Iran Promises to Restart Nuclear Weapons Work as Tehran Identified as Top Global Threat - Adam Kredo -
U.S. intel: Iran, Russia, China leading cyber charge against U.S.
Senior Iranian leaders on Thursday signaled the country is on the brink of restarting its contested nuclear weapons program, disclosing the Islamic Republic is prepared to restart the full-scale enrichment of uranium, the key component in a nuclear weapon, if it does not continue to receive cash windfalls from European countries still committed to the landmark nuclear agreement.
Iran's warning represents a further escalation of its threats as the U.S. intelligence and security community identified Tehran as one of the top emerging global threats that could shake the international balance and arm the region with nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, according to a new U.S. threat assessment.
Iran's nuclear chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, disclosed Thursday that Iran is working to enrich uranium to extreme levels prohibited under the current accord. This work would enable Iran to stockpile large quantities of highly enriched uranium that are required to fuel a nuclear weapon.
"I would like to warn that this is not a bluff; I have kept my word whenever I've said something," Salehi was quoted as saying during a tour of Iran's Fordow nuclear facility, a contested military site that still has not be subjected to full international inspections. "Now I'm emphasizing once again that if the establishment wants, we can easily return to the 20-percent enrichment, and meet the country's needs at any level and volume."
Iran has the technological knowhow to almost immediately begin such a high-level of uranium enrichment and appears only to have refrained from doing so in a bid to preserve the nuclear deal, which provided Iran with billions in cash windfalls and economic relief.
"Enrichment is currently underway, but we would put aside the 300kg limit [set by the nuclear agreement] whenever we wish, and would do the enrichment at any volume and level," Salehi said. "We currently have 1,044 centrifuges in Fordow, and if the establishment wants, we will restart 20-percent uranium enrichment in Fordow."
Salehi said that 20 percent enrichment is "seen as well above the level suitable for fueling civilian power plants," a reference to the country's nuclear weapons work.
The U.S. intelligence community assesses this threat as credible, according to new assessments provided to congressional and political officials in both classified and unclassified forums.
In its end-of-year emerging threat assessment, the U.S. intelligence and security community disclosed Iran is "expanding its influence" in the military and cyber sectors.
"Iran will also likely continue to develop its military capabilities, including developing technology that could be used for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and improving its offensive cyberspace operations," according to the new U.S. intelligence briefing, which was conducted across 45 government organizations including the State Department, Defense Department, Department of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence, among others.
"Iran is expanding its influence by increasing the size and capabilities of its network of military, intelligence, and surrogate forces, while increasing economic activities in other areas of the world," the unclassified version of the report notes. "Iran will also likely continue to develop its military capabilities, including developing technology that could be used for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and improving its offensive cyberspace operations."
"Adversaries-such as Russia, Iran, and China-may engage in advanced information operations campaigns that use social media, artificial intelligence, and data analytics to undermine the United States and its allies," according to the report.
The threat is not just physical, the report says.
Iran, along with China and Russia, has stepped up its cyber operations and advances in the technology-such as artificial intelligence and sophisticated clandestine networks-are likely to amplify the threat over the next several years.
The U.S. intelligence community assesses that these countries have the potential to employ newer technologies to track, monitor, and pilfer information from top U.S. military and security officials.
"Future advances in AI, sensors, data analytics, and space-based platforms could create an environment of 'ubiquitous ISR', where people and equipment could be tracked throughout the world in near-real time," according to the report. "China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are developing multiple ISR platforms."
Each of these nations is increasingly deploying advanced technologies against the United States. The extent and sophistication of these operations is expected to increase in the next years, posing a problem to the United States, which historically has lagged behind in such areas.
"Adversaries, such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, may launch cyber attacks against critical U.S. infrastructure," including, "electric, oil and gas, and nuclear power systems," as well as "military infrastructure (e.g., communications and ISR platforms)," according to the report. "Adversaries could also launch cyber attacks on the U.S. health care system, threatening patient safety by disrupting access to medical care. Finally, adversaries are also developing tools to directly attack hardware and embedded components in aviation systems, which can manipulate or destroy data."
Fog Of War Can't Conceal Hezbollah's Plotting - By Yoav Limor - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2797
Northern Israel was covered by thick fog during the course of the weekend with near-zero visibility. The rain came and went, mostly drizzling and turning everything that is not concrete into mud.
