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Tuesday, August 22, 2023

08/22 Links Pt1: Security Cabinet agrees to ‘target terrorists, those who dispatch them’; Did Abbas call to “escalate” deadly terror against Israelis?

From Ian:

Security Cabinet agrees to ‘target terrorists, those who dispatch them’
The Israeli Security Cabinet on Tuesday decided to take the fight directly to Palestinian terrorists amid a wave of deadly attacks.

“The Security Cabinet made a series of decisions to target terrorists and those who dispatch them and authorized the prime and defense ministers to act on the matter,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

“The forum supports the commanders and soldiers of the IDF and security services in their activities against the terrorist elements,” it added.

The statement did not elaborate on the measures to be taken.

This smaller forum of Cabinet members is designed to make quick and effective decisions in times of crisis.

The meeting was brought forward a week after Arab terrorists on Monday gunned down Batsheva Nigri, a 42-year-old mother of three, in a drive-by shooting near Hebron. Her 12-year-old daughter, who was sitting beside her, was unhurt.

Another individual, identified as Aryeh Gottlieb, was seriously wounded in the attack. Gottlieb is being treated at Beersheva’s Soroka Medical Center, where his condition has been stabilized.

On Saturday, a Palestinian terrorist shot and killed two Israelis in Huwara, located just outside Nablus (Shechem) in Samaria. Ashdod residents Silas Nigrekar, 60, and his son, Aviad Nir, 28, were shot at point-blank range at a car wash in the Palestinian village.

Earlier Tuesday, Israeli forces arrested two Palestinians suspected of involvement in Nigri’s murder.

The suspects, named as Mohammed and Sarker Shantir, were captured in Hebron along with the M-16 rifle believed to have been used in the attack.
Judea and Samaria leaders protest at PM’s office over terror onslaught
Leaders of regional councils from Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley protested outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on Tuesday, demanding tougher action against rampant terrorism that has claimed the lives of 35 people since January.

It was the first time that the regional council heads protested the right-wing government. Although Netanyahu’s coalition was expected to be tough on terrorism, it has struggled to contain the latest wave of attacks.

The protest came a day after Arab terrorists gunned down Batsheva Nigri, a 42-year-old mother of three, in a drive-by shooting near Hebron. Her 12-year-old daughter, who was sitting beside her, was unhurt.

On Saturday, a Palestinian terrorist shot and killed two Israelis in Huwara, located just outside Nablus (Shechem) in Samaria. Ashdod residents Silas Nigrekar, 60, and his son, Aviad Nir, 28, were shot at point-blank range at a car wash in the Palestinian village.

“The situation is intolerable. We demand a change in the approach to security. The continued rise in murderous terror incidents shows the current approach has failed and should be changed quickly,” the council leaders said in a joint statement.

Yesha Council Chairman and leader of the Gush Etzion Council Shlomo Ne’eman said during the protest: “We must define the Palestinian Authority that finances terrorism, teaches terrorism and organizes terrorism as an enemy in all respects and go to war.”

He said the residents of Judea and Samaria were ready to “absorb the battle” but were not prepared to be sitting ducks in a shooting gallery.
PMW: Did Abbas call to “escalate” deadly terror against Israelis?
When 14 Israelis had been murdered in what was later to be known as the “Knife Intifada” - a Palestinian terror wave in which 40 people were murdered – Palestinian Media Watch exposed that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas defined this deadly Palestinian terror as “Peaceful popular uprising”:

Now Abbas is urging Palestinians to “escalate the peaceful popular resistance.” In other words - or rather, in his own words - he is calling for more deadly terror:
“The [PA] president [Mahmoud Abbas] expressed his appreciation for the heroes of the popular resistance over their activities, over the achievements that they have recorded in their struggle against the Israeli occupation authorities, and over their success in clearing a number of colonialist outposts. He emphasized that it is important to escalate the peaceful popular resistance to defend our people and our land.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 7, 2023]

PMW has documented that Abbas’ Fatah is doing all it can to profile itself as the movement leading terror against Israel. Fatah bragged that by April this year it had led 2,750 terror attacks as opposed to other terror organizations like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which they claimed were doing nothing.

