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Wednesday, December 15, 2021

12/15 Links Pt1: The Left should end its Iran hypocrisy; The US promised, Israel carried through; Why Does the UN Celebrate Palestinian Terrorism and Rejectionism?

From Ian:

The Left should end its Iran hypocrisy
The core of the Biden administration’s strategy on Iran appears simply to do the opposite of former President Donald Trump.

Trump walked away from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action? Then the goal must be to rejoin it rather than address its fundamental flaws.

Trump embraced "maximum pressure" to compel behavioral change in Tehran? Then step one for the Biden team must be to flood Iran with sanctions relief. Never mind the inconvenient truth that, in the Islamic Republic, there is a direct correlation between trade and terrorism thanks to the Revolutionary Guards’ stranglehold over most industries.

If liberals want to be successful on Iran issues, they should change their tack. Rather than define themselves as doing the opposite of the Republicans, they should instead be true to their stated principles of supporting labor, protecting the environment, and defending human rights.

It has now been more than 15 years since President George W. Bush missed Iran’s Lech Walesa moment when bus drivers defied their government to form the Islamic Republic’s first independent trade union. Today, unionism is a growing force in Iran, one that leader Ali Khamenei, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Hossein Salami each fear.

On Monday, teachers went on strike across Iran to demand basic rights. From a nuclear strategy standpoint, encouraging unionization should be a no-brainer, for every dollar that the Revolutionary Guards must pay textile factory or sugar cane workers is a dollar they cannot invest in ballistic missiles or nuclear centrifuges. If a general strike paralyzes Iran’s oil fields where workers face unsafe conditions and poor living standards, then there is no oil for Tehran to sell to Beijing or Pyongyang. That American and European labor organizations support workers everywhere except for Iran should lead to some liberal soul-searching.
US, Palestinians see eye to eye on settlements - PA officials
The PA Foreign Ministry on Wednesday called on the Biden administration to “translate United Nations resolutions pertaining to the Palestinian cause into practical steps in order to oblige Israel to end its occupation of the lands of the State of Palestine, with its capital East Jerusalem.”

The ministry accused the Israeli government of “practicing various forms of illegal and illegitimate settlements that are directly hostile to peace.”

The ministry claimed that assaults by settlers on Palestinians have significantly increased.

“The Biden administration sees eye to eye with the Palestinian Authority about the settlements and settler violence,” said a PA ministry official.

“The Americans understand that the settlements aim to destroy the two-state solution. They also understand that daily assaults [by settlers] on farmers and villagers pose a serious threat to security and stability.”

However, despite Ramallah’s satisfaction with the Biden administration’s attitude towards settlements, the Palestinians are hoping that the Americans “will move from words to deeds and force Israel to halt all settlement activities and rein in violent settlers,” the official added.

Additionally, the Palestinians are satisfied with the Biden administration’s policy of strengthening the PA and its urging of Israel to follow suit.

“The Trump administration treated the Palestinians as if they were an enemy,” the PA ministry official noted. “The current administration has adopted a completely different approach. They are talking to us with respect.”

Meanwhile, 56% of the Palestinians said they oppose a return to dialogue with the Biden administration, according to a public opinion poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research.

Yet, when asked about the country or party that is most influential in convincing the Palestinians and Israelis to return to the peace process, 46% of respondents said the US.
US, Palestinian officials relaunch economic dialogue after 5-year, Trump-era hiatus
US and Palestinian officials met virtually Tuesday for the relaunching of the “US-Palestinian Economic Dialogue,” which failed to meet during the Trump administration when relations between Washington and Ramallah deteriorated to an all-time low.

The officials from a wide range of government offices on both sides discussed “infrastructure development, access to US markets, US regulations, free trade, financial issues, renewable energy and environmental initiatives, connecting Palestinian and American businesses, and addressing obstacles to Palestinian economic development,” a statement from the State Department said.

It marked the latest step by the Biden administration to boost ties with the Palestinians. Since entering office last January, US President Joe Biden has renewed hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to the West Bank, Gaza Strip and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA. It has also re-established official ties with Ramallah, which all but severed relations with Washington after former president Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in late 2017.

Biden officials have been holding regular meetings with their Palestinian counterparts, and the Palestinian Authority has even begun engaging with the US Embassy in Jerusalem following an announcement by the Biden administration that it would reopen the US consulate in the city, which long served as the de-facto mission to the Palestinians before it was shuttered by Trump in 2019.

