Monday, October 02, 2023

10/02 Links Pt1: High-Level Iranian Spy Ring Busted in Washington; The International Court of Justice is being manipulated to find Israel guilty

From Ian:

Lee Smith: High-Level Iranian Spy Ring Busted in Washington
In response to a Tablet email requesting comment on Malley’s and Tabatabai’s role in an Iranian spy ring, a State Department spokesman wrote: “We have seen the Semafor article, which does not presume it was a ‘spy ring,’ and we reject that characterization. Rob Malley remains on leave and we have no further comment due to privacy considerations. The Biden-Harris administration appointed Ariane Tabatabai to serve various roles in the U.S. government because of her expertise on nuclear and other foreign policy issues.” The Defense Department did not respond by press time to Tablet’s email requesting comment on Ariane Tabatabai’s role in an Iranian spy ring.

Whether the IEI is best characterized as an Iranian “spy ring” or as a “regime-directed influence operation” is a semantic question that beggars the larger question of how any responsible U.S. security official in possession of Tabatabai’s correspondence could have cleared her to enter the State Department building or the Pentagon—let alone cleared her to work as a chief of staff in the Defense Department, with direct access to the most sensitive real-time details of U.S. special forces operations.

It seems likely that by the time of her appointment to the Pentagon’s special operations office, Tabatabai’s covert activities on behalf of the Iranian regime were well known in Biden administration and intelligence circles. “The hoops you have to jump through to get a bare-bones top secret clearance even without compartments or special access programs are enormous,” says Theroux. “They grill you on your foreign contacts. Contacts with any foreign government raise more red flags than Bernie Sanders’ honeymoon. Contacts with senior officials from enemy governments, classified as non-frat governments like Russia, China, Cuba, as well as Iran, are in a different category altogether—what would normally be totally disqualifying.”

There is also the fact that, as early as 2014, as Tablet has reported, the Obama administration was spying on Israeli officials and their contacts within the United States, including U.S. lawmakers and pro-Israel activists. The fact that U.S. intelligence services routinely disobeyed guidelines preventing them from unmasking the identities of U.S. persons recorded in transcripts of foreign intelligence intercepts has been exhaustively demonstrated in a long series of U.S. government reports, Congressional investigations, and other reporting. Since Zarif’s communications and the IRGC’s communications were also collected, U.S. officials would have known about the IEI—and about the names of those working on behalf of Iran, such as Vaez and Tabatabai.

Theroux suggests that a range of U.S. authorities would have likely known about Malley’s involvement with the IEI as well—and that Malley would have been well aware of what they knew. “When I was on the National Security Council, the National Security Agency would call to alert me when my name had popped up in a conversation among bad actors,” Theroux recalls.

The facts of Malley’s involvement with the IEI and its agents are likely to have been old news within the Biden administration; the impending publication of the IEI emails is likely the reason why Malley was put on leave in April and had his security clearances suspended. As news of emails and their impending publication circulated in Washington, the administration moved him to the sidelines before Republican officials had the chance to demand his head on a spike.

Why an Iranian operative is still at the Pentagon, especially in a job which gives her daily access to classified information that puts the country’s most sensitive military operations at risk, is another matter entirely. “The optimistic reading,” says Theroux, “is that they were watching her to see what she does and the FBI has her apartment all teched up. But to be an optimist you have to believe the FBI is clean, rather than see this as a huge counterintelligence failure. Though, of course, it’s not a failure if they were complicit.”

So far, however, the evidence points to a less optimistic reading: The Biden administration allowed Malley to push an Iranian agent into sensitive national security positions because she was best equipped to carry out the administration’s own policy—to appease a terror regime with American blood on its hands. Because the number of American officials who want to be responsible for protecting Iran’s nuclear weapons program is limited, the White House went outside the federal bureaucracy for someone who was well-connected to the regime, and would relish the job of advancing its interests—an Iranian spy.

