Friday, July 22, 2022

From Ian:

Brooke Goldstein: Stop Funding Palestinian Jew-Hatred
The social media accounts of UNRWA teachers are littered with posts that express support for terrorist groups and incite violence against Jews and Israelis. UN Watch, a Geneva-based NGO, has widely reported on these postings, including in a presentation to the U.S. Congress. Watchdog groups the world over have been shouting this same message for years.

UNRWA textbooks use terrorists to illustrate lessons the way American textbooks use Jack and Jill. "Martyrs" from the First Intifada are used in mathematical word problems. Students are encouraged to "defend the motherland with blood." Lessons are peppered with blatant lies, such as one about Israel dumping radioactive waste in the West Bank. Dalal Mughrabi, a terrorist who killed 38 civilians while hijacking a bus, is hailed in UNRWA textbooks as a role model of female empowerment.

Phillipe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of UNRWA, has claimed that content of this nature was published in UNWRA textbooks by accident. He has vowed to correct the oversight, and he claims that all UNRWA textbooks have now been scrubbed clean of "inappropriate pages."

However, in a report published just this month, the London-based Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se) found that new materials created and distributed by UNRWA during the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate distance learning continue to promote terrorism, while also denying Israel's right to exist.

It doesn't end in the classroom. UNRWA school buildings are also used by Hamas to store weapons and missiles.

All while America continues to foot UNRWA's bills.

At what point will this administration say enough is enough? What will make President Biden realize that he has aligned America with the wrong "ally?" Does a terrorist have to be wearing a UNRWA T-shirt while shooting up an American subway? Do UNRWA textbooks have to refer to America as an illicit "occupier?"

How close to home does the outrage need to hit before America turns off the spigot?
Palestinian Government Probed for Torture, War Crimes
The Palestinian government is complicit in "rampant, wide-spread, and systematic torture of Palestinian nationals" and Israelis, according to a landmark legal complaint filed this week with the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The International Legal Forum (ILF), an advocacy group representing more than 3,500 lawyers and civil society activists across the globe, is pressing the ICC to investigate the Palestinian Authority for war crimes in the first ever case of this nature presented to the court, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

The organization is demanding that the ICC launch "an immediate investigation and prosecution of Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership for allegations of torture." The documents outline instances of the Palestinian government engaging in "violent beatings, arbitrary detention, solitary confinement, cruel and inhumane prison conditions, harassment, forced confessions, and summary executions."

The case comes just a week after President Joe Biden made his first trip to the Middle East and announced another $316 million in U.S. taxpayer funding for the PA and organizations that work with it, bringing the total amount of American aid to around $1 billion. The Trump administration froze this money over concerns that the Palestinian government spends international aid dollars on terror groups and imprisoned terrorists.

"It is noteworthy that President Biden has just returned from the Middle East, where he touted millions of dollars in increased funding to the Palestinians," Arsen Ostrovsky, the ILF's chairman and CEO, told the Free Beacon. "One has to ask the question, then, are U.S. tax payer dollars also going toward underwriting torture practices carried out by the Palestinian Authority?"

While the Palestinian government has long pressed the ICC and other U.N. organizations to investigate alleged Israeli human rights abuses, the ILF's complaint marks one of the first times a pro-Israel organization has attempted to force international legal authorities to investigate the PA.
David Singer: Biden rejects Saudi plan for Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine
President Biden’s support for the creation of an additional Arab State between Israel and Jordan constitutes his clear rejection of a Saudi plan to merge Jordan, Gaza and part of the 'West Bank' into one territorial entity to be called “The Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine” (“The Saudi Solution”)

Biden’s decision to pursue the failed policy adopted by President Obama and Biden as Vice President between 2011 and 2016 (“Obama/Biden two-state solution”) was confirmed in Bethlehem on 15 July:

“Today, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. President Biden reaffirmed the enduring ties between the Palestinian and American peoples and underscored his commitment to a two-state solution on the 1967 lines with land swaps mutually agreed by the Israelis and Palestinians. He also highlighted the importance of direct negotiations leading to an independent, sovereign, viable, and contiguous Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel, both enjoying secure and recognized borders, allowing the two peoples to live side-by-side in peace and security.”

Biden made this specific commitment even though admitting on arriving in Israel two days earlier:

"The two-state solution is still the best way to ensure peace and democracy for Israelis and Palestinians; however, I don't see a near horizon for this solution."

