tanks as early as 2015, the U.S. government acknowledged earlier this month. Along with the belated admission, the Pentagon and the U.S. State Department say they are trying to take back the tanks. But to a great extent, the damage is already done. The militias have already deployed them against some of America’s longtime Kurdish allies.

“We are aware that not all U.S.-provided defense articles are under the control of the intended recipient,” a spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and Syria told The Daily Beast via email. “The U.S. continues to work with the government of Iraq to continue acting as quickly as possible to ensure all defense articles are with their intended recipients.”

The Iraqi army has reclaimed “several” of the tanks, the spokesperson said.

The 70-ton M-1A1 Abrams, the most numerous tank in the arsenals of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps and a mainstay of U.S. allies’ own armies, is one of the most powerful fighting vehicles in the world. The four-person tank boasts a 120-millimeter cannon, thick armor and a gas-turbine engine that can propel the vehicle as fast as 40 miles per hour.

Iraq bought 140 refurbished M-1s from the United States starting in 2008 in order to rebuild armored divisions that American forces had destroyed during the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The unit cost can vary, but each one is worth approximately $4.3 million.

When the so-called Islamic State swept through northwest Iraq in 2014, Iraqi M-1s were in the thick of the fighting. Militants quickly destroyed five of them, damaged dozens more, and captured several intact M-1s. For a few months at least, ISIS possessed operational M-1s. Then pro-Iran Shia militias—collectively known as “Popular Mobilization Forces” or PMF—recaptured some the tanks, the coalition spokesperson said.

In January 2015, a video appeared online that showed an M-1 flying the flag of the Hezbollah Brigades, a U.S.-designated terror group that’s part of the PMF and fights alongside the Iraqi army. A separate video that appeared in February 2016 showed an M-1 sporting the flag of Kata’ib Sayyid Al Shuhada, another PMF militia.

Recaptured vehicles that the PMF seized from ISIS account for only “some” of the at least nine M-1s that have appeared in the militias’ arsenal, according to the coalition spokesperson. The Iraqi army appears to have supplied the balance of the tanks directly to the PMF, in violation of Iraq’s original contract for the M-1s.

The Shia militias deployed at least one M-1 against Kurdish Peshmerga forces during skirmishes in the contested Iraqi city of Kirkuk in October 2017 when the Kurdish Regional Government was making an ill-fated bid for independence. Although the U.S. did not back that effort, the Kurds remain some of Washington’s closest allies in the region, and Iran its most important adversary.

In this instance the Peshmerga knocked out the tank, reportedly using either a Chinese- or German-made anti-tank missile.The Kurdish Regional Government circulated aerial photos of the burned-out M-1 as proof of the tank’s use by the PMF.

The disabled M-1 quickly disappeared from the battlefield, and a Kurdish commander accused the government of Iraq of moving the tank in order “to hide the truth that they have used Abrams tank against the Peshmerga.”

In any event, the U.S. State Department finally confirmed the PMF’s possession of M-1s in a February report from the inspector general for the Iraq and Syria campaigns. “This quarter, the [Department of State] acknowledged that some U.S.-provided military equipment sent to support the mission, including as many as nine M-1 Abrams tanks, had fallen into the hands of Iranian-backed militias that fought against ISIS in Iraq,” the report stated.

The Pentagon is pressuring Iraq to seize any M-1s that are still in the PMF’s hands. “As recipients of U.S.-origin defense equipment, Iraqi authorities have an obligation to adhere to end-use requirements as outlined in agreements concluded with the United States government.”

Besides withholding future arms shipments, Washington can end support for the scores of M-1s in the Iraqi army’s armored divisions. There have been reports that General Dynamics Land Systems, the Michigan-based company that builds the M-1s and provides spare parts and technicians for the tanks, recently threatened to cut ties with Baghdad over the militia’s use of M-1s. A General Dynamics spokesperson declined to comment on the reports.

