Monday, October 28, 2024

10/28 Links Pt1: Western Leaders Should Be Thankful to Israel; Israel outlaws UNWRA; What would you do in our place, President Macron?

From Ian:

Western Leaders Should Be Thankful to Israel
At a bleak time in global affairs, a powerful blow has been struck against the most malign regime in the Middle East. On Friday night the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a measured, precise but devastating aerial assault on Iran. It was a proportionate response to Iran's missile attack on Israel, and civilian casualties were kept to a minimum.

Israel has reminded allies and enemies alike of just how formidable its military capabilities are. The IDF has established air superiority over Iran and can destroy its military infrastructure with virtual impunity. Having already decapitated Hamas and Hizbullah, Israel has demonstrated that it could do the same to their masters in Tehran at a time of its choosing.

While Europe and America have sought to bully Israel into ceasefires, the IDF has methodically set about eliminating the terrorist threat on its border, while checking Iranian power and influence.
Israeli Strike Could Create Deterrence
Israel has apparently inflicted severe damage on Iran's air defense systems. It is reasonable to assume that they were significantly impaired in the initial wave of attacks, given that the Iranians barely intercepted any missiles or Israeli fighter jets. With its air defenses neutralized in several critical areas, Iranian leaders will have to carefully consider whether to launch a strong attack on Israel and risk a counter-response they cannot stop.

The Israeli strike was deliberately designed to offer the Iranian regime the option to avoid retaliation. The IDF spokesperson explicitly stated the strike was "focused," and Israel has no interest in prolonging the exchange of blows.

The Israeli strikes aimed to achieve a tangible impact on Iranian military capabilities, a clear signal to the regime that it is exposed and vulnerable, which strengthens deterrence, and a severe blow to its prestige in the eyes of its citizens, all while carefully giving Tehran a "ladder to climb down from the tree," providing a justification to halt the cycle of retaliation. Neither Israel, the U.S., nor Iran currently desires a regional war.

The strikes on facilities for the development and production of surface-to-surface missiles and rocket engines were carried out around 2:00 a.m., when no civilians were present. Attacks in Ilam and Khuzestan provinces targeted surface-to-surface missile launch facilities and arrays, from which ballistic missiles were launched at Israel in the two previous Iranian attacks.
Israel's Strike on Iran
Israel destroyed Iran's air defense systems, leaving the country vulnerable to repeated Israeli Air Force strikes. These systems, of Russian origin, also demonstrate the superiority of Western weapons over Eastern ones. Given that Russia needs these systems for its war against Ukraine, it's questionable whether Russia will agree to sell additional systems to Iran.

Israel's offensive capabilities surpass Iran's defensive capabilities, revealing Israel's clear operational superiority over Iran. Israel managed to strike all of its intended targets, while Iran did not.

In deciding whether to escalate, Khamenei must consider key factors: Does Iran have enough missiles to sustain a prolonged campaign against Israel, given that production has been disrupted? Could Israel's next strike target energy and nuclear facilities? No response would signify an historic weakness, while a response would allow Israel to strike where it truly hurts. All this is happening as Hizbullah is weakened and no longer serves as a restraining force on Israel.


Argentina identifies Hezbollah terrorist who bombed Israeli embassy, Jewish center in Buenos Aires
Argentina's Defense Minister Patricia Bullrich announced on Friday that the terrorist responsible for the 1992 Israeli Embassy bombing and the 1994 AMIA bombing had been identified as Hussein Ahmad Karaki.

Bullrich said that Karaki was the head of Hezbollah operations in Latin America and had been responsible for multiple attacks historically and in recent years.

She confirmed that Karaki was responsible for a string of attempted terror attacks across Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil.

She described him as a "ghost," having been operating underground since the 1990s, using false identities and using forged documents provided to him by Venezuela.

Bullrich said they would be putting out a Interpol red alert on him as he was currently living free in Lebanon.

A Red Notice requires local security forces ans law enforcement around the world to preemptively locate and arrest him for extradition to Argentina.

Venezuela is accused of directly facilitating Karaki's movements and operations.

This comes six months after Argentinian courts confirmed that Iran and Hezbollah were both behind the 1992 and the 1994 bombings.

Hezbollah's South American connection
Bullrich further emphasized that Hezbollah effectively took control of Brazilian cartels to turn them into narco-terrorist organizations, primarily Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho.

PCC has been directly linked to Hezbollah for at least a year and is considered a major source of funding, with money sent by PCC being used to finance weapons for use against Israel.

An investigation by O Estado de S. Paulo found that PCC exchanged part of its profits for the right to operate under Hezbollah's protection in the Middle East.

Hezbollah's control over the major drug supply networks in the Middle East has been a huge source of funding both for themselves and the Assad regime.

Hezbollah controls the major hashish production areas of Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, as well as helping the Assad regime supply captagon to international criminal organizations.
Sinwar Envisioned a Palestine as Jew-Free, from the River to the Sea
Captured Hamas documents show that the mastermind of the Oct. 7 slaughter, Yahya Sinwar, envisioned the operation as a go-for-broke effort to ignite a wider regional war that would topple Israel.