Israel has pushed back on the plan and the White House has yet to present a timeline of when it hopes to see it through. Vice President Kamala Harris also pledged during the campaign that the administration would reopen the PLO diplomatic office in Washington. That too has yet to be actualized though.


34 years of violence, terror and hate. This is what Hamas is celebrating in Gaza.

Seth Frantzman: Would the UAE really walk away from prestigious F-35 deal?
The United Arab Emirates is prepared to halt the acquisition of advanced fifth-generation F-35 aircraft, according to reports published this week in The Wall Street Journal.

The prestigious and important deal was announced last year around the time of the Abraham Accords, raising eyebrows in the Middle East and Washington.

In late September 2020, the UAE submitted a formal request to purchase fifty of the aircraft. The deal would include 18 Reaper drones as well. The US has often prevented sales of its advanced armed drones abroad, leading many countries to acquire Chinese and other drones instead.

It appeared the UAE acquisition would move forward quickly with White House approvals in October 2020, and other approvals from the State Department in November, fast-tracking the decision. However, there was grumbling and criticism of the deal.

A variety of voices claimed the deal was problematic. One argument was that large arms sales like this might fuel some kind of arms race in the region and stoke more Iran tensions.

This argument makes no sense because Iran and other countries are already racing forward with arms development, such as drones and missiles. There is already an arms race.

Another argument was that the deal would further entangle the US in a region that the US was trying to leave. The US wants to pivot to near-peer rivalry with China in Asia. Many commentators see the Middle East as a sunk cost.


Over 200 Jewish Organizations, Rabbis Ask Biden to ‘Act Now’ Against Chinese Persecution of Uyghurs
A letter to President Joe Biden signed by over 200 Jewish groups, synagogues, and individuals condemns Chinese policy toward ethnic Uyghurs, and calls on the president “to prioritize human rights in US policy toward China.”

The Uyghurs, a Muslim minority group from the Chinese province of Xinjiang, have been subjected to a years-long, state-sponsored campaign of mass incarceration, forced dislocation, child separation, and “reeducation” intended to suppress their culture and religion. In Jan. 2021, the US State Department labeled the persecution a genocide.

“As a community that acutely remembers times when we were persecuted and unable to teach our traditions to our children, and as we painfully recall the genocide that we suffered under Nazi rule, we know that we can and must speak out against this persecution and in support of the Uyghur community,” said the letter, obtained by the Axios news site.

“The US government has taken critical first steps by determining that the persecution of Uyghurs is a genocide and implementing sanctions on some perpetrators and facilitators of these abuses,” the letter continued. “But such a serious designation requires the US to do more, both unilaterally and with our allies.”

Signatories included the American Jewish Committee and a number of local Jewish Community Relations Councils, 21 congregations from across the US, and scores of rabbis and community leaders.
The US promised, Israel carried through
Syria used to have a huge chemical weapons arsenal, mostly lethal nerve agents. The Assad regime used chemical weapons against its opposition in dozens of cases, but was forced to change course after over 1,400 citizens were killed in an attack in Damascus in August 2013. After the US threatened to attack Syria in response to that attack, Assad agreed to forgo his chemical weapons arsenal, and the Americans and the Russians reached an agreement under which over 1,300 tons of chemical weapons were removed from Syria and destroyed.

Despite his promise not to, Assad continued to use other types of chemical weapons against his opponents, mostly chlorine gas. Israel warned that the fact that the world was allowing him to do so would eventually lead to Syria resuming the production of more sophisticated chemical weaponry, which is what happened. It appears that as opposed to the past, Israel made a decision not to wait until Syria would acquire large stocks of chemical weapons, but to take them out in the early stages. But the fact that Syria kept up its efforts to develop these weapons, even after it was attacked the first time, shows that alongside the friendly face Assad tries to show the world, he continues to pursue methods of mass destruction.

The Washington Post report does not make it clear what the US response was to the strikes, and more pertinently – why the US was not the one to attack after explicitly promising that it would not allow Syria to obtain chemical weapons of any type. It might have to do with Israel beating it to the punch and allegedly carrying out the strikes as part of the operations it allegedly carries out in Syria on a regular basis (although this time, the targets were not Iranian or Iranian satellites, but specifically Syrian). It's also possible that the Americans simply balked at exercising military force, both the Trump administration – which was in power at the time of the first strike – and the Biden administration, which was in power during the second.

