Hezbollah Planning its Next War, Israel Preparing -Tzippe Barrow -
http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/israel/2016/april/hezbollah-planning-its-next-war-israel-preparing
Recent reports show Hezbollah is preparing for its next war against Israel.
A newly released analysis by Stratfor says Hezbollah plans "to expand and solidify" its future presence in Syria as it continues preparing for a future confrontation with Israel.
Since a U.N.-imposed ceasefire ended the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006, Israel has closely monitored Hezbollah's activities, especially south of the Litani River. U.N. Resolution 1701 forbids its expansion there, but that has never been the reality on the ground.
Like many of its terror counterparts, Hezbollah built underground bunkers and weapons warehouses inside residential areas in southern Lebanon.
It also restocked its missile cache after firing some 4,000 rockets on northern Israel nearly a decade ago. Reports at the time indicated the U.N. peacekeeping forces did little to interfere with Hezbollah's activities in southern Lebanon.
Years before Syria's civil war began, the Assad regime helped transport Iranian missiles and other weaponry to Hezbollah. Later, the Lebanese-based Iranian proxy dispatched its fighters to bolster President Bashar al-Assad's troops.
According to the Stratfor report, Hezbollah is building a military base near the Syrian town of Qusair where it's stockpiling weapons, ostensibly for defense should the Assad regime fall. Some say Hezbollah is building tunnels into Lebanon from there.
However, as the now-six-year-long war winds up, Hezbollah plans to keep a few thousand troops on the ground in Syria, in part to provide easy access for its mentor, Iran. Senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers are said to inspect the facility regularly, which in the future may house long-range missiles that can hit any of Israel's major population centers.
In the past, Israeli pilots have taken out missile convoys traveling to the Lebanese border through Syria. Israel rarely owns up to the targeted strikes.
Meanwhile, Brig.-Gen. Zvika Haimovich, commander of the IAF's Aerial Defense Division, told the Jerusalem Post the Iron Dome anti-missile battery has been greatly enhanced since its introduction five years ago.
"As someone who knows Iron Dome from its first day, I can say this system has matured and improved in its ability over the past five years," Haimovich told the Post. "Other than the name, everything is completely different. It has very much improved its effective capabilities."
Integrating the Iron Dome with its other air defense systems -- including the Arrow-2, Arrow-3, the Patriot missiles, and David's Sling slated to become operational this year -- has also improved, he said.
The U.S.-led Iranian nuclear deal, with its billions in sanctions relief, very much factors into the mix.
"After the nuclear agreement, I can see how this is influencing Iran. I see Iran giving much more support to terrorist organizations in the form of money and technological and technical assistance, in anything you can imagine Iran is conducting missile tests and provides close assistance to Hezbollah and Hamas," he explained.
"This is a race, between us and our adversaries. I was always taught it's better to be ahead of the other side. We are developing systems, technologies and doctrines to maximize our capabilities," he said.
Hezbollah said building missile base in Syria, to strike at Israel - By Stuart Winer -
http://www.timesofisrael.com/hezbollah-said-to-fortify-missile-positions-inside-syria/
Satellite images show villages razed in area; reports suggest fortified site may house armed Iranian missiles for use against Jewish state
The Lebanese terror group Hezbollah has reportedly been constructing a fortified base inside Syria that it may be using to store Iranian ballistic missiles with the range to hit Israel.
Satellite images of an area on the northern Lebanese-Syrian border show that Hezbollah has been consolidating positions it conquered from Syrian rebels in June 2013, global intelligence company Stratfor said Wednesday.
Photos show several facilities in the region around Qusair, including one large compound surrounded by an earthen berm. Villages up to four kilometers (2.5 miles) from the base have been razed to enable clear observation of the territory, and tunnels have reportedly been dug back under the border and into Lebanon.
Other sources said there are long-range missiles at the base including Iranian-manufactured Shabab-1, Shabab-2, and Fateh-110 ballistic missiles, although there was no satellite confirmation to back up the claim.
