Earth calamities and Rumors of war

[alsughasoughaiuyfygh]

 

[Tayla]

I am starting this thread to catalogue Earth calamities like earthquakes,volcanoes, storms etc and rumors of war, and to discuss their possible impact on eschatology.

There are so many throughout history. I wonder how you will choose which to include and which to exclude.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

There are so many throughout history. I wonder how you will choose which to include and which to exclude.

Choose the ones you think we should consider. But keep in mind that this is not a debate thread. It could stimulate other threads though.

 

[alsughasoughaiuyfygh]

Vladimir Putin calls US-led Syria strikes an 'act of aggression'

Vladimir Putin calls US-led Syria strikes an 'act of aggression'

Vladimir Putin has condemned US-led military strikes in Syria as an “act of aggression” and said Russia would convene an emergency session of the UN security council over the attack.

In a statement released by the Kremlin, the Russian president denied evidence of a chemical weapons attack in the Damascus suburb of Douma and said the strike would “have a destructive effect on the entire system of international relations”.

It did not appear late on Saturday morning that the attack would trigger a military response from Russia, as Moscow reported that the missiles had steered clear of Russian military bases in the country.

Speaking later on Saturday, Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, described the actions of the UK, US and France in Syria as “unacceptable and lawless”.

The remarks capped an angry response from across the Russian establishment to the strikes carried out by the US, France and Britain. Russia’s ambassador to the US warned of “consequences”, while a high-ranking Russian politician compared Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler.

Russia on Saturday also claimed that Syrian air defences shot down 71 of 103 cruise missiles heading for military installations using antiquated Soviet technology, potentially raising questions of whether Moscow secretly helped repel the strike.

“Syrian air defence systems S-125, S-200, Buk and Kvadrat took part in repelling the missile strike,” a Russian defence ministry official said on Saturday. “These air defence complexes were produced in the Soviet Union more than 30 years ago.”

The official said on Saturday Russia had completely rebuilt Syria’s air defence system over the past 18 months.

Defence officials also threatened that Russia would resume discussions with Syria and other countries over the sale of modern S-300 air defence systems to protect against future US strikes.

Russian embassy officials in Damascus said they did not have information on Russians harmed in the attack, a red line for the Moscow defence ministry it has said would provoke a military response, possibly against the planes and ships that launched the attack.

Russian officials also said the missiles launched by the coalition of French, British and US forces did not enter the airspace protected by their air defence systems.

In a strongly worded statement, Russia’s ambassador to the US described the airstrikes as a direct threat to Moscow and said insulting Putin was “unacceptable and inadmissible”.

“We are being threatened,” said the ambassador, Anatoly Antonov. “We warned that such actions will not be left without consequences.”

Alexander Sherin, the deputy head of the Duma’s defence committee, likened Trump to Hitler and described the strikes as a targeted threat against Russia. Russia has had a military presence in Syria since 2015 to support the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.

In comments reported by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, Sherin said Trump “can be called Adolf Hitler No 2 of our time because, you see, he even chose the time that Hitler attacked the Soviet Union”, making reference to the Nazis’ first attacks against the Soviet Union in 1941, which were also launched at about 4am.

In its first reaction to the strikes, Russia’s foreign ministry claimed Syria had been attacked just as it had “a chance for peace”.

“First the ‘Arab spring’ tested the Syrian people, then Islamic State, now smart American rockets. The capital of a sovereign government, trying for years to survive under terrorist aggression, has been attacked,” the foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Facebook.”

“You have to be quite abnormal to attack Syria’s capital just at the moment when it had a chance for a peaceful future,” she added.

The comments came after Russia accused the UK of “staging” the chemical weapons attacks in Douma, the last rebel-held enclave of eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus. At least 70 people are reported to have died and more than 500 injured.

Russia’s defence ministry claimed the attack was faked and said it had “irrefutable evidence” the UK was instrumental in staging it as a way to justify western intervention in Syria.

“We have evidence that proves Britain was directly involved in organising this provocation,” the defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. Britain’s UN envoy, Karen Pierce, described the Russian accusation as a “grotesque, blatant lie”.