Since Abbas’ call to “escalate,” there has been a steady stream of Palestinian terror in which 4 Israelis have been murdered including 3 in the last few days.

The following is a longer excerpt of Abbas’ statement:
Headline: “The [PA] president emphasizes that it is important to escalate the peaceful popular resistance in order to defend our people and our land”

“[PA] President [Mahmoud Abbas] received the annual report of the [PA-controlled] Committee to Resist Settlements and the Wall for 2022. This was while he received Director of the Committee to Resist Settlements and the Wall Minister Muayyad Sha’ban…

The president expressed his appreciation for the heroes of the popular resistance over their activities, over the achievements that they have recorded in their struggle against the Israeli occupation authorities, and over their success in clearing a number of colonialist outposts. He emphasized that it is important to escalate the peaceful popular resistance (i.e., Palestinian term that also refers to the use of violence and terror) to defend our people and our land.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 7, 2023]


No such thing as a lone-wolf terrorist
Yesterday, an Israeli woman was murdered, and an Israeli man severely wounded, in a drive-by shooting outside of Hebron. On Saturday, another terrorist killed a father and son at a carwash. The Israeli media has described these as lone-wolf attacks, since the perpetrators do not appear to be acting on direct orders from any known jihadist group. Nadav Shragai rejects this characterization:

The attackers may decide on their own where to strike and they do it on their own, but they drink from the same poisonous well that makes the killing of Jews kosher, be it because “al-Aqsa Mosque is being desecrated” or just in the name of Islam or the Palestinian cause. The incitement and hatred have no organizational affiliation.

The Palestinian Authority (PA), for its own reasons, may be assisting Israel in capturing dozens of killers but it has not lifted a finger in an effort to stop the worshiping of death and martyrdom. It has not stopped the explicit incitement to kill Jews for being Jews. It has allowed the continuation of terrorist glorification; it continues paying families of terrorists and has been memorializing them upon their death. Perceptually, it has been breeding terrorists and helping them grow, while occasionally helping Israel detain them in extreme cases.

Just last week, the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center published a study showing that in the Palestinian textbooks issued by the PA, Israel doesn’t even exist. The study noted that the Palestinian prime minister recently took part in a ceremony honoring parents of “martyrs,” [i.e., Palestinians who lost their lives committing acts of terror], who were killed during the past year, and vowed that the PA would not bow to pressure by altering its subject matter, regardless of whether the donor countries will stop the funding spigot.

During the ceremony, there was even a picture shown of a “lone-wolf terrorist.”
State Dept Makes No Mention of 9/11 on International Day of Remembrance for Terror Victims
It was a given that the commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism would contain no mention of the group responsible for the majority of that terrorism.

But the Biden administration has gone one better by making no mention of 9/11 or any terrorist attacks that were carried out against Americans. Instead, a boilerplate statement, “we pay solemn tribute to those who lost their lives in terrorist attacks, and we will never forget the victims of terrorism or stop our pursuit of justice and peace.”

It’s as if terrorism were someone else’s problem with no relationship to anything that happened to America.

At the third commemoration, there was an event involving the 9/11 museum and memorial. No mention of it now.

But then again all of this comes as Biden has been aggressively freeing terrorists from Gitmo and financing Islamic terrorism through Iran.

So you can see why this administration, which has robbed terror victims, would also want to dismiss them.

“On the same day as Biden’s executive order reserving $3.5 billion for the terrorists, his Justice Department filed a statement of interest in court arguing that the judgment for the victims of terrorism was too large and that actually turning over the money to them would interfere with the Biden administration’s foreign policy in Afghanistan.”

This is what evil looks like.


Republican Jewish Group Pushes Back on Ramaswamy's Stance Against Israel Aid
Republican Jewish leaders pushed back on Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's proposal to cut off military aid to Israel within five years, arguing that "such a move would very decidedly not be in America's best interest."

Matthew Brooks, the CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition, in a letter on Monday praised Ramaswamy as a "strong and passionate supporter of Israel" but urged him to rethink his stance against U.S. military aid to the Jewish state.

