Antisemitic "Khaybar" series has begun broadcasting

The antisemitic miniseries Khaybar has begun its Ramadan broadcasts.

Already the first episode is available in multiple sites, including YouTube. Apparently it was broadcast Wednesday night.



I found episode 2 here; no doubt in a few hours it will be on YouTube as well.

The synopsis of Episode 2 sounds nearly identical to recent Arabic articles about what is happening in Egypt. Jewish leaders of Khaybar ignite war between Arab tribes to weaken their strength, as they set fires to the houses of the Arabs to incite them to fight each other.

I don't understand the Arabic, but the obviously evil Jewish characters are ugly and overact, while the "good Jews" who are disgusted by how their leaders act and the Arabs are attractive.

The Internet ensures that the entire Arabic-speaking world, including in Europe, will see this incitement within hours of the original broadcasts.

There are many competing Ramadan programs, but Khaybar is the only historical drama being broadcast. The media has played it up as an must-see TV event.

And still, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty refuse to comment on this clear mass incitement against Jews.

Read More

Mirror, mirror on the Arab Spring wall (Arab News)

From Abdulateef Al-Muhlim in Arab News (Saudi Arabia):

According to news media, the Arab Spring caught the world by surprise on Dec. 18, 2010. I will, however, add that the Arab Spring didn’t come out of the blue. It is an accumulation of years of political corruption, human rights violations, sectarianism, poor education systems and unemployment. To sum it all up, the Arabs were not fighting the enemy, they were sleeping with it. This is why it is impossible to analyze and forecast the outcome of the Arab Spring. The Arab world never looks at mirrors. We don’t like to say mirror, mirror on the wall because mirrors don’t lie and we don’t want to know the truth. We can’t handle it.

During the Arab Spring, I read a lot of analyses about the root of the Arab Spring — it is decades of hiding from reality, chasing a mirage of enemies, conspiracies and blaming the outside world. We never blamed our systems for the many failures to develop the Arab mind. We talk about Sykes-Picot, imperialism and Zionism, but we never look at the mirrors on the wall. Some people, however, did.

On June 15, 2013 a Saudi columnist who I have never met wrote an article in the Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq titled “Israel, the everlasting Arab treasure.” The columnist, Abdusalam Alwael, is a very highly educated Saudi who gained a bachelor’s degree from a Saudi university, his master’s degree from a university in California and his doctorate degree from a university in Virginia. He basically said that Israel was a bounty for Arab dictators who use the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to rule their countries and make a lot of money by just issuing hollow threats to Israel. Israel is a moneymaking machine for Arab dictators and many Palestinian corrupt officials. In other words, the Arab dictators have forgotten to develop their countries and innocent people have paid for it with their own lives. This is the reality of the Arab Spring.

Everyone knows the truth, but we won’t admit it. During the Arab Spring, we saw our real faces in the mirrors. It showed that the Arabs were never united and are now divided beyond anybody’s imagination. We hate each other more than we hate the outside enemy. This is why no one in the Arab world showed any sympathy to the Syrians when Israeli planes attacked Syrian targets a few weeks ago. As a matter of fact, even hardcore anti-Israelis wished the Israeli planes had continued eastward and attacked the Syrian Presidential Palace and killed an Arab leader named Bashar Assad. In other words, many in the Arab world sided with Israel against an Arab country. After the attack, we saw many Syrians approach the Israeli-fortified checkpoints in the Golan Heights, not to attack Israeli soldiers, but to seek refuge and get medical attention. I am not talking about simple medical care. I am talking about major surgeries like the four-year-old Syrian girl who got a heart transplant at Wolfson Hospital in Holon, Israel.

This is the real Arab Spring. Syrians are hurting Syrians and the Israelis are the ones who treat the Syrian wounds. Yes, the Arab Spring is a joke and I mean a very bad joke. The Arab Spring is not about seeking democracy, it is about Arabs killing Arabs. And this is why Israeli soldiers are busy on the Golan Heights. They are not busy with loading ammunition; they are busy picking cherries and other fruits. What is more, they are also busy giving guided tours to show the world Syrian planes targeting civilians, Scud missiles destroying villages and tanks attacking schools and mosques. What goes inside Syria is more horrific. Syrian men humiliate Syrian women in front of their relatives, rape and kill them. It is not only the killing that is ugly. We saw a Syrian kill another Syrian and then open his chest with a knife and take a bite of his heart. It can’t get any uglier.

Now, mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the ugliest of them all? Well, they are all ugly. It has turned out that the Arab Spring is not about a search for democracy, social justice and better standards of living. The Arab Spring is all about hate and sectarian violence. The world didn’t hear anything about rebuilding the countries or eradicating poverty. The talk is all about fighting among the same people from the same country.

Just look at the land of one of the oldest civilizations, Egypt. A country that failed to bring one, just one iconic figure like Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King — individuals who talk about peace and harmony and are respected the world over. Not someone who enjoys destroying his own country and killing his own people.

What an amazing contrast between this article by Al-Muhlim and the editorial by Amhed Al-Jarallah that I mentioned earlier.

In fact, a lot of this article applies very well to Al-Jarallah.

(h/t Herb)

Read More

7/11 Links Part 2: UNRWA Training Terrorists, The End Of LATMA? and Sir Cliff at the YMCA

From Ian:

---

Israeli-Palestinian obsession fading

Israel is just not that central to the concerns of Arabs. Palestine is the bloody shirt that can be waved time and again to stir up the locals, but it is not what ails or really even concerns these nations. Cynical Arab leaders will continue to try to distract their populations by targeting Israel as the bad guy. And peace processing will continue, in large part because there are peace processors who need something to do, and because people do not like to admit they were fundamentally wrong about something for all the years they have been wrong about it.

Arab Diplomats Plan to Pressure Israel on Nuclear Program

While Iran’s nuclear program forges ahead, Arab diplomats from 18 nations plan to pressure Israel over its alleged nuclear program at September’s International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) annual meeting at the United Nations.

Iran, Syria to Seek Seats on UN Human Rights Council

Some of the most oppressive regimes worldwide, possibly including Iran and Syria, are vying to serve on the United Nations' Human Rights Council, Fox News reported.
Algeria, Chad, China, Cuba, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam have all announced plans to run in a November election to fill 14 seats for the 2014-16 period.