Biden’s refusal to consider or even comment on the Saudi Solution since its publication six weeks ago in a Saudi Royal Family-owned news outlet – was replicated when Biden held meetings on 16 July with:

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman
King Salman’s son and successor Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in what was described as an “extended working session” and The leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)


David Friedman: The differences between Trump's, Biden's visits to Israel
On May 20, 2017, former president Donald Trump made his first trip to the Middle East. He began in Saudi Arabia and then took the first-ever direct flight from Riyadh to Tel Aviv. A little over five years later, US President Joe Biden took the same trip, this time beginning in Tel Aviv, followed by a less-historic direct flight from Tel Aviv to Saudi Arabia. The trips sound similar. But they couldn’t be more different.

The Trump visit came on the heels of the Obama administration’s betrayal of Israel at the United Nations by permitting the passage of Security Council Resolution 2334, literally deeming the Western Wall and other Jewish holy sites illegally occupied territory. And it followed the Iran nuclear deal which put Iran on a glide path to a nuclear weapon and failed to curb Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism or other malign activity – all to the extreme concern and condemnation of Israel and the moderate Sunni nations.

The Middle East anxiously awaited Trump and he did not disappoint. In Saudi Arabia, president Trump convened more than 50 Muslim nations and delivered two sobering messages: it was their responsibility in the first instance to stop radical Islamic extremism, and the fantasy held by some of destroying Israel would never be realized and would greatly hinder their progress. However, the former president added, a move by the Islamic world to moderation would be met with enormous support and approval by the United States. The Islamic world took notice and its leaders listened with rapt attention.

In Israel, president Trump continued to do and say the right things. He became (and remains) the only sitting president in history to visit the Western Wall. In his primary address to the Nation of Israel, he acknowledged, like no leader before him, the biblical ties of the Jewish People to their homeland. He said: “The ties of the Jewish people to this Holy Land are ancient and eternal. They date back thousands of years, including the reign of King David whose star now flies proudly on Israel’s white and blue flag.”

While few could have predicted where this stirring visit would lead, it is hardly surprising that this trip launched an unprecedented relationship between the United States and Israel, and between the United States and the moderate Arab world. Over the nearly four years that followed, America moved its embassy to Jerusalem, recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and determined that Jewish settlement of Judea and Samaria was not illegal. America also exited the Iran nuclear deal and eliminated Iran’s terror commander, Qasem Soleimani.

IT WAS almost universally predicted by the foreign policy pundits that these actions would spawn a wave of violence. We didn’t see it that way; we saw support for Israel as the solution, rather than the problem within the region. Coupled with our stand against Iran, we saw a US-Israel alliance that could be scaled to include much of the Arab world. With God’s help, our strategy worked and, contrary to predictions, spawned a wave of peace: the Abraham Accords – peace and normalization agreements between Israel and UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco and Kosovo.


Alleged Zeldin attacker charged and 'released on his own recognizance'
Authorities have identified the man arrested and accused of rushing the stage and attacking Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) during a campaign stop in upstate New York, but he is now free without posting bail.

David Jakubonis, 43, of Fairport, New York, was arrested and charged with attempted assault in the second degree, a felony, in Perinton Town Court, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Department. Jakubonis was "released on his own recognizance" after his arraignment, according to police.

"On July 21, 2022 at approximately 8:00 p.m., Representative Lee Zeldin was on stage giving a campaign speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8495 at 300 Macedon Center Road, in the Town of Perinton. A male from the crowd climbed up on the stage and approached Zeldin. The male had a weapon in his hand, swung it towards Zeldin’s neck, and told him, 'You’re done,'" a press release from the Monroe County Sheriff's Department released on Friday read.

"Members of the audience and Rep. Zeldin’s campaign restrained the male until deputies arrived and took him into custody. There were no injuries. The suspect is identified as David G. Jakubonis, 43 y/o, of Fairport," the statement continues, listing Jakubonis's charges and the fact he was set free after his arrest.

Zeldin, a gubernatorial candidate seeking to unseat Gov. Kathy Hochul in New York's November election, resumed his speech on crime and bail reform after the attack.

Eric Amidon, Zeldin's campaign manager, said the man who tried to attack Zeldin appeared to have brass knuckles with sharp spikes on them.


Two Israelis save performer's life in Morocco

Israel to Send Diplomatic Delegation to Russia Over Effort to Shut Down Jewish Agency
A high-level delegation of Israeli officials will be sent to Moscow as Russian legal authorities are set to discuss the closure of the Jewish Agency’s activities there next week.