Categories: Iranian domination of Iraq, Obama and Iraq war, U.S. in Iraq
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Israeli Writer: Israel Is Proof The NRA Is Right

February 21, 2018

February 21, 2018 by Tom Knighton Via Bearing Arms

Source Link: Israeli Writer: Israel Is Proof The NRA Is Right

{What’s easier… confiscating over 300 million firearms from unwilling USA citizens or placing a few armed guards in our nation’s schools? I’ll give you a minute or two to think about it.  As a lifetime member of the NRA, I find the answer quite obvious.  – LS}

If we step aside from our cynicism at a time like this, we can probably assume that everyone on the planet wants to see the end of mass shootings. The few that don’t are generally the sick bastards who are planning the next ones. While there are plenty of opportunists who are seizing the moment following such horrific events, I’d like to believe that even they would prefer to see the end of such attacks.

Many people have pointed to Israel as proof of how gun control should be. The Jewish state, that is otherwise an anathema to the left, has some pretty strict gun laws, making it a role model for us to consider, some argue.

Well, one Israeli writer, Tzvi Lev, thinks it’s proof of something, it’s just not what the anti-gun zealots would like.

Gun rights advocates contend that the way to stop mass shootings is by ensuring that there are always well-armed citizens present who can neutralize the shooter. As NRA chairman Wayne Lapierre always says, “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun”. A bedrock of the NRA’s philosophy is that criminals will always acquire guns illegally, and draconian gun laws only render law-abiding citizens defenseless.

Enter Israel: When the knife intifada erupted in September 2015, the Israeli government’s response was to ease the process for the civilian populace to obtain weapons. After a particularly bloody Jerusalem shooting attack that killed four, then-Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan drastically changed the gun laws in order to significantly raise the number of armed civilians on the streets. Instantly, graduates of Special Forces units and IDF officers with the rank of Lieutenant and above were permitted to purchase guns at their will, security guards were allowed to bring their guns home after work, and the minimum age for a license was reduced from 21 to 18.

Erdan explained that “civilians well trained in the use of weapons provide reinforcement in the struggle against terrorism”, while Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat called for every resident to carry a gun, and was even photographed traveling the city carrying a Glock 23.

In addition, the overwhelming majority of terror attacks in Israel are stopped by armed civilians, not law enforcement. For example, the terrorists in the 2016 Sarona market attack were stopped by armed passersby. A pistol-carrying tour guide put an end to the 2017 ramming attack in Arnona that left four soldiers dead.

In Israeli eyes, guns are a valuable deterrent against terrorism. In fact, terrorists have told the Shin Bet internal security service that they often target haredi Jews due to the high likelihood that they are unarmed.

Gun control supporters would answer that the mandatory military service that every Israeli undergoes justifies the trust Israel has of its citizens. However, this argument doesn’t hold water. The vast majority of IDF soldiers aren’t combat soldiers and are certified as 02 riflemen. To be 02 requires one to shoot between 40 and 70 bullets. The pistol course needed to obtain a license takes less than four hours. It is a far cry from the highly trained population that the Left imagines.

In other words, more guns meant fewer attacks.

This isn’t rocket science. If a would-be attacker is planning something, the last thing he or she really wants is to get there and find themselves outgunned. That’s a possibility everywhere except gun free zones, which is why more than 90 percent of all mass shootings take place in gun free zones.

Proof of that can come from the most recent attack we know of that wasn’t necessarily a gun free zone: Las Vegas. In that shooting, the killer created a plan where he would negate any number of armed citizen due to distance. He didn’t want to get shot dead early in his rampage, so he planned accordingly.

Most shooters don’t get that kind of opportunity. They have to operate differently because they lack the Las Vegas killer’s resources. So, they go for gun free zones.

Put more guns in more people’s hands and see the difference.

 

Categories: Gun control, Gun free zones, Gun rights
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To Push Iran Back, Israel Ramps Up Support for Syrian Rebels, ‘Arming 7 Different Groups’

February 21, 2018

Two men, not specified which group of rebels, ride a motorcycle towards an abandoned UN base at Syria’s Quneitra border crossing between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. The Israeli military says it has carried out an air strike in Syria on a building used by Islamic State militants to attack Israeli forces. The overnight air strike Monday targeted an abandoned United Nations building that Israel says was used as a base by the militants. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Amos Harel Feb 21, 2018 2:10 PM Haaretz

{Sooner or later, Obama’s money will run out. – LS}

With the Assad regime’s advances the civil war and America’s reduced involvement in the region, Israel has been forced to make significant changes in its policies in the Golan Heights.

