The battle for the Golan Heights - Professor Eyal Zisser - http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=18899
The northern border refuses to rest. Just last week, Hezbollah organized a tour along the Israeli-Lebanese border for members of the media in a move meant to show who is really in charge in Lebanon. Hezbollah officers who accompanied the reporters proudly pointed out that Israel is in something of a defensive fever along the border, digging tunnels and fortifying positions out of fear of an attack by Hezbollah fighters.
On the other hand, three militia fighters operating in the service of the Syrian regime, with the assistance of Hezbollah and Iran, were killed in an attack the Syrians attributed to Israel, according to a report from the Syrian Golan Heights Sunday morning. It was only a month ago that one of the commanders in this very same militia was killed in an aerial attack, which Israel insinuated it had a hand in attack and noted the commander who was killed had been working to promote terrorist activity in the Golan Heights.
The incidents along the border come two weeks after the U.S. airstrikes on Syria. This attack was without a doubt important and of much symbolic significance, but it was a largely isolated event, without follow-up and devoid of a clear strategy that could serve as a practical translation of the statements out of Washington saying that Syrian President Bashar Assad must go and that he will not be allowed to play a role in Syria's future. It is no wonder, then, that Assad sees the U.S. airstrikes on Syria as a minor blow, after which he can continue full force, albeit with greater caution than in the past, toward his aim of retaining the throne and defeating his opponents.
A return to normal in Syria following the U.S. attack means a return to the battle Assad, with the help of Russia and mostly Iran, is waging to resume power over large areas of Syria, and more critically for us, over the Golan Heights region.
Assad lost control over the Golan Heights at the outset of the civil war, but he is now acting to return to the region that is of such strategic importance to him and his Iranian allies.
A senior IDF officer was quoted last week as saying that Russia is taking Iran's place as hegemon in Syria, and that everything is being done there according to its will and dictates. But it is too soon to eulogize Iran's role in Syria and the presence of the Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah fighters in the country. After all, the Russian presence in Syria is limited to a few dozen fighter jets, while Iran and Hezbollah have tens of thousands of fighters, some of whom are Shiite volunteers brought in by the Iranians to fight in Syria. Several thousand of them are members of the al-Nujaba Shiite militia, whose men announced in Tehran that after they achieve victory in Syria, they will turn to fighting Israel in the Golan Heights. The Russians may control Assad, but they need the Iranians to both preserve and reimpose his rule over large areas of Syria.
Given this situation, Israel has focused its attention on the Golan Heights front, which the Iranians and Hezbollah hope to make their playground and use indirectly against Israel, through the use of the Assad men they have enlisted and trained. When Israel acted against Hezbollah operatives like Jihad Mughniyeh in the past, the organization retaliated by attacking IDF soldiers. But when it comes to actions against Assad's men attributed to Israel by the foreign media, Hezbollah leaves the reaction -- or more commonly, the lack thereof -- to Assad. And Assad, of course, has no interest in opening another front with Israel, as long as he is absorbed in fighting his opponents in Syria.
US THAADs to South Korea - China launches carrier - http://www.debka.com/article/26025/US-THAADs-to-South-Korea-China-launches-carrier
The US early Wednesday, April 26, began moving the THAAD missile defense system to central South Korea opposite the border with the North - months ahead of schedule. A South Korean military official said two road-mobile launchers had arrived at the Osan Air Base. One THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) unit includes six launchers.
Tuesday, the USS Michigan nuclear submarine docked in South Korea, after the North began a large-scale, long-range artillery fire drill in Wonsan on the east coast. More than 4,000 artillery guns are reported to be taking part in the "exercise."
The Michigan is in place ready to join the USS Carl Vinson carrier and its strike group which are steaming towards the peninsula, along with two Japanese destroyers.
Later Wednesday, all 100 US senators are scheduled to gather at the White House for a briefing by US security and military chiefs on the North Korean crisis, as the buildup to meet North Korean belligerence continues apace.