“The Jewish community in Russia is deeply connected with Israel. Its importance arises in every diplomatic discussion with the Russian leadership,” stated Prime Minister Yair Lapid. “We will continue to act through diplomatic channels so that the Jewish Agency’s important activity will not cease.”

The Russian Ministry of Justice said Thursday it had filed a request to strip the Jewish Agency from the state register of legal entities, claiming the organization violated Russian law by allegedly maintaining a database of Russian Jews planning to emigrate to Israel.

More than 16,000 Russian Jews have left for Israel since Moscow’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. The ministry’s lawsuit will be discussed at a hearing on July 28.

In response, Israel announced Thursday that a joint delegation with officials from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Justice Ministry and the Aliyah and Integration Ministry will depart for Russia to ensure that the Jewish Agency can continue its operations in the country.

The step was taken after an assessment meeting with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Council, Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

“There is no justifiable reason to stop the activity of the Agency and therefore diplomatic efforts are underway to clarify the issue and regulate the activities,” said Pnina Tamano-Shata, Minister of Aliyah and Integration. “As we have worked in cooperation with the Russian authorities for many decades, I have no doubt that the appropriate solutions will be found.”
Maronite bishop detained after carrying aid from Israel to Lebanon
Maronite Archbishop of Haifa and the Holy Land Moussa El-Hage was reportedly detained on Monday while carrying money and aid from Lebanese people living in Israel to their relatives in Lebanon, according to Lebanese media.

The archbishop regularly travels between Lebanon and Israel under special arrangements made for Christian clergy, but this was the first time he had been detained in the process. Lebanese media reports indicated he was carrying money and medicine from Israel.

Justice Fadi Akiki, who is in charge of the file, told the Lebanese newspaper Annahar that the archbishop was carrying about $460,000, adding that the funds came from people residing in Israel, "the majority of whom work in the interest of the enemy."

The judge stressed that the money is subject to Lebanese laws concerning everything that enters Lebanon from Israel. "I respect the church, but there is a law that is the boycott of Israel and it is my duty as a judge to implement it," said Akiki.

The judge added that the archbishop was not arrested and was just subjected to the inspections at the crossing that everyone who uses the crossing has to go through, including UN officials.

Incident sparks controversy throughout political spectrum
The incident sparked outrage with Maronite Lebanese officials claiming that government officials were targeting them due to anti-Hezbollah statements made by Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi. Meanwhile, Hezbollah-affiliated media claimed that the archbishop was carrying money for Lebanese citizens who were helping Israel and that politicians were using the incident to promote normalization.

According to a statement made on Wednesday by the Synod of Maronite Bishops, Hage was detained for over 12 hours on his way to Lebanon from his diocese in Israel. The Synod complained that the archbishop was interrogated "without justification" adding that his Lebanese passport, phone, papers, and medical and financial aid intended for the sick and need in Lebanon from all sects were confiscated by security forces.
Saudi man who helped Israeli journalist into Mecca arrested
A man suspected of helping Israeli journalist Gil Tamary into Mecca has been arrested, Authorities in Saudi Arabia announced Friday.

In a press statement, the Saudis said that "The police spokesman for the Mecca region has announced that it has handed over to the general prosecutor a citizen who helped one of the non-Muslim journalists, who has American citizenship, into the holy capital on the path for Muslims, a clear violating of the rules about entry to Mecca for non-Muslims. The citizen has been arrested and action is being taken against him." Channel 13 News reporter Gil Tamary in Mecca on July 18, 2022

The Saudi security service underscored that "Anyone who comes to the Kingdom must respect the rules, especially regarding the holy places and holy religious ceremonies. A violation like this is considered a crime and those who committed it will be punished."

In recent days, Tamary's visit has kept Saudi social media sites buzzing. Some expressed regret that the incident might have put an end to any potential normalization with Israel, while others attacked King Salman and said that the "shame would follow him until the day he died."

Elsewhere in the Arab world, the hashtag "Jew in a forbidden place" gained traction.

On Monday, Channel 13 News ran an item by Tamary, who had been helped into Mecca by a local resident. Tamary, who holds dual citizenship, filmed at the holy site and could have been arrested had he been found out while still there.