The US, Britain and France made the case for military action against Syria at a UN security council meeting on Friday. However, Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, said the three countries had ulterior motives and wanted to “oust the Syrian government and to deter, contain the Russian Federation”.

 

[alsughasoughaiuyfygh]

 

[alsughasoughaiuyfygh]

Report: Iran preparing for direct confrontation with Israel

Report: Iran preparing for direct confrontation with Israel

Tehran is preparing for a sustained campaign of direct confrontation with Israel, with plans to use the Iranian military’s growing presence in Syria to launch attacks on targets inside the Jewish state.

For decades, the radical Islamist regime in Tehran has engaged in a de facto war with Israel via proxies – using terror groups in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon to attack Israeli civilian and military targets.

On Tuesday, however, Israeli security officials revealed that Iran is now preparing for a direct assault on Israel, using its growing military assets on Israel’s northern border to strike targets inside the Jewish state.

According to a report by Channel 10 citing Israel’s security establishment, Iranian forces in Syria, led by the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards under the command of Major General Qasem Soleimani, have deepened their involvement in Syria in recent years, as Tehran has worked to secure the Assad regime from insurgent rebel forces and radical Sunni terror groups including ISIS.

The expanded Iranian presence in Syria has opened the door for Tehran to adopt an increasingly aggressive stance vis-à-vis Israel, attempting direct attacks on Israeli targets by the Iranian military itself, rather than through proxy groups – something the Revolutionary Guards avoided in the past.

Last Friday, IDF spokesman Brigadier General Ronen Manelis reported that the Iranian drone operated from T-4 which had violated Israeli airspace in February had been armed, and was en route to carry out an attack on Israeli forces, and was not merely on an information-gathering mission.

One senior Israeli security official told The New York Times that attempted attack was unprecedented, and represented a shift in Iranian policy.

“This is the first time we saw Iran do something against Israel — not by proxy,” the senior Israeli security official said. “This opened a new period.”

According to Tuesday’s report by Channel 10, Iran’s build up in Syria in preparation for a direct conflict with the Jewish state has included the deployment of advanced airborne weapons platforms – including drone aircraft – shipments of weapons disguised as humanitarian aid, and Iranian military flights conducted under the cover of civilian airline companies.

On Monday, Naim Qassem, deputy chief of the Hezbollah terrorist group – an ally and proxy of Tehran – warned that Iran would respond to an air strike on the T-4 airbase in Syria which was attributed to Israel and in which seven Iranian personnel were killed.

The world goes mad when it comes to Israel

The world goes mad when it comes to Israel

It is the “shocking video” of the “Israeli sniper” firing at a "disarmed Palestinian" and saying “Woh! What a video” that took the headlines in the past few days. It has been the first issue in most of the European websites. But the story behind it is very different from the one told by the media.

Those soldiers were defending the kibbutz Kissufim, which is adjacent to the border with Gaza. Not now, but last year. In 2014 a Hamas tunnel had been discovered among the houses of the Israelis living there. Last October, a few days before the events recorded in that video took place, 7 Palestinian Arab terrorists had been killed by Israel in a tunnel that led directly to Kissufim.

This is an area that has suffered many terrorist attacks and infiltrations. On the day of the video there was a violent Palestinian riot, which lasted at least two hours, with stone throwing and attempts to break and cross the security fence. The Israeli soldiers tried to disperse the clashes with verbal calls, shooting in the air and using riot gear. A single bullet was fired at the Palestinian who got too close to the fence after he was warned. He was wounded in the leg, contrary to the impression the world got of gratuitous and sadistic deadly fire. Instead, the soldiers acted according to the rules of engagement.

And even if the video was not the best way to react, I have never yet seen the newspapers that opened with the shouts of joy of Palestinian Arabs after the killing of Israelis, the candy distributed in the Gaza's streets, the streets of Ramallah named after the mass murderers of women and children. Shame.

Newspapers around the world are literally enjoying seeing Israel explaining and its reputation bleeding. No one should disturb their anti-Semitic pre-established script, not Hamas terrorists, not their guns, not their deadly slogans, not their grenades, not their human shields, not the history of an unprecedented siege among the democratic countries, that of a small country that always had the strength to preserve itself.