The recent tensions along the Israeli-Syrian border have been mainly aerial. But due to developments in the Syrian civil war, real changes are also taking place on the ground in the Golan Heights.

The Assad regime, which has gained the upper hand in the war, is now focusing on aggressively attacking rebel enclaves east of Damascus and in the northern Idlib province. But it is also gradually bolstering its presence in southern Syria, including in the Syrian Golan Heights. And accordingly, Israel is altering its deployment to prepare for what’s to come.

The de-escalation agreement for southern Syria, which the United States, Russia and Jordan signed last November, included a promise to keep Iran and its affiliated Shi’ite militias away from the Israeli border. Israel wanted the Iranians and their agents to be kept almost 60 kilometers from the frontier, east of the Damascus-Daraa road. But it didn’t get its wish; the agreement committed to keep them only 5 kilometers from the front lines between the regime and the rebels.

What this means in practice is that the Iranians are allowed to come to within 20 kilometers of Israel’s border in the central Syrian Golan and within just 5 kilometers in the northern Syrian Golan, which is controlled by Assad’s army. But it’s safe to assume that Hezbollah operatives and even members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards sometimes come right up to the border.

The Assad regime has posts overlooking the Israeli border near Quneitra in the northern Golan, and it’s possible that senior Hezbollah operatives and Iranian representatives visit these posts, which are quite close to Israeli territory.

That isn’t the only important development in recent months. About a month ago, the regime retook the enclave of Beit Jin in the northern Golan from Sunni rebels; it’s located less than 15 kilometers from the Israeli border. Israel Defense Forces officers believe that sooner or later, Assad will make an effort to regain control of the rest of the Syrian Golan, in part because of the symbolic importance of sovereignty over the border with Israel. Members of the security cabinet, who toured the Golan with senior IDF officers almost two weeks ago, think the same.


FILE PHOTO: Iran’s army chief of staff Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, left, looking at a map with senior officers from the Iranian military as they visit a front line in the northern province of Aleppo, Uncredited/AP

Analyst Elizabeth Tsurkov, who has followed events in Syria closely for the last several years and has interviewed many rebel militiamen and residents of the Syrian Golan, published a detailed survey of developments in southern Syria in the War on the Rocks blog last week.

Tsurkov said the scope of Israel’s involvement in southern Syria has changed in recent months in response to the regime’s successes in the civil war and Iran’s consolidation in Syria. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns about the latter on every possible occasion and has repeatedly said Israel will work to thwart it.

According to foreign media reports, over the past few months Israel has begun carrying out airstrikes against Syrian army facilities and targets linked to Iran and its Shi’ite militias, in addition to its longstanding targeting of convoys carrying arms to Hezbollah. Tsurkov also reported on other developments taking place.

Dozens of rebels who spoke with Tsurkov described a significant change in the amount of aid they receive from Israel. Moreover, she said at least seven Sunni rebel organizations in the Syrian Golan are now getting arms and ammunition from Israel, along with money to buy additional armaments.

This change has taken place at a time when America has greatly reduced its involvement in southern Syria. In January, the Trump administration closed the operations center the CIA ran in Amman, the Jordanian capital, which coordinated aid to rebel organizations in southern Syria. As a result, tens of thousands of rebels who received regular economic support from the U.S. have been bereft of this support.

At the same time, Israel has also increased its civilian aid to villages controlled by the rebels, including supplying medicine, food and clothing. Last summer, Israel admitted for the first time that it provides civilian aid to villages in the Syrian Golan, but declined to confirm claims that it also provides military aid.

Tsurkov said these Israeli moves are intended to help block the Assad regime’s advance in the Golan and its conquest of rebel-held villages near the Israeli border. Nevertheless, she wrote, there’s an expectations gap between the two sides. The rebels expect unlimited Israeli support, and some are even hoping for help in their efforts to topple the regime. Israel’s plans are much more modest, and are intended as a holding action.