At a "strategic vision" conference in Gaza on Sep. 30, 2021, Sinwar affirmed that "the heart of Hamas's strategic vision" was "full liberation of Palestine from the sea to the river."

Sinwar was quite clear that this "vision" meant neither a two-state solution nor coexistence but "the Palestinian refugees' return to their homeland, and the establishment of a Palestinian state with full sovereignty over its lands, with Jerusalem as its capital."

As for the 7.2 million Jews (46% of the world's Jewish population) who would remain under Hamas "control," the conference final report proposed that Israelis who fought Hamas "must be killed," although anyone "fleeing" could "be left alone or be prosecuted for his crimes."

"Educated Jews and experts in the areas of medicine, engineering, technology, and civilian and military industry" would be "retained...for some time" and "not be allowed to leave and take with them the knowledge and experience that they acquired."

The implication is that they would serve the new Hamas regime, voluntarily or otherwise.
People like to blame Israel, but there is no justifying Palestinian terrorism
In one recent interview that has raised the eyebrows of many literary critics, Coates suggested he’s not above taking part in an October 7-style attack. He imagined what he would do if he grew up as a Palestinian in Gaza and the West Bank: “And I grow up under that oppression and that poverty and the wall comes down.” Then, with no shame, he wrote: “Am I also strong enough or even constructed in such a way where I say this is too far? I don’t know that I am.”

With his comment, Coates excused and even justified the murder, kidnapping, and rape of innocent Israelis on October 7. His excuse of the most heinous acts perpetrated against Jews since the Holocaust – and arguably worse – was outrageous. In the four millennia of Jewish suffering, stretching back from the Egyptian enslavement to the Palestinian intifadas, Jews never even considered raping, burning, and beheading the children of their oppressors as Palestinians did during their savage attacks.

Such barbarism is so abhorrent to Jewish values that the mere suggestion would flip the Jewish stomach. Coates showed exactly the kind of degeneracy he values by imagining himself committing the same acts.

Many coates defenders pointed to a quote attributed to former Israeli prime minister and IDF chief of staff Ehud Barak: “If I was [a Palestinian] at the right age, at some stage I would have entered one of the terror organizations and have fought from there.” Coates apologists juxtapose Barak’s statement of acting as a Palestinian terrorist with Coates excusing of Palestinian terrorism of the Simchat Torah attacks to excuse his horrific comment.

While the two quotes can be dishonestly conflated to mirror the same message of justifying terror attacks against innocent Israelis, even a little thought demonstrates the differences between the two statements. Barak was talking about resisting against Israeli soldiers in the beginning of the First Intifada (1987-1993) when Palestinians were generally attacking Israeli soldiers in an attempt to defeat Israel.

This was a decade before bus bombings and suicide bombings that targeted children would become the frequent modus operandi of Palestinian terrorists. Coates was talking about murdering, kidnapping, and raping innocent Israeli civilians.

Ehud Barak was wrong in showing understanding to Palestinian terrorists. At any point from 1948 and on, Palestinians could have opted to recognize the Jewish right to self-determination on their historic homeland, the Land of Israel. Instead, they chose violence and terrorism to destroy the Jewish state.

For decades, they dedicated their efforts and energies to murdering Jews around the world to end the Jewish state. When they realized their tactics failed, they duplicitously told the world they were interested in peace – but over the next three decades demonstrated through their support and incentivizing of terrorism that they were more interested in creating an independent Palestinian state in place of a Jewish state rather than alongside one.

The Palestinian choice was disastrous for peace in the Middle East and for themselves. Choosing violence and terrorism instead of peace is the preference of savages, not civilized people. It was inexcusable for then-prime minister Barak to have made it seem justifiable. It is unconscionable that Ta-Nehisi Coates, an award-winning journalist, would promote his latest book by advocating for terrorism.

Many people blame Israeli colonialism [sic], Israeli settlements, and various Israeli military policies for the lack of peace in the Middle East. These are all misguided attempts to slander the Jewish state. There is no greater hindrance to peace than violence and Palestinian terrorism. Zionism is one of the world’s greatest liberation movements and, had the Palestinians welcomed Zionism and the Jewish people, their lives would be many times better than they are today.
What would you do in our place, President Macron?
What would you do if you were in Israel's place? Never judge someone—or a country—until you stand in their shoes. This question is directed at Western citizens and their leaders. Try, for a moment, to imagine the situation and project it onto yourselves.

In this article, I use France and its president as a prominent example of Western countries known for their critical stance toward Israel and the appeasement of Muslims who gradually gain influence and political leverage. These well-meaning or naive leaders understand but fail to internalize that this influence could become a moral, social, and security burden they may regret someday.

French President Emmanuel Macron is undoubtedly not antisemitic. On the contrary, France has often stood by our side and supported Israel on many significant issues. However, Macron’s current conduct reminds us how antisemitism re-emerges globally when it perceives Israeli vulnerability or when Israel must attack its enemies for self-defense. This questionable behavior shifts to support when our enemies surprise us, as occurred on October 7, when we thought France, Britain, and other nations were firmly by our side.

