NEWS FROM ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Dozens of missiles could hit Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in next war’
The Jerusalem Post reports: “Dozens of medium-range missiles could fall in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in the next war, Homefront Commander Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan said in a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee conference.
The threats are not just limited to one zone. They are spread throughout the country, with a greater extent of weapons, Golan explained at the conference on emergency preparedness, which was organized in cooperation with the Union of Local Authorities in Israel.
Golan added that the next war will probably be longer, because our enemies have a larger weapons inventory than they had before.
The way their arsenal has developed is a dramatic threat, he explained, adding that Israel could face attacks on power stations and water treatment facilities. The threat has become more significant, Golan said.
The homefront commander also presented a chart of major cities in Israel and what kind of missiles it may face in the next major conflict. Jerusalem and Tel Aviv were both listed as targets for dozens of medium-range missiles, as well as a few long-range ones ” (A message for Israel Amos 4:12. See the next report.)
Iran test fires long-range missiles capable of striking Israel, U.S. bases
Haaretz reports: “Iran’s Revolutionary Guards tested 14 missiles on the second day of war games intended a show of strength to the Islamic Republic’s enemies in Israel and Washington.
The Iranian-made surface-to-surface missiles, with a maximum range of 2,000 km (1,250 miles), were fired simultaneously at a single target, the official IRNA news agency reported.
The head of the Revolutionary Guards’ aerospace division emphasized Iran’s preparedness to strike Israel and U.S. interests in the event of any attack on Iran.
The range of our missiles has been designed based on American bases in the region as well as the Zionist regime, Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh told the semi-official Fars news agency.
Washington and Israel have said they do not rule out military strikes on Iran if diplomatic means fail to stop it developing nuclear weapons.
Iranian President: We must expose the truth about Holocaust, 9/11
Haaretz reports: “Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the real dimensions of the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. as well as genocide in the Second World War should be exposed in order to be able to stop terrorism.
If the black box of the 9/11 incident and Holocaust were opened, then some of the truth would be exposed, but the United States does not allow this, Ahmadinejad said at the two-day international summit on terrorism in Tehran.
The president said both the Holocaust and the 2001 terror attacks were pretexts by the U.S. to put down Muslims and at the same time make huge economic benefits by spreading panic in the region. Ahmadinejad has often questioned what he called accepted truths.
He said the roots of terrorism should be explored before it can be fought effectively, and blamed U.S. militarism for causing security to deteriorate.
There are networks which have thousands of members and sympathizers and it is the duty if the Islamic countries to fight these groups without any foreign interference, Ahmadinejad said ” (It is impossible for Irans President to expose truth of any kind because his spiritual father, Satan, is a liar and the religious head of liars. Islamic Sharia Law states that its perfectly permissible to lie and use deceit when promoting Islam.)
Iran Funnels New Weapons to Iraq and Afghanistan
The Wall Street Journal reports: “Iran’s elite military unit, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has transferred lethal new munitions to its allies in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent months, according to senior U.S. officials, in a bid to accelerate the U.S. withdrawals from these countries.
The Revolutionary Guard has smuggled rocket-assisted exploding projectiles to its militia allies in Iraq, weapons that have already resulted in the deaths of American troops, defense officials said. They said Iranians have also given long-range rockets to the Taliban in Afghanistan, increasing the insurgents’ ability to hit U.S. and other coalition positions from a safer distance.
Such arms shipments would escalate the shadow competition for influence playing out between Tehran and Washington across the Middle East and North Africa, fueled by U.S. preparations to draw down forces from two wars and the political rebellions that are sweeping the region ” (Irans President is a Shia Muslim who is pushing to bring his messiah Mahdi to prominence. Mahdi will only come when Ahmadinejad eliminates most Jews. Ahmadinejads provision of weapons to Muslim terrorists is to speed Mahdis reign of terror. See the next two reports.)
‘Iran infiltrating Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt’
YnetNews.com reports: “Military Intelligence chief Major-General Aviv Kochavi said Iranian influence was growing in Middle Eastern countries experiencing unrest or upheaval such as Egypt and Syria.
Assad understands today that his solution cannot only come from military responses, and that is why he is turning to reform, Kochavi told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, referring to the protest-plagued president of Syria.
In Egypt, meanwhile, Tehran is trying to influence the outcomes of elections by tightening relations with the Muslim Brotherhood, the MI chief added.
We must not belittle the reform package Assad has begun to promote. These reforms regard the improvement of wages, subsidies, and the opening up of more jobs, Kochavi said.
He added that Bashar Assad’s army has so far remained loyal because soldiers have retained the belief that the suppression of protests is a legitimate way to prevent total rioting ”
Muslim Brotherhood Eying Major Victory in Parliamentary Elections
The Fars News Agency reports: “A senior member of the Egyptian Al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun (Muslim Brotherhood) party announced that the influential party is ready to form a united front in the upcoming parliamentary elections, and announced that the party plans to win 30 to 40 percent of the parliament seats.
We have a plan to nominate a number of Ikhwan al-Muslimun members in a bid to win almost 30 to 40 percent of the seats in the parliament, Kamal al-Halbawi told FNA , adding that the party will take part in the country’s political trend through participation in the parliamentary elections.
He mentioned that debates are underway inside the party to identify and introduce proper candidates, adding that the party has already evaluated the public opinion through opinion polls, the results of which show their high chances of victory in the parliamentary elections.
Meantime, Halbawi voiced the party’s preparedness to form alliance with other political parties, and stated, We have plans to form an alliance with a number of Egyptian political parties.
We are ready to form alliance with anyone who works for Egypt’s freedom and dignity. We will be a friend to anyone who respects the human rights, the politician reiterated ”