Saudi social media star Mohammed Saud, who is pro-Israel, criticized the channel in a video he uploaded to Twitter.
Damascus air base, Iranian warehouse said hit in alleged Israeli strikes overnight
Alleged Israeli strikes in Syria overnight targeted Iranian forces being hosted on Syrian military bases, according to an unverified report Friday, days after the head of Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps was reportedly in Syria for talks.

Israeli fighter jets struck areas near the Syrian capital Damascus shortly after midnight on Friday, killing three soldiers and wounding seven others, Syria’s official state media reported earlier.

Among the sites hit was a base in Damascus used by a brigade within Syria’s powerful Fourth Division, led by Maher Assad, brother of dictator Bashar Assad and considered by some to be an army within an army, Saudi Arabia’s al-Arabiya reported Friday.

Al Arabiya attributed the information to unspecified “sources.”

According to the outlet, members of Iran’s expeditionary Quds Force militia host their own arms stores and warehouses on bases used by Syria’s Fourth Division and First Division, as well as the Syrian navy. The situation means some Syrian soldiers have wound up working as guards under de facto Iranian command, the outlet said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that eight people were killed in the strikes. The dead included three non-Syrians, two Syrians working with Lebanese terror group Hezbollah and three Syrians guarding an air defense battery. The state-run SANA news agency earlier reported three members of Syria’s military were killed.
IDF Builds Judean Desert Barrier in Bid to Reach ‘Zero Terrorist Attacks’
The Israeli military on Thursday revealed progress made on an “engineering barrier” in the Judean Desert that seeks to clamp down on illegal Palestinian crossings and terrorist attacks, with miles of land excavated and incursions already reportedly reduced.

Work on the barrier began in April, amid a broader effort by the military to stem a wave of attacks targeting Israeli civilians, some of which were carried out by Palestinians who entered the country illegally.

The broad goal is to prevent infiltrations from the south Mount Hebron area in the West Bank, according to Col. Ido Journo, engineering commander of Central Command.

“Together with forces in the area, we are protecting a territory that a few months ago was completely open,” he said.

According to the military, troops in the vicinity have caught dozens of vehicles and infiltrators seeking to enter Israel illegally in recent weeks.

“I believe [this mission] will stop terrorist attacks and criminal crossings,” said Journo, who leads the effort along with the IDF’s chief combat engineering officer, Brig. Gen. Ido Mizrahi.

So far, multiple obstacles have been put down and some three miles of a canal-shaped barrier have been dug, in coordination with Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority and the Antiquities Authority.

According to the IDF, the operation has already led to “a significant decrease … in the number of infiltrators who are trying to cross into Israel illegally.”
Palestinian Armed With Knife Arrested After Trailing Worshippers in Old City
Israeli police said Friday they foiled a likely stabbing attack in Jerusalem, after arresting a Palestinian suspect armed with a knife who was following worshippers in the Old City.

Security cameras captured footage of the suspect trailing several women through the Old City in a suspicious manner, police said. Officers soon after approached the man, who threw away a knife held in his pocket.

Police believe the suspect, a 33-year-old resident of eastern Jerusalem, planned to carry out a stabbing attack. “The Israel Police will continue to fight terrorism and protect the safety and well-being of the citizens of Israel,” a police statement said Friday.


MEMRI: Children In Hamas TV Kids' Show: The Criminal Jews Are Plotting To Replace Al-Aqsa Mosque With Their False Temple, But We Will Defend Jerusalem To Our Last Drop Of Blood; Jihad Is The Pinnacle Of Islam
In a July 15, 2022 episode of "Pioneers of Tomorrow," a children's show aired on Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV in Gaza, a man dressed in a puppet costume spoke about Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque with children. A little girl said that the Jews must not be allowed to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque. A young boy also said that if the Muslims adhere to shari'a law, Palestine will surely be liberated. The man said that the Muslims must also wage Jihad, and the boy responded that Jihad for the sake of Allah is the "pinnacle of Islam".

In addition, the man said that the "criminal Jews" have a plot, explaining: "They are digging tunnels under the Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to... I forgot, what do they want to build?... They want to replace the Dome of the Rock with the Tem... the Tem... What is it called?" In response, the boy said that the Jews want to build the "false Solomon's Temple", but that this will never happen as long as the Palestinians defend Jerusalem. The boy then declared that the Palestinians will fight to their last drop of blood, and the man agreed and praised the martyrs, the wounded, the prisoners, and the exiles who have sacrificed for the defense of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Little Girl: "We Must Defend Jerusalem; We Must Not Allow The Jews To Destroy It"; Little Boy: "Jihad For The Sake Of Allah Is The Pinnacle Of Islam"

Man: "What do you know about the Al-Aqsa Mosque?"