Macron, whose country has supported Lebanon for decades, and his predecessors didn’t seem overly concerned for the Lebanese people when Hezbollah—an Islamist terrorist organization backed by Iran—brutally took over Lebanon and destroyed it economically, religiously, and socially. I encountered this beauty when I crossed Lebanon repeatedly during the First Lebanon War, from Beirut northwards to the resort town of Jounieh. When Iran-Hezbollah took control of Lebanon, France, and the West stayed silent—except for the United States and Germany, which responded appropriately.

Under Macron’s leadership, France joined the just war against ISIS. In Mosul, most buildings were destroyed, and over 40,000 innocent civilians died. ISIS did not launch rockets on French cities; yet, against us, Hamas has fired thousands of rockets and launched incendiary balloons to kill our civilians and burn our crops.

Yet this does not stop you, Mr. Macron, from lecturing us and supporting us in our defense but forbidding us from eliminating our enemy to prevent them from resurfacing, as any sovereign nation would do. When we respond to aggression, you call for an immediate ceasefire. To demonstrate your resolve, you impose arms embargoes on Israel, a country whose fall could open the gates of hell on France and Europe.

The old saying goes that the French are good at nothing except surrendering. This reputation was earned after their swift and humiliating defeat to Germany in May 1940 and the subsequent surrender. If not for the Allies, led by Britain and the United States, liberating France in June 1944, Macron might still be speaking German today.


The Curious Case of Ariane Tabatabai
Tabatabai was brought into the Biden administration in 2021 to serve on the State Department negotiating team with Iran. Her initial boss, Special Envoy Robert Malley, however, was stripped of his security clearance in the spring of 2023 and is currently being investigated by the FBI for the mishandling of classified information. Shortly before Malley’s departure, Tabatabai relocated to the Pentagon and eventually took up her position in SO/LIC.

Tabatabai began facing scrutiny last year after a large tranche of Iranian government emails were obtained by the U.S. media outlet Semafor (where I used to work), and Iran International, a Farsi-language television channel. Included in the data were communications between Tabatabai and senior Iranian diplomats, beginning in 2014, that showed she had been a leading member of the Iran Experts Initiative, an Iranian Foreign Ministry–led program that sought to amplify Tehran’s positions on key national security issues in Western think tanks and the media. In some of the emails, Tabatabai can be seen seeking guidance from Iranian officials on her foreign travels and appearances before Congress.

Tabatabai has never publicly disclosed her role in the IEI.

And a number of Republican members of Congress have been pressing the Pentagon over the past year to strip Tabatabai of her security clearances because of her reported ties to Tehran. The Pentagon declined on Friday to say if her transfer was related to her work with the IEI.

This month, a conservative government watchdog also sued the Pentagon for what it claims has been the department’s failure to answer questions and provide documents related to the activities of Tabatabai and Malley.

Tabatabai’s status is particularly sensitive for the Biden-Harris administration. The academic has worked closely in the past with Vice President Harris’s national security adviser, Philip Gordon, as outlined in an August piece in The Free Press. This included co-authoring a string of opinion pieces in the summer of 2020 that called for the U.S. to return to its nuclear diplomacy with Iran, and to soften some of Washington’s economic sanctions on Tehran.

Tabatabai’s switch at the Pentagon, on paper, is a promotion: The UK-educated PhD is now ranked as a deputy assistant secretary of defense rather than a chief of staff. But in reality, a number of former U.S. defense officials told The Free Press, it’s a clear step down.

“Everyone that is in the know understands that this is not a promotion, right? She wants to be active in the policy space, and going over to education and force training is not,” said Garrett Exner, who served in SO/LIC during the Obama and Trump administrations, and is currently a fellow at the Hudson Institute.

Exner added: The Biden administration transferred Tabatabai to a department “where she can’t really touch any classified material.”

A second SO/LIC veteran said the Iranian American academic has exited a post that’s among the most secretive in the entire U.S. government. “I cannot underscore: The things SO/LIC. . . are doing are more sensitive than what the CIA is doing.”
Israel outlaws UNWRA, bucking international pressure
The Knesset plenum approved final voting for two bills aimed at blocking the activity in areas under Israeli control of the UN Relief and Works Agency, which services Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank.Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman MK Yuli Edelstein presented both bills in the plenum. According to Edelstein, UNRWA’s operations “eternalized” the issue of Palestinian refugees.

In addition, Edelstein cited the fact that UNRWA employees had participated in, and even served as commanders, in the October 7 Hamas massacre. Edelstein also mentioned incitement in UNRWA school curriculums. According to Edelstein, the time had come to ban the agency from Israel.

Edelstein did not address in his speech who would replace the services UNRWA provides for Palestinians in east Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank.

After the bills passed, Edelstein called the bills “historic” and the “elimination of one of the arms of terror that acted under UN auspices.”

“UNRWA long ago ceased to be a humanitarian aid agency, but in addition to it being an integral supporter of terror and hate, is an agency to eternalize poverty and suffering. The rationale is simple – in order to survive, UNRWA created demand for the product it provides. The circle of horror ended today, they are out!” Edelstein concluded.The two bills are an amalgamation of five bills that were proposed by a large number of members of Knesset, from both the coalition and opposition, indicating broad support.