"In light of your overall support for a strong U.S.-Israel alliance, I believe that a closer look at the issue of U.S. aid will convince you that now is not the time to end an aid program that provides so much benefit to our nation, strengthens our key strategic ally Israel, and contributes to the stability of the Middle East," Brooks wrote.

The letter comes as Ramaswamy has climbed in the polls, prompting new scrutiny on his foreign policy positions. The 38-year-old Republican last week told podcast host Russell Brand that he supports cutting the U.S. military funding to Israel—which accounts for about $3 billion a year—by 2028. Ramaswamy reiterated his position to the Washington Free Beacon, arguing that the aid will be unnecessary after he successfully negotiates new peace treaties between Israel and its Arab neighbors during the first year of his presidency.

"If we're successful, the true mark of success for the U.S., and for Israel, will be to get to a 2028 where Israel is so strongly standing on its own two feet, integrated into the economic and security infrastructure of the rest of the Middle East, that it will not require and be dependent on that same level of historical aid or commitment from the U.S.," Ramaswamy said.

Brooks, in his letter to the candidate, argued that Israel is "our most valuable ally against Iran, which is the chief threat to U.S. interests in that part of the globe," and said pulling military funding from Israel would be "universally perceived by Israel's enemies as a weakening of the U.S.-Israel relationship."

"Iran already controls Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and the Gaza Strip," wrote Brooks. "The appearance of abandoning Israel would seriously harm Israel in military, diplomatic, and economic terms. In this dangerous time, such a move would very decidedly not be in America's best interest."

Brooks also noted that Israel spends 85 percent of its aid on American-manufactured arms, is a partner with U.S. Central Command, cooperates closely with the U.S. defense industry, and has "battle-tested a number of important systems, testing that has benefited U.S. forces."


JPost Editorial: Israel must invest in east Jerusalem
On Sunday, the Israeli government voted to allocate NIS 3.2 billion for the development of public infrastructure and services in east Jerusalem, a move welcomed by many as sorely needed and long overdue.

In addition to being earmarked for the development of public infrastructure, the allocated funds will be used to reform and improve healthcare facilities, welfare resources, public security, employment opportunities, and the education system.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded the funding as evidence of the government’s care for all citizens and residents of Israel, adding that it “strengthens our policy in favor of a united and strong Jerusalem under Israel’s sovereignty.”

Following the November 2022 elections, a survey was conducted in which 1,000 Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem were asked about their quality of life, with the goal of identifying their problems and concerns, as well as to draw comparisons between the findings of the survey and those of a similar one conducted in 2010.

While the survey showed a lack of trust in the Jerusalem Municipality, with just 13% saying they did not feel discriminated against by municipal policies, it also highlighted an increased level of satisfaction with the infrastructure and services available, indicating that while things are by no means perfect, they are moving in the right direction.

According to the results, 83% of east Jerusalem residents are satisfied with healthcare services, and 82% are satisfied with water services, 75% with electrical services, and 73% with the sewage system.

However, while much-needed improvements have indeed been made in these areas, 73% of east Jerusalem residents expressed dissatisfaction over the difficulty of obtaining building permits, 69% are dissatisfied with the conditions of east Jerusalem roads, and 69% are unhappy with the cost of residential taxes.

Many of these areas of concern are set to be addressed in the new budget, with NIS 736m. set to go toward improving roads and public transportation and another NIS 55m. to go toward other public infrastructure.

The dissatisfaction over building permits will also be addressed, with NIS 133m. earmarked for building 2,000 new apartments per year for the next five years with the goal of combating an ongoing housing crisis.
The Israel Guys: BREAKING: Horrific Terror Attack in Palestinian Town Leaves Israeli Father & Son Dead
There has been another execution-style terror attack in the Palestinian town of Huwarrah. This time it was against two Israelis that frequent the town with their business and have many acquaintances and friends there. What is the best way to deal with this terror-infested Palestinian town?

There is also some good news today. What happens when someone gives money to fund something illegal and then get caught by the authorities. Do they get their money back?

Let’s just say that the EU doesn’t seem to know how justice works.




‘You were full of light’: Funeral held for woman killed in Hebron area terror shooting
Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral on Monday night of Batsheva Nigri, a 42-year-old mother of three who was killed in a terror shooting attack close to the southern West Bank city of Hebron Monday morning.