Facing US steps to meet the Korean crisis, China made ready to launch its second aircraft carrier, the Shandong, also known as the Type 001A. The new vessel, the first to be manufactured from prow to stern in China, is bigger than the Liaoning, China's first Russian-made aircraft carrier. It is due to be operational in two or three years.
Beijing has voiced objections to the deployment of an American missile shield in South Korea, a country it regards as its back yard. China also continues its own naval buildup to assert its control of the South China Sea.
At the same time, the Chinese Air Force remains on high alert over the Korean crisis, although this is denied in Beijing, and Russia continues to pour troops, tanks and missiles to its short 18-km border with North Korea in the Vladivostok district. Japan too is placing its army on a war footing. On Tuesday, US, Japanese and South Korean envoys met in Tokyo to coordinate their preparations for meeting North Korea's threats, including the detonation of its sixth nuclear test. Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing, Moscow and Washington are waiting tensely to see if Kim Jong-un is deterred from his aggressive rhetoric and moves by the arrival of the THAAD missiles at his back door.
Is Israel planning to strike more Lebanese sites in next Hezbollah war? - By Yonah Jeremy Bob - http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Is-Israel-planning-to-strike-more-Lebanese-sites-in-next-Hezbollah-war-488907
In rare remarks, IDF MAG hints that he would approve more targets than were approved in the 2006 Lebanon War in the event of a new conflict between Israel, Hezbollah.
The IDF Military Advocate General Brig.-Gen. Sharon Afek hinted strongly on Tuesday that he will approve a wider range of Lebanese targets than were approved in the 2006 Lebanon War in the event of a new war with Hezbollah.
Speaking at a Ramat Gan conference of military Judge Advocate General (JAG) officers from as many as 20 countries around the world, Afek said that "Hezbollah's integration into state institutions raises questions of state responsibility."
While legal advisers like the MAG never completely share their hand in advance of a war of what targets they will approve, it is even rare for such advisers to publicly and specifically cite a potential targeting issue.
The statement was that much more unusual with an ongoing line of reports from the security establishment that in a future conflict with Hezbollah, the IDF would "take off the gloves" and attack wider Lebanese targets. In contrast, in the 2006 Lebanon War, the IDF overwhelmingly focused its attacks on Hezbollah controlled areas in order to avoid striking Lebanese-Sunni and Christian areas viewed as unaffiliated with Hezbollah's military actions.
However, since 2006, Israeli officials have said that Hezbollah has taken deeper control of the state and that the Lebanese state is now more directly supporting even Hezbollah's military efforts.
In the meantime, Arab media reported that Lebanon's neighbor Jordan has also warned the former of a possible upcoming altercation with Israel.
Jordan has heeded of the possibility that Israel will launch a military campaign against Lebanon, London-based Saudi newspaper Al-Hayat reported on Tuesday.
According to the daily publication Jordanian king Abdullah told Lebanese President Michel Aoun as well as Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri that "there is a possibility that Israel will attack Lebanon."
Al-Hayat alleged that Abdullah made the statement towards the end of the Arab summit that was held recently on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea.
Both the Lebanese president as well as the prime minister have caught the media's attention recently.
Just this past weekend the Lebanese premier paid a visit to south Lebanon, where he strongly critiqued Shi'ite terror organization Hezbollah who have organized a tour for journalists along the country's northern border. Hariri then emphasized that the Lebanese army's presence was still dominant in the south of the country and that it was doing its job in the best way possible. Hariri also called on the UN to "help Israel and Lebanon" to speed the process aimed at obtaining a permanent ceasefire in south Lebanon.
President Aoun himself also sparked controversy some two months ago when he said that Hezbollah's weapons complete the Lebanese military's arsenal in a statement that accentuates the reason Israel is still as guarded as ever in its dealings with its northern neighbor.
Trump calls all US Senators for North Korea briefing - http://www.debka.com/article/26024/WHouse-calls-all-US-Senators-for-NKorea-briefing-
In view of escalating threats from North Korea, all 100 US senators were invited to the White House Wednesday for a rare classified briefing on the crisis from the administration's top security chiefs: Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, National Intelligence director Dan Coats and Chairman of the US chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford. Vice President Mike Pence has interrupted his Asian trip to attend. The briefing is set for 1900 hours GMT.