The first bill states that UNRWA will no longer “operate any institution, provide any service, or conduct any activity, whether directly or indirectly,” in Israel.

What do the bills state?
The second bill states that the treaty between Israel and UNRWA, signed following the Six Day War in 1967, will expire within seven days of the bill passing its final voting in the Knesset plenum; that no Israeli government agencies or representatives may contact UNRWA or a representative of it, beginning three months after the bill passes; that criminal proceedings into UNRWA employees’ involvement in acts of terror will continue; and that Israel’s National Security Council must report to the committee every six months regarding the bill’s implementation.

The first bill passed 92-10, with support from the opposition parties National Unity, Yisrael Beytenu, and Yesh Atid. The Democrats Party abstained. The second bill passed 87-9.

Edelstein told The Jerusalem Post earlier this week that the first bill relates just to east Jerusalem, since the other areas under Israeli control are not officially part of sovereign Israel, and the second broad one cancels the invitation to UNRWA to operate in any area under Israeli control and bars Israeli officials from engaging with it.


'Deeply concerned': UK minister criticizes Israel's proposal to end UNRWA cooperation
Israel's democracy would be "deeply harmed" if the Knesset were to pass bills to end Israeli government cooperation with UNRWA, said Member of Parliament and the UK's Middle East minister Hamish Falconer, according to a Sunday report by The Guardian.

The UK minister wrote a statement alongside seven foreign ministers from around the world, which urged Israel to drop the bill.

"We, the Foreign Ministers of Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom, express our grave concern over legislation currently under consideration by the Israeli Knesset, aimed at revoking the privileges and immunities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), forbidding any contact between Israeli state entities, officials and UNRWA, and prohibiting any UNRWA presence within Israel," the ministers urged.

"It is crucial that UNRWA and other UN organizations and agencies be fully able to deliver humanitarian aid and their assistance to those who need it most, fulfilling their mandates effectively," the statement said.

UK minister urges more Gaza aid
Falconer also urged Israel to allow more aid into Gaza while speaking at a conference in London organized by Haaretz. While speaking, Falconer also said that the measures taken by the Labour government did not indicate a decline in support for Israel. The Guardian quoted Falconer saying that such a development would "neither be in Israel's interest or realistic" and that he is "deeply concerned" by the legislation.

"Given the agency’s vital role in delivering aid and essential services at a time when more aid should be getting into Gaza, it is deeply harmful to Israel’s international reputation as a democratic country that its lawmakers are taking steps that would make the delivering of food, water, medicines, and healthcare more difficult."

The statement from foreign ministers was posted by UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy to X/Twitter, writing, "The UK and international partners have set out our grave concerns about proposed Israeli Knesset legislation aimed at revoking UNRWA's privileges and immunities."

"Israel must abide by its obligations and ensure UNRWA continues its lifesaving work in Gaza and the West Bank."


Carson cancels event with U.N. special rapporteur Francesca Albanese
A planned Capitol Hill staff briefing with United Nations special rapporteur Francesca Albanese has been postponed, Jewish Insider has learned.

The event was scheduled for Tuesday, hosted by Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN). The Biden administration has repeatedly condemned Albanese as antisemitic, and described her as unfit for her position.

An email sent by Carson’s office to Democratic staff said the event would be postponed, without further elaboration.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) similarly canceled a Nakba Day event held by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) in 2023, but Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) hosted it in his Senate committee hearing room.

Albanese was also scheduled to speak at Georgetown University on Monday.


South Africa submits evidence of alleged Israeli genocide in Gaza to ICJ
South Africa has submitted its Memorial to the International Court of Justice regarding the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip, the South African government reported on their International Relations and Cooperation website on Monday.

Details of this Memorial are not publicly available at this time due to ICJ rules. Nevertheless, the southern African country’s government noted that the filing coincides with an increase in civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and rising tensions in Lebanon.

According to the announcement, the Memorial claims that Israel has violated the genocide convention by promoting the destruction of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Allegations include killing civilians with destructive weapons, obstructing humanitarian aid, creating life-threatening conditions for physical destruction, and using starvation as a weapon of war to “depopulate Gaza through mass death and forced displacement,” the announcement read.

Global solidarity
The evidence, comprising over 750 pages of text and an additional 4,000 pages of exhibits the announcement noted, asserts that Israel's actions are allegedly motivated by a specific intent to commit genocide and that it has failed to prevent or punish incitement to genocide, the South African government emphasized.

The Memorial calls on the global community to remember the plight of the Palestinian people and urges solidarity in stopping the ongoing alleged genocide. Moreover, the announcement claimed the action follows Israel’s historical failure to comply with international obligations despite interventions from the ICJ and UN bodies.


Gallant: Israel changed ‘balance of power’ with precision strikes on Iran
The Jewish state’s strike on Iran was “yet another record-breaking achievement during this war,” Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, said at an Israeli Air Force leadership forum over the weekend.

“The enemy has been weakened—both in its ability to produce missiles and in its ability to defend itself,” he said. “This changes the balance of power.”

Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the Israel Defense Forces chief of the general staff, also joined the event.