Family and friends of Nigri, a resident of the West Bank settlement of Beit Hagai who worked as a kindergarten teacher in nearby Efrat, paid their last respects to her at the Gush Etzion Regional Cemetery in Kfar Etzion on Monday night.

In her eulogy, Nigri’s sister, Eliya, said she was “the most special sister I could have.”

“You were full of light, with a pure heart. You were a true inspiration. I miss you and am crushed,” she said. “All your life, you overcame every difficulty and proved how much strength you have.”

“Everywhere you went, you lit up the place. You were contagious with your energy and joy for life,” she went on, promising to “stay strong and take care of mom, Eli [Nigri’s spouse] and your sweet children.”

“This is an unimaginable loss,” said Nigri’s mother-in-law. “You were always facing forward, with a smile and with endless hope.”

Nigri was killed when a vehicle she was in with her 12-year-old daughter — who was unharmed in the attack — and a driver came under fire from a passing car while driving on the Route 60 highway, close to the Beit Hagai junction, south of Hebron.

The Nigris had been hitching a ride from Aryeh Leib Gottlieb, a man in his 40s, who had also been heading to the Jerusalem area from the southern West Bank

Gottlieb was seriously wounded in the attack and was rushed to Beersheba’s Soroka Hospital where he was stabilized after undergoing surgery. Gottlieb is a father of six who had been en route to buy books for his children.


IDF arrests Hebron terrorists who murdered Batsheva Nigri
The IDF, Shin Bet, and Border Police arrested two Palestinians early Tuesday morning suspected of carrying out the shooting attack in which preschool teacher Nigri, a mother of three, was murdered near Hebron on Monday, according to a joint statement by the security forces.

During initial questioning by Israeli security forces, the two Palestinians tied themselves to the attack. The weapon used in the attack was seized by Israeli forces after the arrest.

The arrest took place in the southern part of Hebron at their family's home, although the family did not seem to have been aware of their terror activity prior to the arrest. It is still unclear if the suspects are tied to or received support from a terrorist organization.

Nigri, 42, was shot to death in front of her 12-year-old daughter on Monday morning on Route 60 in the West Bank after hitching a ride from her Beit Hagai home to nearby Kiryat Arba. Nigri’s daughter was unharmed and alerted emergency services.

The driver, Aryeh Gottlieb, 39, also of Beit Hagai, was in serious but stable condition from gunshot wounds after undergoing surgery at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant voiced his appreciation for Israeli security forces on Tuesday morning, vowing that the terrorists will "rot in prison for the rest of their lives."

"We will use every tool at our disposal to strengthen security," Gallant wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "We will pursue and reach our enemies."


Media Fail in West Bank Terror Coverage
Over the course of three days, three Israeli civilians were murdered in two separate Palestinian terror attacks in the West Bank.

In the first attack, which occurred on August 19, a father and son from the coastal city of Ashdod, Shay Silas Nigreker and Aviad Nir, were shot and killed at point-blank range while their car was being washed in the flashpoint Palestinian town of Huwara.

Then, two days later, an Israeli woman, Batsheva Nigri, was killed in front of her six-year-old daughter when the car they were riding in was peppered with bullets during a drive-by shooting outside Hebron.

Several international media outlets failed to uphold their journalistic duty by either mislabeling the Israeli victims or by leaving out the Palestinian identity of the perpetrators.

CBS News & UPI Mislabel Israeli Terror Victims
Both CBS News and the UPI wire service incorrectly captioned their photos of the Huwara attack with the false claim that the two Israeli victims were “settlers” even though they were residents of Ashdod.

As HonestReporting noted earlier this week in a piece that called out both the BBC and AFP for falsely insinuating that the terror victims were “settlers,” Palestinian terrorists target innocent Israelis, both those who live within the Green Line and those who live beyond it.

By labeling Shay Nigreker and Aviad Nir as “settlers,” the media not only impart false information but also tacitly engage in victim-blaming instead of treating them as they would the victims of terrorism from any other country.

CNN & the BBC Erase Palestinians From Terror Coverage
Both terror attacks were committed by Palestinian terrorists.