Congress needs to demand the Biden White House make Malley and Tabatabai available to testify immediately. It must also press to interview the security officials who buried evidence of Tabatabai’s covert activities, putting her in a position to endanger the lives of American civilians and special forces operators. It’s time to find out why the interests—and now the personnel—of the Iranian “death to America” regime intersect so frequently with those of America’s own ruling party.
The International Court of Justice is being manipulated to find Israel guilty
Centuries of libels have resulted in a situation in which conclusions blaming Jews for misfortunes are readily drawn, and false allegations against them are credulously accepted. In modern times, prejudice against the Jewish people has been directed against Israel as the world’s only Jewish state.

This prejudice has been compounded by the successful exploitation of UN bodies by members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and their allies in developing countries to focus, to an utterly disproportionate extent, on criticism of Israel.

The questions asked of the ICJ presuppose that Israel is denying the Palestinian people their right to self-determination. But will the Court be told that according to a 2021 opinion poll by the Palestinian news agency SHFA, 93% of Jerusalem’s Arabs would prefer a continuation of Israeli rule of the united city? And will it be mentioned that the Palestinian leaders have not held a general election since 2006?

They complain that Israel has aimed at altering the demographic composition of Jerusalem. Will anyone observe that the Arab proportion of Jerusalem’s population has increased from 26% to 39% since 1967?

The current process calls to mind medieval disputations, in which there could only be one verdict, that the Jews are guilty. Now, like then, our representatives are faced with a difficult decision: should they try to dispute the masses of falsities, which might give more credibility to the phony process, or simply denounce it as a travesty?

In the security barrier case, Israel argued that the ICJ should not give an opinion and did not address the facts to any great extent. Its arguments were rejected.

But someone should tell the ICJ and the world that it has been presented with a pack of lies. If the Court endorses the false and distorted information, it will promote racist hostility and violence against Israel and Jewish people around the world and make peace more difficult to achieve.
Netanyahu's speech at the UN General Assembly - what he didn't say
He did not mention the word Hamas once. Yet up to half the Palestinian population lives in the Gaza Strip under the pernicious governance of the Hamas organization. How could the two-state solution – the concept of a sovereign Palestine living alongside a sovereign Israel – be a practical possibility when Hamas, and those Palestinians outside Gaza who subscribe to its philosophy, regard the whole area “from the river to the sea” (that is, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean) as Arab territory to which Israel has no right? The prime purpose of Hamas, its very raison d’être, is to eradicate Israel altogether and ensure that no Jews remain in the area.

The 2002 Arab Peace Plan, to which Saudi Arabia still subscribes, was conceived before Hamas was of any major significance, and well before it had seized control of Gaza and virtually kidnapped a great mass of the Palestinian people. Netanyahu did not ask the world why so little thought has been given to the practical hurdles on the path to achieving its much-advocated two-state solution.

Since Hamas would never be a signatory to such a deal, Gaza would be excluded from the arrangement. What sort of sovereign Palestine could it be, shorn of half the Palestinian population? In short, Netanyahu could have provided world opinion with some home truths, among them that the prerequisite to achieving a genuine two-state solution is the disempowerment of Hamas.

Another word that did not pass Netanyahu’s lips was “apartheid” – the charge used to tar Israel by bodies like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International and a whole host of anti-Israel groups and individuals. He could have provided the world with a brief lesson on the total lack of ethnic, racial, or religious discrimination of any kind within the sovereign state of Israel – and demonstrated with facts and figures the increasingly successful integration of Israel’s Arab population into the social, political and judicial structure of the state.


Israeli, Saudi Officials Say U.S. Hampering Normalization with Focus on Palestinians
There is growing frustration among Israeli and Saudi officials over what is perceived to be an over-emphasis by Washington on having Jerusalem make concessions to the Palestinians as a means of moving forward in the normalization process that would see a trilateral agreement between the three countries, Israel Hayom has learned.

Sources familiar with the ongoing talks have told Israel Hayom that the Biden administration's focus on this matter has had the effect of hampering the potential momentum and has impeded would-be breakthroughs.