Beat the Israeli monster on the front page, that's all.

Look at how the media misinformation works against Israel in the world. The sequence is known: Chemical attack in Syria followed by Israeli raids against an Iranian base. But the newspapers decided to accompany the news of the Israeli strike with images of the victims of the chemical attack - better if children - next to the words "Israel" and "deadly". As if it was Israeli and not Syrian, the hand that spread the gas. Some of these headlines were then rectified and the images replaced. But this is how, in the minds of millions of people around the world, the virus of hate insinuates and corrupts their minds.

The streets of London were full of people demonstrating and shouting at Israel, the democracy that defends itself against terrorists. The same streets of London are empty as there was no one to demonstrate against Bashar al Assad, the dictator who makes a mockery of the international community using chemical weapons.

Jeremy Corbyn, the guevarian clown at the head of the Labour party, condemned Israel, demanding a review of the relationship between Jerusalem and London. A few hours later, on the same night, the Israeli army hit Hamas military posts in Gaza and bombed a Syrian base where there were Iranian targets. A country as large as New Jersey, where just 8 million people live or 0.1% of the world's population, has the security and stability of the Middle East in its hands.

If you do not like what you see today in that region - terrorist organizations wielding human remains, chlorine and nerve attacks against children, border invasions, nuclear turbines - imagine it without the presence of the State of Israel. And if idea seems normal to you, you are insane!

 

[Bible2+]

Wayholka quoted from a news story in post #1306:

If you do not like what you see today in that region - terrorist organizations wielding human remains, chlorine and nerve attacks against children, border invasions, nuclear turbines - imagine it without the presence of the State of Israel.

Indeed.

But the State of Israel must not be separated from the United States of America.

That is, what is required is both the awesome might of Israel and U.S. troops in Syria to keep it from becoming an Iranian and Russian hellhole, and only part of a huge swathe of Shiite oppression and misery stretching all the way from Mashhad to Beirut.

The U.S. idea of sending Sunni Arab troops to replace the U.S. troops defending eastern Syria against Iran and Russia is a complete non-starter. A very bad idea. For the Sunni Arab troops of Egypt and Saudi Arabia are simply too weak to hold off the utterly ruthless and supremely-trained, experienced, and motivated Iranian and Russian troops. All of the Sunni Arab troops of Egypt and Saudi Arabia are poorly trained and motivated, and without any experience in actual warfare. They would run away into the desert in fright at the first hint of any actual battle. And the good troops of the U.A.E. on their own are not numerous enough to hold of huge Iran and Russia.

So the U.S. must stay in Syria. And, with the help of its Arab, Kurdish, and Western allies, the U.S. must even extend its ground-troops control into southern Syria, along its border with Jordan and Israel. Otherwise, not only Israel, but also Sunni Jordan will begin to suffer terribly from cross-border attacks launched by Soleimani from Syrian bases.

And the U.S. must unleash the Iraqi Baathists, now holed up in eastern Syria, in an anti-Iran coup d'etat in Iraq. For Iran, and all of the Shiite Arab militias which it supports in Iraq and Syria, must be rooted out completely from Iraq and Syria. For Iran's publicly-stated ultimate goal is the utter annihilation of Israel.

The U.S. cannot save Israel from annihilation by Iran if the U.S. removes its own troops and plans from Syria and Iraq, and if it does not help Sunni Arabs (and Kurds) to take over southern Syria and Iraq.

 

[alsughasoughaiuyfygh]

 

[alsughasoughaiuyfygh]

 

[alsughasoughaiuyfygh]

Israel sets red line for Russia

Israel sets red line for Russia

Israel has sent a clear message to Russia in the past 24 hours that the sale of the advanced S-300 missile defense system to the Syrian regime will cross a red line.

A political source who revealed the message in a conversation with Arutz Sheva stated that the message was conveyed following a Russian Defense Ministry announcement that Moscow was reconsidering the sale of arms to the Syrians following the joint attack on Syria by the US, Britain, and France Friday night.