Gallant thanked the “pilots, base commanders and fighters in the air and on the ground.”

“The response appears to have been very precise, effective and powerful—striking our targets as planned,” he said. “You have demonstrated record-breaking capabilities.”

“You have conducted accurate strikes on their radars and air defense systems, which creates a huge disadvantage for the enemy when we will want to strike later,” Gallant added. “You have also damaged their production capabilities, which changes the balance of power. Their supplies are now set, and this affects their calculus. Both their attack and defensive capabilities have been weakened.”


Seth Frantzman: Playing victim and victor: Iran seeks international condemnation of Israel's strikes
Iran is being careful with its messaging in the wake of the Israeli airstrikes against it on Saturday. The regime is waiting to decide what it wants to do in response, if anything. This is because the regime’s leadership is likely split over how it would like to respond.

Iran’s relatively new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has said the Islamic Republic does not seek war. Nevertheless, he has been quoted by Islamic Republic News Agency, the regime’s official news agency, as saying Iran will prepare a proportionate response.

“He said that the Islamic Republic and the Iranian people have shown over the past 45 years that they would not back down against any aggressor,” IRNA reported.

Meanwhile, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref echoed Pezeshkian’s comments by claiming that Israel would receive an appropriate response. To illustrate the regime’s message discipline, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran does not seek war but will respond at the “appropriate time.”

While it is clear that the president of Iran and his closest advisers and officials prefer the same messaging, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iranian proxies likely have other ideas. This is because the Iranian president and foreign minister have been on a roll lately in terms of diplomatic outreach.


Seth Frantzman: How many air-defense systems does Iran have? - explainer
In the wake of the Israeli airstrikes against Iran on Saturday, there has been increased focus on Iran’s air-defense systems. In general, even though Iran has a large number of air-defense systems, its air defenses have not been a strongpoint.

This is partly because Iran hasn’t faced a major conventional military threat for years, and it has been under sanctions. The last time Iran fought a conventional war and had to seriously defend its airspace was during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

Therefore, Tehran has to make do with what it has and invest where it can in defenses. Iran boasts an impressive quantity of different systems. Whether they are effective is less clear.

Iran’s defense mechanisms: Quantity over quality
Iran’s air defenses are also hampered by the fact it doesn’t have a large air force that can aid its air defenders by intercepting threats. Iran’s air force is aging and is not well placed to confront a modern sophisticated fifth-generation air force, such as Israel’s.

That being said, Iran hasn’t needed its air force in recent decades because it has usually been able to support proxies abroad. Iran also carved out a kind of buffer zone by colonizing part of Iraq using pro-Iranian militias. Therefore, Iran is actually well placed in the region because many of the countries in the region are relatively weak or are not its enemies.

Israel’s October 26 attack included precision strikes on numerous targets. What is known about these strikes is only being revealed slowly in the media. For instance, Iranian radar systems were “breached” during the airstrikes and their “screens froze,” KAN News reported Monday. Due to this possible breach, The Jerusalem Post reported earlier, Iran’s ability to intercept targets was limited and allowed the IAF to penetrate Iranian airspace, according to Iranian sources cited by KAN News. All of Iran’s air defenses were impacted by the strikes, The Wall Street Journal reported.

What is the significance of saying all of Iran’s air defenses may have been impacted? To understand what may have been impacted, it’s worth understanding what Iran has in terms of air defenses. Four Iranian S-300 batteries were affected, according to reports.

Iran acquired the S-300 system from Russia over the past two decades. The deal dates from 2007 when Iran signed an $800 million deal for the Russian system. But the deal was delayed over the years. Tehran sought to acquire four of the systems. It was supposed to give Iran a major military advantage over its Arab neighbors in the Gulf, which use advanced American warplanes and air defenses.


THAAD deployment paved way for Israeli retaliatory airstrikes on Iran
Just days after the US bolstered Israeli air defense by deploying a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and 100 soldiers, Israel on Saturday carried out a large retaliatory strike on Iran. An estimated 100 Israeli aircraft participated in the hourslong operation over Iran's night skies.

The Israeli military stated that it had "conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran—thwarting immediate threats." Military sites in Tehran, in the heart of Iranian territory, were among those struck.

"This was a game changer, a transition from the shadow war to a new level of the game which is now out in the open," Sharona Shir Zablodovsky, an expert on public policy and national security at the Dvorah Forum, told The Media Line. "Israel demonstrated the ability to attack several sites simultaneously, showing it has precise intelligence."

Israel's military said the strike targeted missile manufacturing facilities used by Iran in attacks over the past year. Iranian surface-to-air missiles and "aerial capabilities that were intended to restrict Israel's aerial freedom of operation in Iran" were also targeted.

"Israel now has broader aerial freedom of operation in Iran," the statement continued.

Danny Citrinowicz, a research fellow at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies' Iran Program, said the THAAD deployment signaled US trust that Israel would not act against American interests. "This was a meaningful strategic and operative move that was a message to both Iran and Israel," Citrinowicz told The Media Line. "It was a fruitful American effort to coerce Israel into operating only against military targets but also sent a message to Iran that the US will back Israel, especially in defending it."
Radar systems in Iran breached prior to Israel's Saturday counter-strike
Shortly before Israel launched its retaliatory attack on Iran on Saturday, radar systems in the Iranian defense systems were breached, and the radar screens froze, KAN reported on Monday, citing Iranian sources.