This information is, however, conspicuously missing from CNN and the BBC’s coverage of the two attacks.

CNN‘s Huwara report never once mentions the fact that the terrorist was a Palestinian. Instead, it refers to “suspects” and a “murderer,” the latter appearing in a quote by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In fact, the only two appearances of the word “Palestinian” in the entire article are passive references to Huwara as a “Palestinian town” and to the Hamas terror group as a “Palestinian militant movement.”


Hamas said to take responsibility for Hebron area attack, contradicting Fatah group’s claim
Al Jazeera reports that Hamas had taken responsibility for yesterday’s deadly shooting attack near Hebron, citing a source within the Gaza-based terror group.

This would contradict yesterday’s announcement by the Fatah movement’s military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade, which claimed its fighters were the ones responsible for the attack that killed 42-year-old Batsheva Nigri.


PreOccupiedTerritory: Heirs Of Nazi Collaborators Apply To Palestinian Authority For Jew-Murder Stipends (satire)
Descendants of Europeans who participated in – and in some cases acted even without encouragement to perpetrate – massacres and abuses of Jews during and after the German invasions of the Second World War began submitting petitions to President Mahmoud Abbas’s administration to receive money that he disburses either to the killers of Jews or to the perpetrators’ families, if the perpetrators themselves die in the attempt.

The grandchildren and great-grandchildren of officials and citizens of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, France, Hungary, and other countries the Nazis occupied during various stretches from 1939-1945 who played an active part in identifying, rounding up, beating, raping, killing, or otherwise mistreating Jews in their midst – whether under orders of the Nazi occupiers or following their own inspiration – asked the Palestinian Authority this week to include them in the roster of Jew-killers that the PA awards lifetime payments, with the amount increasing commensurate with the number of Jews killed.

Attorneys for hundreds of residents of this Lithuanian city alone, where even before the Nazis entered in 1941, non-Jews rampaged through the city and brutalized Kaunas’s Jews, joined with representatives of thousands of other descendants of Nazi collaborators in a concerted effort to gain reward for their forebears’ endeavors that the PA now has the capacity to support. Payments began under Yasser Arafat and have increased under Abbas.
MEMRI: Extremist Indoctrination Of Children And Teens At Palestinian Authority Summer Camps
In attempting to predict the future of relations between societies in conflict, a particularly telling aspect is the education of the younger generation. Hence, the education system of the Palestinian Authority (PA) is of great importance, including summer camps attended by children and teens.

A look at the content imparted in these summer camps indeed reveals troubling facts, such as glorification of terrorists. In 1978 a group of PLO terrorists, led by a young woman named Dallal Al-Mughrabi, hijacked a bus on Israel’s coastal road. Al-Mughrabi, who was killed in the course of the operation, became a Palestinian heroine, and PLO leader Yassir Arafat frequently praised her and her actions. In May 1995, for example, he said in Gaza: "Dallal Al-Mughrabi, the commander, the star, one of the heroes that carried out the landing on the beach. She was the commander of the group that established the first Palestinian republic on a bus […] the woman we are proud of and boast about." Thirty-four Israeli civilians, including nine children, were killed in that bus republic.

Many years have passed since then, but Al-Mughrabi still features in speeches by PA officials. Moreover, this summer, like in previous ones, she and other terrorists were presented as heroes to children in the PA summer camps, attended by 65,000 youngsters. Another inflammatory motif of this indoctrination is the notion that Palestine stretches from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, thus denying Israel’s existence. In order to grant them practical skills, the youngsters in some camps also practiced military tactics of urban warfare and held military drills wearing combat vests.

MEMRI has been following these camps, and the extremist indoctrination that occurs in them, for several years. Below are links to MEMRI reports that document this tradition of incitement through numerous examples, and show that the education imparted by the PA and UNRWA does nothing to lay the foundation for reconciliation and peace with the State of Israel. In fact, it consistently encourages the opposite, inciting the youth to negating the very existence of Israel and encouraging extremism and terrorism against Israeli citizens.
Hamas recruiting PA security personnel
Hamas has recruited “dozens” of members of the U.S.-trained Palestinian Authority security forces, using them as combatants and for intelligence gathering, Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster reported on Monday evening, citing senior officials in Ramallah.