The S-300 system could be a very significant upgrade to Syria's air defense, which is now based mainly on purchases from the former Soviet Union, since no country has ever agreed to sell an advanced system of that kind to the Assad regime before.

It is not clear whether the Israeli message will effect the thinking of Russian Vladimir Putin and his administration. In 2016 Russia renewed the sale of the weapons system to Iran. The deal was signed in 2007 but was frozen following the international sanctions imposed on the Iranians.

The regime of Ayatollahs in Tehran has expressed interest in purchasing the S-400 missile defense system. This more advanced system has not yet been sold to any international actor and remains solely in the hands of the Russian military.

Russia to Israel: We will not refrain from arming Syria

Russia to Israel: We will not refrain from arming Syria

In the past few days, the Russian government has conveyed an unambiguous diplomatic message to political sources in Jerusalem that, if it should feel the need to, Russia intends to sell the advanced S-300 missile defense system to the Syrian regime.

The Russians explained that after the American intervention in Syria and the recent bombing in cooperation with Britain and France, they were committed to helping the Syrians defend themselves in the best possible way.

Last week, Israel emphasized to Russia that the sale of the advanced S-300 missile defense system to the Syrian regime constituted the crossing of a red line.

A political source who revealed the message in a conversation with Arutz Sheva stated that the message was conveyed following a Russian Defense Ministry announcement that Moscow was reconsidering the sale of arms to the Syrians following the joint attack on Syria by the US, Britain, and France.

The S-300 system could be a very significant upgrade to Syria's air defense, which is now based mainly on purchases from the former Soviet Union, since no country has ever agreed to sell an advanced system of that kind to the Assad regime before.

In 2016 Russia renewed the sale of the weapons system to Iran. The deal was signed in 2007 but was frozen following the international sanctions imposed on the Iranians.

The regime of Ayatollahs in Tehran has expressed interest in purchasing the S-400 missile defense system. This more advanced system has not yet been sold to any international actor and remains solely in the hands of the Russian military.

 

[Bible2+]

Wayholka quoted from a news story in post #1310:

Israel emphasized to Russia that the sale of the advanced S-300 missile defense system to the Syrian regime constituted the crossing of a red line.

And when Israel sets a red line, you can be assured that it will respond devastatingly to any crossing of it (unlike the backpedaling of the former U.S. administration's "red line" in Syria).

Israel has surveillance satellites which will be able to detect any delivery of S-300s to Syria. And Israel will destroy all S-300s in Syria with fighter-bomber aircraft before the S-300s can be set up and put into operation in Syria.

Russia needs to understand that Israel is not interested in trying to take out Assad or Russian military bases in Syria. Israel simply needs to be able to protect itself from Iran and other terrorist organizations operating out of Syria. And Israel cannot do this without being able to safely send its fighter-bomber aircraft over Syrian airspace. Any operational S-300s in Syria would pose too much risk to these Israeli aircraft.

Also, Israel, if it has not already, could develop or obtain very-low-flying armed drones which would be able to take out operational S-300s in Syria without being shot down by them.

Russia needs to get Iran and its Arab Shiite militias out of Syria, if it wants to avoid future attacks on Syria by Israel.

 

[jgr]

Choose the ones you think we should consider. But keep in mind that this is not a debate thread. It could stimulate other threads though.

Didn't you say this wasn't a debate thread? Or does that apply only to debaters with whom you disagree?

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

Didn't you say this wasn't a debate thread? Or does that apply only to debaters with whom you disagree?

Do you and Riberra understand English? This is NOT a debate thread. Read my quote again.

 

[jgr]

Do you and Riberra understand English? This is NOT a debate thread. Read my quote again.

Posts 1307 and 1311 are both debate posts. Why have you permitted them?

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

Posts 1307 and 1311 are both debate posts. Why have you permitted them?

There was no back and forth debate.And you are off topic.

 

[alsughasoughaiuyfygh]

 

[alsughasoughaiuyfygh]

 

[alsughasoughaiuyfygh]

White House: Iran must never have nuclear weapons

White House: Iran must never have nuclear weapons

The White House responded on Monday night to the presentation by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Iran’s nuclear activities.