By avoiding an attack on these facilities, the Americans again missed an opportunity to send a message to the Middle East and the world as a whole. Israel, on the other hand, stood up for its principles (again), and even expanded the Begin Doctrine – which is to not allow any country in the region to obtain nuclear or chemical weapons capabilities. It looks like this is what was behind the report on Monday. The information that appeared was not attributed to Israeli officials, but the manner and timing of the report indicate that someone had an interest in the strikes being exposed now, as the nuclear negotiations with Iran are under way, to make sure that they echo beyond Syria, especially in Beirut and Tehran.
Caroline Glick: The Ugly Truth Comes Out About Netanyahu's Trial
The corruption trial of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Jerusalem District Court has been ongoing for the past two months. Things are not going well for the prosecutors.

Israel's state prosecution submitted a list of 333 witnesses. It frontloaded its best ones. So far, eight have taken the stand. And all of them have obliterated the prosecution's case. Long-time Israeli jurists and former prosecutors attest that this is the worst presentation of evidence they have ever seen.

For the past three years, Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and his colleagues built their case for indicting Netanyahu—a long-serving, successful and popular prime minister—by claiming their star witnesses had given them proof that Netanyahu is corrupt and dangerous.

Through illegal, selective leaks from investigation rooms and prime-time press conferences, the state prosecution insisted that the witnesses had given them incontrovertible evidence that Netanyahu received a bribe, in the form of positive coverage from a news website. Mandelblit claimed that in exchange for the bribe of positive coverage, Netanyahu compelled regulators to provide the owner of the website with a sweetheart deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

But over the past two months, as one allegedly "star" witness after another took the stand, each rejected Mandelblit's contention. Netanyahu, in fact, received hostile coverage from the website in question; his political rivals received supportive coverage.

As for the regulatory favors Netanyahu supposedly afforded the owner of the website in exchange for positive coverage, here too, the witnesses have shattered the narrative. The alleged whistleblower, who purportedly made the claim, testified that Netanyahu had no role in the regulatory apparatus in question. Netanyahu, in short, never asked for anything.
Trump Heights passes one more hurdle on way to Golan Heights construction
Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked on Monday approved the formation of two local committees – Trump Heights on the Golan Heights, and Gva'ot Eden in the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council in the Jerusalem District.

Shaked adopted the recommendations put forth by Interior Ministry Director-General Yair Hirsch to approve the two new local committees and delineate their respective geographical boundaries.

Trump Heights will be built on some 68 acres of land. While its construction had already been approved some time ago, Shaked's decision essentially affirms the transfer of lands from the community of Kela Alon toward the development of Trump Heights in terms of housing units, public buildings and open areas, a local industrial zone, and roads.

The approval for the establishment of Gva'ot Eden had already been granted in 1998, but opposition from various bodies throughout the years has put the project on hold. The community is expected to include some 452 housing units that are currently under construction, and around 270 additional housing units throughout 2022-23.
40 Years since Israel declared Golan heights sovereignty
Israel conquered the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War, and claimed sovereignty in 1981

Israel on Tuesday marked 40 years since Menachem Begin’s government officially established the Jewish state’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights territory that it conquered from Syria.

While Israel still holds claim to the northern region, much has changed in the area since then.


PMW: Terrorist murderer of 5 will keep killing if he is released again, says his brother
Speaking on official PA TV, the brother of a terrorist responsible for the murder of 5, expressed his conviction that his brother will kill again if released. He explained that his brother Khalil Abu Arram already once was given “a long sentence” but “came out in the previous prisoner exchange.” After his release he carried out more terror – “attacked again” out of “national duty” - his brother stated, and continued that nothing is going stop the currently imprisoned murderer from killing “a second time, a third time, and a fourth time” if released:
Brother of terrorist Khalil Abu Arram: “This isn’t the first time that Khalil [Abu Arram] went to prison. Before that he was given a long sentence... Allah be praised, he came out in the previous prisoner exchange [deal]. In accordance with his national duty, he attacked again – together with his comrades… As a sign of solidarity with his brothers he attacked again, and I believe that if he is released he will do [it] a second time, a third time, and a fourth time. As long as Palestine is being subjected to oppressive occupation he will continue all his efforts to remove the occupation from Palestine.”