The Iran-backed terrorist organization is attempting to take advantage of the P.A.’s financial woes, added the report, noting that Ramallah has not paid its employees full wages since November 2021.

Many of the P.A.’s 130,000 public workers have received only 80% of their salary in recent months, with the Palestinian leadership claiming financial hardship due to Israel’s withholding of tax revenue.

Per a 2018 law, Jerusalem has deducted taxes and tariffs collected on behalf of the P.A. in an amount equal to that which it paid to terrorists and their families in 2022 as part of its “pay for slay” policy. In 2022, the P.A. paid out an estimated 865 million shekels ($228.9 million) under this policy.
Seth Frantzman: How is Iran influencing Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank?
Shooting attacks in the West Bank increasingly have Iran’s influence and hand behind them.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant acknowledged this emerging threat yesterday when he said that “it is important to understand the significant change that is taking place on the ground – it is related to Iranian funding, and to the proliferation of weapons under the Iranian directive. Iran seeks every means to harm the citizens of Israel.”

Iran has backed Palestinian terror groups, such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, for many years. However, the attempt by Iran to increase attacks, weapons smuggling, and terror incidents in the West Bank is an emerging threat and it is one that has fueled an uptick in violence over the last year.

A flood of weapons into the West Bank
In July, Hamas boasted about possessing new explosive devices, similar to the EFPs used by Iranian-backed groups in Lebanon and Iraq. Iranian media has often heralded these developments, asserting that Iran is increasing its threats to Israel on multiple fronts and in multiple arenas.

The rise in attacks in places like Jenin, and the recent attack near Hebron, are fueled by a flood of weapons into the West Bank. Since last November we have documented this flood of weapons through social media accounts and other media that showcase the kinds of rifles and firearms used by Palestinian perpetrators. Last year, when we began documenting this at The Jerusalem Post, we illustrated how many of the M-4 and M-16 style rifles possessed by terrorists had accessories, such as additions to their rails including sights and other grips, that represent recent acquisitions. This suggests that rat lines and smuggling operations are supplying the terror groups. In addition, there have been numerous interceptions of weapon smuggling attempts and hundreds of weapons found, some of which are recently made firearms.

Iranian pro-regime media linked to the IRGC, such as Fars News and Tasnim News, have often boasted of Iran’s role in these attacks. For instance, after the Hebron attack, Iran’s Fars News noted that Israel blamed Iran for the wave of attacks. “The Palestinian resistance forces targeted several Zionist settlements in Hebron in the south of occupied Palestine in an operation earlier this afternoon. Following this operation, one Zionist was killed and five others were injured,” the report at Fars claimed.


Iran’s Dangerous Charm Offensive
Besides concluding a China-brokered agreement with its traditional rival, Saudi Arabia, Tehran has made overtures to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Turkey. At the same time, the Islamic Republic has engaged in a campaign of maritime harassment directed at the U.S. and is escalating against Israel with West Bank terror and mischief in southern Lebanon. Kenneth Pollack explains that Iran’s goal of regional domination remains unchanged, and seeks to interpret its recent behavior:

After 40 years of unmitigated subversion and aggression, the Arab states know very well what Iran is capable of—especially if the United States isn’t around to block it. To this real threat, Tehran seems to be adding the inducement of better relations if the Arab world will shed its U.S. dependency and accept Iranian suzerainty instead.

Since the Americans seem ever less interested in the Middle East, Russia is tied down in Ukraine, and China still lacks the military muscle to take over as the regional strongman, a kinder, gentler Iran now seems inviting to frightened Arab states. It is why the new Iranian charm offensive has proven so effective, at least to a limited extent so far.

Meanwhile, Tehran’s continued aggressiveness toward the United States and Israel appears to complement its Arab strategy. Iran likely believes that continued attacks on Washington’s people and interests in the region will help speed the U.S. departure.