Relatively moderate Sunni rebels, whom the Israeli defense establishment terms “the locals,” control most of the Syrian-Israeli border, aside from two areas – a regime-controlled area in the northern Golan and a section of the southern Golan controlled by a branch of the Islamic State, Jaysh Khalid ibn al-Walid. According to Tsurkov, Israel is also helping the rebels in their war against the Islamic State.

There have been skirmishes between ISIS and other rebel organizations over the last several years, but these battles have produced no significant change in the forces’ deployment. However, rebels told Tsurkov that Israel has recently begun helping them by launching drone strikes and antitank missiles at Islamic State positions during these battles.

Categories: Israel and Iran, Israel and Syria
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Nikki Haley responds to Palestinian officials: ‘I will not shut up’

February 21, 2018

Nikki Haley addressed the U.N. Security Council during a speech Tuesday, during which she responded to an earlier speech from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as comments made last month by Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian negotiator. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

by Melissa Quinn | Feb 20, 2018, 2:31 PM Washington Examiner

Source Link: Nikki Haley responds to Palestinian officials: ‘I will not shut up’

{A tough response from a strong woman, especially if you consider a woman’s position in a Muslim society. – LS}

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley issued a sharp response to Palestinians leaders and its top negotiator Tuesday, saying she “will not shut up” after the official made derogatory comments about Haley last month.

Haley addressed the U.N. Security Council during a speech Tuesday, during which she responded to an earlier speech from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as comments made last month by Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian negotiator.

Erekat said Haley “needs to shut up and realize the Palestinian leadership is not the problem.”

“We welcome you as the leader of the Palestinian people here today,” Haley said of Abbas. “But I will decline the advice I was recently given by your top negotiator, Saeb Erekat. I will not shut up. Rather, I will respectfully speak some hard truths.

“The Palestinian leadership has a choice to make between two different paths. There is the path of absolutist demands, hateful rhetoric, and incitement to violence. That path has led, and will continue to lead, to nothing but hardship for the Palestinian people.”

Haley then reminded the Palestinians of the “path of negotiation and compromise,” which she said has proved to be successful for Egypt and Jordan.

“That path remains open to the Palestinian leadership, if only it is courageous enough to take it,” she said.

The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. went on to criticize the body for “elevating the tensions and grievances” between the Israelis and Palestinians, and said the U.N. should focus on other issues facing the Middle East, such as the threat of the Islamic State and Hezbollah.

“These immense security and humanitarian challenges throughout the region should occupy more of our attention, rather than having us sit here, month after month, and use the most democratic country in the Middle East as a scapegoat for the region’s problems. But here we go again,” Haley said.

Haley also reiterated the Trump administration will move forward with its decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, despite opposition from the Palestinians.

“You don’t have to like that decision. You don’t have to praise it. You don’t even have to accept this,” she said. “But know this: That decision will not change.”

Abbas addressed the U.N. Security Council earlier Tuesday and called for an international Middle East peace conference to be held later this year. He did not remain in the chamber to listen to Haley’s speech.

Categories: "Women Wage Peace", Islam and women, UN and Womens' rights
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Pentagon to Release Ballistic Missile Defense Review in Coming Weeks

February 20, 2018


The Defense Department has awarded a $6.56 billion contract to the Boeing Company to oversee another expansion of the missile defense base at Fort Greely in Alaska. (Photo/KUAC/

OAN Newsroom UPDATED 8:34 AM PT — Tues. February 20, 2018

Source Link: Pentagon to Release Ballistic Missile Defense Review in Coming Weeks

{Peace through strength. – LS}

The Pentagon is expected to release a major review on ballistic missile defense in the coming weeks.

$12.9 billion is requested for ICBM defense in the Pentagon’s 2019 budget proposal.

The White House budget proposal says more funding will go toward the capability and capacity for the U.S. to detect, defeat, and defend against North Korea.

The budget includes over nine billion dollars for the Missile Defense Agency.

It also requests billions more for interceptor missiles, an additional missile field in Alaska, and an increase in deployed interceptors by 2023.

