Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks as he attends a state memorial ceremony for former Prime Minister Golda Meir at Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem November 18, 2018. ~REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

• U.S. takes on Iranian-Russian network, says it funneled funds to Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas

• Israel believes Gaza rockets result of power struggle between Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Iran

• Netanyahu beating war drums is about politics more than security

During the same week in which he managed to prevent his government from falling, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made time to attend a memorial ceremony for Golda Meir. Netanyahu lauded her brave stance during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He also stressed her excellent ties with U.S. leaders, thanks to which America arranged an airlift of vital weaponry that enabled the Israel Defense Forces to turn defeat into victory.

In the same vein, later that day, he delivered his own Dunkirk speech. “We will overcome our enemies,” he said. “This will entail sacrifice, but with the strength of our spirit, we shall overcome our enemies.”

The opposition lambasted Netanyahu for exploiting national security to preserve his government, while Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Education Minister Naftali Bennett vied over the right to topple Hamas immediately after the elections. But there’s no guarantee that what Netanyahu meant was a war against Hamas.

Rather, he might have been hinting at what would likely happen if Hamas falls: Islamic Jihad, Iran’s protege, would enter the military and political vacuum and take over the Gaza Strip. That would be a black day, returning Israel to its situation during the Yom Kippur War – trapped between two fronts, Egypt and Syria, both of them orchestrated by the Soviet Union.

Two researchers from Hebrew University’s Truman Institute, Dr. Isabella Ginor and Gideon Remez, have exposed the web of deception the Soviets created to surprise the IDF in 1973. The Soviets gave Egypt advanced missiles and pretended that the missiles were supplied because of “Israeli aggression.” They pretended in international forums that they were trying to restrain the Egyptians, but in reality, they controlled all the preparations for war. And according to Ginor and Remez, they even planted a double agent who anesthetized Israel’s top defense officials through reports of the expulsion of Soviet advisors from Egypt, without mentioning their return through the back door.

The similarities with the situation today are troubling. And they raise fears that today, too, the hands are the hands of Syria, Iran, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad, but the voice is the voice of the Russian bear, which is trying to embroil Israel on two fronts – the north and the south. Therefore, it’s important to pay close attention to the past year’s chain of events.

In February, an Iranian drone was flown into Israel as bait. In response, Israeli fighter jets were scrambled to bomb Iranian targets in Syria. They ran into massive anti-aircraft fire, and one plane was downed over Israeli territory.

In September, Russia blamed Israel for the downing of a Russian spy plane, even though it was the Syrians who shot down the plane. It then exploited this accusation to upgrade the Syrian army’s missile systems and the intelligence capabilities of Russian forces in Syria.

A week ago, in Gaza, an IDF force ran into a Hamas battalion in an incident that looks like a planned ambush. This incident was then exploited for aggressive missile fire at Israel from Gaza, which impeded efforts by Netanyahu and Hamas to achieve quiet via Egyptian mediation.

And now as then, the Israeli public is looking in the wrong direction. The left accuses the government of not taking steps to ease the live of Gaza residents, as if doing so would change the Russian and Iranian tactic of setting the south aflame. And the right is up in arms demanding that Hamas be destroyed, as if Islamic Jihad, Iran and Russia wouldn’t replace it.

In the middle stands Netanyahu, who bears the whole weight of this burden on his shoulders. Did he feel betrayed when his defense minister, who previously served as foreign minister and was responsible in that capacity for the strategic relationship with Russia, suddenly deserted him, just when he was sure that everything was rosy in his relations with Vladimir Putin? Did he recall that he watched the World Cup from the VIP gallery in Sochi, yet now, he had to wait a long time for even a brief meeting with Putin in Paris? Does he suddenly understand how Golda Meir felt on the morning of Yom Kippur in 1973?

Perhaps that is what he was hinting at in his remarks to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday about the need for another country’s involvement in order to end Iran’s activities in Syria. This was a first step, in which he acknowledged Israel’s inability to escape the Russian trap and hinted at the need for American intervention. Just like Golda on Yom Kippur.

Source: https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-like-golda-on-yom-kippur-netanyahu-prepares-to-fight-russia-on-all-fronts-1.6677789

The post Opinion Like Golda on Yom Kippur, Netanyahu Prepares to Fight Russia on All Fronts first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-20Kirill Naumenko/Wikipedia

–‘Israel launches series of strikes on targets near Syria’s Latakia’
–Russia says Syrian Idlib offensive off the table, Erdogan and Putin agree on buffer zone
–The heart of the Russian air force: The Syrian fighter jet downed by Israel in the Golan Heights

Russia on Tuesday accused Israel of a “hostile provocation” in striking the Syrian port city of Latakia and threatened retaliation after Moscow blamed Israel for indirectly causing a Russian military plane with 15 servicemen on board to be shot down near Syria’s Mediterranean coast.

