OBAMA SENDS TROOPS TO DEFEND THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD IN EGYPT

Thursday, 27 June 2013 10:35

Obama Sending U.S. Troops to Egypt

As Egyptians prepare for massive protests against the U.S. government-backed Muslim Brotherhood regime of Mohamed Morsi, the Obama administration is set to deploy hundreds of American troops to Egypt. While more than a few analysts have argued that U.S. forces will be used to continue propping up “Islamofascists” in the Middle East, authorities from both governments claim the soldiers are merely being sent as part of a nine-month international “peacekeeping” scheme.

According to official accounts, the so-called “Multinational Force and Observers” (MFO) mission, composed of troops serving 13 governments, is aimed at controlling riots and violence. Another primary purpose, government spokesmen claimed, is enforcing the 1979 peace treaty between Israeli and Egyptian authorities. News reports and official statements suggest the American troops, serving under MFO command, will be operating security checkpoints and responding to threats.

The exact date of deployment has not been announced yet, but U.S. troops spent some six months training at Fort Hood and Fort Irwin for the mission and will reportedly be ready to go in the “near future.” Local U.S. media reports, citing military officials, said American forces had been trained for riot control featuring exercises with Molotov cocktails and other “dangerous items” in anticipation of violent protests. Another possibility would be protecting the border with Israel, according to reports. 

Two soldiers quoted in a KCEN-TV report offered few details as video of U.S. troops wearing police riot gear flashed on the screen. "Just what I've seen over the course of the past week, this unit is already far more ready for this type of threat than we were a week ago," said Lt. Matthew Wilkinson without elaborating on the nature of the threat. Another, PFC Perez Alexander, explained: "We want to be as professional as possible so that, whatever situation we encounter, the opposing force knows that we mean business and we know what we're doing."   

The American soldiers, whose training ended last week, are set to be deployed in the dangerous and volatile Sinai Peninsula. Security has continued to deteriorate throughout the regAMion following the uprising that swept longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak from power, with some analysts suggesting the escalating unrest could spark problems for both Israel and the increasingly hardline Muslim Brotherhood regime in Cairo. 

In a June 19 press release, the U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Division confirmed that a battalion “task force” from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team would indeed be heading to the Sinai this summer to participate in the international “peacekeeping force.” According to the statement, the more than 400 troops will be based on the southern end of the Sinai Peninsula, near Sharm-el-Sheikh, manning “observation posts” and checkpoints along the southeast coast.

Egyptian officials, meanwhile, were quick to downplay the American deployment. "The 400 U.S. soldiers coming to Egypt as mentioned in the media are part of the periodical renewal routine for the U.S. faction of the 13-state multinational force deployed in Sinai since the peace treaty. They are not armed with military operations gear," Egyptian military spokesman Ahmed Ali was quoted as saying. "We are providing this clarification as we respect the right of the great Egyptian people to know the truth from its original sources and to prevent distortion of information by any instigators."

The timing of the news, however, has made analysts and commentators suspicious. An Egyptian group known as “Rebels” or “Rebellion,” described in media reports as “secular” and “liberal,” announced over the weekend that it had gathered some 15 million signatures to impeach Morsi, who was elected after Mubarak was forced out. The petition cites a number of grievances including lack of security, widespread poverty, shortages of basic goods, and more.

“We’ve had enough of Morsi… He has done nothing, he’s only helped his own people,” said Ghada Naguib, a member of the organization’s coordinating committee, in an interview with the Global Post. “We don’t need him to do anything anymore. We just need him to leave… We will finish our revolution.” The group is calling for massive, nation-wide protests against the elected government on June 30, and counter-demonstrations are expected.  

Writing in FrontPage magazine, analyst Arnold Ahlert blasted the deployment of U.S. troops to Egypt as “yet another remarkable display of Obama’s determination to secure the Middle East for Islamofascists.” Ahlert also slammed the “spectacular absurdity” of using American forces to augment Egyptian police and defend Morsi’s “thuggish” Islamist Muslim Brotherhood regime from popular protests calling for its ouster. 

An editorial in Investor’s Business Daily, entitled “Now Obama Using Troops To Prop Up Cairo's Islamofascists,” came to similar conclusions, saying the president was sending U.S. forces to “protect a regime that supports terrorists.” Citing news reports, the editorial said Obama’s effort was meant to help the “Islamofascist regime there repel its own citizens protesting increasing human-rights violations.”