Categories: Anti-missile defense system
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‘We will level Tel Aviv to the ground’ senior Iranian official warns Israel

February 20, 2018

By Juliane Helmhold February 20, 2018

Source Link: We will level Tel Aviv to the ground’ senior Iranian official warns Israel

{Loose lips sink Iranian nuke programs. – LS}

“The US and Israeli leaders don’t know Iran and don’t understand the power of resistance and therefore, they continuously face defeat.”

Any attacks carried out against Iran will result in the destruction of Tel Aviv, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council, warned Israel on Monday, according to the Fars News Agency.

Quoted by Iran’s semi-official government news site, Rezaei, in response to Netanyahu’s comments at the Munich Security Conference, asserted that “If they [Israel] carry out the slightest unwise move against Iran, we will level Tel Aviv to the ground and will not give any opportunity to Netanyahu to flee.”

“The US and Israeli leaders don’t know Iran and don’t understand the power of resistance and therefore, they continuously face defeat,” he was quoted as saying in an interview with Lebanese Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar News.

“Today, the situation of the US and Israel indicate their fear of the Zionist regime’s collapse and the US decline,” he added in the interview.

Israel came in direct conflict with Iran on February 10, when an IAF attack helicopter shot down an Iranian operated drone, and later took out its command center in Syria.

According to the Iranian Mehr News Agency, Rezaei also highlighted that, while it is true that Iran supports what it calls the “Resistance Front” which stretches from Tehran to Gaza, the regime does not interfere in the Palestinian Territories and Lebanon but merely offers advisory help.

He added that Iran never wants to dominate the countries in the region, it wants them to stand on their own feet.  {LOL – LS}

Rezaei’s pointed comments came in response to Netanyahu’s speech at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday where the Israeli prime minister warned Iran, “not to test Israel’s resolve.”

Netanyahu said at the conference, which was attended by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, that Israel “will act not just against Iran’s proxies that are attacking us, but against Iran itself.”

Commenting on the Islamic Republic’s influence in region, Netanyahu emphasized that through nefarious moves in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza, Iran is trying to change the status quo. If they do change the status quo, he said, the rule he will follow is one established by the early Zionists when dealing with problems: “They said nip things in the bud, stop them before they get big. That’s basically what our policy is.”

Zarif, who addressed the conference later in the day, dismissed Netanyahu’s presentation as a “cartoonish circus, which does not even deserve a response.”

 

Categories: Iran and Israel
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AWESOME: Israel successfully tests Arrow-3 Missile Defense system

February 20, 2018

BY THE RIGHT SCOOP

Source Link: AWESOME: Israel successfully tests Arrow-3 Missile Defense system

{Not a moment too soon. – LS}

Israel has successfully tested it’s newest Arrow-3 missile in it’s Arrow Missile Defense System:

FOX NEWS – Israel successfully tested its new Arrow missile defense system Monday, the Defense Ministry announced in a tweet, the accomplishment capping a program that’s seen a series of delays and cancellations.

The test was carried out in cooperation with the United States’ Missile Defense Agency.

“A short while ago, the Defense Ministry and American MDA carried out a planned flight test of its Arrow weapons system, with an Arrow 3 interceptor,” the Defense Ministry tweeted. “The Arrow 3 interceptor was launched and carried out its mission.”

The test came after several aborted attempts in recent months. In January, an exercise was called off because of a communication glitch that resulted in a data transfer problem. In December, a test was canceled after safety concerns arose when the Anchor-type target missile — which was fired from a jet — experienced a malfunction.

“The experiment we conducted today was very complex,” Boaz Levy, Deputy CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries and manager of its Systems, Missiles & Space Group, said in a statement. “In the experiment, the interceptor simulated a full military scenario and the rocket did the route in full. And, if it had a real target, would have hit it. We are very pleased with the result.”

Israel Aerospace Industries worked together with Boeing to develop the Arrow-3.

Moshe Patel, the director of Israel’s Missile Defense Organization, said in a statement that a more advanced test is scheduled in Alaska later this year.

