In-Depth Issues:
Israel: Iran Wants Dozens of Bombs - Herb Keinon (Jerusalem Post)
Iran is not looking for just a few nuclear bombs "in the basement,"
but rather to produce dozens each year, International Relations Minister
Yuval Steinitz said Tuesday. Steinitz told a security conference
that Iran's nuclear industry was "many times larger than that of either
North Korea or Pakistan." He described the Iranian nuclear
industry as designed "not to produce a few bombs, but to produce
fissionable material for dozens and hundreds of nuclear bombs." The issue, he said, is not only of Iran becoming a nuclear state, but rather becoming a "nuclear superpower."
According to Steinitz, Iran plans to expand the capability of the
Natanz nuclear facility to enrich enough uranium to produce between 20
to 30 atomic bombs a year. See also Steinitz Discusses Iranian Threat (IMRA) Steinitz said that within a decade, the Iranians will be able to have over 100 nuclear bombs.
Moreover, Iran is making a concentrated effort to develop a satellite
launch vehicle, which is, in effect, cover for developing
inter-continental ballistic missiles.
Text of Israel's Report on the Muhammad al-Dura Video - (Israel Ministry of International Affairs and Strategy) "The France 2 Al-Dura Report, Its Consequences and Implications," a report of the Government Review Committee, concluded:
"The Al-Dura affair demonstrates that countries committed to
scrupulously adhering to international law while combating terror cannot
remain complacent in the face of inaccurate or mendacious media
reports." "It is our hope that in presenting Israel's position
regarding the Al-Dura affair, we can moderate some of the damage done by
this pernicious narrative and help prevent the repeat of such incidents
in the future."
Israel Sends Condolences to U.S. after Oklahoma Tornado (Prime Minister's Office) Prime Minister Netanyahu wrote to President Obama on Tuesday:
On behalf of the government and people of Israel, I offer our
heartfelt condolences to you and to the people of the United States on
the massive tornado that struck in Oklahoma and exacted such a horrific
toll in human life. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this tragedy and their families at this difficult time.
Palestinians Threw 200 Firebombs at Rachel's Tomb in Past Three Months - Gideon Allon (Israel Hayom)
Palestinians have thrown 200 firebombs and 80 explosive devices at
worshippers and Israeli soldiers at Rachel's Tomb between Bethlehem and
Jerusalem over the past three months, senior IDF officers told the
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday.
Hamas Textbooks to Teach "Plans to Liberate Palestine" - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)
Hamas has begun preparing new school textbooks that teach children
about "plans to liberate Palestine and the legitimacy and various forms
of resistance [against Israel]," Jamal Abu Hashem, advisor to the
Hamas-controlled education ministry, said in Gaza.
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- U.S.: Iranian Soldiers Fighting for Assad in Syria - Anne Gearan
Iran
has sent soldiers to Syria to fight alongside forces loyal to President
Bashar al-Assad and those of the Lebanon-based Hizbullah militia, a
senior State Department official said Tuesday. The U.S. official's
allegation was a tacit acknowledgment that the Syrian conflict has
become a regional war and a de facto U.S. proxy fight with Iran. "This
is an important thing to note: the direct implication of foreigners
fighting on Syrian soil now for the regime," the official said.
In Washington on Tuesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed
legislation authorizing President Obama to send weapons to vetted Syrian
opposition groups, although the administration has not decided whether
to provide lethal aid and does not need congressional approval to do so.
(Washington Post)
- Iran Acts to Expand Sensitive Nuclear Capacity - Fredrik Dahl
The
next quarterly report on Iran's nuclear program by the UN International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expected on Wednesday, is likely to show
continued installation of the centrifuges used for enriching uranium,
Western diplomats said Tuesday. That would include the advanced IR-2m
model which would enable Iran to speed up sharply its accumulation of
refined uranium. The number of IR-2m centrifuges and empty centrifuge
casings that have been put in place at Iran's main enrichment site near
Natanz is expected to have risen significantly since February.