UNRWA and the United Nations are Training Terrorists

David Bedein is trying to raise awareness of this situation and above all to raise awareness of it among Jewish donors to Arab causes and to the Israeli government officials who turn a blind eye to it and allow it to continue even in territory controlled by Israel. UNWRA is apparently asking for its budget to be doubled, and he is determined that its true motives are known to those to whom the organization is extending its begging-bowl. He also pointed out something that is not widely known – the two new cities being built in the West Bank by the Palestinian Authority used pictures of downtrodden refugees in the camps to raise money for the projects. But the Palestinian Authority has banned refugees from living in the new cities!
As long as the refugees are forced to live in poverty and denied a decent standard of living and continue, through a United Nations-funded organization, to be taught violence, Israel will never be safe—but neither will the rest of the Arab world, which will continue to tear itself apart.

IDF Blog: Hamas Summer Camp Brainwashes Gaza Children to Hate


Hunger Games: A Palestinian terrorist who tried to kill ‘as many Israelis as possible’

We noted here a week ago that [Abdullah] Barghouti has done an outstanding job from his prison cell of highlighting the bestiality that underpins his psychopathic nature. 66 innocent people killed? Not enough, he says without blushing. In the intimate setting of a 2006 interview beamed throughout the world by CBS television’s ’60 Minutes’ program, Barghouti clarifies things unambiguously:
“I feel bad because the number is only 66. This is the answer you want to hear? Yes, I feel bad because I want more.” [Quoted on a CBS site]
Speaking in an Israeli court in 2010, he again reiterated his dedication to killing more Jews once he is freed again.

2013 Six Month Report: 5,635 Violent Attacks Committed Against Jews in Israel

According to their statistics, there were 5,635 attacks in the first half of 2013 against Jewish inhabitants of the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Greater Jerusalem regions alone, including 611 molotov cocktail attacks and 5,144 rock attacks. In addition, there were 8 shooting attacks and 3 stabbing attacks. In total, the violence left 1 person dead and 171 injured, including a 3 year-old girl who was seriously injured.

Activists: Police Failing to Protect Mount of Olives

There were over 300 instances of rock attacks and other forms of harassment against Jews visiting the Har Hazeitim (Mount of Olives) Cemetery in the last year, and the police post established on Har Hazeitim has failed to reduce the level of violence there, according to evidence presented by activists at the Knesset Tuesday.
Moreover, there are reports that Arab violence is spreading, from the Mount of Olives itself to the roads leading up to it.

Satirical, Right Wing Latma to Close by the End of July

It’s not enough to just hit “Like” or express sorrow and concern. This isn’t the time to cry, sit and whine about the country, about the left that’s taken over our lives, this is the time to act! Reach into your pocket and donate in the link below, by check, bank transfer, or credit card. Whatever you can, 20, 50, 100 however much you can. Shekel by shekel, we’ll make it. Soon we’ll also make a fundraising film for Headstart. We will succeed, we can do it! Share, share, share, as much as you can! Send this to everyone, so it will be seen all over the country, for all I care, it can reach the haters too, who in their stupidity will share it as mockery, to defame and deride. Send it to the entirety of Judea and Samaria, to every single email, to everyone who cares about this country, that this country is important to them.

Calls to Name Swedish Airport After Holocaust Hero

A group of politicians and intellectuals said on Wednesday that Sweden's largest airport should be renamed after Holocaust hero Raoul Wallenberg, who saved the lives of tens of thousands of Jews.
A petition signed by 36 prominent Swedes, including two former prime ministers, called for Stockholm's Arlanda Airport to be named in Wallenberg’s honor, the AFP news agency reported.

Portuguese Diplomat Finally Celebrated for Saving Jews During WW II

When Aristides de Sousa Mendes died in 1954 he was broke and shamed, this despite his heroic activities during the Second World War to save Jews and other “enemies” of the Third Reich, The New York Times writes.
Sousa Mendes, Portugal’s consul in Bordeaux when Germany invaded France, provided about 30,000 people with Portuguese visas to escape Nazi persecution, according to the Sousa Mendes Foundation, but when Portuguese authorities found out about his activities he was dismissed from the diplomatic service and stripped of his pension rights.

Sir Cliff Richard brings Jewish and Arab children to court

British pop star Sir Cliff Richard will take center stage at Tel Aviv’s Nokia Arena (July 11 and 13) for two sold-out concerts but before he belts out his hits, the musician-philanthropist made a stopover at the Nazareth Tennis School to see the academy he helped establish.
An avid tennis fan and player, Sir Cliff donated funds in 2005 to help the Freddie Krivine Foundation refurbish courts for Israeli Arab and Jewish youth at the Nazareth Tennis School, located in the grounds of the Nazareth YMCA.

Facebook Inventor Gives a "Like" to Samaria

Jared Morgenstern is one of Facebook’s top developers and he was the man who created the famous "like" button. Though at the height of his career, he has decided to quit his job at Facebook and arrived in Israel on a journey meant to discover his roots.
Upon arriving in Israel, Morgenstern said that it was important for him to see the places where “it all began,” as he put it.

IDF Blog: Setting the Bar: From Gymnastics Champion to IDF Commander

Lt. Amit Danon was the Israeli national champion in rhythmic gymnastics when she enlisted in the IDF. After embarking on her path as a soldier, she decided to leave her previous life behind and became a combat officer in the mixed-gender Caracal Battalion.
Last week, Lt. Amit Danon made history by becoming the first woman to lead a platoon in the combat squad commanders course of the IDF’s School for Infantry Corps Professions and Squad Commanders.

After initial balk, India reconsidering buying Iron Dome

India is reportedly reconsidering its decision earlier this year not to purchase Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.
The all-weather Israeli system, which has proven effective in intercepting rocket fire from Gaza, was first deployed in 2011. India has expressed interest in the system over the past two years because its advanced capabilities would enable it to detect and intercept the “Nasr,” a Pakistani tactical nuclear missile deployed along the Indian-Pakistani border, an Indian Army official told Defense News.

‘Startup Tel Aviv’ revealed

What is it about the White City on the Mediterranean that has turned it into the Silicon Valley of the Middle East?

Read More

Arab Times fantasizes a Ben Gurion quote and a Jewish Brotherhood plot

Here's an editorial from the editor of the Arab Times (Kuwait), Ahmed Al-Jarallah. I'm posting the whole thing because otherwise you might not believe that any educated person can be this freaking nuts:

DAVID BEN-GURION was quoted as saying during the inauguration of Dimona nuclear reactor in 1963, “It is not important to have a nuclear bomb or even 200 nuclear heads because they will not do us any good. It is better to neutralize Egypt, Syria and Iraq to guarantee our existence and power in the land of our ancestors.” Ben-Gurion’s statement was taken from the writings of the Zionist Movement which, from the beginning, has been keen on dismantling the Arab world to ease procedures for the establishment of the Jewish state in Palestine. The movement played a crucial role in the Sykes-Pico Agreement and instigated conflicts between the citizens of one nation. It has also recruited some Arabs and used them as tools in implementing its plans.