One source noted that on the big issues – including a potential US-Saudi defense alliance that would come alongside a new civilian nuclear program in the kingdom – there are no insurmountable gaps because the disagreements are not substantial. The source noted, though, that the American emphasis on the Palestinian aspect has been perceived as over the top and thus had the potential of undermining the entire process.

The criticism of the White House among Israeli figures and Saudi elements has been voiced behind closed doors. The officials stress that Riyadh is not part of the pressure on Israel to make major diplomatic concessions to the Palestinians. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in an interview with Fox News several weeks ago, refused to make demands from Israel on the Palestinian issue and has simply stated that his expectation was merely that Israel "improved the lives of Palestinians."

Nevertheless, Biden administration officials currently engaged in the mediation process between Israel and Saudi Arabia have floated a series of demands from Israel on this matter. As Israel Hayom reported several days ago, the US asked Israel to allow the reopening of an independent US consulate general in Jerusalem that would effectively serve as a diplomatic mission to the Palestinians. Additionally, pressure is mounting on Israel to increase economic support for the Palestinian Authority.
The Reliability of Nuclear Agreements in the Middle East
A possible normalization agreement between the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Israel includes controversial nuclear components which will potentially endanger Israel's security in the future. Israel is not opposed in principle to nuclear power plants, as seen by the UAE plan to build four reactors, but without control over the fuel cycle.

Israel's position regarding the reliability of signing treaties and agreements in the nuclear field by countries in the Middle East has always been skeptical and supported by historical facts. Four treaties violated by countries in the Middle East include Saddam Hussein's Iraq, Muammar Gaddafi's Libya, Bashar Assad's Syria, and the ayatollahs' Iran. Saudi Arabia, despite the far-reaching transformations that have taken place, is not a democratic country, and its leadership may suddenly change and become hostile to Israel - as happened in 1979 in Iran.
Torah Manuscript Draws Attention at Riyadh Book Fair in Saudi Arabia
Visitors to the Riyadh International Book Fair in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, have been captivated by a rare exhibit in the Arab world – a large scroll of a Torah manuscript in Hebrew.

This manuscript is displayed within a secure glass case as part of a special pavilion, alongside 27 other rare manuscripts.

According to the Saudi news portal Sabq, the Torah manuscript is described as a “scroll of leather, containing explanations and texts of the Torah in Hebrew. Length: 40 meters x 90 cm. It dates back to the tenth century AH/16th century AD, according to estimates.”

Observers have noted that visitors to the book fair are not only taking an interest in this unique Torah manuscript but are also spending several minutes in front of it, reading the accompanying information and contemplating the language in which it was written.

The rare manuscripts featured in this pavilion are part of the collections of many libraries, including the King Abdulaziz Complex for Endowment Libraries, the King Salman Library at King Saud University, and the King Fahd National Library.
Do the Palestinians want a two-state solution?
Friedman also claims that the Netanyahu government's aim is to forget the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and annex the West Bank. Like Mr. Friedman, I believe in a two-state resolution, and I too think that annexing the West Bank would be a mistake. But what about some context? Do the Palestinians want a two-state solution?

In the same article, Friedman refers to the 1936 Peel Commission partition proposal. This was a proposal that would have allocated just 17 percent of Mandatory Palestine to a Jewish state and a much larger portion to a Palestinian state. Faced with the danger that would later become the Holocaust, the Zionists reluctantly accepted, while the Arabs of Palestine would not even agree to meet with members of the Commission.

This same inability by the Arab world to accept the existence of a Jewish state occurred after 1947, when, as Friedman notes, the UN voted to partition Palestine. Arab rejection of Israel as a state appeared again in 1967, after the Six-Day War when the Arab League resolved that there would be no peace, no recognition, and no negotiations with Israel.

Intensive negotiations toward a settlement between Israelis and Palestinians have included the Oslo Accords of 1993 and two occasions, 2000 and 2008 when far-reaching concessions offered by Israel toward a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank were rejected. In fact, the Palestinian suicide bombers of the Second Intifada (1987-1993) contributed to the demise of the Israeli political Left and the rightward shift of Israeli politics.