Someone just passing through would probably be unable to tell anything was wrong or that the entire area was on edge. The partial military restrictions imposed on a section of the border when Operation Northern Shield was launched last week have already been lifted, and nothing could be said for a military presence beyond the sporadic military vehicle driving around. For all intents and purposes, this was just another rainy Saturday in northern Israel.
This facade, however, successfully hid the military's nonstop efforts to neutralize Hezbollah terror tunnels snaking under the Israel-Lebanon border.
The decision to continue the search for tunnels over the weekend was unorthodox, and not only because it involved operations on Shabbat. The work was hindered by the stormy weather, but the complex engineering and logistics effort involved in this intense operation never waned. If anything, the IDF kept pushing and everyone - from GOC Northern Command Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick to the last special combat engineering soldier deployed on the ground - seemed to be accelerating the pace.
The Israeli operation is currently underway in several locations simultaneously. One of them is a tunnel running under the northern town of Metula and on Saturday afternoon, another significant tunnel was discovered.
A security incident interrupted the work on Saturday when IDF commandos securing the operation came across three Hezbollah operatives trying to exploit the fog to steal technical equipment. The troops opened fire and the three fled, but the incident stressed the prudence of increasing military deployment along the border, as the threat is very real.
Hezbollah may be biding its time quietly at the moment, but it very well may retaliate - not just verbally (though Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah is sure to give a fiery speech eventually), but also physically, in the battlefield. There is real concern that Hezbollah operatives could booby-trap one of the tunnels, use the weather to plant roadside bombs or try to target the Israeli troops with sniper fire.
These scenarios are passed on to the soldiers in every security briefing. Anyone who scoffed at the fact that this military activity was labeled an "operation" is welcome to visit the border and see how palpable the threat actually is.
The military effort on the ground is only part of the overall effort. In the background, the Israeli Air Force is gearing up for potential escalation and Military Intelligence is fully engaged as well.
Another important aspect is the international diplomatic effort, where Israel engages in massive public diplomacy. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been briefing world leaders on the issue since last week, including - and perhaps most importantly - Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The United Nations Security Council is expected to discuss a draft resolution condemning Lebanon on Monday, over the fact that it turns a blind eye to Hezbollah's activities, and Israel would like to see Russia refrain from using its veto power on the issue.
Israel would like to see international pressure on the Lebanese government stir up a public debate in the country and prompt criticism of the Shiite terrorist group despite the considerable political power it wields. Lebanon has so far remained indifferent, but it is doubtful whether Beirut could keep that up for long. Operation Northern Shield is expected to last several weeks, and the daily media attention to the issue will turn the spotlight on Lebanon's actions or lack thereof.
Still, nothing essential is likely to change, except, of course, for the fact that Israel has deprived Hezbollah of a major strategic asset. This cannot be taken lightly, as one need not have a particularly wild imagination to understand what Hezbollah had planned for Metula and other Israeli communities along the border.
Some of the tunnels were on the verge of becoming operational in the coming weeks. If an attack had been launched using those tunnels, the first question for the political echelon and the IDF would have been, "If you knew, why didn't you do anything?"
U.S. Fears Iran Planning 'Massive Regional War' in Middle East - Adam Kredo - https://freebeacon.com/national-security/u-s-fears-massive-regional-war-identifying-iran-source-tunnels-israel/
Trump vows support for Israeli defensive operations after identifying Iran as source of tunnels into Israel
The Trump administration disclosed that Iran is behind the construction of several underground tunnels leading into Israel that Hezbollah militants and other terror forces have been using to conduct attacks, according to multiple U.S. officials who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon and communicated fears that Tehran is preparing to lead a "massive regional war."
The public identification of Iran isn't likely to surprise international observers, but signals aggressive moves by the Trump administration to tie Iran to the rise of terrorism not just in Israel, but across the Middle East, where Iranian-backed militants continue to strike U.S. interests and allies.
The Obama administration, in contrast to Trump, was careful to avoid singling out Iran as the chief force for terrorism against Israel and U.S. allies in the region in hopes of appeasing the hardline regime as it sought to ink the landmark nuclear pact that Trump abandoned earlier this year.