"While these missiles could prove crucial in the event of a large-scale Israeli ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, they are not beyond the reach of the Israeli Air Force," the report said. "Notably, imagery does not show significant underground facilities at the base capable of protecting this weaponry."
The missiles are estimated to have ranges from 200 to at least 1,000 kilometers (125-625 miles), putting all of Israel within striking distance.
Several airstrikes in Syria, attributed to the Israeli Air Force, reportedly targeted advanced weapons shipments to Hezbollah. Although Israel has never publicly admitted to carrying out the strikes, it has vowed to prevent Hezbollah from obtaining any game-changing weapons.
One source said the plan is to also store Katyusha rockets, mortars, and howitzers at Qusair as well as to station some of Hezbollah's 60 T-72 battle tanks at the base. Additional intelligence reported four munitions factories in the complex.
Stratfor said the installation is part of a Hezbollah plan to keep a force of 3,000 fighters in Syria as well as provide a base of operations for its sponsor, Iran. An Iranian diplomatic source claimed officers from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps make frequent visits to the positions near Qusair, Starfor said.
Hezbollah conquered the area while fighting on behalf of the Syrian government against rebels in the country's civil war.
Based on information from diplomatic sources and those described as "close to Hezbollah," Stratfor assessed that Hezbollah will strive to further increase its presence in Syria as a precaution against the possible ousting of President Bashar Assad's regime by rebels.
Iran announces plan to produce explosives used in missile warheads - By Stuart Winer - http://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-says-its-planning-to-produce-explosives-used-in-missile-warheads/
Defense minister says country wants to make Octogen to improve 'destructive power'; material also used in nuke detonators
Iran intends to produce the powerful explosive Octogen for use in the warheads of its missiles to improve their "destructive and penetration power," Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said Wednesday.
Octogen is used as an explosive in penetrating missile warheads and as a solid rocket fuel - but is also employed as part of the detonator in an atomic bomb.
During a ceremony to inaugurate a Octogen production plant, Dehqan stressed Iran's goal of gaining the know-how to make the explosive material in order to avoid relying on external sources.
"Concurrently with its efforts to increase the precision-striking power of its weapons systems, the Defense Ministry has also paid attention to boosting the destructive and penetration power of different weapons' warheads and has put on its agenda the acquisition of the technical know-how to produce Octogen explosive materials and Octogen-based weapons," he said, according to a report from the semi-official FARS news agency.
Western powers have called on the UN to take action against Iran over tests of ballistic missiles carried out on March 9, noting they threatened Israel.
Under a UN Security Council resolution passed alongside a landmark nuclear deal last year, Iran is forbidden to develop weapons that can carry nuclear weapons.
That would seem to include ballistic missiles, including two that were tested last month with the words "Israel must be wiped off the earth" emblazoned on one, according to the US and other Western powers.
Dehqan complained that the West is preventing countries from helping Iran in technical matters and said, "We should endeavor to reinvigorate our infrastructures in the defense industries, reduce dependence and use domestic industries."
The minister's comments came as Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei accused the United States and Western nations of being untrustworthy, in comments to members of the cabinet and senior parliamentary and judiciary figures in Tehran on Wednesday, FARS reported.
"The Americans cannot be trusted and, in addition to the Americans, certain other Western states are also the same; hence, we should put trust in our own abilities and the US officials' positions and performance is also a confirmation of the same fact," Khamenei said.
Khamenei has in the past repeatedly accused the West of reneging on its commitments in the nuclear deal, maintaining that many international companies continue to avoid working with Iran out of fear of the US.
The nuclear agreement, passed in July 2015 and implemented in January, lifted punishing economic sanctions and has allowed Iran to forge fresh economic and diplomatic ties with the West. In return Iran agreed to dismantle the weapons-capable aspects of its nuclear program.
At the end of March the US, France, Britain and Germany and three allies called for a United Nations Security Council meeting to formulate an "appropriate response" to Iran's recent ballistic missile tests, which they say were carried out in defiance of the UN resolution.