Today, the two million Palestinians of Gaza are hostages to Hamas, a terrorist organization that has no interest in a two-state solution, while Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinians in the West Bank, questions the historicity of the Holocaust. Nor does Hezbollah, a terrorist-Iranian proxy in Lebanon, or the Government of Iran, support the existence of the Jewish state.

The American historian Daniel Pipes is correct when he said, in a 2023 Jerusalem Post interview with Seth Frantzman, that the struggle between Israelis and Palestinians will only end when the Palestinians give up their goal of eliminating Israel.

Today, the conflict has evolved to include a Palestinian-led international effort to delegitimize Israel. Perhaps Mr. Friedman does not get the meaning of the slogan "from the river to the sea," but I do.


Fiji to open embassy in Jerusalem next year
The South Pacific island nation of Fiji will inaugurate an embassy in Jerusalem next year, the country’s deputy prime minister said on Monday, as faith-based diplomacy continues to flourish.

The remarks come as hundreds of pilgrims from Fiji are in Israel to take part in the annual Feast of Tabernacles celebrations organized by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, following last week’s first chartered flight to the Holy Land from the Oceania archipelago.

“The commitment is there from the leadership,” Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka said in a telephone interview with JNS. “We are really keen to see that happen as soon as possible.”

He noted that Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka confirmed the embassy decision in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly general debate in New York in September.

“Our desire to have an embassy in Jerusalem is very strong,” said Gavoka of the nation of nearly 1 million. “We as a people feel very close to the descendants of Abraham and want to connect with Israel in its entirety.”

He said that the inauguration of the embassy, which is expected in early 2024, will bring Jerusalem closer to the Pacific.

“We are at the ends of the earth, and you are at the center of the earth,” Gavoka said.


Terrorists wound Israeli at Joseph’s Tomb
Palestinian stone-throwers on Monday lightly injured an Israeli among a group of five Jews who came under attack while visiting Joseph’s Tomb on the outskirts of Shechem (Nablus).

Palestinian Authority security forces rescued the Israelis and transferred them to the IDF.

The Israelis had not received permission for or coordinated the pilgrimage in advance.

According to the 1995 Oslo II Agreement, the tomb complex is an enclave under Israeli security control within Area A under full Palestinian control.

Visits to the place were initially made under the protection of civilian security personnel, but subsequently, the need for military security was recognized.

In late August, four Israeli soldiers were wounded during an operation to secure entry for civilians to the Joseph’s Tomb compound.

An improvised explosive device was set off as the soldiers passed by, and dozens of people were injured in related clashes.
‘Fauda’ star takes part in real-life police weapons raid
Life seemed to imitate art overnight Sunday when the star of an Israeli TV series about an undercover security unit participated in a real police raid that nabbed illegal weapons and drugs.

Tsahi Halevi, who plays a character in the hit political thriller “Fauda,” stepped out from in front of the cameras to hit the frontlines in the war on crime as part of a Border Police volunteer unit that joined a raid in the central city of Lod.

Halevi wasn’t there as a one-off encounter — he is a regular volunteer officer with the Border Police.

The Israel Police made the most of the occasion and published a photo taken during the raid of its star officer decked out in combat fatigues and webbing, and armed with a rifle.

Security forces searched a residential compound in the city and uncovered weapons including a Kalashnikov rifle and three magazines as well as 7.62 mm ammunition. Officers also found cocaine and marijuana weighing a total of 60 grams.

Four suspects were arrested, all of them residents of the city in their 20s and 30s.


Over 1,400 Jews visit Temple Mount, Palestinians threaten response
Over 1,400 Jewish pilgrims visited the Temple Mount on Monday, the second intermediate day of the Sukkot holiday, according to Temple Mount activists.

On Sunday, 859 Jewish pilgrims visited the site. During the visits on Sunday, at least one visitor managed to sneak in a lulav and etrog, according to the Hozrim Lahar movement.

The Temple Mount is open to Jewish visitors Sunday to Thursday between 7-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-2:30 p.m. The Temple Mount is not open to Jews on Fridays and Saturdays.

Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount are informed upon entry that prayer and religious items such as prayer books or prayer shawls are forbidden in the complex, although, since late 2019, Jewish visitors have been able to pray quietly, including the Priestly Blessing, in certain parts of the site, relatively undisturbed.

Since early last year, there have been occasions on which Jewish visitors have succeeded in praying and singing loudly and even managed to raise Israeli flags, although many of these individuals were subsequently arrested.

The Jerusalem Post was able to confirm that quiet prayer services took place during the visits of Jewish pilgrims on Monday as well.

Jewish law prohibits Jews from entering the Temple Mount complex unless they have immersed in a mikvah (ritual bath) beforehand. Jewish law also prohibits Jewish visitors from entering the site with leather shoes.


Three Palestinians arrested for harassing Jews atop Temple Mount
Israeli police arrested three Palestinians on Monday for harassing Jews visiting the Temple Mount, as tens of thousands thronged to the Western Wall below to receive the Priestly Blessing.

A police spokesperson said a crowd of Arabs was pushed back at the Chain Gate after confronting Jews visiting their holiest site. The three Palestinians were detained for chanting inciting nationalistic slogans.

The status quo governing the Temple Mount dates back to 1967, when Israel liberated the Old City of Jerusalem from Jordan during the Six-Day War. Then-Defense Minister Moshe Dayan agreed to let the Jordanian-administered Islamic Waqf, a Muslim trusteeship, continue managing the holy site’s day-to-day affairs, while Israel would maintain overall sovereignty and be responsible for security.

According to the status quo, non-Muslims are allowed to visit the Temple Mount but not pray there.

“We have identified endless attempts to incite on the internet by distorting reality. Amid the continued incitement on social media, and in contrast to propaganda by terror organizations, there has not been any change to the existing practice on the Temple Mount,” police said in a statement.

“Anyone who incites violence, acts violently, disturbs the peace or attempts to disrupt routine life in Jerusalem, the Old City and the Temple Mount will be dealt with with determination and zero tolerance. We will continue to work at the holy sites to preserve security and order and to allow the freedom of worship for everyone according to the law and the existing practice,” police continued.


Palestinians Steal Water From Palestinians, Then Blame Israel
"Yesterday there was an enforcement activity in the Idna area near Hebron during which four illegal water wells were sealed. The water wells, which were drilled in violation of the interim agreement [with the Palestinians], damage the natural water reserves and pose a pollution threat to the aquifer [the source of water supplied to both Palestinian and Jewish communities]. The enforcement action was carried out in accordance with the jurisdiction authority and established protocols." — Israeli authorities, July 27, 2023.

"Additionally, there were approximately 2,500 instances during those years in which Israeli authorities disconnected illegal connections to existing water infrastructure." — NGO Monitor, October 2021.

The "illegal connections" included wells and pipes in the West Bank to illegally divert the water elsewhere, thereby stealing water that Israel had intended for both Israelis and Palestinians.

In 2018, the Israel Water Authority identified 77 Palestinian illegal well-diggings in the West Bank. During the same year, Israeli authorities arrested 25 Palestinians on suspicion of stealing water and disconnected 1,457 illegal connections to water mains. Some Palestinians also reportedly drilled holes in water mains to divert water.

"Without this activity [by the Israeli authorities], the water supply would have been significantly disrupted," the Israeli Water Authority said. The following year, Israeli authorities discovered another 58 illegal water wells and confiscated ten well- drilling machines.

The Palestinians' actions are in violation of the "Water Agreement" that is part of the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement ("Oslo II") of September 18, 1995 (Annex 3, Appendix 1, Article 40), which stipulates the manner in which the parties must act in the field of water in the West Bank. This is an international agreement that was not only signed by Israel and the Palestinians, but also witnessed by the US, Russia, the European Union, Norway, Jordan and Egypt. According to the Oslo II accord: "Each side shall take all necessary measures to prevent any harm, pollution, or deterioration of water quality of the water resources."

[T]he Israelis and Palestinians agreed in 1995 to establish a Joint Water Committee to deal with all water and sewage issues, including protection of water resources. The Palestinian Authority, however, decided to boycott the committee after the start of the Second Intifada in September 2000.