President Donald Trump, who spoke Sunday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe said: The status quo in North Korea is unacceptable. It's a big problem, has been for decades and we must finally solve it."
As North Korea prepares to mark the 85th anniversary on Tuesday of the founding of its Korean People's Army - a possible date for the regime to test military hardware - its official website warned Monday that Pyongyang will "wipe out" the United States if Washington starts a war on the peninsula.
US commercial satellite images have indicated increased activity around North Korea's nuclear test site, while Kim has said that the country's preparation for an ICBM launch is in its "final stage." Earlier, Pyonyang threatened to sink the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier which is leading a strike group toward the Korean peninsula along with two Japanese destroyers.
Xi told Trump that China strongly opposed North Korea's nuclear weapons program and hoped "all parties will exercise restraint and avoid aggravating the situation." This drew an angry response from North Korean media: The state-owned KCNA news agency suggested Beijing was "dancing to the tune of others" and warned China of "catastrophic consequences".
US Defense Secretary James Mattis in Djibouti amid high Red Sea stakes - http://www.debka.com/article/26023/Mattis-in-Djibouti-amid-high-Red-Sea-stakes
US Defense Secretary James Mattis arrival in Djibouti Sunday, April 23 coincided with Egyptian President Abdul-Fatteh El-Sisi's landing in Riyadh. Both capitals are pivotal for the Arab face-off with Iran over control of the strategic Red Sea, which is of overriding concern to both visitors.
Mattis was the first US defense chief to visit Djibouti since 2005. America's only African base at Camp Lemonnier is important for the former French colony's geographic location on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait between Djibouti and Yemen and as a springboard for offensive US operations on Al Qaeda jihadists (AQAP) in Yemen and Al-Qaeda-linked al Shabaab in Somalia. The Trump administration's drive to crush terrorism in its main arenas has shifted from defense operations to "additional precision fire"
For El-Sisi, the Red Sea is an essential component of Egypt's national security. He recently sent Saudi King Salman an offer of 40,000 Egyptian troops to man the kingdom's southern border against Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi insurgent attacks. The monarch spurned the Egyptian offer. He has no wish to allow the Egyptian military forces a foothold on Saudi soil, but would rather see them fighting in Yemen alongside Saudi and United Arab Emirate troops (including a large number of Sudanese and Columbian mercenaries) who are now engaged in a drive to capture the port of Hudaydah on the eastern Red Sea coast of Yemen.
However, since 2015, El-Sisi has taken good care not to let the Egyptian army become mired in the Yemen conflict. All he was prepared to contribute was a naval presence alongside the Saudi and Emirate fleets for maintaining Arab control of the narrow Bab El-Mandeb Strait, which commands access to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and is one of the world's busiest oil, merchant and naval shipping routes from the Persian Gulf to the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean.
Neither Riyadh nor Abu Dhabi, which donate many billions to the Egyptian economy, will be satisfied with a partial Egyptian commitment to the contest for control of the Red Sea or the Yemen conflict. They regard both contests as fateful struggles for containing expanding Iranian influence over the Yemeni insurgent movement and strategic shipping routes.
Tehran's success would not only place their shores at risk but also their navies Towards the end of 2015, the two Arab Gulf nations therefore embarked on an aggressive policy of defense
debkafile's military and intelligence sources reveal that in the past two years, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have undertaken an accelerated process of construction and the leasing of five bases - some with added air force facilities - along 3,000km of shoreline on the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the southern approaches of the Indian Ocean to consolidate their military control.
Those bases along this strip of coast, some in mid-construction, run from Port Sudan, to Assab in Eritrea, Djibouti and Berbera in coastal northwestern Somalia, which serves as the region's main commercial harbor, and is positioned strategically on the oil route, and up to Bosaso seaport in northeastern Somalia.
The Egyptian president strongly disapproves of the Saudi-UAE presence at Port Sudan, Egypt's southern neighbor's primary military port, which he sees as military interference in his country's back yard.