Official PA TV host: “Khalil Abu Arram, may Allah bless you, from the program Giants of Endurance.”
[Official PA TV, Giants of Endurance, Nov. 11, 2021]

That terrorists released prematurely return to terror is yet another problematic aspect of exchanging terrorist prisoners for Israeli hostages. As reported by Palestinian Media Watch yesterday, early release of terrorists has caused Israeli prison sentences to lose their value as a deterrent. Palestinians believe that no sentence is for real because Israel will agree to premature releases in exchange for Israeli hostages.


Why Does the United Nations Celebrate Palestinian Terrorism and Rejectionism?
The United Nations once again marked the “International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People” on November 29, with a day of speeches and “cultural events” at the organization’s New York headquarters.

Billed as an “opportunity for the international community to focus its attention on the question of Palestine,” the date marks 74 years since the UN passed resolution 181, the partition of the British-ruled Mandate for Palestine to create a Jewish state and an Arab state, with Jerusalem under international control.

It was a plan that drew support from world powers including the United States, the Soviet Union, France, and Belgium. It was also accepted by the majority of Jews.

However, the Arab side resolutely rejected any kind of compromise that would see the establishment of a Jewish state. Instead, it launched a wave of attacks against the Jewish population — and soon, a war of annihilation to destroy Israel, and push all of its Jewish residents into the sea.

Over the course of the following seven decades, the Palestinian leadership has maintained this combative approach to its Jewish neighbors, rebuffing every single peace overture that has ever been made, while simultaneously claiming to be systematically denied any chance at self-determination.

For example, after the 1967 Six-Day War — in which several Arab countries had tried to annihilate the Jewish state — Israel offered to return territory it had captured in return for peace. It was this well-intentioned proposal that earned the infamous response that became known as the Three Nos: no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with Israel.


Palestinians Outraged by Jordanian Film Portraying Foul Play in Prisoners’ Sperm Smuggling Operation

Influx of Martyrs Leaves Heaven Facing Severe Virgin Shortages (satire)
A worrying report released by a spokesman in Heaven this week revealed that the afterlife paradise is on the verge of facing a severe virgin supply crisis. As per company policy, every martyr entering heaven is guaranteed 72 beautiful virgin girls upon his arrival. Unfortunately, an influx in martyrs in recent years due to increased turmoil amongst radical Islamists has rendered the hereafter utopia struggling to meet the demand of rising numbers of fanatical militants killed in the name of Allah. The spokesman, who wished to remain anonymous, noted, “We haven’t seen anything like this since the Crusades. Fortunately at that point we had a surplus of virgins to give out. After more than 1400 years of Jihad though, our supplies are becoming limited and aren’t replenishing fast enough to meet demand.”

“We’re left with two options: 1. placing martyrs on wait-lists or 2. supplying them with 72 girls who aren’t virgins, which let’s face it, might actually be a better deal. We just don’t tell them.” Sources say that Hell, on the other hand, is able to keep up its guarantee of 72 vegetable peeler genital flayings per infidel.
Neutralize Hezbollah now
The threat of a Hezbollah response to an attack destroying Iran's nuclear program has now emerged as the key argument against pursuing such a military operation

Those advocating complacence warn that Hezbollah's hundreds of thousands of rockets, which now include a considerable number of guided missiles, would cause considerable damage to Israel in a slugfest which could escalate into a regional war that America most certainly doesn't want.

But the answer to this argument is not to light a candle and to pray that the leaders of Iran do not really adhere to religious beliefs which see mutual destruction as a gateway to their Paradise but instead to act now to neutralize Hezbollah.

Yes. Neutralize Hezbollah now.

This isn't some unattainable goal.

We have spent a lot of money on preparations to do just this.

The IAF has done practice runs of the plans.

There apparently isn't any game changing gizmo in the pipeline being delivered to the IDF in the next 12 months that justifies postponement until then.
Lebanese Writer: Situation in Lebanon Can Be Fixed Once Problem of Hizbullah’s Weapons Is Resolved

MEMRI: Living In A Fantasy: Iran, The U.S., And Europe At The Vienna Talks
Introduction
Following the renewal of the seventh round of nuclear talks in Vienna, it is becoming more and more clear that all the sides involved are living in a fantasy and that their delusions are gradually being exposed. All the sides are realizing that their hopes and expectations are indeed delusions, and their declarations in recent days attest to the fact that their positions are cut off from reality.