According to a 2017 report from Israel's State Comptroller, the Palestinian Authority prevented the committee from convening for seven years. The report noted that the reason for the Palestinian boycott was to hinder the development of water infrastructure for Israeli communities in the West Bank. Instead, the Palestinian boycott severely hindered the development of water infrastructure for the Palestinians and created a massive blockage of projects, including several waste-treatment facilities.

While Israel has fulfilled its obligations according to the "Water Agreement," the Palestinians have continuously breached the accord. Israel made available approximately 70 million cubic meters (MCM) a year of water to the Palestinians in the West Bank before they boycotted the Joint Water Committee, even though the agreement allocates a much smaller quantity of only 23.6 MCM/year for the West Bank.


MEMRI: Gaza Perfumery Sells Perfumes in Rocket Shaped Canisters Affiliated with Various Militant Factions
Gaza perfumery Al-Hejaz for Perfumes posted a video promoting its new line of “rocket” perfumes corresponding with different militant factions in an October 1, 2023 video on the shop’s website. The perfumes were inspired by the May 2021 “Sword of Jerusalem” conflict with Israel, according to Bilal Abu Saraya, the 23-year-old owner. He showcased rocket shaped canisters representing the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Al-Buraq rocket, Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades’ Ayyash-250 rocket and the Lion’s Den, which is attributed in the video to Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.


MEMRI: Lebanese Show on Child Marriage Introduces Underage Couple: 13-Year-Old Says She Doesn’t Like School
On September 13, 2023, LBC TV (Lebanon) aired a talk show that hosted an underage married couple, 13-year-old Hala and 17-year-old Musa, to discuss their relationship. The couple said that they got married when Musa was 12 and Hala was eight. Hala told the interviewer that she doesn’t like going to school but that she does like being Musa’s wife. When asked if he would allow Hala to go to school, Musa answered that he would rather she stays with him and doesn’t “go places” so she doesn’t “open up.”


Iran to trade Hezbollah arms to Moscow, Arab tribes in Syria
An extraordinary article at the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida has claimed that Iran is seeking to create a complex deal in Syria to transfer weapons from Hezbollah to Syrian regime-backed Arab tribes and also to send arms to Moscow.

Maariv has described this as a four way deal that also threatens Israel and Ukraine. The report is concerning because the interplay between Russia, Iran, Hezbollah and the Syrian regime has always been a complex relationship in Syria. Any movement that benefits Hezbollah or Iran-backed proxies is a threat.

The report indicates that the move by Iran and Russia could see weapons flow from Hezbollah to Arab tribes and also to Russia and that new Iranian weapons could be on their way to Hezbollah. While the movement of weapons from Hezbollah to the tribes or Russia appears counterintuitive, since Hezbollah usually stockpiles weapons, this could help Hezbollah by letting it get rid of older munitions and set itself up to get the latest weapons and also earn some gratitude from Moscow. This can also threaten the US in Syria, which gives Iran four wins: Aiding Russia, Hezbollah and threatening the US and Israel.

To understand the importance of this report, it is worth understanding the context. Historically Iran has moved weapons through Syria to Hezbollah. During the Syrian civil war this equation shifted slightly because Hezbollah intervened in Syria to help the Syrian regime. Iran wanted this outcome and helped to fuel it. Iran also moved IRGC members to Syria and helped the regime back various tribes. The goal was Iranian entrenchment. As the regime defeated the Syrian rebels with the help of Hezbollah, Hezbollah benefited and established themselves in areas in Syria, such as near Aleppo, and also near the Golan. Iran expanded its trading axis in Syria, moving weapons to Albukamal on the border with Iraq and then transferring them to T-4 base and to Damascus and Syria.