The letter called the launches "destabilizing and provocative" and says the Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile and Qiam-1 short-range ballistic missile that were fired are "inherently capable of delivering nuclear weapons."
Israel also called for punitive action against Iran following the tests.
Iran maintains that because it cannot develop nuclear weapons under the deal, no missile is capable of carrying a nuclear weapon.
Iran deploys special forces to Syria - By Ariel Ben Solomon - http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Iran-deploys-special-forces-to-Syria-450187
"The regular army has begged for some time to get involved in Syria because it would be a source of prestige and funding," says Iran expert Ali Alfoneh.
Iran's army deployed Special Forces from the 65th Nohed Brigade to Syria on an advisory mission, army official said on Monday.
Deputy Chief Liaison of the Army Ground Force, General Ali Arasteh, told Iran's Tasnim News Agency that advisers from the 65th Nohed Brigade are now stationed in Syria.
In addition, he said, fighters from other units in the army are active in Syria is well. The Iranian General also noted that the army utilizes a broad range of drones.
Ali Alfoneh, an independent Iran expert, Tweeted an estimate that 353 combat fatalities from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have occurred since January 2012.
"Since the September 29, 2015 Russian military involvement: 227," he said, adding that so far in April there have been five.
Alfoneh told The Jerusalem Post that "the regular army has begged for some time to get involved in Syria because it would be a source of prestige and funding."
So far, Alfoneh has not noted any casualties among the soldiers from the Nohed Brigade.
At the end of March, Amir Toumaj, a research analyst of Iran at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, wrote in The Long War Journal, citing an earlier report of an Iranian commander saying Special Forces would be deployed to Syria, said it would mark the first time that army forces from the Rapid Response Battalions would be operated outside of Iran since the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
"Since 1979, however, the clerics have marginalized the Army in favor of the IRGC. The Guard receives better equipment and funding, even though it is only one-third in size (150,000 men compared to 350,000)," wrote Toumaj.
The announced deployment "represents a departure from its constitutional mission to protect Iran's territorial integrity."
Separately, Iranian air-defense base deputy commander, General Ali Reza Sabahi-Fard, said operational capabilities would improve because of the use of new missile systems, Tasnim reported.
He also noted the doubling of the number of radar stations.
US army building secret missile-proof base in Israel - By David Rosenberg -
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/210488#.VwfYVY-cE2x
Fearing Iranian missiles and Hezbollah rockets, US military constructing reinforced base in central Israel
Iran's recent ballistic missiles tests, which have led to concern and consternation in Israel, apparently have the United States military worried as well.
In late February the US military took part in a five day joint military exercise with Israel code named "Juniper Cobra".
The central focus of the exercise was coordinating responses to a potential ballistic missile attack.
Since then, however, security officials have revealed that the US military has serious concerns about the possibility of missile attacks by Iran, Hezbollah, or Hamas, and is taking additional precautions to protect American assets in Israel.
Speaking to Walla News, these officials said the US is constructing a secret army base in central Israel.
The new base, which is being built in response to the Iranian missile threat, is reportedly designed to withstand ballistic missile attacks.
According to the report the base, which is already in advanced stages of construction, will be fully manned at all times and prepared for emergency situations.
The base is linked to the US army's radar facility in Dimona.
In March Iran conducted a series of ballistic missile tests, the first since October 2015.
Iran's ballistic missiles, which are capable of reaching Israel and can be fitting with nuclear warheads, have prompted partial American sanctions, with some American lawmakers calling for harsher measures to punish the Iranian regime.
Iran boasts it has developed 12 new nuclear products - http://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-boasts-it-has-developed-12-new-nuclear-products/
On Day of Nuclear Technology, Rouhani also announces new atomic facility, unveils latest technology
In a ceremony to mark Iran's National Day of Nuclear Technology, the Islamic Republic on Thursday announced the unveiling of twelve new, self-developed nuclear products in several different fields, ranging from fuel and laser technology to power plants and reactors.
Among the products unveiled at the ceremony, which was attended by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, were new centrifuge systems and fuel rod complexes for testing reactors, according to the Iranian Fars news.