Hassan Al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood who was influenced by the Masons, and some other Egyptians formed the Islamic Movement as a substitute to the Zionist group and to justify the Jewish radicalism. Thus, the Brotherhood was formed to engage in violence acts, as manifested in its activities throughout the years; while propagating atheist ideas which are not related to religion at all.

These are the Brotherhood members; they are terrorists and blood traders. They have created a religion for themselves based on murder and terror. They have grown under the patronage and within the embrace of colonial embassies. Therefore, it is not strange if we see them converting Egypt’s streets into pools of blood because they carry out the instructions of their masters from the Zionist group that have the word in successive American administrations, which inherited guardianship over the movement from the British occupiers.

While the British occupiers were laying down plans for the Brotherhood to implement, the successive American administrations have been playing the same role, starting from Al-Nuqrashi Pasha, the attempt to assassinate late President Jamal Abdulnassar, and the assassination of late President Anwar Al-Sadat; in addition to several bombings and destructive operations.

Considering the bloody history of the Brotherhood, are the Arabs sure that the Jewish want to use this tool to destroy their world? Didn’t the countries, which empowered the Brotherhood members, sink in chaos, blood and economic crises like Tunisia, Libya and Egypt whose collapse is believed to pave the way for the group to control other Arab countries, particularly the GCC nations that have the biggest oil reserves in the world?

They made us live in constant fear of an internal enemy. The Brotherhood cells did not spare any effort to wreak havoc in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Oman by instigating chaos just to execute their plans. Luckily, the governments of these countries have foiled such attempts.

Have the Arabs realized that the American policy in the Middle East is unreasonable and it is against their interests, except when it was forced to support the Kuwaiti side after seeing the entire world backing up the right move? Doesn’t the US support the Brotherhood in confronting millions of Egyptians who rejected the ruling of the Morshid — the supreme leader of the Brotherhood? It has even threatened to stop granting aid to Egypt if Morsi is not reinstated even if the people toppled him. Nevertheless, the people of Egypt have spoken, asserting their country will be totally different after June 30. They have thwarted the Brotherhood-Zionist plot to destroy the Arab World.

As Ramadan approaches, Egypt managed to liberate itself from the claws of the Brotherhood gang. We hope all the Arab countries will be free from the group by the beginning of Eid Al-Fitr. This group made Egypt busy dealing with its violent acts, up to the point that the nation almost forgot the Palestinian cause. It did not prioritize providing protection to the Syrians whose revolution has become an internal affair. Moreover, it did not care about the Iranian nuclear threat; while Israel became more powerful, stable and stronger at a time when Jerusalem is being suffocated by the siege of colonies as part of the Zionism dominance plot.

The Brotherhood crimes, which the Arab world has been witnessing for 50 years, are mere applications of Ben-Gurion’s wish. Do the Arabs need more destructive and bloody pieces of evidence before they decide to uproot the group, which spills the forbidden blood even during the holy month using religion as its cover?

Al Jarallah has been against the Muslim Brotherhood for decades, and he has survived at least two attempts on his life by the Islamists. Yet he takes as a given that the only way that Islamists can act as they do is because they are controlled by the Jews! His argument for the Arabs to uproot the group is not because they are crazed Islamist, but because they are proxies of the Jews!

Here's the kicker: Al-Jarallah has stated that the Arab world should recognize Israel and that Mahmoud Abbas should negotiate without preconditions. (Of course, he said the reason for the latter was "to cause international embarrassment for Israel.") Nevertheless, the person giving the most sane advice to the Arab world is still an insane Jew-hater himself. (He doesn't seem too appreciative that the US saved his country, either.)

In case you are wondering, the Ben Gurion quote is made up. Apparently, it was made up specifically for this article, since there is no record of it anywhere else.

Read More

Saudi missiles aimed straight at Israel, Iran

From The Telegraph:

Saudi Arabia is targeting both Israel and Iran with powerful ballistic missiles, new satellite photography shown by military experts to The Telegraph suggests.

Images analysed by experts at IHS Jane's Intelligence Review has revealed a hitherto undisclosed surface-to-surface missile base deep in the Saudi desert, with capabilities for hitting both countries.

Analysts who examined the photos spotted two launch pads with markings pointing north-west towards Tel Aviv and north-east towards Tehran. They are designed for Saudi Arabia's arsenal of lorry-launched DF 3 missiles, which have a range of 1,500-2,500 miles and can carry a two-ton payload.

The Chinese-made missiles, which date back to the 1980s, are not remotely-guided and therefore have to be positioned in the direction of their target before firing.

"One appears to be aligned on a bearing of approximately 301 degrees and suggesting a potential Israeli target, and the other is oriented along an azimuth (bearing) of approximately 10 degrees, ostensibly situated to target Iranian locations," said the IHS Jane's article, which is published on Thursday.

While the lorry-launched missiles can theoretically be fired from any location, the idea of having pre-planned directional markers is to ensure that they can be deployed in accurate fashion as quickly as possible, said Allison Puccioni, an image expert at IHS Jane's.

"There is a marked out spot for the launch truck to park in, which will facilitate an expedited launch," she said.

I created an illustration showing the location and direction of each missile site, along with the detail of what the missile locations look like from satellite:

The article goes on:

David Butter, an associate fellow with the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, the London-based foreign affairs think-tank, said there was "little surprise" that the Saudis had the missiles in place.

"It would seem that they are looking towards some sort of deterrent capability, which is an obvious thing for them to be doing, given that Iran too is developing its own ballistic missiles," he said.

He added, though, that the Saudis would know that the site would come to the attention of foreign intelligence agencies, and that the missile pad pointed in the direction of Israel could be partly just "for show".

"It would give the Iranians the impression that they were not being exclusively targeted, and would also allow the Saudis to suggest to the rest of the Arab world that they still consider Israel a threat."