“The Arrow-3 is designed for long-range threats, as well as unconventional threats,” said Patel, appearing to hint at Iran’s ballistic capabilities. “We are aiming for 100 percent success rate.”

Sweet! It’s awesome to see Israel successful in testing its defense systems in order to protect itself against ballistic missile threats from Iran.

Categories: Arrow-3 intercepter
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Netanyahu Waves Piece of Captured Iranian Drone: ‘Mr. Zarif, Do You Recognize This?’

February 19, 2018

By: World Israel News Feb 18, 2018

Source Link:
Netanyahu Waves Piece of Captured Iranian Drone: ‘Mr. Zarif, Do You Recognize This?’

{Not only that, Iran’s economy and people cannot and will not tolerate another war. – LS}

“You can take back with you a message to the tyrants of Tehran: Do not test Israel’s resolve,” Netanyahu told Iran’s foreign minister, while displaying part of an Iranian UAV. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday presented what he believed was a clear-cut indictment against Iran’s mounting regional belligerence when he displayed a piece of the wreckage of the Iranian UAV that was shot down in Israel earlier this month.

“Iran denies that it committed an act of aggression against Israel last week, that it sent a drone into our airspace to threaten our people,” Netanyahu stated during his speech at the Munich Security Conference.

“Well, here’s a piece of that Iranian drone, or what’s left of it after we shot it down. I brought it here so you could see for yourself,” he said, holding up the piece.

Addressing Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Netanyahu said: “Mr. Zarif, do you recognize this? You should. It’s yours. You can take back with you a message to the tyrants of Tehran: Do not test Israel’s resolve.”

Netanyahu told world leaders, defense officials and diplomats at the conference that the nuclear deal signed with Iran in 2015 has “unleashed a dangerous Iranian tiger in our region and beyond.” He pointed out that the agreement was similar to the infamous 1938 “Munich Agreement” that Western powers signed with Adolf Hitler in an attempt to stave off war in Europe, shortly before World War II broke out.

“The concessions to Hitler only emboldened the Nazi regime,” he said. “Rather than choosing a path that might have prevented war… those well-intentioned leaders made a wider war inevitable and far more costly.”

Israel ‘Will Act if Necessary…Against Iran Itself’

Declaring that Iran’s “brazenness hit new highs,” he then held up the Iranian UAV part.

“Israel will not allow Iran’s regime to put a noose of terror around our neck,” he asserted. “We will act if necessary, not just against Iran’s proxies that are attacking us, but against Iran itself.”

On February 10, an Israeli Air Force (IAF) helicopter successfully intercepted an Iranian UAV that was launched from Syria and infiltrated Israel. The aircraft was identified by the Aerial Defense Systems early on and was under surveillance until the interception.

In response to the incursion, the IAF attacked the Iranian aircraft’s launch components in Syrian territory.

Later, also in response to the Iranian UAV launched at Israeli territory and intercepted by the IAF, IAF aircraft bombed 12 targets in Syria, including three aerial defense batteries and four Iranian targets that are part of Iran’s military establishment in Syria.

During the attack, multiple anti-aircraft missiles were fired at IAF aircraft. One of the Israeli F-16 jets was hit, forcing the two pilots to eject from the aircraft, as per procedure. One was seriously injured.

Syrians and Iranians ‘Are Playing with Fire’

“The Syrians and the Iranians, from our point of view, are playing with fire. The Syrians are playing with fire when they allow the Iranians to attack Israel from their soil. We are willing, prepared, and capable to exact a heavy price on anyone that attacks us. However, we are not looking to escalate the situation,” stated IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus.

“The IDF sees the Iranian attack and the Syrian response as severe violations of Israeli sovereignty. The IDF will continue to act against any attempt to infiltrate Israeli airspace and will act with determination to prevent any breach of Israeli sovereignty,” the IDF stated at the time.

Categories: Iran / Israel War
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Shin Bet Investigation Exposes Depth of Turkey’s Hamas Support

February 17, 2018

by Yaakov Lappin February 16, 2018

Source Link: Shin Bet Investigation Exposes Depth of Turkey’s Hamas Support

{Birds of a feather flock together. – LS}

Hamas is operating freely on Turkish soil, gathering terrorist finances and looking for ways to upgrade the capabilities of its armed wing in Gaza, an Israeli security source has told the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT). It is highly likely that these activities occur with the knowledge of the Turkish authorities, the source said.