Secretary Mattis' visit to Djibouti was not focused directly on the Arab-Iranian faceoff on the Red Sea, but was definitely concerned with the Yemen war and attempts to curb the deepening Iranian influence in Yemen. Our sources also report that in his talks last week with Saudi King Salman and Defense Minister Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, the possible consignment of US ground troops to Yemen was discussed.
Pro-Iran troops move on Quneitra -
Early Thursday, April 26, a mixed Syrian-Iranian-Hezbollah force embarked on a general offensive in southern Syria ready for a leap on Israel's Golan border. They moved forward in the face of Israeli warnings that were relayed from Moscow to Tehran and Hezbollah.
This latest warning was issued by Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who is visiting the Russian capital this week to attend an international security conference. After meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defense Minister Gen. Sergey Shogun, the Israeli minister stated clearly on Wednesday: "Israel will not allow the concentration of Iranian and Hezbollah forces on its Golan border."
By Thursday morning, it was evident that a decision had been taken in Moscow, Tehran, Damascus and Beirut to ignore Lieberman's warning.
debkafile's military sources report that early Thursday, Shiite militias under the command of Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers, alongside Hezbollah troops, organized as the Southern Shield Brigade, launched their offensive at Mt. Hermon southwest of Damascus, on their way to the Syrian-Israeli Golan border in the region of Quneitra. The Syrian contingents taking part in this push are the Syrian army's elite 42nd Brigade and elements of the 4th Mechanized Division.
Their first objective is to capture a string of villages held by Syrian rebel groups in the region of Hadar on the Hermon slopes. They are advancing towards the Golan along the Beit Jinn route.
There is no word yet on whether the warning issued by the defense minister from Moscow has produced a direct Israeli response to the provocation. Very possibly the five explosions and ball of fire they set off at Damascus international airport Thursday morning may prove to be connected to that response.
Israel strikes Iran-supplied arms depot near Damascus airport -
Israel struck an arms supply hub operated by the Lebanese group Hezbollah near Damascus airport on Thursday, Syrian rebel and regional intelligence sources said, targeting weapons sent from Iran via commercial and military cargo planes.
Video carried on Lebanese TV and shared on social media showed the pre-dawn airstrikes caused a fire around the airport east of the Syrian capital, suggesting fuel sources or weapons containing explosives were hit.
Syrian state media said Israeli missiles hit a military position southwest of the airport, but did not mention arms or fuel. It said "Israeli aggression" had caused explosions and some material losses, but did not expand on the damage.
Israel does not usually comment on action it takes in Syria. But Intelligence Minister Israel Katz, speaking to Army Radio from the United States, appeared to confirm involvement.
"The incident in Syria corresponds completely with Israel's policy to act to prevent Iran's smuggling of advanced weapons via Syria to Hezbollah," he said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had "said that whenever we receive intelligence that indicates an intention to transfer advanced weapons to Hezbollah, we will act", he added.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said: "We can't comment on such reports."
Two senior rebel sources in the Damascus area, citing monitors in the eastern outskirts of the capital, said five strikes hit an ammunition depot used by Iran-backed militias.
Lebanon's al-Manar television, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, said early indications were that the strikes hit warehouses and fuel tanks. It said there no casualties.
RUSSIA AND IRAN BACK ASSAD
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is backed in his six-year-old civil war by Russia, Iran and regional Shi'ite militias. These include Hezbollah, a close ally of Tehran and enemy of Israel, which describes the group as the biggest threat it faces on its borders. The two fought a month-long war in 2006.
Syrian military defectors familiar with the airport say it plays a major role as a conduit for arms from Tehran.
Alongside military planes, there are a number of commercial cargo aircraft that fly from Iran to resupply arms to Hezbollah and other groups. The flights go directly from Iran to Syria, passing through Iraqi airspace.
As well as weapons, hundreds of Shi'ite militia fighters from Iraq and Iran have been flown to Damascus international airport. Intelligence sources put their numbers at 10,000 to 20,000 and say they play a significant role in military campaigns launched by the Syrian army.