Due to this possible breach, Iran's ability to intercept targets was limited and allowed the Israeli air force to penetrate Iranian airspace, Iranian sources were cited by the Israeli state broadcaster as saying.

Prior to launching the attack on Iran on Saturday, Israel conducted a preliminary strike on radar targets in Syria aimed at "blinding" Iran's capabilities. Attacking radar allowed Israel to deepen strikes in Iran

This attack on Syrian radar targets allowed Israel to escalate into an offensive targeting Tehran and Karaj, Iran's capital and an additional strategic location.

The Israeli operation, which involved over 100 aircraft traveling approximately 2,000 kilometers, likely began with initial waves attacking radar and air defense systems to clear the path for subsequent strikes on military bases. The earlier coordinated strike in Syria neutralized similar threats and prevented Iran from building situational awareness of Israel's offensive plans.

Iran's military later said that Israeli warplanes used "very light warheads" to strike border radar systems in the provinces of Ilam, Khuzestan, and around Tehran.


IDF still battling Hamas across Gaza a year after launch of ground op
A year and a day after launching ground operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces on Monday continued to engage terrorist forces across the coastal enclave.

Troops were conducting targeted raids in the central and southern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces said on Monday morning, killing armed terrorists and dismantling Hamas infrastructure.

The IDF highlighted an incident in which soldiers detected terrorists inside a structure rigged with explosives and directed the Israeli Air Force to strike the building.

Dozens of terrorists were also eliminated in Jabaliya in northern Gaza, where tunnel shafts were also neutralized and a large amount of weapons found, according to the military.

Israeli forces are continuing efforts to evacuate non-combatants to safer areas, despite Hamas deliberately attempting to prevent them from doing so, the IDF said.

As an example, civilians were allowed time to leave before the IDF conducted a precision strike against Hamas terrorists embedded inside the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabalyia.

According to the IDF, the terrorists who barricaded themselves inside the medical facility included those who participated in the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre of Israeli citizens in the northwestern Negev.

During the operation, Israeli soldiers apprehended 100 terrorists from the compound, including terrorists who attempted to escape during the evacuation of civilians.

Inside the hospital, soldiers found weapons, terror fund and intelligence documents.


Glilot truck-ramming victim named as police probe motive
The man killed in Sunday’s truck-ramming incident at a bus stop at the Glilot Interchange north of Tel Aviv, close to a sensitive military base, has been identified as Betzalel Carmi, 72, from Rishon Lezion.

Carmi was evacuated to Ichilov Hospital in nearby Tel Aviv in critical condition and was later pronounced dead.

Thirty-nine others were injured in the incident.

Many of the injured are still receiving medical treatment, including four in serious condition and four others who were moderately hurt.

Police are still investigating the circumstances of the incident and have not yet classified it as a terrorist attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed on Sunday that “it is still being determined whether this was a terrorist attack.”

The truck driver, an Israeli citizen and resident of the central Arab-Muslim city of Qalansawe, crashed into a bus full of retirees who had just gotten off an intercity tourist coach shortly after 10 a.m. local time. They had arrived at the IDF Glilot base to mark the national day of mourning for the victims of the Hamas-led massacre of Oct. 7, 2023.


'We've had enough': Gazan ambulance driver says Hamas embeds
Hamas uses hospitals for terror purposes, an ambulance driver at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip confirmed while being interrogated by security officials, according to footage published by the IDF on Monday.

In the video, the driver, reportedly apprehended on suspicion of involvement in terror activities, confirms his role as driver and paramedic at the Health Ministry in the Kamal Adwan and Al-Ahli Arab Hospitals.

"Hamas military operatives are present; they are in the courtyards, at the gates of the buildings, in the offices of Kamal Adwan Hospital," the driver stated. "They operate ambulances to transport their wounded military operatives, and to transport them for their missions, and this is instead of using the ambulances for the benefit of civilians."

"We, the public in the northern Gaza Strip, are sick of this situation. We have had enough; they (Hamas) are stationed in the hospitals, stationed in the schools," the driver confirmed.


WATCH: Bodycam footage shows moment of Sinwar’s elimination
The Israel Defense Forces published audio and visual documentation on Monday of the Oct. 16 engagement in Rafah, in the southernmost part of the Gaza Strip, when Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces.

The troops that eliminated the architect of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, were part of an 828th “Bislah” Brigade combat team, which has been operating in the former Hamas stronghold of Rafah under the command of the Gaza Division in recent weeks.

“In an encounter with four terrorists, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, Yahya Sinwar, was eliminated,” said the IDF, adding that the brigade had killed dozens more terrorists, located weapons and destroyed hundreds of Hamas infrastructure sites.


Caroline Glick: Israel FIRES back at Iran! Was that it?
The IDF carried out precise and targeted strikes against military targets in Iran over the weekend. In today's episode, we’ll explain what exactly was targeted and why the IDF chose these targets. We’ll also try to understand factors affecting Israel’s strategy and what to look for in the coming days and weeks, especially as America heads to elections.