Russia’s defense ministry accused Israeli military planes of creating a “dangerous” situation in Latakia, near where the aircraft was downed by Syrian air defense systems, as it claimed Israel warned Moscow about the planned operation one minute beforehand, adding that it was not enough time to get the the plane to safety.

The defense ministry said 15 Russian military service people died because of Israel’s “irresponsible actions,” adding that it reserves the right to take appropriate measures after Israel’s hostile actions.

Russian Defence Ministry: Russian Ilyushin Il-20 plane was downed by Syrian Air Defence missile after Israeli F-16 pilots used it as cover thus setting it up to be targeted by AA defence. Such actions can only be classified as a deliberate provocation https://t.co/qBcqPz2en6 pic.twitter.com/21mTTNXmpd

— Russia in RSA ?? (@EmbassyofRussia) September 18, 2018

According to the ministry, the Israeli F-16 jets carrying out the air strikes used the Russian plane as a cover to allow them to approach their targets on the ground without being hit by Syrian anti-aircraft fire.

Infographic of Monday night’s alleged attack and incidentRussian Defense Ministry

“Hiding behind the Russian aircraft, the Israeli pilots put it in the line of fire of Syrian anti-aircraft systems. As a result the Il-20 … was shot down by the (Syrian) S-200 missile system,” Konashenkov said.

He said the Israeli pilots “could not have failed to see the Russian aircraft, as it was coming in to land from a height of 5 km (three miles). Nevertheless, they deliberately carried out this provocation,” Konashenkov said.

Israeli Ambassador to Russia Gary Koren was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry following the incident, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, that Moscow holds Israel wholly to blame for the shooting down of a Russian military plane near Syria.

The Kremlin was extremely concerned by the incident and President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences for those who were killed, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

The Russian Defense Ministry said a recovery operation in the Mediterranean Sea is underway and that it has already located the wreckage in the sea and has retrieved some bodies and some fragments of the plane.

Screen capture of Twitter video allegedly showing strike attributed to France and Israel in Syria, September 18, 2018 Twitter

A U.S. official earlier said Washington believed the aircraft, which is an Il-20 turbo-prop plane used for electronic reconnaissance, was inadvertently shot down by anti-aircraft artillery operated by Moscow’s ally, the Syrian government.

Around the time the plane disappeared, the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, near a Russian airbase to which the Il-20 was returning, came under attack from “enemy missiles” and missile defence batteries responded, Syrian state media reported.

The defense ministry in Moscow said the aircraft was returning to the Russian-run Hmeymim airbase in Latakia province when, at about 11 P.M. Moscow time (20:00 GMT), it disappeared from radar screens.

The plane was over the Mediterranean Sea about 35 km (20 miles) from the Syrian coastline, Russia’s TASS news agency quoted the ministry as saying in a statement.

“The trace of the Il-20 on flight control radars disappeared during an attack by four Israeli F-16 jets on Syrian facilities in Latakia province,” the statement was quoted as saying.

“At the same time Russian air control radar systems detected rocket launches from the French frigate Auvergne which was located in that region.”

The fate of the 14 people on board the missing plane is unknown, and a rescue operation has been organized out of the Hmeymim base, the ministry said.

The Israeli military had no reaction, saying it does not comment on “foreign reports.” French military spokesman Colonel Patrik Steiger told Reuters. “We deny any involvement.”

A series of unusual airstrikes on Syria were attributed to Israel on Monday night. The official SANA news agency reported that ten people were injured in the attack, eight of whom were shortly discharged after being admitted to a nearby hospital.

According to Syrian media, missiles were fired toward military targets close to three large cities in the north of Syria: Lattakia, Homs and Hama.

In recent weeks there has been a significant uptick in the amount of reports attributing attacks to Israel. Previous attacks, according to foreign media, mostly targeted the area of the Damascus International Airport.

Source: https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/russian-military-aircraft-believed-to-be-shot-down-by-syria-defenses-1.6489773

The post Russia Blasts Israel: You’re to Blame for 15 Russians Killed During Syria Strike first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The post Israeli Military Chief: IDF Is Fully Prepared for War first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman are at odds with the defense establishment over whether to urge the United States to scrap the nuclear agreement with Iran, according to senior government and defense officials who asked to remain anonymous.

Netanyahu and Lieberman believe a U.S. withdrawal from the accord would be in Israel’s interest, but defense chiefs have reservations. U.S. President Donald Trump is due to recertify the nuclear deal on October 15 and inform Congress whether Iran is complying with the terms of the agreement.