Read More

7/11 Links Part 1: Did Obama Admin Meet with Hamas?, PA is out of Gas, New secret Iranian nuke facility

From Ian:

---

Time to wise up to the Muslim Brotherhood

Yet it is precisely this fear of being tarred by a far-right brush that has caused the centre to press the mute button. The Brotherhood and its secular allies on the Left have succeeded in closing down the debate.
Without the Brotherhood's protective "faith" shield there would be no such inhibition to labelling this movement for what it is: a parallel universe, wreathed in paranoia about the intentions of the West, swearing fealty to anti-racism, community cohesion, peace, justice and all the rest, while simultaneously behaving in a way that keeps young Muslims in a permanently febrile state. "Basically, they play games with the facts," says Merley. "And they count on the naiveté of reporters, academics and politicians to push their agenda."

‘CiF’ contributor: Israel launched Operation Cast Lead “from the heart of Cairo”

Electronic Intifada contributor Rana Baker just published a commentary at ‘Comment is Free’ (‘Egypt’s coup does not bode well for Palestinians‘, July 10), which should have been titled ‘Egypt’s coup does not bode well for Hamas‘ – for it’s the autocratic leadership in Gaza City whose fortunes clearly evoke her sympathies.

West Bank Protesters Call for Third Intifada

Arab demonstrators with covered faces marched in Ramallah on Monday, calling for the launch of a third intifada (uprising) against Israel and chanting “military action is the shortest route to end occupation.”
Ma’an News Agency reported that the protester group called “Tamarod” (rebellion), the same name as the movement that protested recently deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, included both men and women who chanted that a new intifada will revive the Palestinian cause.

West Bank Gas Stations Cut Off Palestinian Officials Over Non-Payment

Finally, there is deep skepticism [PDF] that the West Bank could sustain a modern, functioning economy. Those worries will be deepened by news published in Arabic media today disclosing that gas station operators in the West Bank will no longer fill up PA security vehicles due to non-payment. Under normal circumstances, PA officials pay with PA government vouchers, and those vouchers are then reimbursed. The PA Finance Ministry last reimbursed fuel distributors five months ago.

Did Obama Administration Meet With Hamas Officials?

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has expressed alarm at reports that U.S. officials have conducted "direct meetings" with Hamas leaders and has called upon the Obama Administration to deny these reports if they are untrue.
The United States, Europe and Israel all classify the Hamas movement, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since June 2007, as a terrorist organization.

Egypt kills 32 Hamas fighters in Sinai campaign, daily reports

The Egyptian army has killed some 200 gunmen in Sinai, including 32 Hamas members, and arrested 45 others over the past several days, an Egyptian security source told London-based Arab daily Al-Hayat on Thursday. .

Egypt Seeks to Send Thousands of Soldiers to Sinai

Egypt is seeking permission to send thousands of soldiers to Sinai, in order to battle Islamist groups that have ensconced themselves there after fleeing Egypt's major cities. The Times of London said that Egyptian's military rulers had filed the request for a major deployment in Sinai earlier this week.
According to the Camp David Accords, in which Israel surrendered Sinai, liberated in the Six Day War, to Egypt, only police and other peace officers are allowed in Sinai without the permission of Israel and the U.S., also a signatory of the agreement.

Second Christian in a week murdered in Sinai

Security officials say suspected militants have killed a Christian merchant in the northern Sinai Peninsula.
They said 60-year-old Magdy Habashi was abducted last Saturday from the town of Sheikh Zweid. His decapitated body was found early Thursday in a cemetery, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Obama Orders Review of U.S. Aid to Egypt

Hours after United States officials confirmed that plans to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Egypt will go ahead despite the overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, President Barack Obama took a step back and ordered a review of U.S. assistance to Egypt's government.

Egypt condemns "unacceptable interference" from Iran

Egypt accused Iran on Thursday of "unacceptable interference" in its domestic affairs for having criticized the Egyptian army's removal of elected president Mohamed Morsi last week.
The incident signaled a return to cooler relations between the two Middle Eastern powers after an attempt at rapprochement under Morsi, who hails from the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.

Analysis: The rise of Hezbollah in Africa

The stakes are clearly high for Nigeria. The reach of Hezbollah into the continent has prompted US and African counter-terrorism authorities to sharpen their focus and impose penalties. In June, the US Treasury Department sanctioned four Hezbollah operatives for drug smuggling in Sierra Leone, Senegal, the Ivory Coast and Gambia.

Kirchner Opens Door to Latin America for Iran

Argentina’s populist-socialist president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has allowed Iran to infiltrate its economic sector and potentially use the country as a terrorist launching pad, U.S. officials and multiple experts said on Tuesday.
Iranian agents have been permitted access to Latin America’s Free Trade Zones, which operate throughout the porous borders that separate Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil, the terrorism experts testified before the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency.

UN to Hizbullah: Stay Out of Syria Conflict

The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday called on Hizbullah to stop interfering in the civil war in Syria, though it failed to mention the Lebanese-based group by name.

Report: Russia Could Suspend Syria S-300 Sale for Golan Role

Israel may drop its opposition to stationing Russian troops on the Golan Heights as members of the UN peacekeeping force there – if Moscow halts its shipments of S-300 missiles to Damascus. Such a deal could be in the works, the London-based Arabic-language a-Sharq al-Awsat said Wednesday.

Russia Accuses Syrian Rebels of Using Sarin Gas

Russia on Tuesday accused Syrian rebels of using sarin nerve gas, but the U.S. dismissed these allegations and said more proof was required.
Russia's UN envoy, Vitaly Churkin, said that he handed over evidence to the United Nations which indicates that the rebels fighting to oust President Bashar Al-Assad used sarin gas in an attack in March.

Iranian Group: Tehran Building Another Underground Nuke Facility

An Iranian dissident group in exile in Paris said Thursday that it had documentation proving the existence of a previously unknown underground nuclear facility in Iran. The facility is currently under construction, and will be used for nuclear research and development, the group said, although it is not clear what specific work will be done there.

Saudi Arabia to expel foreigners who eat during Ramadan

"Non-Muslim residents in the kingdom must not eat or drink in public during Ramadan, in respect to the holiness of Ramadan and the feelings of Muslims," said an interior ministry statement published by the official SPA news agency.
Foreigners caught breaking the fast in public "will be subject to deterrent measures that include terminating their employment contracts and expelling them from the kingdom," the ministry said.

Read More

Yes, Paul McCartney did get death threats for playing Israel

An article in Arutz-7, referring back to a little noticed article in Israel HaYom last month, says:

When rock legend Paul McCartney came to Israel in 2008, he was, at least to some extent, taking his life in his hands. Not because of Israel's sometimes precarious security situation, but because he was threatened by BDS (boycott, divest, and sanction) anti-Israel groups. “I got death threats, but I'm coming anyway,” the singer was quoted as saying by Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs researcher Adam Shay.

