Target Israel? Iran Recruits 80,000 Shi'ite fighters In Syria - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2215
Iran has at least 80,000 Shi'ite Muslim fighters in Syria at a training base near Damascus, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon warned the world body on Thursday. Many are believed to be from Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Holding up a map of the Iranian training base, Danon told members of the Security Council: "What you can see here is Iran's central induction and recruitment center in Syria. There are over 80,000 Shi'a militants in Syria under Iranian control.
It is at this base, just over five miles from Damascus, where they are trained to commit acts of terror in Syria and across the region."
The major concern about these militias is not just that they are connected to Iran but that they are putting down roots. "Iranian militias in the south are keeping the territory they conquer instead of handing it over to the regime".
Meanwhile, Danon, who was elected vice president of the 72nd Session of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, also warned earlier this week that Hezbollah now possesses over 120,000 missiles--more than 17 times the number it had a decade ago during the Second Lebanon War. Hezbollah remains at the center of Iran's Shi'a foreign fighter network.
The Lebanese terror group now has "more missiles below ground in Lebanon than the European NATO allies have above ground," Danon said as he presented evidence to the Security Council on Tuesday.
"When the war ended, this Council pledged that Hezbollah would no longer be allowed to threaten Israel and hold the people of Lebanon hostage," he said. "I have the unfortunate task of informing this Council that 10 years later, the situation has gone from bad to worse. The government of Lebanon never stopped Hezbollah, and Hezbollah never stopped its military buildup."
Syrian Monitor: Twenty-Six Fighters, Mostly Iranians, Killed in Missile Attack - by Aaron Klein -
TEL AVIV - Syrian state television on Sunday reported that "enemy" rocket attacks struck military bases in Hama province and in the Aleppo countryside, with reports of 26 or more pro-regime fighters, mostly Iranians, killed in the blasts.
SANA, Syria's state-run news agency cited a "military source" claiming that a "new aggression targeted military positions in the countryside of Hama and Aleppo provinces with rockets at around 10:30 PM."
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that one of the blasts, identified as a rocket attack targeting the "Brigade 47 controlled by Iranian forces and regime forces" in the southern countryside of Hama, resulted in the deaths of at least 26 people. The monitor said the casualties included "4 Syrian fighters and the rest are of Arab and Asian nationalities, the greatest portion of whom are Iranian."
The monitor said the casualty count is expected to increase, with some 60 fighters still missing.
The target of the attack in Hama was an Iranian depot housing missiles, accounting for the huge explosions seen at the site, the monitor further reported.
The Associated Press reported on conflicting Iranian claims regarding the attacks:
Iranian state television, citing Syrian media, reported the attack.
However, an Iranian semi-official news agency denied reports that Iranian fighters were killed or that Iranian-run bases were hit. The Tasnim news agency quoted an unnamed Iranian informed official in its report but did not elaborate on the denial.
Another semi-official news agency, ISNA, said the strike killed 18 Iranians, including a commander, in a suburb of the central city of Hama. It cited "local sources and activists" for its report.
It was not immediately clear which country was behind the alleged strikes. The Syrian Observatory monitor speculated that Israel was behind the attack. The Israel Defense Forces has a policy of not commenting on operations beyond the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Notably, the attack took place hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talked on the phone with President Trump and the same day Netanyahu met in Jerusalem with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Netanyahu on Monday held an emergency meeting of his security cabinet in light of the developments in Syria.
On April 9, strikes blamed on Israel hit the Iran-run T-4 military base that was reportedly used to operate Iran's advanced drone fleet. The strikes came after the base was brazenly used by Iran to send an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) into Israeli territory in February before it was quickly shot down by the Israeli military. The IDF revealed its investigation concluded the Iranian drone sent from T-4 was carrying explosives and seemingly deployed to attack an Israeli target.
On April 14, there were reports of a "violent explosion" in the southern section of Aleppo province in Syria in an area where Iranian forces were present. Hezbollah-affiliated media outlets at the time claimed the incident involved a controlled explosion.