More than a few analysts have also highlighted what they perceive as problems with Morsi’s Islamist rule. Among the most serious: media censorship, increasing attacks on the Coptic Christian minority, packing government organs with Islamic extremists, cracking down on protesters, issuing lawless “decrees” that critics call dictatorial, ramming through an Islamist constitution, prosecuting foreign government-funded “democracy” groups, and more. 

read more at THE NEW AMERICAN

More Jihad at Fort Hood; Obama sends troops to help Egypt’s Mursi

by Shoebat Foundation on June 28, 2013 in Blog, General

BY Walid Shoebat

Former Muslim Brotherhood
Member Now Peace Activist

On November 5, 2009, a Jihadist inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood-inspired Anwar Al Awlaki murdered 14 and injured 32 on post at Fort Hood, TX. Today, 400 troops from Fort Hood are being sent to Egypt on a ‘peacekeeping mission’ and what can only be described as an effort to help Muslim Brotherhood president Mohammed Mursi, who is currently persecuting protesters who object to Sharia law.

The sick irony is that Mursi’s worldview matches that of the Fort Hood Jihadist Nidal Malik Hasan and Awlaki. By potentially aiding the Mursi regime, these 400 troops will essentially be defending the cause of the jihadist that gunned down their brothers in arms.

Via Investors Business Daily:

In the latest twist in our upside-down war on terror, President Obama withdraws troops fighting terrorists in Afghanistan and sends others to Egypt to protect a regime that supports terrorists.

According to reports, the commander-in-chief is deploying a riot-control unit from Fort Hood to Egypt to help the Islamofascist regime there repel its own citizens protesting increasing human-rights violations.

More than 400 Army soldiers from the Texas base will soon man posts throughout Egypt as part of a nine-month “peacekeeping mission.” They’ve been trained to respond to threats, including protests and riots.

“Soldiers encountered Molotov cocktails and other dangerous items in the training,” according to the local TV news station that broke the story out of Killeen, Texas.

Seem too far-fetched? Well, how about an excerpt from a Fort Hood Press Release?

The 1st Cavalry Division announced today a battalion task force from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team will deploy to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula this summer as part of the Multinational Force and Observers peacekeeping force.

The 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, will observe and report violations of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty during its nine-month deployment. The 400-plus Soldier U.S. battalion will be based on the southern end of the Sinai Peninsula, near Sharm-el-Sheikh. The U.S. Soldiers will man observation posts and check points along the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula between Eilat, Israel and Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt.

More sick irony?

Since the attacks in Benghazi on 9/11/12, evidence has been mounting and is all but unimpeachable, that Mursi was involved in the attacks, which resulted in the murder of four Americans – Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, Sean Smith, and Ambassador Christopher Stevens. As such, that wold make the President of Egypt our Fort Hood troops are being sent to support, complicit in an act of war on the United States.

Here is a video taken from a cell phone outside the U.S. Special Mission Compound during the attack. One gunman can be heard shouting (in Arabic), “Don’t Shoot us! We were sent by Mursi!”

Meanwhile, the supposedly ‘conservative’ congressman whose district includes Fort Hood – Rep. John Carter – is touring the country with Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), who was one of 70 members of the 111th Congress registered as a Socialist. Carter and Gutierrez are members of the House’s version of the ‘Gang of 8′ in the immigration debate.

As Obama sends troops from Fort Hood to protect the agenda of a Muslim Brotherhood president (which includes Jihad), the Republican congressman who represents Fort Hood is pushingObama’s immigration agenda.

To contact Rep. John Carter about this despicable use of American troops and, for that matter, his despicable alliance with a registered socialist named Luis Gutierrez, below is a list of addresses for his various offices as well as phone numbers.

Please be civil but firm, outraged but not belligerent.

Washington, D.C. Office
409 C.H.O.B.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-3864

Round Rock District Office
One Financial Centre
1717 North IH 35
Suite 303
Round Rock, TX 78664
(512) 246-1600

Bell County Office
6544B S. General Bruce Drive
Temple, TX 76502
Located next to the DPS office
(254) 933-1392

SOURCE: http://shoebat.com

Targeting Tribal Leaders: A New Militant Tactic in Sinai

 

By Ashley Lindsey

Militants killed Egyptian tribal leader Khalaf al-Menahy and his son Aug. 13 as the two were returning from a conference in east Sinai organized and attended by tribal leaders to denounce militancy, according to Sinai security forces. The senior al-Menahy was a prominent proponent of bolstering the Sinai Peninsula's representation in Egypt's parliament and of improving security in the region. He also was a prominent sheikh in the Sawarka tribe, said to be the largest in Sinai. Following his burial Aug. 13, the tribe vowed to seek vengeance.