“I got explicit death threats, but I have no intention of surrendering. I refuse to cancel my performances in Israel,” Shay quoted McCartney as saying.

The former Beatle is not alone.

Dozens of other artists who schedule dates in Israel are lobbied, bullied, threatened, and even attacked at concerts by anti-Israel groups who are bent on isolating Israel culturally, as well as economically. Many artists, said Shay, claimed that their web sites have been attacked by hackers right before their Israeli concerts.

I'm not sure about the exact quote, but there were very specific death threats against McCartney. From The Guardian, September 16, 2008:

Despite several threats by extremists, Paul McCartney has refused to cancel an upcoming concert in Israel. He will go ahead with a gig in honour of the country's 60th anniversary.

"I do what I think and I have many friends who support Israel," McCartney told Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth this weekend.

His comments come in response to a Sunday Express interview with the militant Islamic activist Omar Bakri Muhammad. "If he values his life Mr McCartney must not come to Israel," said Bakri, who has been barred from returning to the UK. "He will not be safe there. The sacrifice operatives will be waiting for him."

After living in the UK for 20 years, the Syrian-born activist left in 2005 and now lives in Lebanon.

"Instead of supporting the people of Palestine in their suffering, McCartney is celebrating the atrocities of the occupiers," Bakri said. "The one who is under occupation is supposed to be getting the help."

For his part McCartney seems unfazed. "I was approached by different groups and political bodies who asked me not to come here," he said. "I refused. "

The exclusive EoZ review of the 2008 concert, by Yerushalimey, is here.

(h/t Zvi, Ian)

Read More

[Zero-sum game] + [Arab projection] = [Blame the Jews]

As I was reading yet another Arabic article that says that Jews must be behind all the problems in the Arab world because they are the ones who benefit most from Arab chaos, I realized that this type of thinking is not  a manifestation of classic Arab anti-semitism quite as much as it is a necessary result of two modes of Arab thought.

The first, as we've discussed before, is projection. This isn't particular to Arabs - almost all of us do this - but  it means that people tend to think that others use the same logic that they do. (In the Arab and Muslim case, they accuse Jews of doing something that invariably is something that they themselves are invariably guilty of.)

The second is the Arab insistence that the conflict is a zero-sum game. If Arabs win, the Jews lose, and vice versa. This mentality in itself makes peace impossible.

Now, from the Arab perspective, the worst thing happening now is all the intra-Arab conflicts in Egypt, Syria and elsewhere. Since this is undeniably bad for Arabs, the zero-sum mentality makes it appear that this must be good for Israel.

If they believe that this is good for Israel, then Arab projection insists that Israel also embraces the zero-sum mentality. If Israel believes - against all evidence and common sense - that Arab chaos and uncertainty is a good thing, then it makes perfect sense to say that Israel and the Jews are orchestrating this.

This means that it  Sunnis will say Jews are colluding with Shiites, that Assad will blame Jews for the mujahadeen, and the Egyptian army's supporters  will blame the Jews for the Muslim Brotherhood.

Thus antisemitism isn't what causes these crazed accusations, but antisemitism is a requirement for the accusations to be taken seriously.

This translates into the huge increase of purely antisemitic articles in the Arab media over the past year.

Just today, there is an article that insists that the Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna was Jewish! It claims that el-Banna's grandfather was a secret Jew who took on that name, which means "builder," because he was a Freemason. Therefore, the entire Muslim Brotherhood is a Jewish front organization!

And in an interview with Bassam Abu Sharif, former senior advisor for Yasir Arafat and press officer for the PLO, we are told that Israel and the CIA are colluding with the Muslim Brotherhood as well as with the mujahadeen in Syria. (However, he stops short of saying that Hamas is part of the conspiracy, averring that Hamas is too Palestinian to be consciously a part of the plan. )

All these anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist conspiracy theories are certifiably nutty. But they are inevitable, as the Arab worldview cannot make sense without them. Self-blame is not acceptable. Jew-hatred is a needed component for the conspiracy theories to work, but the theories are not created for that purpose. Yet the Arab mentality requires a pseudo-intellectual  foundation of  Jew-hatred for the flawed logic to make sense, which leads to more antisemitic writings and speeches, ready to poison the next generation.

Read More

Bosnian mujahid in Syria: "We came to fight the Jews and liberate Jerusalem" (update)

Arabic media has an interview with Bayrou Janovic, a convicted Bosnian terrorist who came to Syria after four years in prison for his role in a bombing.

He says that he came to Syria because he saw similarities between what was happening there and the Bosnian war. When asked about rebels who tortured a prisoner to death in a particularly gruesome way, he brushed that aside by saying that Syria is worse.

Janovic adds, "We came to establish the rule of God on earth. Our goal here does not stop, [after Assad is defeated.] We will aim towards Jerusalem. We want to fight the Jews.

"We are Muslims. We want to save mankind from villains and their evil. So we know why we came from and the future road waiting for us. ... We came to fight Israel and and eliminate them."

UPDATE: Henrik writes:

His actual name is Bajro Ikanovic. He was part of a local support-cell of Bosniaks who procured explosives and weapons for two Muslims from Scandinavia, who were taken in Sarajevo in 2006 while preparing a suicide bomb attack. Another person in the support cell, Senad Hasanovic, has also turned up in Syria after getting out of jail.

Bajro Ikanovic was wounded in battle in May, according to the Balkan press.

The two terrorists from Scandinavia were Mirsad Bektasevic and Abdulkadir Cesur. Their arrests in Sarajevo touched off a wave of arrests in other countries among the terrorists they were in contact with - the so-called Glostrup terror case in Denmark, Irhabi007 ("al Qaedas webmaster", a Moroccan named Younis Tsouli) and two companions in Great Britain, two islamists from Atlanta in the US, and a larger group in Canada, that had begun procuring fertilizer for three car bombs.

Read More

Today's Arab Muslim antisemitism is brought to you by Syria

They may have other problems, but its always a crowd-pleasing idea to get back to the basics of attacking Jews:

Following are excerpts from a sermon at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, which aired on Syrian TV on June 28, 2013.

Syrian preacher: Let us take a look at the history of mankind, which has recorded the true nature of the Jews, the slayers of prophets and violators of agreements. It shows how they have tried, since pre-Islamic times, to fragment, divide, and rip apart the Arab and Islamic nation.

In an effort to gain influence in the world and to realize their desires, the Jews have set two basic goals. Listen, oh Muslims, and beware of what is happening in Syria – in that land with steadfast people and leadership.

