Israel threatens Iran with ‘own Vietnam in Syria,’ refuses to rule out pre-emptive strike
9 Dec, 2019
Ramping up his war-mongering rhetoric, Israel’s defense chief has said Syria can become Iran’s ‘Vietnam’ and vowed to prevent Tehran from gaining a foothold there. It comes after Tel Aviv threatened Iran with a pre-emptive strike.
Israel, which is making incursions into Syria on almost a daily basis, pummeling the war-ravaged country with missiles under the pretext of targeting “Iranian positions” there, has warned Iran against establishing “a ring of fire” around Israel, vowing retaliation.
“It is no secret that Iran is trying to establish a ring of fire around our country, it is already based in Lebanon and is trying to establish in Syria, Gaza and more,” hawkish Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett claimed, speaking at a conference on Sunday.
Read more at https://www.rt.com/news/475350-israel-vietnam-strike-iran/
The Coming Middle East Conflagration
Israel is bracing itself for war with Iranian proxies, as Tehran escalates its provocations. But what will the United States do if conflict comes?
By Michael Oren
The senior ministers of the Israeli government met twice last week to discuss the possibility of open war with Iran. They were mindful of the Iranian plan for a drone attack from Syria in August, aborted at the last minute by an Israeli air strike, as well as Iran’s need to deflect attention from the mass protests against Hezbollah’s rule in Lebanon. The ministers also reviewed the recent attack by Iranian drones and cruise missiles on two Saudi oil installations, reportedly concluding that a similar assault could be mounted against Israel from Iraq.
The Israel Defense Forces, meanwhile, announced the adoption of an emergency plan, code-named Momentum, to significantly expand Israel’s missile defense capacity, its ability to gather intelligence on embedded enemy targets, and its soldiers’ preparation for urban warfare. Israeli troops, especially in the north, have been placed on war footing. Israel is girding for the worst and acting on the assumption that fighting could break out at any time.
Read more at https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/11/israel-preparing-open-war/601285/
‘Nuke aimed at Iran’? Tehran raises alarm after Israel test-fires mystery rocket in broad daylight
7 Dec, 2019
As the world is abuzz with speculation over Israel’s shadowy “rocket propulsion system” test, Tehran bluntly claimed that the projectile it fired from a base south of Tel Aviv was actually a nuclear-capable missile aimed at Iran.
“Israel today tested a nuke-missile, aimed at Iran,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif suggested in a tweet posted on Friday evening. He lamented that the West never complains “about the only nuclear arsenal in West Asia,” but “has fits of apoplexy over our conventional defensive [rockets].”
The mysterious missile in question was launched earlier in the day, with Israel’s military remaining conspicuously tight-lipped about it.
Read more at https://www.rt.com/news/475258-iran-israel-nuclear-test/
So 14,000 Troops to the Middle East a Myth? Not So Fast
The defense secretary may deny the number, but an internal struggle over the Iran ‘threat’ suggests there will be deployments.
By Gareth Porter
December 9, 2019
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is denying reports that he is considering a proposal to increase the U.S. military presence in the Persian Gulf by as many as 14,000 additional troops. But the wording of the denial appears to suggest that dispatch of a smaller number of military personnel is still under consideration.
The Pentagon issued a statement on Friday quoting Esper as saying, “As the Department [of Defense] has stated repeatedly, we were never discussing or considering sending 14,000 additional troops to the Middle East. Reports of this are flat out wrong.”
Read more at https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/no-14000-troops-to-the-middle-east-not-so-fast/
Trump Sends 14,000 Troops For War on Iran. Will it be Enough?
by December 5, 2019
So much for getting out of endless wars! President Trump has announced that he is sending 14,000 more US troops to the Middle East and may even send more. The reason is the manufactured “Iran threat” that Trump continues to delude himself over. Neocons are thrilled. So are Saudi Arabia and Israel, who would love nothing more than to have the US fight and die in their wars. But what about America first? Watch today’s Liberty Report
Read more at http://ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2019/december/05/trump-sends-14-000-troops-for-war-on-iran-will-it-be-enough/
The Contract on Corbyn
Corbyn is not an anti-Semite. His real sin is to fight against injustice in the world, including the version Israel perpetrates
By Gideon Levy
The Jewish establishment in Britain and the Israeli propaganda machine have taken out a contract on the leader of the British Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn. The contract was taken out a long time ago, and it was clear that the closer Corbyn came to being elected prime minister, the harsher the conflict would get.
On Tuesday it reached its climax in an article by the chief rabbi of Britain, Ephraim Mirvis, in The Times. Mirvis has decided that the anxiety of British Jews over Corbyn is justified and he is not fit to be prime minister. He called on Jews not to vote for Labour in the election on December 12.
Read more at http://www.defenddemocracy.press/the-contract-on-corbyn/