Senior U.S. officials familiar with Israel's discovery of these new tunnels-a tactic long used by Hezbollah and Hamas to conduct cross-border raids against Israeli civilians and military personnel-say they mark a massive escalation by Iran's terror proxies.
The Israeli military conducted operations to destroy the tunnels earlier this week, shortly after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a one-on-one meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels.
The timing of Israel's military operations signal a deep coordination with the Trump administration, which told the Free Beacon the United States will stand side-by-side with the Jewish state as it works to thwart Iran's terror enterprise.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) said the tunnels show Iran used money from sanctions lifted under the Obama administration for military purposes.
"Senator Cruz has been tracking the Israeli campaign against these attack tunnels closely, and every day brings new disturbing revelations," said a spokesperson for Cruz.
"It's now clear that Iran used its windfall from the Obama Iran nuclear deal to arm Hezbollah for an all-out war against Israel, and that the United States must do more to undo the damage of that deal. Sen. Cruz has also been unequivocal that our Israeli allies have an absolute right to defend themselves, especially against threats and violations of their sovereignty like these attack tunnels."
The United States remains "very troubled" by the discovery of these tunnels in Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon that led into Israel across its northern border.
"This is another example of Iran's revolutionary foreign policy that is expansionist and destabilizing for the Middle East when Iranian backed Hezbollah is digging tunnels into another country beneath their borders," said Brian Hook, the Trump administration's top Iran envoy.
The Trump administration fully supports "Israel in its military operation to address these tunnels," according to Hook.
The terror tunnels are just a single piece of Iran's increasingly provocative military intervention across the Middle East, including in Syria and Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is battling Iranian-backed rebels.
In just the past several weeks, Iran has test-fired nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missiles-capable of reaching both Israel and Europe-and also continued to harass U.S. naval assets in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane.
Iran has been threatening to block the shipping route, prompting fierce warnings from the Trump administration.
"Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz again," Hook disclosed. "The Islamic Republic of Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. will continue to work with its partners" to ensure the route remains open and free of Iranian attacks.
U.S. officials fear these recent moves by Iran are a preview of its preparations for a "massive regional war."
"The Israelis have clearly been planning this for months, which means that Hezbollah must have been working on these tunnels for years before they were detected and Israel planned its response," said one senior U.S. official who works on Israel issues but was not authorized to speak on the record about the tense situation.
"When you add what Hamas has been doing in the Gaza Strip, and what Iran itself has been doing from Syria, there's no escaping the conclusion that Iran has been waging a low level war against Israel while preparing for a massive regional war," the source warned.
Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the tunnels have likely been in the works for some time, and hint at preparation for larger Hezbollah operations against Israel.
Hezbollah is believed to have at least 120,000 missiles stockpiled and they are becoming "much more precise" with Iran's aid, according to Amidror, who briefed reporters on the situation during a conference call organized by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, or JINSA.
Fears are mounting in Israel that "big numbers" of Hezbollah militants and Iranian-backed fighters could use this type of tunnel to launch a full-scale incursion into Israel, including possible plots to besiege Israeli border towns, Amidror said.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is seeking to thwart Iran's military operations by choking the regime's sources of income. New U.S. sanctions appear to have further constrained Iran's economy, which already had been teetering on the brink of collapse amid popular protests against the hardline regime.
Iran envoy Hook told the Free Beacon that despite protestations from some European governments about the implementation of harsh new U.S. sanctions on Iran last month, European companies have been more than willing to go along with the Trump administration in order to avoid penalties.
"We have seen only full compliance by European corporations" connected to the international financial system, Hook told the Free Beacon. "We just don't see any daylight between the United States and European companies."
Asked about European allies, particularly Germany and France, who are plotting methods to skirt the U.S. sanctions, Hook said the United States is uniquely placed to enforce the new sanctions. The Europeans have been told they must choose between business with the United States or Iran.
"The governments who are still in the [nuclear deal], yes, we have a disagreement over the efficacy of the Iran nuclear deal and we think it's a deficient deal that needs to be replaced by a new and better deal," Hook said. He added that the Trump administration will "do everything we can to starve the militias Iran funds and" choke off money being sent by Iran to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Hamas, Hezbollah, and a slew of other militant groups.
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