They have two basic goals. The first is to divide the nations of the world, to pit them one against the other, and to spark war and civil strife among them. The second goal is to rip apart the nations of the world, destroying their notions, moral values, and codes, and making them stray from the path of Allah.

That is what they did throughout the ages all over the world. Oh nation of Islam, the Jews have been tearing this nation apart for many years.
[…]
What is happening today in this steadfast fortress [Syria], and in the Middle East in general, is nothing new. It was premeditated.

We are a nation in slumber, a nation that does not study the books of history, and has not studied what its enemies are plotting and devising against it. They kindled the spark of civil strife in Palestine and in Afghanistan, and then in Iraq, then in Egypt, and after that, in Syria.

Don't forget that it was also a Jewish plot to create these nations that the Jews are now dividing.

And the first paragraph is essentially the plot of the Khaybar miniseries that will be seen by many, many more people than watch this preacher.

Read More

Fanta erases Israel from the map (UPDATE: Israel has returned)

From Fanta's list of countries in Asia it sells the product in:

Hmmm. Something seems to be missing.

If you go to the www.fanta.co.il domain, you get redirected to a Fanta-branded "page not found" page. Meaning that Fanta owns the Israeli Fanta domain and has decided to let it go nowhere.

Once upon a time, the domain redirected to this page, which still exists.

The Wayback Machine shows that the Fanta Israel redirect  page was hacked sometime in 2012. But that part has been fixed since then.

Clearly Fanta is still sold in Israel, as you can see it noted in the Israeli Coca-Cola page. However, the link from there to its Facebook page is broken, indicating that this page was abandoned. It used to be found under facebook.com/fclubIL.

 All that remains for Israeli Fanta fans is its YouTube page.

This looks like a conscious decision to abandon Fanta Israel both on the Web and on Facebook. Yet "Fanta Palestinian Territories" under the .PS top level domain is fine.

(h/t Pablo)

UPDATE: I am told that Fanta is advertising heavily in Israel. Also, at least in Israel, its Facebook page (in Hebrew) works fine; I simply cannot get to it for some reason (and I'm not aware that FB can redirect based on location.) (h/t Gidon)

It is possible that all this means is that Fanta does not have a home page for Israel - they clearly still sell there - but still it is a weird omission. Even if the page was only in English, they could have it listed.

There is no Lebanon page listed either - is it marketed there?

UPDATE 2: Answer: yes. So this just seems to indicate no country-specific page for Israel. Why that is, I have no idea. It isn't as if the Pal Territory page has any custom content that cannot be seen on other Arab pages. (same h/t)

UPDATE 3: Israel is now on the list. It points to a page that is not nearly as elaborate as the other countries' - really, a slight revamping of an old Coca Cola Israel Fanta page - and then points from there to Facebook.

Vietnam was also apparently added.

(h/t Zvi)

Read More

How long before American and multinational soldiers are attacked in the Sinai?

Last year, the Multinational Force (MFO) that is in the Sinai to help support the Israel/Egypt peace agreement was attacked by Islamists, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly. From their annual report:

Tension has progressively risen in the Sinai, and last March the MFO’s North Camp was cut off from road access for eight days by demonstrators; the demonstration was peaceful but very disruptive of normal operations and financially costly to the MFO.

In late April and early May, armed elements blocked all MFO movements – including resupply of two remote sites – in one area of the northeastern Sinai. In the course of this blockade, one MFO vehicle and its personnel were subject to gunfire and other vehicles and personnel were unable to exercise freedom of movement.

[I]n September, the MFO itself was a target: on 14 September 2012, a violent crowd gathered outside the MFO’s North Camp and, amid smoke from burning tires and thrown Molotov cocktails, broke through the perimeter defenses and entered the camp. Armed elements fired upon and ultimately destroyed a ballistically protected guard tower and threw an explosive device. The attackers caused significant damage, including burning an MFO fire truck on the scene. Fortunately, there was no loss of life or serious injury; however, eight MFO personnel suffered minor injuries. Colombian perimeter guards and the quick reaction forces that joined them contained the protestors and compelled them to exit the camp. Egyptian military personnel then dispersed the crowd and have remained outside North Camp to assist in maintaining security.

The report goes on to say that the forces are essentially dependent on the Egyptian army to secure themselves (with much effusive thanks, as well as props to the IDF.) But having a force that cannot protect itself seems a bit counterproductive.

400 US soldiers are going to the MFO this summer, and training to protect themselves:

More than 400 soldiers are training to deploy to the Sinai Peninsula this summer as part of a peacekeeping force between Egypt and Israel.

During their nine-month deployment, soldiers in the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, will support the Multinational Force and Observers, which was established in 1981.

While there, soldiers will man posts and checkpoints along the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula, where they will observe and report violations of the Camp David Peace Accords, which were signed in 1979 by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Israeli President Menachem Begin and President Jimmy Carter.

When the squadron deploys this summer, it will replace the North Carolina National Guard, which has been stationed in the region since December.

Previously, the U.S. has deployed reserve component forces from the National Guard to support the peacekeeping efforts along the Egyptian-Israeli border. However, after an $18 billion shortfall in the fiscal year 2013 budget — partly due to sequestration — the U.S. will start deploying active-duty Army units to support the task force in Sinai, said Lt. Col. Peggy Kageleiry, an Army spokesperson.

Soldiers in the squadron have been training for their new mission along the Israeli-Egyptian border for more than six months at Fort Hood and during a rotation at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif.

“We always try to make sure they’re trained up for anything they could possibly face,” said Maj. Steven McGunegle, squadron operations officer. “We try to make sure they have all the skills to be successful.”

Last week, soldiers conducted riot control exercises, which focused on how to respond to nonlethal forces. During training, soldiers learned how react to an unarmed but dangerous civilian population without using lethal capabilities.

“The nonlethal training is just to make us better and be all around prepared for any situation that arises,” Pintado said. “It’s not expected, but it gives us the flexibility as a unit to be better prepared.”

Soldiers previously received training on cultural awareness and how to work with the Egyptian government and bedouins.

“We’ve learned that in other cultures, people approach things differently and to be cautious of religion and different people’s roles in society,” Pfc. Alexander Perez said. “We don’t want to offend anyone; that’s unnecessary. So we’re going through training constantly to understand how their culture works.”

To the Islamists, every American in the Sinai has a bullseye on him, as they regard it as an unacceptable violation of Islamic rule.