The following is an examination of both sides' positions.

The American/European Side
The American/European Side Does Not Understand That There Is No Way Back To The 2015 JCPOA Agreement – It Has Been Stripped Of Content By Iran And Exists As A Mere Empty Framework

Although all that remains of the JCPOA is its formal framework, and it has been completely emptied of content by Iran through the latter's violation of all of its aspects, the American/European side is acting as if Iran's nuclear program can be brought back under the restrictions of the 2015 JCPOA.[1] According to a November 17, 2021 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report,[2] Iran is enriching uranium far beyond the 3.67% permitted in the JCPOA, to 60%. Its inventory of uranium exceeds the permitted 300 kg, with 2,489 kg of uranium enriched to a range of levels: 113.8 kg at 20%, 17.7 kg at 60%, 1,622 kg at 2%-5%, and 59 kg at 2%. It is using IR-4- and IR-6-generation centrifuge cascades, much more advanced than the first generation that it is allowed to use; and it is not cooperating with the IAEA, in violation of its commitment to do so. It is also not allowing inspections of its declared nuclear sites and refuses to allow inspections or even to answer questions about its undeclared nuclear sites that have been exposed. Additionally, it is not cooperating with the IAEA in the matter of its plutonium reactor at Arak.

It should be emphasized that no declaration by senior Iranian officials has expressed an Iranian commitment to return to the original 2015 JCPOA even if the U.S. lifts all the sanctions.
JCPA: Iran Accelerates Its Space Program as It Prepares a Ballistic Missile for a Satellite Launch
The United States considers Iran’s satellite launches a violation of Security Council Resolution 2231, which was approved in July 2015. According to the resolution, Iran was “called upon” not to take any action involving ballistic missiles “designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.” Iran’s space programs, which were “dormant” under Rouhani, were accelerated as Iran’s response to the U.S. exit from the nuclear deal.

The issue of Iran’s ballistic missile launches was mentioned in the 12th report of the UN Secretary-General (December 8, 2021) to the Security Council on the Implementation of Security Council Resolution 2231. Geraldine Byrne Nason (Ireland), Security Council Facilitator for the implementation of Resolution 2231, said France, Germany, Iran, Israel, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, and the United States provided information to the Secretary-General and the Security Council concerning a ballistic missile launch in May 2021 and two space launch vehicle tests in June 2021 by Iran. The Permanent Representatives of Israel and the United States noted that the two space launch vehicles incorporated technologies that were virtually identical to those used in ballistic missiles designed to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Geraldine Byrne Nason also said that the information circulated “reflects divergent views among those Member States as to whether those launches are inconsistent with paragraph 3 of resolution 2231 (2015).”

Iran, as usual, refuses to discuss any issue related to its ballistic missile program and threatens to leave if the issue comes up during the Vienna talks. During the recent discussion on the implementation of SCR 2231, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, reiterated Iran stance: “Launches by Iran of ballistic missiles and space vehicles are completely outside of the purview of resolution, as developing a conventional missile program is an inherent right under international law. The current Vienna talks can succeed,” he affirmed, “not by setting artificial deadlines or introducing threats, unfounded accusations or disinformation campaigns, but only by engaging in negotiations with genuine political will and in good faith.”16
Iran, IAEA reach partial deal on disputed nuclear issues
According to the IAEA, the agreement between the two sides includes the following elements:
- The Agency and Iran will continue to work on remaining outstanding safeguards issues with the aim of resolving them. To this end, Iran and the Agency will conduct a series of exchanges of information and assessments including through meetings of experts.
- The Agency will make available a sample camera and related technical information to Iran for analysis by its relevant security and judiciary officials, in the presence of the Agency inspectors, on December 19.
- The Agency will reinstall cameras to replace those removed from the workshop at Karaj and perform other related technical activities before the end of December 2021 on a date agreed between the Agency and Iran.

Iran has shown the IAEA the prior three of four cameras which it had removed from Karaj and "data storage media" containing their footage, except for the one containing a destroyed camera's footage.

The Islamic Republic has claimed that it did not destroy the camera, but rather that it was destroyed by a Mossad sabotage operation in June. In fact, Tehran has used the excuse of the alleged Israeli attack as its reason for delaying the IAEA’s returning to monitoring the site until now.