This is the first reported case of militants attacking tribal leaders in Sinai. It comes soon after an attack on Egyptian security forces Aug. 5 and an attack on military checkpoints in northern Sinai on Aug. 8.

Although the militant tactic of targeting tribal leaders is new to Sinai, the tactic has been common in conflict zones in the Middle East and South Asia, such as in Yemen, Iraq and the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region. Though it can offer many benefits to these militants -- including weakening the targeted tribe and possibly leading to its co-option -- these kinds of attacks tend to only succeed in zones with little government control and against tribes that cannot effectively retaliate. Examining similar instances of this tactic thus provides a helpful tool for assessing the consequences of attacks against tribal elements in the Sinai Peninsula.

A Widespread Militant Tactic

Yemen

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has operated openly in Yemen's tribal-dominated southern and eastern provinces for years. It has sought to expand its presence and operations by winning over local tribes using tactics such as strategic marriages.

Lately, it appears to have begun a shift from wooing tribal leaders to intimidating them. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula recently failed in an attempt to assassinate tribal leader Majed al-Dhahab in the city of Radda in Bayda province. An important tribal leader, al-Dhahab participated in the offensive to drive al Qaeda -- and his own cousin, a local al Qaeda leader -- from the region after the militant group seized control of Radda in January. Al-Dhahab's son received a package that unbeknownst to him contained a bomb, which he was instructed to give to his father. However, the package exploded in his arms Aug. 4 before he could deliver it. Immediately after his son's death, al-Dhahab received a call warning him that the group would kill anyone who opposed it.

The group followed up with another attack on tribal elements Aug. 5. A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at a wake in Jaar, killing 45 people. The dead included several tribal fighters who had participated in the June Yemeni government offensive against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and the wounded included a tribal leader.

The region's tribes have not publicly vowed to retaliate against the militant group. If they are capable of doing so, they probably will respond to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's attacks. But the tribes could be too weak to mount an effective response, especially in the wake of attacks on their leadership structure. This could cause some tribesmen to abandon the fight, allowing militants to try to resume activity in the region's towns should they wish.

Iraq and the Afghanistan-Pakistan Border

Although new to Yemen, militants frequently used the tactic of attacking tribal leaders during the U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The tactic is still frequently used, especially in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region. In one significant instance, in 2007 al Qaeda in Iraq assassinated high-profile Sunni tribal Sheikh Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, who led the Anbar Awakening Council. A U.S. ally, Abu Risha had formed the council, uniting dozens of Sunni tribes in the province against al Qaeda in Iraq. His killing backfired on the militant group, generating a massive outpouring of sympathy for Abu Risha and prompting the tribes in the province to join in vowing to fight al Qaeda in Iraq to the death.

In southern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban are deeply embedded into the tribal system. They have effectively used the tactic of assassinating tribal leaders to eliminate obstacles to their operations and evolution. To this end, they regularly employ suicide operations, armed assaults and roadside bombs against anti-Taliban militias known as lashkars and against tribal leaders in northwestern Pakistan.

One area particularly affected by such attacks is Bajaur, a Pakistani agency that borders Afghanistan's Kunar province. After numerous attacks on tribal leaders and members of peace committees in Bajaur, the Mamond tribe announced July 25 that the tribal leaders had formed a lashkar to prevent cross-border attacks. Hundreds of elders, leaders and religious figures of various subtribes and peace committees pledged their support for this militia. As with the killing of Abu Risha, the Afghan Taliban attacks on tribesmen and leadership in the region spurred a fiercely united response across numerous tribes, with the new militia even expressing a willingness to enter Afghanistan to attack Taliban leaders.

Upsides and Downsides of a Militant Tactic

Militant groups attack tribal leaders to increase their influence and area of operations. From the militants' perspective, removing a tribal leader ideally will weaken the targeted tribe. This could end the tribes' resistance and even lead to the its being co-opted by the militant group due to a leadership vacuum following the militant attack. The weakening of the tribe could leave the group no choice but to allow the militant group to operate unchallenged in its territory. Even though assassinated tribal leaders are replaced and the leadership structure remains intact, tribal leaders in the area could be persuaded to adopt a more accommodating stance on the presence of militants.