Chapters
00:00 Israel's Strategic Airstrikes on Iran
02:56 Analyzing the Impact of the Strikes
06:12 The Role of the U.S. in Israel's Military Actions
09:01 Understanding Iran's Military Capabilities
12:09 The Significance of Parchin and Undeclared Nuclear Sites
14:58 U.S. Policy and Its Implications for Israel
17:51 Israel's Tactical Maneuvers Against Iranian Threats
21:12 The Broader Geopolitical Context of the Conflict
29:08 U.S. Administration and Israel's Strategic Challenges
30:33 International Criminal Court and Its Implications
34:12 Biden Administration's Stance on Israel
37:00 U.S. Military Presence and Iran's Nuclear Threat
39:52 Israel's Military Strategy and Limitations
44:15 Comparative Leadership: Netanyahu and Churchill
49:05 Israel's Fight Against Global Threats


Israel HUMILIATES Iran’s regime with HISTORIC attack | JLMinute
Israel finally responded to Iran’s ballistic missile attack this weekend, but many questions remain. On today’s Jerusalem Minute, we’ll explain what exactly happened and why we think there might be more to come. We’ll also cover this morning’s horrific truck attack that left dozens of Israelis seriously hurt and the continued war against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Breaking News on Terrorism
03:05 Israel's Response to Terrorism and Security Measures
05:53 Operation Days of Repentance: Israel's Strike on Iran
09:12 Strategic Implications of the Attack on Iran
12:03 US Involvement and Reactions to the Strike
14:45 Hostage Negotiations and the Situation in Gaza
18:00 The Broader Geopolitical Context and Upcoming Elections
20:52 The Role of the UN and International Relations
24:02 National Day of Mourning and Reflections on October 7th


Commentary: Where Does the Israel-Iran Conflict Go Now?
Dan Senor joins us to discuss Israel's strike on Iran this weekend. We also talk about the media meltdown over endorsements, Trump's Madison Square Garden rally, and why Michelle Obama thinks attacking men for being full of rage is a winning political strategy.


UKLFI: Dr Efrat Sopher discusses Israel's response to Iranian attack with Natasha Devon on LBC
Dr Efrat Sopher, UKLFI Director and Chair of the Board of Advisers of the Ezri Center for Iran and Gulf States Research at Haifa University, explains Israel's military action in response to Iran's attack on Israel to Natasha Devon on LBC on 26 October 2024 (audio)


Triggernometry: The Man Who Predicted Israel Attacking Iran - Ed Husain
Ed Husain is a British author and professor. As a political advisor, he has worked with leaders and governments worldwide. Ed joins us to discuss Islam and its compatibility with the West.

Stand-up comedians Konstantin Kisin (@konstantinkisin) and Francis Foster (@francisjfoster) make sense of politics, economics, free speech, AI, drug policy and WW3 with the help of presidential advisors, renowned economists, award-winning journalists, controversial writers, leading scientists and notorious comedians.

00:00 Intro
00:42 Is The UK Really That Bad?
04:15 Muslims And The UK Demographic Change
09:50 Is Islam Compatible With Western Values?
15:34 Pure Gold Advert
16:48 Will Labour Introduce A Blasphemy Law?
21:27 Have We Imported The Civil War Within Islam?
24:44 Why Has The Muslim Brotherhood Not Been Banned In The UK?
32:37 The God Shaped Hole In Some Western Societies
40:48 Mint Mobile Advert
42:04 The Re-Alignment Of Gulf Nations
46:34 Why Is The War In Gaza Happening?
51:29 What Does Justice For Palestinians Look Like?
55:48 Jew Hatred
1:04:22 How Does The Stand-off Between Israel And Iran End?
1:07:19 What's The One Thing We're Not Talking About That We Should Be?


Israel: State of a Nation with Eylon Levy: State Secrets | Peter Berkowitz on How Foreign Policy Is (Un)Made Inside the State Dept
Peter Berkowitz, former Director of Policy Planning at the US Department of State, offers a candid, insider’s view of how U.S. foreign policy is shaped and often hindered by entrenched bureaucratic dynamics. In this interview, filmed at the Hudson institute in Washington D.C., Eylon Levy and Berkowitz reflect on the global implications of the October 7th Hamas attack and critiques the failure of Western diplomacy to adequately respond to the Iranian-backed threat. He discusses the ideological divides within the State Department, the persistence of flawed policies like the two-state solution, and the limitations of diplomatic engagement with Iran. Berkowitz also highlights the West’s dangerous complacency regarding Iran’s influence in the Middle East and how U.S. foreign policy could be reoriented to more effectively support Israel and deter regional adversaries. This conversation sheds light on the complexities of decision-making in Washington and the broader challenges facing international relations.


ECAJ sues Islamic preacher Abu Ousayd in Federal Court for racial hatred
Australia’s leading Jewish group has launched court action against controversial Islamic preacher Wissam Haddad, claiming the cleric racially vilified Jews during speeches at a Sydney mosque.