The comments come after Israel’s Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency announced the arrest of two suspects — including a Turkish national — on the suspicion of working for Hamas in Turkey.

“There are Hamas military operatives in Turkey, not political operatives,” the source said.

The Shin Bet’s investigation found that Turkish adviser Adnan Basha, who is close to Turkish government officials, set up a company called SADAT, which was tasked with assisting Hamas with acquiring money and weapons. A former Turkish general worked at the company, the IPT has learned.

According to the investigation’s findings, SADAT employees helped senior Hamas officials visit a 2015 weapons show in Turkey. There, the operatives showed interest in drone technologies. {Coincidence? – LS}

“Turkey’s intelligence services are powerful. To believe that they would not know about this is unreasonable,” the source stated. “These activities are taking place on Turkish soil with no interference, and in the knowledge of elements close to the Turkish government.”

According to the Shin Bet’s announcement, Israeli security services arrested a Turkish law lecturer named Cemil Tekeli last month, on suspicion of assisting Hamas terrorists in Turkey.

Three weeks later, Israeli-Arab Dara’am Jabarin, from the northern Israeli town of Umm El-Fahem, was arrested on suspicion of being part of Hamas’ Turkey operations.

The investigation found that “the two had been recruited in Turkey by senior Hamas terrorist Zaher Jabarin,” who was released in Israel’s 2011 prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, in exchange for the freedom of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Jabarin “is responsible for Hamas’ budget and promotes terrorist operations in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank],” the Shin Bet stated. Jabarin is reportedly under the command of Hamas’ deputy chairman, and the head of West Bank operations, Salah Aruri, who is believed to be based in Beirut, under Hezbollah protection.

In its statement, the Shin Bet released remarkable descriptions of Turkey’s contribution “to the military strengthening of Hamas.” Questioning of Tekeli, the Turkish law lecturer, revealed that the SADAT company “was founded to assist — with funds and war materiel — the creation of the ‘Palestine Army’ [in its goal of fighting] Israel.”

“During the investigation, it became clear that Hamas is in direct contact with Turkish authorities via Jihad Ya’amur, a terrorist who was involved in the [1994] abduction of IDF soldier Nahshon Waxman [that soldier was murdered by Hamas during an Israeli attempt to rescue him].” Ya’amur was also released by Israel in the 2011 Shalit deal.

Tekeli’s role, according to the investigation, was to assist Hamas terrorists who moved to Turkey — both personally and economically. Most of these terrorists were released in the Shalit deal, and had taken part in deadly attacks on Israelis in the past.

“Tekeli assisted them in obtaining visas that allowed them to stay in Turkey, in purchasing and renting commercial and residential properties, in purchasing luxury vehicles, and in becoming established in business via the registration of companies in their names,” the Shin Bet stated.

The investigation also exposed large-scale Hamas money laundering in Turkey, overseen by Zaher Jabarin. Hamas operatives in Turkey owned a company called IMES, “which served as a cover for the laundering of millions of US dollars that were transferred to the Gaza Strip and various countries,” the intelligence agency said. “An account was opened for IMES with Turkey’s Akbank. The company’s chairman opened another bank account under his name with Türkiye Finans Bank.”

Subsequent questioning of the Israeli Arab suspect, Dara’am Jabarin, who was allegedly recruited to Hamas’ ranks by Jabarin, showed that the IMES company was used as a cover for meetings with recruits. Dara’am visited Turkey frequently over a period of 18 months, and was asked by his handlers to transfer Hamas funds from Turkey to the West Bank, according to the investigation.

“His handlers in Turkey gave him hundreds of thousands of Euros for Hamas’ military infrastructure. He hid the funds in various secret locations” in the West Bank, the Shin Bet said. “A search of his home uncovered 91,000 Euros which were due to be transferred to Judea and Samaria [the West Bank].”

In recent weeks, additional suspects from the town of Umm El-Fahm have been detained in connection with the investigation.