Israel has largely kept out the war in Syria, but officials have consistently referred to two red lines that have prompted a military response in the past: any supply of advanced weaponry to Hezbollah, and the establishment of "launch sites" for attacks on Israel from the Golan Heights region.
Speaking in Moscow on Wednesday, where he was attending a security conference, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman reiterated that Israel "will not allow Iranian and Hezbollah forces to be amassed on the Golan Heights border".
During his visit, Lieberman held talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as part of efforts by Israel to coordinate with Moscow on actions in Syria and avoid the risk of confrontation.
A statement from the Defense Ministry said Lieberman had expressed concern to the Russian ministers over "Iranian activity in Syria and the Iranian use of Syrian soil as a base for arms smuggling to Hezbollah in Lebanon".
A Western diplomat said the airstrikes sent a clear political message to Iran, effectively saying it could no longer use Iraqi and Syrian airspace to resupply proxies with impunity.
Speaking to Reuters in an interview in Washington on Wednesday, Katz, the intelligence minister, said he was seeking an understanding with the Trump administration that Iran not be allowed to establish a permanent military foothold in Syria.
Israeli officials estimate that Iran commands around 25,000 fighters in Syria, including members of its own Revolutionary Guard, Shi'ite militants from Iraq and recruits from Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Israel has also said that Hezbollah has built up an arsenal of more than 100,000 rockets, many of which would be capable of striking anywhere within Israel's territory. The last conflict between the two left 1,300 people dead and uprooted more than a million Lebanese and 300,000 to 500,000 Israelis.
Israel-Syria Border Heating Up Leads to Tensions With Iran And Russia - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/87292/israel-syria-border-heating-leads-tensions-iran-russia/#UVULxSvbKZIaY1JL.99
"Take counsel together, and it shall be brought to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand; for God is with us." Isaiah 8:10 (The Israel Bible�)
An Israeli Patriot Missile shot down a Syrian drone on Thursday, only a few hours after Israel was reported to have struck an arms depot near Damascus Airport containing Iranian weapons bound for Hezbollah. Russia condemned Israel's involvement in the multi-national fray taking place on her northern border.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, missiles hit a weapons depot reported to hold missiles destined to be transferred to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah is a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al Assad.
"The Syrian army and its allies will work to thwart the new Israeli plot on the occupied Golan border and will continue to destroy the enemy's collaborators," a Syrian military source said to Lebanese news site el-Nashra, claiming the missiles had destroyed fuel tanks. No casualties were reported.
The airport has also been cited as a pipeline for Iranian military support of Assad. In 2011, the US Treasury reported that Iran Air, a civilian carrier, transported missile parts and military supplies to Syria. JPost reported that according to a flight radar tracking site, flightradar24.com, four Iranian cargo planes had landed at Damascus Airport just hours before the alleged strike.
Israel has a policy of not commenting on attacks such as this, but in an interview to Army Radio, Israel's Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said, "I can confirm that the incident in Syria corresponds completely with Israel's policy to act to prevent Iran's smuggling of advanced weapons via Syria to Hezbollah in Iran. Naturally, I don't want to elaborate on this."
"The prime minister has said that whenever we receive intelligence that indicated an intention to transfer advanced weapons to Hezbollah, we will act," Katz added.
After the attack Thursday morning, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "We continue to consider that all countries need to refrain from any kind of actions that lead to an increase in tension in this already restive region and call for respect of the sovereignty of Syria."
His statement was echoed by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who said, "Gross violations of Syrian sovereignty, no matter how they are justified, are unacceptable," she said, adding that "Moscow condemns acts of aggression against Syria."
Later on Thursday, the IDF acknowledged they downed a Syrian drone over Northern Israel.
"The IDF will not allow any breach of Israel's airspace and will act against any attempt of infiltration," the army said in a statement.
This comes two days day after a senior IDF official confirmed that Israel An Israeli Air Force (IAF) strike last month destroyed approximately 100 Syrian missiles, many of which were believed to be headed to the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah.
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