“The United States is aware of the information just released by Israel and continues to examine it carefully. This information provides new and compelling details about Iran's efforts to develop missile-deliverable nuclear weapons,” it said in a statement.

“These facts are consistent with what the United States has long known: Iran has a robust, clandestine nuclear weapons program that it has tried and failed to hide from the world and from its own people. The Iranian regime has shown it will use destructive weapons against its neighbors and others. Iran must never have nuclear weapons,” added the White House.

Netanyahu on Monday revealed intelligence information obtained by Israel from Iran's secret nuclear files.

The information, said the Prime Minister, proves that "Iran lied big time" when its leaders denied that the Islamic Republic had a program to develop nuclear weapons.

He also noted that after Iran signed the nuclear deal in 2015, it intensified its efforts to hide its secret nuclear files and in 2017 moved its nuclear weapons files to a highly secret location in Tehran.

Following his address, Netanyahu spoke by telephone with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He agreed with the leaders that he would in the coming days send professional teams to share with Germany and France the detailed material that has reached Israel regarding Iran's efforts to achieve nuclear weapons.

His presentation came ahead of a May 12 deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for Europe to fix the flaws of the Iranian nuclear deal.

The president praised Netanyahu’s speech earlier on Monday, saying it "sends the right message" on Iran's nuclear program, but refused to say whether he would withdraw from the nuclear deal.

Iran's leader warns: Era of 'hit and run' attacks has ended

https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-...s-Era-of-hit-and-run-attacks-has-ended-553112

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei threatened on Monday to respond harshly to the overnight attack on the outskirts of Hama. "The era of 'hit and run' attacks has ended, and from now on, any attacks will be answered resolutely," Khamenei was quoted as saying by the Hamas-affiliated Al-Manar website. "The enemies understand that they will achieve nothing by means of war."

"The Americans do not want to pay the price of a confrontation with Iran and its people, and they leave it to several countries in the region to do so. If they are in full possession of their faculties, they will not allow the Americans to deceive them," Khamenei said, speaking menacingly towards the United States just two weeks before President Trump is set to make a fateful decision on whether his country will remain in the nuclear agreement between Iran and the superpowers.

No government or group has yet to officially claim responsibility for the attack on the military base of the 47th Brigade of the Syrian army, located between Hama and Homs, which killed 18 Iranians.

According to Arab media, the Assad regime blamed the Israeli air force for the attack. The 47th Brigade is comprised of Iranian forces and Hezbollah forces. Other outlets reported on exchanges of fire between the Assad army and rebel forces in the Homs province.

This morning, the first pictures of the attack were published, showing a building with a sign that says it is a licensing institute.

Iranians killed in alleged Israeli strike on military site in Syria

Iranians killed in alleged Israeli strike on military site in Syria

The explosions following the strike registered as a 2.6 magnitude earthquake by the European Mediterranean Seismological Center, but the weapons used did not cause the quake. Over 18 people were killed and another 60 were wounded, Sky News Arabia reported citing regime media.

Al Akhbar reported the targets of the strike were Syrian army bases being used by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and Shi'ite militias with troops from Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Hezbollah’s Al Mayadeen reported missiles also struck targets in the Al-Malikiyah area, north of the Aleppo’s airport.

Iran's Tasnim news agency denied that its bases were hit.

According to some reports the target in Hama, an army base known as Brigade 47, was an underground missile production facility and depot for surface-to-surface missile funded by Iran and built with the help of North Korea. Located near Hama, it was also widely known as a recruitment center for Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias who fight alongside President Bashar Assad's force.

Unconfirmed reports stated that an Iranian general was killed in the strike on Brigade 47 and former IDF intelligence chief Major General Amos Yadlin warned of a more volatility if Iranians were indeed killed in the strike.

"If the casualties were Syrians, they would simply be another addition to the half million people already killed in the civil war to this day. If they are Iranians, it will be added to the unfinished business they have with us, and then the month of May will be very volatile,” he said on Army Radio.

Tensions have risen dramatically between the two arch-enemies in recent months.