Girl: "It is the capital city of Palestine. We must defend Jerusalem. We must not allow the Jews to destroy it."

Man: "So we must fight the Jews? We must not let them enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque? Do you love the Al-Aqsa Mosque, or do you like your daddy more?"

Girl: "I love the Al-Aqsa Mosque."

Man: "Smart girl. But you [love] daddy as well."

Boy: "If we would abide by the shari'a and adhere to Islam, and if we would be one nation and we would pray the fajr [dawn] prayers in the mosque, then Palestine would surely be liberated, right?"




MEMRI: Canadian Islamic Scholar Sheikh Tariq Abdelhaleem To Al-Qaeda Affiliated YouTube Channel: All Muslims Should Learn From The Taliban; Muslims In India Are Too Submissive, There Is No Resistance Against The Hindus; Syria's Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham Are Traitors, A Mafia
In a series of shows on the Al-Qaeda affiliated OGN TV on YouTube, Canadian Islamic scholar Sheikh Tariq Abdelhaleem praised the Taliban and criticized the "submissive" conduct of Indian Muslims. On a July 13, 2022 show, he said that the Taliban's internal policies are "really good" and this is what all Muslims should do when they take control of a society. He added that this is what Hamas should be doing in Gaza. Conversely, Abdelhaleem said that the Taliban's foreign policy is wrong because they are trying to garner favor with the West. He added that the Jews and Christians will never be pleased with the Muslims. The interviewer interjected saying that after the money and time the Americans invested in reforming Afghanistan, they will never allow it to prosper after their withdrawal. He criticized the Muslims in India for failing to carry out resistance against the Hindus.

In a July 3 show, the interviewer said that the Muslims in India suffer from the "Gandhi effect" and that they are too submissive. Abdelhaleem said that Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham in Syria are "real traitors" and a "mafia," adding that instead of being an "organized military," they are a "company" dedicated to making money. He said that while homosexuality is a sin when committed on an individual level, it is disbelief (kufr) when it becomes pervasive in a society.

For more information about Sheikh Tariq Abdelhaleem and his support for Al-Qaeda, see MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis Series No. 1584, Special Dispatch No. 9128, and MEMRI special report from October 12, 2020.

Indian Muslims Are Too Submissive, Suffer From "The Gandhi Effect... This Is Going To Destroy People Because It Is Not Standard Islam To Follow This Hindu Guy"

Tariq Abdelhaleem: "This movement, this LGBTQ movement, is affecting everybody including... They are even attacking our people in the Middle East. They are sending letters to ministers there to question their stance on this movement. Imagine that. 'Where do you stand on this?' I mean why, why would you do that? So the simple answer is no, there is no room [in] Islam for such a huge, huge sin, especially if it is organized, then it is kufr. If it is on the individual level, it is a sin, but if you organize it, if Muslims organize this, it is a kufr."

Interviewer: "There almost seems to be a submissive culture amongst the wider population of Muslims, and it might just be a cultural thing within India, and somebody could clear that up for me, but there seems to be a submissive aspect to the culture that is resulting in them not taking those steps to defend themselves against [unintelligible]."

Abdelhaleem: "Exactly, it's the Gandhi effect. The Gandhi effect. And this is going to destroy people because it is not standard Islam to follow this Hindu guy, Gandhi guy.
Iran Doesn’t Appear to Want a Nuclear Deal, British Spy Chief Says
Britain’s spy chief said on Thursday he was skeptical that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei actually wants to revive a nuclear deal with world powers but said Tehran won’t try to halt talks either.

Richard Moore, chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) known as MI6, said he still believed that reviving the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement was the best way to constrain Iran’s nuclear program.

Under the deal, Iran had limited its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions.

“I’m not convinced we’re going to get there. … I don’t think the Supreme Leader of Iran wants to cut a deal,” Moore told the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.

Still, Moore cautioned: “The Iranians won’t want to end the talks either, so they could run on for a bit.”

Since then-US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the deal and reimposed sanctions against Tehran in 2018, Iran has breached many of the deal’s limits on its nuclear activities. It is enriching uranium to close to weapons-grade.