One Western envoy said Iran was also believed to be pressing ahead in
the construction of a reactor near Arak that could yield plutonium for
nuclear arms. (Reuters-Chicago Tribune)
- Sinai Kidnappers Release Egypt Security Force Hostages
Seven
members of Egypt's security force captured in the Sinai Peninsula last
week have been freed. "The seven kidnapped Egyptian soldiers are on
their way to Cairo after their release thanks to the efforts of Egyptian
military intelligence in coordination with the elders of the tribes and
families of Sinai," army spokesman Ahmed Ali said. (Deutsche Welle-Germany) See also Egypt Sinai Campaign Coordinated with Israel - Avi Issacharoff An
Israeli official has confirmed that Egypt's military campaign in Sinai
in response to the kidnapping of seven Egyptian security forces is being
coordinated with Israel. Cairo has poured troops, artillery, and
armored vehicles into the territory. Egyptian warplanes have been
targeting terrorist cells. Special forces are also operating on the
ground. Egypt's official MENA news agency declared that the
groups responsible for the kidnapping were trained in Gaza and received
weapons from Hamas and other terrorist groups there. (The Tower-Israel Project)
- Iran Bars Prominent Candidates from Ballot - Farnaz Fassihi
Iran's
Guardian Council disqualified former President Ali Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, an aide to President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, from running for president. The council approved eight
names for the June 14 ballot including six ultraconservatives loyal to
the regime, Iranian state-run television reported Tuesday. They include
two of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's top advisers: nuclear negotiator Saeed
Jalili and former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati. (Wall Street Journal) See also Frontrunner for Iran President Speaks of His Life Battling U.S. Power - Scott Peterson Saeed
Jalili, Iran's smiling but immovable top nuclear negotiator, a
revolutionary with a decades-old suspicion of the U.S., has become a
frontrunner in Iran's presidential race. Jalili, 47, said in an
interview that Iran is winning its strategic struggle with America,
despite crippling sanctions and Western attempts to isolate it from the
world. He says that he is the man to carry Iran's revolutionary torch
into the future. (Christian Science Monitor)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- Assad Regime Claims Responsibility for Firing at Israel - Gili Cohen
The
Syrian government took responsibility for firing at Israeli forces on
Tuesday. At approximately 1 a.m., Syrian forces fired at IDF troops
patrolling near Tel Fares in the central Golan Heights. No one was
wounded, but an army jeep was damaged. Syrian state TV reported Tuesday
that the Syrian army destroyed an armored IDF vehicle. Senior IDF
officials said the claim was fabricated. Israeli Defense Minister
Moshe Ya'alon said, "We do not and will not allow any Syrian fire to
enter our territory. Last night a Syrian army target was destroyed as a
result of such fire." (Ha'aretz)
- 11 Palestinians Died in PA, Hamas Detention in 2012 - Khaled Abu Toameh
11
Palestinians died in Palestinian Authority and Hamas detention centers
during 2012 - 2 in the PA and 9 in Gaza, according to a report released
Tuesday by the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights. (Jerusalem Post)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
- Islamists in Syria: How Strong?
The
governor's headquarters in Raqqa, a city of 250,000 in Syria's
northeast, is a base for Jabhat al-Nusra (Victory Front), an extreme
armed opposition group with which al-Qaeda in Iraq recently claimed to
have merged. There are at least four other rebel outfits in Raqqa,
mainly Salafist ones. Yet in the eastern provinces as a whole, Jabhat
al-Nusra has emerged as a hugely powerful presence. By some estimates,
Jabhat al-Nusra now has 6,000 carefully vetted men, mainly Syrians but
under foreign leadership. The group enjoys regular payments from
al-Qaeda in Iraq. But the al-Qaeda announcement may have harmed it,
causing dissent within its ranks between those who favor the link and
those who are against it. Some civilians who had started to welcome the
group because of its military prowess and provision of services have
protested against the al-Qaeda tie. Even Ahrar al-Sham, another large
nationwide network of Salafist jihadists, criticized the
affiliation. Rebels from more secular-minded or more moderately Islamist
groups speak openly of a second war to come - against Jabhat al-Nusra. (Economist-UK)
- For Russia, Syria Is Not in the Middle East - Brenda Shaffer
To
get Russia to cooperate on any stabilization plan for Syria, the U.S.