In February an armed Iranian drone infiltrated northern Israel in a move which the IDF claims was on a sabotage attack mission. In mid-April a strike on the T4 airbase in Homs province blamed on Israel killed seven IRGC soldiers, including Col. Mehdi Dehghan, who led the drone unit operating out of the base. Reports later surfaced that advanced Iranian Air defenses had been the target of the strike.

Referring to Iran's promises to respond to the alleged attack by Israel on a T-4 base in early April, Yadlin stated that the target of the attack may have been based on intelligence that Iran was preparing the retaliatory strike that Tehran has warned is coming.

"We have to investigate whether the attack came in response to weapon transfers to Hezbollah, to Iranian infrastructure being built in Syria or whether there was intelligence about Tehran's possible response and a decision was made to thwart it."

According to Michael Horowitz, Director of Intelligence at Le Beck, a Middle East-based geopolitical consulting group, Israel has stepped up its frequency of strikes and the nature of targets which have been attacked have changed.

“There’s been a clear change in Israel’s strategy in Syria since last year." According to foreign source, alleged "Israeli strikes are both hitting targets deeper inside Syria and the nature of these targets has change from weapons convoy and depots to actual Iranian bases,” he told The Jerusalem Post.

According to Horowitz, the strike on the Taqsis base in Hama “is very significant” as “such factories that produce ballistic missiles could help Iran gain game-changing capabilities to be used in a potential confrontation with Israel, by significantly increasing the number of precision-guided missiles within Hezbollah’s arsenal.

“It is also notable because of the challenge striking such a facility represents. The Taqsis base is built inside a mountain," and Israel, had it carried out the attack, "would have had to use advanced weapons, such as bunker busters, to hit it,” he said, adding that “a successful such strike would send a clear message of deterrence to Iran that even underground facilities (including other missile-production sites in Syria or Lebanon and even nuclear-related sites in Iran) are within Israel’s reach.”

Earlier on Sunday Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman stated that the Jewish State would not respond forcibly if any rockets are launched toward Israel or Israeli jets.

“If someone thinks that it is possible to launch missiles to Israeli cities or our aircraft, no doubt we will respond and we will respond very forcefully,” he said at The Jerusalem Post conference in New York when asked by Yaakov Katz, Editor-in-Chief of the Post.

“We will keep our freedom of operation in all of Syria. We have no intention to attack Russia or to interfere in domestic Syrian issues. But if somebody thinks that it is possible to launch missiles or to attack Israel or even our aircraft, no doubt we will respond and we will respond very forcefully.”

 

[alsughasoughaiuyfygh]

U.S. Jewish groups hail Israeli intel after Iran nuke revelations

U.S. Jewish groups hail Israeli intel after Iran nuke revelations

NEW YORK - Major US Jewish organizations hailed Israel’s security services on Monday following a dramatic speech delivered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who revealed

that Israel was in possession of thousands of documents showing Iran was in violation of a 2015 nuclear agreement.

While holding a live press conference in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu said that the nation’s intelligence services had obtained 55,000 pages of documentary evidence that outlined Iran’s nuclear program along with an additional 55,000 files on 183 CDs.

"Iran's leaders repeatedly deny ever pursuing nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said during the press conference. "Tonight I'm here to tell you one thing: Iran lied."

Along with most of Washington, the announcement stunned major American Jewish groups across the country, who heaped praise on Jerusalem’s ability to acquire such sensitive information.

“Netanyahu’s presentation demonstrates the incredible Israeli intelligence capabilities which prove that the Iranian aspirations for nuclear abilities are still in the works, including funding,” Avital Leibovich, director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in Israel, told The Jerusalem Post via email.

While nearly all condemned Iran for allegedly violating the terms of the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, most stopped short of calling for a complete withdrawal from the deal, insisting instead that world powers reform the parameters of the JCPOA.

“Despite denials, the intent and execution by the Islamic Republic leadership toward nuclear weapons capability has long been clear,” the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement.

“The international community must be steadfast in ensuring that Iran –today and tomorrow – be prevented from achieving nuclear weapons capability which would only embolden its already aggressive and dangerous policies. These revelations do highlight the need for the international community to continue monitoring Iran for illicit activities and ensure that Iran be held accountable for any attempt to engage in nuclear-related activities both under the JCPOA and beyond,” the statement added.