Tekeli was deported from Israel after the end of the investigation, while Dara’am Jabarin is due to go on trial in the coming days.

In its official statement, the Shin Bet said that Turkish officials turned a blind eye, and on occasion encouraged Hamas’ economic and military activities. This activity occurred “with the assistance of Turkish nationals, some of whom are close to the government. This activity relies on — inter alia — business platforms that serve Hamas in laundering funds that are transferred to Judea and Samaria,” the statement said.

Speaking to the IPT, the Israeli security source said that the arrest of the Israeli Arab man underscores a disturbing danger posed by Hamas’ ongoing attempt to recruit Arab Israelis on Turkish soil. “This is problematic,” the source said, referring to the fact that recruits with Israeli citizenship have full freedom of maneuver inside of the country, which can be exploited for hostile action.

 

Categories: Turkey and Hamas
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BIG BROTHER Iran may be spying on Brits using ‘weaponised’ phone apps downloaded from Apple and Google’s app stores, report claims

February 16, 2018

By Mark Hodge 15th February 2018 4:59 pm The Sun

Source Link: BIG BROTHER Iran may be spying on Brits using weaponised phone apps downloaded from Apple and Google’s app stores, report claims

{Invading Iran one app at a time. – LS}

An explosive new report claims the spyware-enabled messaging apps, used by the evil regime, are being used by Iranian expats in the West to communicate with their relatives in the troubled country

IRAN could be spying on Brits and Americans using “weaponised” apps which are available on Apple and Google’s online stores, an explosive new report has claimed.

The Iranian regime has created their own messaging apps which are spyware-enabled to help them hunt down anti-government protesters in the country, according to the report obtained by The Sun Online.

The most popular of these applications is called Mobogram, which is used by millions of Iranians and is available to download by westerners on Apple’s App Store.

The report by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a political group which opposes the Iranian regime, shows that Iranian expats are using Mobogram to communicate with their relatives in the troubled dictatorship.

Deputy Director of the council Alireza Jafarzadeh told The Sun Online that the Iranian regime has “weaponised smartphones” in its bid to thwart demonstrators in the country.

He said: “When you download these apps and start using them, they have the ability to gain access to your contacts, track your location and they can see the content of your communications.

“They can find out who you are, your phone number, your address, because they gain access to information on your SIM card.

“Some of the apps have found their way into global marketplaces such as Google Play and Apple’s App Store.

“This means the Iranian regime could target the millions of Iranian expats living abroad who communicate with their relatives.”

Mr Jafarzadeh’s says that the council’s research has shown that the regime has used the spyware to “threaten, arrest, torture and kill people.”

In December and January, the Iranian regime was rocked by anti-government protests which erupted in over 100 town and cities across the Islamic Republic.

The Council’s research shows that the government has developed around 100 spyware enabled apps allegedly using tech companies which are a front for the evil regime.

Apps such as Mobogram are “forked”, or copied, from popular messaging app Telegram and “were promoted heavily” by the state-sponsored firms, claims Mr Jafarzadeh.

Last year, the founder and CEO of Telegram Pavel Durov branded Mobogram “potentially insecure” and warned against using it.

He tweeted: “Mobogram is an outdated and potentially insecure fork of Telegram from Iran. I don’t advise to use it.”

The Iranian government executes more people, including women and children, per capita than any other country on Earth.

And Mr Jafarzadeh says the regime is “experimenting” with cyber warfare on its own people but could “apply these tactics” against  western countries.

He said: “The regime has turned these applications into a spying weapon.

“They have weaponised these applications and as a result have actually weaponised smartphones in their favour.

“The Iranian regime is experimenting with cyberwar fare on its own population first – and once they have perfected that they could apply these tactics on countries outside of Iran.

“The regime feels very, very vulnerable to the uprising which is happening. They feel that the whole population is turning against them.”

The Sun Online has approached Apple and Google for comment.

Mobogram web developer Hanista has also been approached for comment.

Categories: Iran - civil unrest, Iran - executions, Iran - Green Revolution, Iran - hostages, Iran - human rights
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