(h/t Irene)

Read More

7/10 Links Part 2: FIFA President Shown How Hamas Uses Football Fields to Launch Missiles at Israel

From Ian:

---

Netanyahu Shows FIFA President How Hamas Uses Football Fields to Launch Missiles at Israel

In response to comments Blatter made during his visit to Israel, the Prime Minister decided to show him concrete evidence of how football fields are used as bases by Hamas for launching rockets at civilian populations in Israel.
Netanyahu presented photographs showing missiles being launched at Israel from the heart of civilian populations in Gaza. The aerial shots from November 16, 2012 show Fajr-5 missile launch sites in the Gaza football stadium. A photograph of a building that was hit by missiles in Rishon Lezion and a video clip that was taken by civilians on March 10, 2012, which shows a football match between Be’er Sheva and Um Al-Fahm being suddenly halted due to rocket fire in the stadium area, was also shown.

Maccabi Tel Aviv Match Cancelled in Germany Amid Security Fears

Police in Austria this weekend cancelled a soccer match between Germany’s Energie Cottbus and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv due to security fears, Der Spiegel’s website reported Tuesday.
The decision was taken last Saturday when police in the Alpine town of Angerberg in the Tyrol region of Austria were tipped-off to the fact that dozens of far-right supporters of Cottbus, including members of Inferno, a fan club banned last month for showing “anti-Semitism signs,” planned to attend the match.

Why Did IDF Not Share Al-Dura Video?

Now he has revealed that just weeks after the alleged shooting, senior IDF officials met and watched the entire video, rather than the edited version presented by France’s Channel 2 that sparked the accusations against Israel.
"Despite the media reports based on edited and doctored video footage, we watched the original, and all sounds of IDF fire was muffled - far away in the background. When the barrage fired at al-Dura was fired, the audio was suddenly close by - in other words Arab gumen right beside the camera near al-Dura fired them, not the IDF,” he reported.

Terra Incognita: The racist romance of the Arab village

Outsiders taking credit for “saving” Arabs is simply a modern-day variation on the “white man’s burden”; only intervention by the West can save the East.
In some cases when Arabs don’t fit the narrative, their identities are even changed. A Palestinian woman from Azariya near Jerusalem whose Negev Beduin husband murdered her children was turned into an “abused Beduin mother” from the Negev by one Israeli NGO leader. Her identity was changed from modern urban woman to rural Beduin to fit a narrative.
The twin perception of the Arabs as parts of the landscape, rather than real, contemporary people, and the desire to communicate their views through third parties represent a racist assault on their humanity; a holdover from the 19th century.

Lawmakers urge Argentina to let AMIA lawyer speak at US hearing

Two US congressmen expressed concern over Argentina’s decision not to allow its prosecutor in the Buenos Aires Jewish center bombing to testify at a House hearing on Iran’s influence in South America.

Who said it: Julian Assange or David Icke?

Julian Assange and David Icke become more alike every day. Both are white-haired blokes with a messiah complex who love nothing more than wagging an erect index finger at the hidden conspiracies of evil men who control world affairs and stupid people’s minds. Can you tell Assange’s ravings from Icke’s bollocks? It’s time to find out. See if you can guess which of Britain’s two best-loved bonkers spectres said the following.

Israel Names Ron Dermer as New Ambassador to U.S.

Ron Dermer has been named to replace Michael Oren as Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu told The Algemeiner on Tuesday, confirming recent media speculation.
In an email to reporters Prime Minister Netanyahu added praise for Dermer. “Ron Dermer has all the qualities necessary to successfully fill this important post. I have known him for many years and I know that Ron will faithfully represent the State of Israel in the capital of our greatest ally – the USA. On behalf of the citizens of Israel, I wish him great success,” he said.

Israel, China Move Closer to Free Trade Agreement with Survey

Israel and China have moved closer to a bilateral free trade partnership, agreeing to hold a survey to quantify its impact as a first step, Israel’s Globes reported on Tuesday, citing sources in Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett’s delegation, currently on a trade mission in China.
Globes said that Israel had expressed interest in conducting such a survey over the past two years, but, unexpectedly today, Chinese leadership responded positively. The survey could take up to two years complete.
Bennett told Globes that trade between Israel and China totals about $8 billion annually.

Jordan Eyes Israel For Energy, As Egypt Gas Pipeline Attacked Again

Egypt traditionally provides energy to several of its neighbors, but the political and security environment in the country has traditional importers looking for other suppliers. Israel in particular is increasingly discussed as a future key source of natural gas to the Hashemite kingdom.

IBM buys Israeli cloud computing company

IBM on Tuesday announced an agreement to acquire CSL International, a leading provider of virtualization management technology headquartered in Herzliya Pituach • Financial terms are not disclosed, but market sources say IBM is paying about $20 million.

Consortium raises necessary financial guarantees for Israeli fibre-optic venture

A consortium led by Sweden’s ViaEuropa that won the right to build the superfast broadband network operating over infrastructure owned by the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) has moved a step closer to making the project a reality. Haaretz reports that consortium has now raised the required capital, having obtained ILS100 million (USD27.3 million) in equity as well as an ILS200 million bank guarantee, with this being the amount required by the government from the consortium before the joint venture can get underway.(h/t Zvi)

Remains of a sphinx found in northern Israel

Ben-Tor and Zuckerman said that the sphinx likely came from the ancient city of Heliopolis (the Biblical “On”), north of today’s capital city of Cairo.
As no records exist of a connection between Egypt and what was then Canaan in the time of King Mycerinus, Ben-Tor and Zuckerman believe that the sphinx was probably brought to Hazor either during the period of the Hyksos, a Canaanite tribe that ruled Egypt around the 17th-16th centuries BCE, or between the 15th and 13th centuries BCE, when Canaan was under Egyptian rule.

Temple Mount: Oldest Ever Artifact Discovered in Jerusalem

Working near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Hebrew University of Jerusalem archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar has unearthed the earliest alphabetical written text ever uncovered in the city.
The inscription is engraved on a large pithos, a neckless ceramic jar found with six others at the Ophel excavation site. According to Dr. Mazar, the inscription, in the Canaanite language, is the only one of its kind discovered in Jerusalem and an important addition to the city’s history.
Dated to the tenth century BCE, the artifact predates by two hundred and fifty years the earliest known Hebrew inscription from Jerusalem, which is from the period of King Hezekiah at the end of the eighth century BCE.