StandWithUs, the Israel education organization, told the Post that the Israeli government’s findings “should give world leaders pause to reflect on the inadequacies of the JCPOA, which only delays Iran's ability to produce a nuclear weapon using knowledge and infrastructure that are already at its fingertips.”

“We hope the international community will come together to fix the deal, for the sake of all people in the Middle East and beyond.”

Meanwhile, UN Ambassador Danny Danon said that the evidence presented by the Prime Minister on Monday means that the West must now institute dramatic reforms concerning the nuclear agreement or set on a new course in dealing with the Islamic Republic.

“Israel has proven without a doubt that Iran has lied repeatedly over the years about its nuclear program. The Iranian regime cannot be trusted. We once again call on the international community to join the path the US has charted and demand the necessary changes to the failed JCPOA or exit it completely,” Danon said.

Not everyone was so optimistic regarding fixes to the JCOPA.

The notable exception came from Mort Kline, head of the famously hawkish Zionist Organization of America, who deviated with the majority of his colleagues, telling the Post that it was time to kill the JCPOA and take a more aggressive posture towards the Islamic Republic.

“This proves conclusively that [Former US President Barack) Obama and Democrats and others supporting the Iran deal were dangerously wrong while [Netanyahu]... and others were painfully correct,” said Klein.

The revelation made on Monday “now obligates the US and Europe to tear up the worthless/dangerous Iran Deal and make clear to Iran that if they don’t voluntarily stop their nuclear and ICBM programs, the West will do whatever it takes to end these frightening projects that threaten the West and Israel and some Arab nations as well,” he added.

Rabbi Marc Schneier, President of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, said that despite Jerusalem’s ominous findings, the new development offered an opportunity for Israel to forge closer security ties with its Arab neighbors in beating back the threat Iran poses to the region.

“Netanyahu has presented incontrovertible proof of the Iran nuclear crisis which is a threat facing both Israel and the Gulf. During my many conversations with Gulf leaders, their concern about Iran is predominant in our discussions. Ultimately, the threat of Iran is what will bring the Gulf states and Israel closer together as they share this common threat,” Schneier told the Post.

Dovish organizations like Americans for Peace Now, on the other hand, called for restraint and for the West to engage in a diplomatic process involving the International Atomic Energy Agency in order to verify the Israeli government’s claims.

“The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and national security experts from a number of countries – including the United States and Israel – have recently indicated that Iran is abiding by the terms of the agreement,” a statement from the group reads.

“If Prime Minister Netanyahu possesses evidence to the contrary, proving that Iran is violating the agreement, it is incumbent upon him to share this information with the IAEA. The IAEA can then use recourse provided by the JCPOA to conduct additional inspections. If it emerges that Iran is indeed violating its obligations, sanctions waived by the P5+1 can be snapped back quickly,” the APN added.

Following the news from Tel Aviv, US President Donald Trump said on Monday he would be open to negotiating a new nuclear accord with Iran, who some believe is strategically coordinating with Israel ahead of an expected withdrawal from the international agreement in the coming weeks.

The president acknowledged growing expectations that he will pull out of the accord by May 12— a deadline he has set upon Britain, France and Germany to come up with “substantial” fixes to some of the agreement’s most controversial provisions. China and Russia are also parties to the agreement.

The JCPOA puts caps on Tehran’s enrichment of uranium that phase out between 10 and 15 years. As those “sunset clauses” are reached, Iran will be allowed to grow the size and efficiency of its program— installing advanced models of uranium-enriching centrifuges in place of decades-old technology, in greater numbers and at more facilities.

That will shrink the “breakout time” Iran would need to develop fissile material for nuclear bombs, should it make the political decision to proceed.

Trump wants a deal that will grant UN inspectors snap access to Iran’s military facilities, where much of their past nuclear weapons work took place; an end to their program on ballistic missiles, designed to deliver nuclear warheads; a permanent extension of the “sunset clauses;” and commitments from world powers to thwart Iran’s military ambitions across the Middle East.