In 2017-2018 there were rumors that Iran might reduce its forces in Syria. However, although some IRGC members did depart, Iran’s proxies remained. When Russia invaded Ukraine there were also reports in Arabic media that Russia might move forces to Ukraine and that Iran could benefit in Syria by backfilling the Russian vacuum.
MEMRI: In First-Ever Iranian Acknowledgment Of Iran's Role In 1980s Lebanon Bombings, Issa Tabatabai, Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei's Representative In Lebanon, States: 'I Received From Imam Khomeini The Fatwa [Ordering] Martyrdom Operations Against The Americans'; 'I Provided What Was Needed In Order To [Carry Out] Martyrdom Operations In The Place Where The Americans And Israelis Were'
The Iranian news agency IRNA recently published a five-part interview with Issa Tabatabai, the representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Lebanon. Tabatabai had previously served as the representative in Lebanon of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran's Islamic Republic.

In Part Four of the interview, which was published September 13, 2023, Tabatabai described his contribution to the establishment of Hizbullah as a military organization, and recounts that at his home, which at the time served as military headquarters, dozens of men had signed a declaration of their willingness to carry out martyrdom operations. He also discussed his role in the Iranian resistance and in launching suicide operations against American forces and representatives and Israeli forces in Lebanon.

After acknowledging that he had received, directly from Khomeini, the fatwa ordering suicide operations to be carried out against the Americans and Israelis in Lebanon, he went on to talk about Hizbullah's military activity against Israel in Lebanon and its cooperation with the Palestinian organizations. He spoke of his personal efforts to set up a hospital there, on the orders of Khomeini, who had also called for building a Hussainiya (Shi'ite religious study and community center), Islamic centers, and mosques to spread Iran's resistance ideology.

Tabatabai also told of the utter confidence placed in him by both Khomeini and his successor Khamenei, and underlined that he is Khamenei's trusted representative in Lebanon in all things having to do with finance and the spread of the Shi'a.

It is noteworthy that the part of the interview in which Tabatabai acknowledged receiving Khomeini's fatwa ordering attacks on American and Israeli targets in Lebanon was removed by IRNA from its website shortly after publication. This is apparently because no official representative of Khomeini, the father of the Islamic Republic, or of Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, had ever said that Iran had any involvement in ordering, planning and carrying out the massive bombings in Lebanon against, inter alia, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in April 1983 in which 63 people, including 17 Americans, were killed, and the barracks of American and French members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon in October 1983, in which 241 U.S. service personnel, including 220 Marines, and 58 French troops were killed.
Seth Frantzman: Iran adding cruise missiles to frigate in bid to strengthen navy
Iran is seeking to put more cruise missiles on its Sabalan frigate, an aging ship that dates from the 1960s. The Sabalan is one of three Alvand-class frigates that Iran owns, built in the UK for Iran’s regime before the Islamic Revolution in 1979. In an “exclusive” statement to Iran’s Tasnim News, the Iranian navy claims to outfit the frigate with more firepower, increasing to 12 cruise missiles installed on it.

“In a conversation with Tasnim’s defense reporter, Admiral Shahram Irani, commander of the Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, announced the increase in the Sabalan destroyer’s sea cruise missiles,” the report reads.

Iran’s navy is relatively small, making this announcement quite significant. It also doesn’t have very many large surface ships capable of performing blue-water naval operations far from base. It instead relies on its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy to harass ships and conduct operations in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

Now, Iran wants to increase the range and power of its navy – according to this report – by sending ships to Russia, and also on a circumnavigation of the globe recently to show off its power.

According to the report, the Sabalan played a key role in these recent long-range operations, traveling some 13,000 km. in 40 days, to Asia through the Straits of Malacca and also to the South China Sea. It also stopped in Sri Lanka and operated in the Bay of Bengal.
MEMRI: Iran Launches Nour-3 Satellite into Orbit
On September 27, 2023, IRINN TV (Iran) aired a show celebrating the launch of Iran’s Nour-3 satellite into orbit. Iranian Space Energy chief Dr. Hassan Salarieh said that Iran will achieve higher image accuracy with its satellites and launch many satellites in the near future. General Ali Jafarabadi, commander of the Space Division in the IRGC Aerospace Force, said that the Nour-3 is more advanced than its previous versions and that this is the first time space thrusters were used by Iran.




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