Stopping the Formation of The Iranian War Machine - By Yaakov Lappin - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2226
The latest reported air strikes in Syria, targeting two bases that appeared to contain Iranian weapons depots, would seem to be the latest sign that Jerusalem's determination to stop Iran from building a war machine in Syria remains absolute and unshakable.
The term "Iranian war machine" is how former Israeli national security adviser, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Yaakov Amidror, described Iran's ambitions in Syria during a radio interview on Monday.
It is a term that accurately describes what Iran is working to build in Syria--and what Israel is determined to nip in the bud--before Syria joins Lebanon in becoming a second Iranian proxy state.
The massive explosions that resulted from the strikes were so powerful that they were registered as a 2.6 magnitude earthquake by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre. It also indicated that heavy weapons--possibly surface-to-surface missiles with extended ranges and big warheads--were the target.
If Iran had smuggled such weapons into Syria, their only conceivable target could be Israeli cities, sensitive strategic sites and military bases. In other words, Iran is continuing to try and build up its attack capabilities in Syria, and testing Jerusalem's determination to stop it.
This is part of Iran's grand strategy of "a thousand cuts" in Syria, designed eventually to complete its takeover of the country, following the victory of the pro-Syrian President Bashar Assad alliance led by Iran and Russia.
Conflicting reports emerged about casualties in the latest incident. This may be because Iran chose to enter a sphere of deniability over the latest strike. Not acknowledging the extent of the damage that Iran incurred would suit its interests because the weapons that were struck in those depots should not have been in Syria.
Whatever did explode during the strikes, it is safe to assume, was part of Tehran's ongoing attempt to build up its strike capability.
If left unchecked, the Iranians could try to mobilize military formations to the Israeli border via emerging land corridors connecting Iran to Syria. For years, Iran has used planes to smuggle weapons, proxy militia fighters and send its own military units into Syria, with many of these activities disrupted in the process.
Israel's messaging has been persistent, despite the fact that the stakes are clearly going up. Israel will not allow Iran to proceed with its takeover plans for Syria and is not willing to step back from enforcing its red lines, irrespective of Iran's threats of retribution and Russia's concerns over the situation.
At the start of April, Iran tried to create "new rules" for the escalating conflict between it and Israel on Syrian soil. In response to an alleged Israeli airstrike on an Iranian air base in central Syria, which killed several IRGC members, Iranian officials started openly threatening revenge.
If Israel struck again on Sunday night, the resulting message appears to be that Iran can "keep score" all it likes of past strikes and can continue to threaten revenge, but this will not deter Israel from responding to intelligence of threatening activity that comes in.
Taking Iran's threats seriously
Israel's determination to protect its vital interests in Syria should not be confused with trivializing the Iranian threats. The Israeli defense establishment is taking Iran's vows to respond quite seriously.
Iran can be expected to react in a way that would be painful for Israel, but still avert an escalation into a full-scale conflict. Yet such an option remains evasive for any Iranian strike that can be traced back to it could result in major Israeli counterstrikes on Iranian assets--be they in Syria or elsewhere.
This high stake, low-profile conflict could escalate significantly if Hezbollah--Iran's proxy army in Lebanon--becomes involved.
While no side is seeking all-out war, smaller incidents hold the potential of snowballing into larger conflicts; for this reason, threats of Iranian retaliation cannot be dismissed.
A small display of Israel's capabilities
The latest reported incidents have given Iran and its axis a taste of Israel's unparalleled intelligence and strike capabilities.
The ability to track Iran's movements around the region with such accuracy--and to back up this intelligence with precision strike capabilities--is bound to make Iran think twice about how to respond.
Moreover, a remarkable level of cooperation exists between Israel's air force, which acts as the police force in the skies, tracking and responding to violations of Israeli red lines; the Military Intelligence Directorate; and the IDF's C4i Branch, which built a cutting-edge digital military network. This cooperation has created new abilities for the Jewish state.
The Iranians will have no choice but to take stock of these abilities when they consider their options in responding to the latest developments. An ability to strike two targets in northern Syria suggests an equal ability to conduct mass strikes with the same level of precision. Such capabilities would put many things that are dear to Iran in Syria at significant risk.
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