Completing the 118-year-old puzzle of the Cairo genizah

Think of it as the world’s oldest and largest jigsaw puzzle: Images of about 200,000 fragments of ancient Jewish documents, held in 67 separate locations across the world, are being matched up digitally by a powerful computer network in the basement of Tel Aviv University.
At the rate of half a million comparisons per minute, the task ran from May 16 through the end of June.

Boy injured by rampaging hyenas brought to Israel for treatment

Abdul Razek, an eight-year-old from Ethiopia who was violently attacked by wild hyenas outside his home and could not receive the necessary medical care in his country, was brought on Monday to the Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya.
The government hospital’s director-general, Dr. Masad Barhoum, praised the collaboration of the United Jewish Communities, the Jewish Agency, the Joint Distribution Committee and the Foreign Ministry to make the effort successful. (h/t Zvi)

Read More

Turkey takes up the Temple Mount dig conspiracy theory

From Yusuf Kanli at Hurriyet Daily News:

A close friend with very sensitive ears and an extremely analytical brain was expressing worries the other day. “What if something very, very unusual that may change the entire cultural-historical setup of the Middle East takes place?” he asked. I could not understand. “What?” I asked, expecting him to present me with a radically different Egypt analysis or say something on the Syria situation.
...

“What if all of a sudden the second holiest site of Islam, the al-Aqsa Mosque collapses into rubble?”

Silence. I could not understand what he was saying and definitely it was beyond my comprehension capability to accept any claim that Israel might undertake such a heinous, suicidal move.

My friend explained that under al-Aqsa, the Israelis have dug many tunnels over the past two decades or so, turning the area into something like a huge gruyere cheese. He said if more digging was done the whole mosque might implode down and vanish. Worse, Israel, my friend claimed, might explain to the world that the mosque collapsed by itself, it could not be blamed, it played no role in the collapse. As even at Camp David the Israelis were demanding sovereignty underneath al-Aqsa while giving sovereignty above ground to the Palestinians (the demand frequently cited as the prime reason of the collapse of Camp David peacemaking) would Israel allow reconstruction of al-Aqsa?

I was perplexed. My immediate reaction was “But if Israel takes such an odd move, Turkey, governed by the current political Islam team, could even declare war on Israel.” My friend smiled and fired back “No, nothing will be done. The international community would say whatever possible would be done and an international effort would soon get underway to rebuild al-Aqsa but as the Middle East nations will be busy with various forms of civil war, the Israelis will get away with what they have done and consolidate their claim on Jerusalem by getting rid of al-Aqsa as well.

It was a very extreme assumption or conspiracy theory from someone rather credible. Would I take it into consideration or just write it somewhere for future use? Better to share it and perhaps render more difficult such a grave development taking place. 

it took this long for the crazy Arab rumors of Jews digging under the Temple Mount to reach Turkish Islamist nutcases?

I've been reporting these stupid theories for at least six years, but I was curious for how long Muslims have been pushing this meme.

I found my answer here:

What a coincidence! The idea that Jews were digging to destroy the Al Aqsa Mosque started right after Jews returned to the Old City after being ethnically cleansed by Arabs for 19 years!

It must be that the Jews started the digs 45 years ago, just waiting for the exact date that the Islamic and Arab worlds as well as the world at large would be too distracted to do anything about it! Then, at just the perfect time, the small detonations could occur.

Or perhaps Israel will unleash its artificial earthquake combined with a stone-melting chemical..

(h/t Gidon Shaviv)

Read More

Did Israel bomb Latakia last week?

The Long War Journal has a wrap-up of events:

On July 5, a naval base belonging to the Syrian regime was reportedly struck near the port city of Latakia. Contradictory reports quickly emerged as some suggested that the explosion at the base was the result of strikes by opposition rockets, while others said it was caused by missiles from foreign aircraft.

Hezbollah's Al Manar claimed that the explosions were the result of stray mortars from local clashes, according to Ynet News. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was unclear who caused the explosions, according to Agence France Presse. A Syrian official purportedly told state media that al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists using European weaponry conducted the attack.

A source told the pro-Assad outlet Al Akhbar that three missiles were fired at the base, which caused the explosions and led to the death of at least one soldier. The report further alleged that the rockets may have been fired near the coast, if not from the sea itself.

Reuters today quoted Qassem Saadeddine, a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army, as saying foreign elements were behind the attack on Latakia. "This attack was either by air raid or long-range missiles fired from boats in the Mediterranean," Saadeddine stated. Saadeddine also said that the attack targeted "newly supplied Yakhont missiles," according to Reuters.

On May 16, the New York Times reported that Russia had provided Syria with newer versions of the Yakhont "outfitted with an advanced radar that makes them more effective." Syria received its first supply of Yakhont missiles from Russia in 2011, the Times stated. The day before the Times report on the Yakhont missiles, the paper quoted an Israeli official as saying that Israel was prepared to carry out additional strikes in Syria if necessary.

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon today denied that Israel was responsible for the incident in Latakia, according to Ynet News. "We haven't intervened in the Syrian bloodshed in a long time .... We've drawn our red lines and we keep to them," he said.

Michael Weiss at Now Lebanon adds:

Regime media have kept silent about what happened beyond saying that a “series of explosions” were reported at the site. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar, meanwhile, citing a “military source,” claimed that the explosions were caused by rockets or missiles launched from a different army base; this one close to a village some 20 kilometers north of Latakia.

One Syrian war expert told me that the reported blast seemed “too small” to be another Israeli raid, and anyway, the Salafist rebel group Ahrar al-Sham has been pounding Latakia for quite some time. Many rebels outside of the SMC’s office, which thinks “everything is Israel,” tend to believe that militants from this outfit were in fact responsible, though the source added that this could just be idle boasting.

If Israel took the trouble to powder a consignment of SA-17 surface-to-air missiles, as it did last January in its first sortie in Syria since the conflict began, then it would certainly take the trouble to eliminate a warehouse full of Yakhonts, which would pose a clear threat to the Israeli navy and the transport of oil and gas tankers in the Mediterranean. The New York Times reported in May that a new consignment of these supersonic “ship killer” missiles, which can travel as far as 300 kilometers and evade air-defense and electronic countermeasures, had already been delivered to Syria. And The Wall Street Journal cited Israeli and Western intelligence officials who believed at the time that these missiles could easily be transferred to Hezbollah “within days.” Note that this was before Assad’s army, joined by irregular sectarian militias led by Hezbollah, retook Qusayr from the rebels, a strategically vital gateway in the Syria-Lebanon supply corridor. 

Circumstantial evidence but it sure seems more than possible that this was an IDF operation.

(h/t Capt Bill)

Read More