The part of the agreement regarding Iran inspecting the IAEA’s cameras was likely also directed at publicly emphasizing that point, given that Iran has had access to the IAEA’s cameras for years.

It appeared that Iran was still going to withhold some access from the IAEA regarding viewing the camera's footage in real-time and it was unclear if the IAEA had regained full access to prior footage.

Some defense and intelligence officials have alleged that Iran has used the period of shutting out the IAEA since June to smuggle portions of its 60% enriched uranium to clandestine sites to either proceed forward toward a nuclear weapon covertly or preserve the option.
Iran to return UN cameras to nuclear centrifuge site, but keep footage – state media
Iran will allow the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog to reinstall cameras damaged at a site where it has centrifuge parts and manufacturing material, semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported Wednesday.

The decision will see cameras put back at Karaj, which came under what Iran describes as a sabotage attack in June.

Iran had since refused the International Atomic Energy Agency access to replace cameras damaged in the incident.

The Vienna-based IAEA did not immediately respond to queries from The Associated Press regarding the reports by the semiofficial ISNA and Tasnim news agencies. The reports said Iran would keep all recordings from the cameras, however, part of another ongoing dispute between the agency and Tehran.

The reports came after Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian reportedly said earlier Wednesday that Iran had “reached a good agreement” with the IAEA.
Iranian ‘Drone Armies’ Step Up Attacks on US as Nuclear Talks Languish, GOP Lawmakers Say
Iranian "drone armies" are behind a surge in attacks on U.S. positions and allies in Iraq, according to a group of Republican lawmakers who are demanding answers from the Biden administration about how it is working to counter these threats amid ongoing negotiations with Tehran over a revamped nuclear accord.

"In 2021, Iran-backed forces in Iraq have been behind an uptick of drone attacks against positions associated with the U.S. or coalition forces in Iraq," Reps. Bryan Steil (R., Wis.), Joe Wilson (R., S.C.), Brian Babin (R., Texas), and Andrew Clyde (R., Ga.) on Tuesday wrote to the State Department in a letter that demands answers for why these strikes have gone unpunished. "These include a strike against an alleged CIA hangar in Erbil, Iraq, in April and the Baghdad airport this June."

The lawmakers say "American passivity and indifference" to these attacks, which also include a November assassination attempt on Iraqi prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, is signaling to Tehran that it can use its Iraq-based terrorist proxy groups to foment chaos. Steil and his colleagues accuse the Biden State Department of turning a blind eye to Iran's terrorism enterprise in a bid to avoid agitating Tehran as talks over a new version of the 2015 nuclear accord are ongoing in Vienna.

"Tehran and its militias in Iraq possess significant drone capabilities, capabilities that need to be addressed and countered regardless of the administration's quest to return to talks and re-enter what we believe to be a flawed nuclear agreement with Tehran," the lawmakers write, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.


Iranian Paper Publishes ‘Map of Israeli Targets’
“An intensification of Israeli military threats against Iran seems to suggest that the Zionist regime has forgotten that Iran is more than capable of hitting them from anywhere,” began an article published Tuesday in the Tehran Times, a newspaper identified with the Iranian regime.

The article ran under the headline “Just One Wrong Move!” and featured a “map of Israeli targets,” which showed nearly every populated community in the country labeled with a red dot.

The article discussed recent reports in Israeli media that strikes against Syria’s chemical weapons facilities in March 2020 and June 2021 were “a direct message” to the Islamic Republic, as well as reports that Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi wanted to increase the number of permanent Israeli Air Force bases.

The article quoted the head of the Iranian military, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Bagheri, as saying that Iran “never underestimates” threats from an enemy.

“Despite our confidence in the deterrence situation … We are prepared for the smallest of threats in the strategic field,” said Bagheri.

Bagheri also told the Tehran Times that while Iran “does not intend to strike anyone,” it was prepared at the “operational and tactical level” for a “decisive response and quick and tough offensive.”
Tehran Times threatens Israel with map of targets
i24NEWS Defense Correspondent Jonathan Regev reports.

'The Iranians are basically saying with this article… we are able to hit any point in Israel'

Iran-based newspaper The Tehran Times published a cover story on Wednesday morning with a direct threat to Israel, including a so-called “target map” portraying a list of sites in the Jewish state.

The article quotes recent reports in Israel about the alleged strike in Syria against chemical weapon facilities, which the Iranian regime appears to see as a direct warning.









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