Should the U.S. decide Iran is violating the accord, this in effect would decertify it, leading to possible American withdrawal from the deal and renewed sanctions on Iran. However, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany are also signatories to the nuclear agreement.

Israeli officials said Netanyahu and Israel’s ambassador in Washington Ron Dermer are encouraging Trump and his close circle of advisers not to recertify the agreement and announce that Iran is breaching it.

Netanyahu and Lieberman’s position is at odds with most Israeli experts in Military Intelligence and in the IDF’s Planning Directorate, the Mossad, Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Committee.
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.812473

Despite Netanyahu’s wish that Trump announces that Iran isn’t complying with the nuclear deal, all Israeli intelligence bodies dealing with the Iranian issue are united in the opinion that in the two years and two months that have passed since the agreement was signed in Vienna, Iran hasn’t been caught violating a single clause. Also, the Israeli intelligence community has no evidence that the Iranians have resumed their nuclear project and gone back on their commitments.

Netanyahu is expected to meet Trump on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday, and the future of the nuclear deal will be one of the main issues the prime minister is expected to bring up with the president.

“Netanyahu and Dermer are pushing the White House to decertify the nuclear agreement,” an Israeli official said. “As far as Netanyahu is concerned, it’s the most important thing Trump can do, and he hopes that as a result Congress will resume the sanctions against Iran.”

On Tuesday, after Reuters cited senior U.S. officials as saying Israel wasn’t interested in the United States’ withdrawal from the nuclear agreement and objected to revoking it, Netanyahu quickly issued a denial. He said Israel’s interest is that the Trump administration “fixes the agreement or revokes it.”

A day later, Lieberman said at a Rosh Hashanah event held by Yisrael Beiteinu party that he supported Netanyahu’s position. “The agreement isn’t delaying Iran’s nuclear program even by one day, they are clever enough not to break it off,” he said in his speech.

“The agreement isn’t holding them back or preventing them from continuing to research and develop centrifuges. It isn’t preventing them from continuing with missiles and warheads and checking accuracy and distances. The Iranians have refused to let anyone check the military program sites,” he said.

According to Israel’s intelligence agencies, the Iranian effort to comply with the agreement is clear, creating an advantage for Iran in the international arena. A similar picture emerges from the information gathered by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and from the periodic reports published by the agency.

Furthermore, while Netanyahu and Lieberman are aspiring to see Trump take action that would lead to the United States’ withdrawal from the agreement, the senior ranks of the Israeli security establishment, intelligence community and Foreign Ministry believe that even though the agreement is bad for Israel, an American withdrawal from it would be even worse. The professional ranks of Israeli statecraft think that if America withdraws from the agreement, the other world powers will not follow through, and thus Iran will not become isolated nor face new international sanctions. Instead, the international community will be divided and the monitoring of Iran’s nuclear program could suffer a setback.

An Israeli official said Netanyahu and Lieberman think the international community is divided anyway, especially in light of the strained relationship between the United States and Russia, and it doesn’t seem the international community can take significant decisions on the issue. The prime minister and defense minister think that if the U.S. withdraws from the agreement and announced it is bringing back tough sanctions against Iran, such as a trade ban on those who do business with the Islamic Republic, such a policy will intimidate the large European corporations that are responsible for most of the trade with Iran today.

Israeli defense sources say the prime mission of the intelligence organizations regarding Iran is to make sure it isn’t breaking the agreement nor using secret mechanisms to bypass it and keep building its nuclear program. The Israeli intelligence community believes Israel has a clear interest in improving the agreement through stronger validation and inspection measures, especially in light of the international community’s failure to deal with North Korea’s nuclear program.

Some senior sources also doubt it would be possible to improve the agreement, or to convince Russia, China and the European Union to pressure Iran to accept new terms for the deal. In addition, no detailed plan has yet been prepared – in Israel or in the U.S. – outlining what to do if an attempt to improve the agreement ended in failure and led to an international confrontation over the nuclear program.

Israeli officials noted that the internal discussion in Israel over the deal’s fate resembles the internal debate within the American administration: While Trump has stated a number of times that he wants to withdraw from the agreement, some of his top advisers and cabinet members, such as Defense Secretary James Mattis, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, have reservations, fearing a U.S. pullout from the agreement might play into Iran’s hands. They prefer to focus on actions to block Iran’s aggressiveness across the Middle East.

“Like in the United States, we have disagreements on this issue,” said an Israeli official. “If you ask Netanyahu and Lieberman, they see eye-to-eye with each other, but the security establishment doesn’t necessary share their views.”

Source: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.812473

The post Netanyahu at Odds With Israeli Military and Intelligence Brass Over Whether to Push Trump to Scrap Iran Nuclear Deal first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.