Expert: Iran not likely to renegotiate nuclear deal, Israel likely to act

https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-...iate-nuclear-deal-Israel-likely-to-act-553102

It will be very difficult to persuade Iran to renegotiate the nuclear deal despite arguments from the United States that its flaws must be addressed, said an Israeli expert on Israel-Iran relations.

With the May 12 deadline approaching for the six world powers to approve recertification of the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), there is concern that US President Donald Trump will follow through with his threats to tear up the agreement.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have both made separate visits to Washington D.C. recently to encourage Trump to remain in the deal.

Iran and the P5+1, which consists of Great Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, reached a comprehensive agreement in July 2015. According to the deal, Iran has agreed to halt its nuclear weapons program in exchange for economic aid and the lifting of international sanctions. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the deal.

After the Trump administration came into power, the US continued to make threats that it would tear up the deal. Trump even went as far as to replace his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, with former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Mike Pompeo to exert more pressure on the Iranian nuclear issue. Pompeo, who was recently sworn in to his new post, then headed to Israel to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pledging to deepen the long-standing alliance and counter "Iran's aggression".

The two met at the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, as part of Pompeo's first official visit to the country.

Referring to Trump's position on the deal, Pompeo said Trump has been clear that the deal's flaws should be fixed, or the US will withdraw from it.

Faced with mounting pressure, Iran has threatened to resume 20 percent uranium enrichment if the US leaves the deal.

Raz Tzimmt, an expert on Israel-Iran relations, said it will be very difficult to persuade Iran to renegotiate.

"I think it will be very difficult if not impossible to persuade the Iranians to renegotiate the deal. I mean the perception in Iran is that Iran has already given up some part of its capabilities during the negotiations with P5+1 and the United States. So I think it will be almost impossible to believe that under no circumstances, including more economic pressure on Iran, Iran, and especially Supreme Leader Khamenei, is going to agree for a better deal," said Tzimmt.

Tzimmt said if Iran resumes its nuclear activity, Israel will possibly take action, with military options most likely on the table.

"In case Iran breaks out for nuclear weapons and quits the NPT and expels the IAEA inspectors from Iran, that would mean that Iran is not just after resuming its nuclear activity, but about its bomb. And then I think we could expect Israel to take more radical actions, including military options against Iran, because Israel has always made it very clear that it will not allow Iran to become a nuclear military state," said Tzimmt.

Israeli security cabinet calls emergency meeting

Israeli security cabinet calls emergency meeting

Israel’s Security Cabinet held an emergency meeting Monday afternoon, hours after explosions rocked military facilities in Syria.

The special meeting of the cabinet was convened at 1:30 p.m. at IDF headquarters in the Kirya compound in Tel Aviv.

Several military facilities around Hama and Aleppo in Syria were reportedly hit by missiles at approximately 10:30 p.m. Sunday night.

Among the targets reportedly hit was a facility known as “Brigade 47”, a base run by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard for local Iranian-backed paramilitary groups.

Some initial estimates placed the death toll as high as 40, while the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that 26 were killed in the strikes, adding that most of the fatalities were “foreign fighters” – a reference to Iranian troops stationed in Syria.

Iran’s ISNA news outlet initially confirmed that Iranian forces had been hit, reporting 18 dead, before retracting the story. Tehran’s Tasnim later quoted an Iranian source denying that any Iranian assets had been hit in strikes.

Though no claims of responsibility have yet been issued, Hezbollah’s Al-Akhbar news outlet suggested that the Israeli Air Force was responsible for the missile strikes. The anti-Assad Syrian Observatory for Human Rights backed up the claim, stating that Israel was probably behind the strikes.

"Given the nature of the target, it is likely to have been an Israeli strike,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the SOHR.

While Israel’s Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) denied knowledge of the strikes, Israeli security officials are concerned Syria or its patron, Iran, could attempt to retaliate, after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Kamenei warned his country would retaliate "multiple times" against its enemies. Israeli media outlets have reported that a planned Security Cabinet tour of Home Front Command had been cancelled following the strikes in Syria.

 

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