In a statement on Monday, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry announced it had begun civil proceedings in the Federal Court against Haddad, also known as Abu Ousayd, and the Al Madina Dawah Centre in western Sydney.

The legal action centres on a set of speeches the preacher allegedly made at the Muslim centre in late 2023, with recordings of the material uploaded online.

The ECAJ will argue Ousayd’s speeches contravened the 1975 Racial Discrimination Act, which prohibits offensive behaviour based on racial hatred.

“The documents filed with the court allege that the speeches included derogatory generalisations about Jewish people, such as descriptions of them as a ‘vile people’, a ‘treacherous people’, and claims that “their hands are in everywhere – in businesses … in the media’,” the ECAJ said on Monday.

“The applicants are seeking, among other things, declarations that the respondents contravened section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, injunctions requiring the speeches to be removed from the internet and restraining the respondents from publishing similar content in the future, an order requiring publication of a corrective notice on the social media pages of Al Madina Dawah Centre Incorporated and an order for costs.

“No order for damages or monetary compensation is sought.”

The case is expected to test whether hate speech can be successfully pursued in Australian courts.

ECAJ co-CEO Peter Wertheim brought the action alongside deputy president Robert Goot AO SC.


‘Has not learnt his lesson’: Iran’s ambassador to Australia slammed
Sky News host James Macpherson says Iran’s ambassador to Australia “has not learnt his lesson” after his recent comments on Israel.

“I’m wondering why he’s still here,” Mr Macpherson said.

“A month ago, he referred to the now deceased leader of Hezbollah … as a remarkable leader and as a martyr.

“This is a man who is responsible for car bombings, for hostage-taking, for bombings of embassies around the world.”




Does Twitch have an antisemitism problem?
Earlier this month, the Amazon-owned streaming platform Twitch expressed "deep regret" over a move effectively banning Israelis from signing up to its platform for more than a year.

The Seattle-based tech company, which boasts over 240 million monthly users, blocked new Israeli users from signing up in the wake of October 7, displaying error messages when they attempted to verify their email addresses during account creation.

Twitch defended its initial decision, which it claimed was made to avoid the spread of violent footage from the Hamas attack on Israel on the platform, however, nearly a year later, the company said it “forgot” to remove these restrictions.

Twitch applied this policy to Israel and the West Bank, other conflict-affected countries such as Ukraine, Russia, and Lebanon have not been subject to similar restrictions.

And many users of the service have criticised the platform for its willingness to tolerate anti-Israeli and at times antisemitic content, with no repercussions for the users involved.

Popular streamers on the platform, with millions of followers, have been free to share anti-Jewish screeds, including defending and supporting Hezbollah and the Houthis.

As online pressure mounted for Twitch to tackle anti-Jewish content, several of the platform's most popular streamers have been banned from the platform. Sneako, Fresh & Fit, Frogan and Denims have all been suspended after a controversial clip in which creators described Zionists as the lowest form of streamer at the platform’s annual convention, TwitchCon.

In a viral clip, popular anti-Israel streamers ranked others on a scale from "Arab" to "Loves Sabra," with the Israeli hummus brand representing the lowest rank. Sabra is also a term used to describe Jews born in Israel.

The first streamer placed at the bottom of the rank was Jewish creator Ethan Klein, known as "h3h3" on Twitch, which some interpreted as a ranking system based on "Arab to Jew."

One panellist added, "I'll just say it. There should be an even lower category called 'Zionist,'" which was met with applause from the audience.


Operative from terror-designated Samidoun banned from entering Netherlands
Mohammed Khatib, a Brussels-based Palestinian activist and European coordinator of the terror-designated Samidoun, who was due to give a speech at the Radboud University in Nijmegen in the Netherlands this week, has been banned from entering the country by Dutch authorities.

In a joint statement issued by Justice and Security Minister David van Weel and Asylum Minister Marjolein Faber, Khatib’s presence in the Netherlands was declared “highly undesirable,” with the two officials adding that Khatib “legitimizes, condones and glorifies violence… including violence by organizations on the European Union’s terrorist list… [and] also actively expresses his support for terrorist organizations,” warning from the radicalizing effects of his rhetoric.

This ban comes only a couple of weeks after both the US and Canada designated his organization Samidoun as a terror group, and follows a motion passed by the Dutch parliament to ban the group as well, which must pass in the government in order to come into effect.

In their designation, the US and Canada described Samidoun as fundraising on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terrorist organization that took part in the murders and taking of hostages during the October 7 massacre, and stood behind the assassination of Rina Shnerb in 2019 and Israeli minister Rehavam Ze’evi in 2001, among others.

Khatib is the European coordinator of Samidoun, a group designated by the US, Canada, and Israel as a sham charity group that raised funds for the PFLP and was banned in Germany over its support for violence and jeopardizing of public safety. He was also mentioned as a member of the PFLP himself in several Palestinian and Arabic-speaking outlets.

This is not the first time Khatib has been denied entry into a country. In 2017, he was reportedly denied a visa to the US for similar reasons. In this context, it was reported this past year that Khatib was at risk of having his asylum status in Belgium revoked over his activities.




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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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