Western powers warn Iran is getting closer to being able to sprint toward making a nuclear bomb. Iran denies they want to do that.
Iran’s Nuclear Program is ‘Galloping Ahead,’ IAEA Chief Says
Iran’s nuclear program is “galloping ahead” and the International Atomic Energy Agency has very limited visibility on what is happening, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told Spain’s El Pais newspaper in an interview published on Friday.

In June, Iran began removing essentially all the agency’s monitoring equipment, installed under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Grossi said at the time this could deal a “fatal blow” to chances of reviving the deal following 2018’s pullout by the United States.

“The bottom line is that for almost five weeks I have had very limited visibility, with a nuclear program that is galloping ahead and, therefore, if there is an agreement, it is going to be very difficult for me to reconstruct the puzzle of this whole period of forced blindness,” he told El Pais.

“It is not impossible, but it is going to require a very complex task and perhaps some specific agreements,” said Grossi, who was visiting Madrid.

Grossi said in June there was a window of just three to four weeks to restore at least some of the monitoring that was being scrapped before the IAEA lost the ability to piece together Iran’s most important nuclear activities.
Iran Vows Revenge After US-Israel Declaration on Nuclear Program
In the wake of President Joe Biden’s Middle East visit, Iran is upgrading its hostile rhetoric and its nuclear weapons capabilities. Biden’s visit, with stops in Israel and Saudi Arabia, was meant to demonstrate that the United States would remain an active partner in the region, reversing a policy of withdrawal.

The US is now facing an assertive Iran that has declared its capacity to build a nuclear weapon after years of evading international inspections and agreements. In addition, it attempted last month to murder Israeli citizens with clandestine operations.

President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid issued a detailed joint statement July 14, known officially as the Jerusalem US-Israel Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration. It reiterates the two countries’ resolve as committed allies to address the dangerous prospect of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.

The phrasing of the text itself is interesting in two ways. First, the United States commits “that it is prepared to use all elements of its national power to ensure that” Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon. Second, it “firmly rejects” the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement that targets Israel’s very existence as a Jewish state.

Iran reacted with its usual aggressive rhetoric. Hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi vowed a “harsh and regrettable” response. Iranian officials have issued similar expressions over the years, but now there is a crucial difference: Iran is capable of producing a nuclear weapon to fulfill its threats against Israel, should it decide to do so.


Another IRGC official interrogated by Mossad in Iran - report
The Israeli Mossad has interrogated a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official named Yadollah Khedmati in Iranian territory and confessed his role in transferring weapons to Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen, according to a report by Iran International on Thursday, just two months after reports that the spy agency had done the same to another IRGC official.

Video recorded from the interrogation and obtained by Iran International showed Khedmati confirming his role in the Logistics Wing of the IRGC and admitting that he had been in contact with Ali Asghar Nowrozi, an IRGC Quds Force official who has been identified by the IDF as responsible for transferring precision weapon components from Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Khedmati expressed regret for his operations sending weapons to Iranian proxies and asked his colleagues not to conduct such operations, according to the report. Khedmati is Nowrozi's deputy in the Logistics Wing. The IRGC official was reportedly released and allowed to return home safely after the interrogation.

The Iranian Student News Network (SNN) reported in June that a number of Iranians who had kidnapped and interrogated an unnamed IRGC official had been arrested.

Sources for Iran International stated that during the interrogation of Khedmati, information was obtained about Norozi's relationship with Fars Air Qeshm for transporting weapons.


Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan threatens Israel's envoy in tweet
Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Abbas Mousavi has tweeted a threat against Israel's envoy to Azerbaijan, George Deek.

In the tweet, sent Thursday, Mousavi called Deek "the First Evil Zionist" who "is going to be buried by the zealous people of Tabriz," referring to a city in northwestern Iran. Tabriz is the capital of Iran's East Azerbaijan province, which is home to a large Azeri minority. Israeli Ambassador to Azerbaijan George Deek

Mousavi tweeted in response to a post by Deek about the book Magic Tales of Tabriz. Deek wrote that the book was teaching him "so much about Azerbaijani history and culture in Tabriz" fro.

In 2020, pro-Azerbaijan demonstrators took to the streets of Tabriz to support Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Iran has a history of confrontations with the neighboring country.

Last September, Iran conducted military exercises near the shared border. Then-Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh then said that his country "will not tolerate the presence of the Zionist regime near our borders," referring to Azerbaijan's close relations with Israel.






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