The report quoted a spokesman for the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization referring to "new nuclear achievements" in "fuel, laser, power plants and health fields."
During Thursday's event, Rouhani also announced the establishment of the Pasman Gor nuclear site in Anarak region, as well as the publication of three books related to nuclear technology and the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.
On Wednesday, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said the country intends to produce the powerful explosive Octogen for use in the warheads of its missiles to improve their "destructive and penetration power."
Octogen is used as an explosive in penetrating missile warheads and as a solid rocket fuel - but is also employed as part of the detonator in an atomic bomb.
During a ceremony to inaugurate a Octogen production plant, Dehqan stressed Iran's goal of gaining the know-how to make the explosive material in order to avoid relying on external sources.
Western powers have called on the UN to take action against Iran over tests of ballistic missiles carried out on March 9, noting they threatened Israel.
Under a UN Security Council resolution passed alongside a landmark nuclear deal last year, Iran is forbidden to develop weapons that can carry nuclear weapons.
That would seem to include ballistic missiles, including two that were tested last month with the words "Israel must be wiped off the earth" emblazoned on one, according to the US and other Western powers.
The nuclear agreement, passed in July 2015 and implemented in January, lifted punishing economic sanctions and has allowed Iran to forge fresh economic and diplomatic ties with the West. In return Iran agreed to dismantle the weapons-capable aspects of its nuclear program.
At the end of March, the US, France, Britain and Germany and three allies called for a United Nations Security Council meeting to formulate an "appropriate response" to Iran's recent ballistic missile tests, which they say were carried out in defiance of the UN resolution.
The letter called the launches "destabilizing and provocative" and says the Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile and Qiam-1 short-range ballistic missile that were fired are "inherently capable of delivering nuclear weapons."
Israel also called for punitive action against Iran following the tests.
Iran maintains that because it cannot develop nuclear weapons under the deal, no missile is capable of carrying a nuclear weapon.
Russia again said set to begin delivery of S-300 missile to Iran - By Raoul Wootliff - http://www.timesofisrael.com/russia-again-said-set-to-begin-delivery-of-s-300-missile-to-iran/
Senior Moscow diplomat reportedly says first shipment of anti-aircraft missile system will start in the coming days
Russia is to begin delivering the S-300 anti-aircraft missile defense system to Iran in the coming days, a senior Russian diplomat was reported as saying Tuesday, the latest chapter in an on-again, off-again saga involving transfer of the advanced weapon.
"I don't know if this will happen today, but they [S-300 missiles] will be loaded [for shipment to Iran]," said Zamir Kabulov, a department chief at the Russian Foreign Ministry, according to the Interfax news agency.
The announcement comes a month after reports that Russian President Vladmir Putin froze the transfer after receiving evidence from Israel that Tehran had transferred advanced weapons to Hezbollah.
Putin was said to have scuppered the delivery after Israel showed that Iran had repeatedly attempted to transfer the SA-22 Greyhound short-range air defense system to the Lebanese-based terrorist group.
One of the most sophisticated anti-aircraft weapons in the world, the S-300 is capable of tracking multiple planes at once, and some versions have an interception range of up to 200 kilometers.
Israel has long sought to block the sale to Iran of the S-300 system, which analysts say could impede a potential Israeli strike on Tehran's nuclear facilities. Other officials have expressed concern that the systems could reach Syria and Hezbollah, diluting Israel's regional air supremacy.
In 2010 Russia froze a deal to supply advanced long-range S-300 missile systems to Iran, linking the decision to UN sanctions.
Putin lifted the suspension in 2015 following Iran's deal with six world powers that curbed its nuclear program in exchange for relief from international sanctions.
Officials said last month that Russia and Iran finalized the contract for their delivery, which would reportedly be carried out sometime in early 2016.
There have been several previous reports in the Russian and Iranian press of "imminent" delivery of the system.
Russia initially agreed to sell the system to Iran in 2007 but then balked, saying at the time it was complying with a United Nations arms embargo on the Islamic Republic.
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