and its allies will have to take into account Russia's significant
interests in the Mediterranean region. In Russia's view, the outcome in
Syria affects Moscow's core strategic interests - including its global
naval strategy and energy exports. While the Arab Middle East has been a
relatively low priority in Russia's foreign policy, the Eastern
Mediterranean region is a policy priority for Moscow. Russia
might have only relative power in comparison to the U.S., but in many
regions it has more "relevant" power, where Moscow can both contribute
to and undermine U.S. policy goals. The writer is a professor at the University of Haifa. (Reuters)
- Iran and the Arab World - Eric Trager
The
Salafists, who are deeply opposed to Iran, have emerged as a major
political force in a number of post-revolutionary Arab states, and in
Egypt the Salafists are highlighting the Muslim Brotherhood's outreach
to Iran in their campaign against the Brotherhood. As with Iran,
anti-Westernism is a foundational principle for the Brotherhood, which
views the establishment of an Islamic state in Egypt as necessary for
resisting Western cultural and political influence. The writer is a fellow at the Washington Institute. (Foreign Policy Association-Washington Institute for Near East Policy) See also Egypt: From Tehran with Love - Steven A. Cook The writer is a senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at CFR. (Council on Foreign Relations)
- Is Egypt Heading toward a Military Regime? - Jacques Neriah
After
the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohamed Morsi himself began
signaling their intention to turn Egypt into an Islamic state, the
opposition turned hostile to the regime, castigating it with the newly
acquired freedom of the press. Morsi became the target of satire and
mockery. In addition, a new activist group emerged. Members of the Black
Bloc, who dress in black with black masks, have declared an open war
against the Brotherhood. Amid a sudden popular wave of affection
and longing for the Mubarak days, an increasing number of people are
calling on the army to return to the political scene. A recent poll
found 82% supporting such a move. Yet the Muslim Brotherhood, having
waited almost eight decades to become the rulers of Egypt, are certainly
in no hurry to give back what the 2011 revolution gave them on a silver
platter. Col. (ret.) Dr. Jacques Neriah was formerly Foreign Policy
Advisor to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Deputy Head for Assessment
of Israeli Military Intelligence. (Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)
Observations:
Iran and Hizbullah Support for Syria Complicates Peace-Talk Strategy - Michael R. Gordon and Steven Lee Myers (New York Times)
- Secretary of State John Kerry has pushed for an international
conference in Geneva in June that would bring representatives of the
Syria government together with the opposition.
- But the stepped-up support Syrian President Assad has received
from Iran and Hizbullah in recent months appears to have fortified his
belief that he can hang on to power and prevail militarily - or at least
control a strategically significant swath of the country.
- According to American intelligence reports, there are some 200 Iranian paramilitary Quds Force personnel in Syria.
- Qassim Suleimani, the Quds Force commander, recently ordered
Iranian artillery and armor officials to help Assad's regime, American
officials say.
- Suleimani
has also requested that several hundred fighters from Asaib al-Haq and
Kataib Hizbullah, two Iraqi Shiite militias that have been trained by
the Iranians, join the war effort in Syria.
See also White House Condemns Hizbullah Role in Syria The
White House on Tuesday condemned Hizbullah's direct intervention in the
battle for the Syrian rebel stronghold of Qusayr. Spokesman Jay Carney
said, "We have condemned and condemn again Hizbullah's direct
intervention in the assault on Qusayr where Hizbullah's fighters are
playing a significant role in the regime's offensive....Hizbullah's
occupation of villages in Syria and its support for the regime and
pro-Assad militias exacerbates and inflames regional sectarian tensions
and perpetuates the regime's campaign of terror against the Syrian
people." (AFP)
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