As for Israel, heating up the conflict there helps Iran to present the Arab states with a sharper dilemma: you can either join us and have peace and trade, or join Israel and have war. . . . Thus, the dual approach of coddling the Arab states while amplifying attacks on the United States and Israel is probably meant to drive a wedge between the Arab states and Iran’s principal nemeses. . . . What Iran fears most is reconciliation between the United States and its Arab allies, and further rapprochement between them and Israel.
Seth Frantzman: Iran showcases defense tech to the world amid drone axis with Russia
Recent reports from Iran indicate that Tehran is seeking to showcase its military industrial complex and its new military technology to the region and the world. This comes as Iran seeks to increase defense exports and imports. For instance, Iran exports drones to Russia. Iran is also seeking to acquire new capabilities for its missile program.

According to the reports in various pro-regime media in Iran, the country expects several military technological developments in the coming months. Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces Major-General Mohammad Bagheri has already underlined that future plans should be based on knowledge-oriented moves in Iran and he recently said that the world is seeking to benefit from Iran’s defense achievements, according to IRNA and Tasnim News.

IRGC chief: Iran's defense industry has 'broken its enemies'
In other comments, the head of the IRGC, Hossein Salami, also said that Iran’s defense industry has “broken the enemies” as Iran achieves new local capabilities. This is bolstered by a defense exhibition in Iran this week that also showcased rifles, new optics and missiles, as well as vehicles. Iran’s media said it is working on new anti-armor systems that could be able to penetrate active protection systems which have become more common for vehicles. It’s difficult to conclude whether Iran’s claims are accurate, but what is important is that Iran is seeking more defense exports to Iraq, Russia and other countries, according to its own regime media.

A fourth report in Iran said the country is seeking to launch more missiles capable of carrying satellites in the coming year.


Seth Frantzman: Iran's Raisi unveils advanced 'Mohajer-10' drone amid terror threat
Iran celebrated its national defense industry day with the unveiling of a new drone that it claims is the latest achievement of its defense industry.

The “Mohajer-10” is supposed to have a range of 2,000 km. and the ability to fly for up to 24 hours at an altitude of 7,000 meters.

This means that Iran could use this drone to threaten Israel or US forces in the region. Iran’s drones have been in the spotlight in recent years because Iran supplies Russia with its Shahed 136 model kamikaze drones. The new drone has similarities to the US-made Reaper drone as well as other similar drones in this class of long-range UAVs that carry heavy payloads, such as missiles.

Iran's rise in the defense industry market
Many countries today make similar drones, such as China and Israel. Israel and the US were the major pioneers of modern drones such as the Predator, Hermes, and Heron drones.

Iran has become a recent player in the drone market, increasing the range and quality of its drones. Iran’s drones have their origins in the 1980s, but only in recent years has Iran been able to arm their drones, and extend their range and abilities. The major issue facing drone manufacturers is making large UAVs that can both carry missiles and hi-tech surveillance systems, and also communicate with their base at long ranges. This aids in precision and impacts how drones can carry out attacks or monitor enemies.

Iran’s drones have often been unveiled in the past with claims of new capabilities, such as new optics, radar, communications, and missile systems, yet many of them don’t live up to their reputations. Iran has used drones in the past that look like the US Predator and Reaper, in Syria and Iraq, and has exported drone blueprints to Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hamas. Iran even used drones to threaten Israel from Syria, however, many of these drones fly at low speeds, like flying lawnmowers, and don’t have large weapon payloads on board.

The Russian decision to acquire Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones has changed the game because kamikaze drones can wreak havoc at long ranges and with some precision. However, these drones are better suited to terrorizing civilians than as a strategic weapon.


Islamic charity probed after event celebrating sanctioned general raises concerns
The Charity Commission has opened a compliance case into the Al-Tawheed Charitable Trust, after it conducted an event celebrating a deceased Iranian general.

According to reports in the Times newspaper, it hosted an event celebrating Qasem Soleimani 48 hours after his death in which he was hailed as a “great martyr”.

Soleimani had been subject to financial sanctions by the Treasury for terrorism and/or terrorist financing since 17 October 2011.

A spokesperson for the Charity Commission said: “We can confirm that we have an ongoing compliance case into the Al-Tawheed (TUCF) Charitable Trust in relation to serious concerns regarding events held at its premises.”

As part of the compliance case, the regulator will assess information and work with trustees to determine any next steps.




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