Success for a militant group in the long term happens under two conditions. First, the militants must be acting in an area with a tribal patronage network and limited government oversight. Without such a network, attacks on tribal leaders in efforts to co-opt and intimidate that tribe would not provide any significant gain. In Yemen, for example, the patronage and tribal network are very strong and in most cases enjoy greater legitimacy and power than the government. Attacks against tribal chiefs there are accordingly tantamount to attacks on the local government. On the one hand, that means tribal networks can band together and shun foreign militant elements as one community. On the other hand, if al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is able to coerce a tribe into aligning with it, the militant group will then enjoy access to that tribes' resources, will gain the ability to plan and launch attacks in that area, and could even gain better relations with neighboring tribes.

Second, the group must be militarily capable of overwhelming the targeted tribe and its allies or at least of gaining the upper hand. As can be seen from the Iraq example, killing Abu Risha backfired because his tribe was large, committed and militarily strong, and it had the support of several allied Sunni tribes that belonged to his Anbar Awakening Council.

The tactic of targeting a tribal leader thus comes with certain risks. When the aforementioned two conditions are not met, a militant group exposes itself to great danger when it targets tribal leaders.

Consequences of the Sinai Assassination

The Sinai Peninsula meets the requirement of limited government control and strong tribal networks. The question then becomes whether the Sinai tribes can muster a strong defense against the militants. In the coming weeks, it will be important to look for signs of the retaliation pledged by al-Menahy's Sawarka tribe and others allied with it. This retaliation could come in the form of attacks against the militants passing through Sawarka and its allied tribes' territory.


Tribal retaliation could also come in the less aggressive, yet still effective, form of supplying increased logistical support and intelligence to the Egyptian government. Increased weapons seizures and the arrest of key leaders suggest that tribal sources on the ground are providing intelligence to Cairo. A targeted campaign against the militants already has begun, with Egyptian planes bombing the mountains of El Arish on Aug. 15. The intelligence for these attacks likely came from local tribes.

The success of tribal and Egyptian security efforts against the militants will determine whether the militants miscalculated their position in Sinai when they attacked a key tribal leader. The resilience of militants in Sinai also will help determine whether they can continue to stage attacks against Egypt and Israel.


Read more: Targeting Tribal Leaders: A New Militant Tactic in Sinai | Stratfor

Breaking: Israelis not safe in Sinai Peninsula. Various implications and applications of Chemical Weapons. The Syrian Files. Egypt vs Israel.

update: 8-2-2012

Israel says terror groups are planning to abduct Israelis from the Sinai peninsula

Counter-Terrorism Bureau issues warning received new intelligence that Gaza-based Palestinian terror groups, organizations linked to Al-Qaida in Sinai planning imminent attacks on Israeli tourists there.

By Barak Ravid | Aug.02, 2012 | 10:12 PM

A view of Sharm el Sheik in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. 

Israeli tourists in Sinai should return to Israel immediately because terrorists are planning to abduct Israelis from the peninsula, the government's Counter-Terrorism Bureau warned on Thursday.

The agency said it issued the warning because it has received new intelligence indicating that Gaza-based Palestinian terror groups and organizations linked to Al-Qaida in Sinai are planning imminent attacks on Israeli tourists there. The terrorists' primary goal is to kidnap Israelis, the agency added.

While it has issued similar warnings several times in the past, many Israelis ignore them, pressing forward with plans to enjoy a relatively cheap beach vacation.
"The Counter-Terrorism Bureau once again urges all Israelis in Sinai to leave the region immediately and return to Israel," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Thursday.

"The Counterterrorism Bureau asks the families of Israelis in Sinai to make contact with them and inform them of this warning. In addition, the bureau strongly recommends that all those planning to go to Sinai refrain from doing so."

The agency has had a travel advisory in place for Sinai for several years now, but the security situation there deteriorated drastically after last year's Egyptian revolution. Over the past year, two serious cross-border terror attacks have been launched at Israel from Sinai, both by terrorist groups affiliated with Al-Qaida.

source: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-says-terror-groups-are-planning-to-abduct-israelis-from-the-sinai-peninsula-1.455635

The Specter of Syrian Chemical Weapons

August 2, 2012 | 0901 GMT

By Scott Stewart

The unraveling of the al Assad regime in Syria will produce many geopolitical consequences. One potential consequence has garnered a great deal of media attention in recent days: the possibility of the regime losing control of its chemical weapons stockpile. In an interview aired July 30 on CNN, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said it would be a "disaster to have those chemical weapons fall into the wrong hands -- hands of Hezbollah or other extremists in that area." When he mentioned other extremists, Panetta was referring to local and transnational jihadists, such as members of the group Jabhat al-Nusra, which has been fighting with other opposition forces against the Syrian regime. He was also referring to the many Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, which have long had a presence in Syria and until recently have been supported by the al Assad regime.

The fear is that the jihadists will obtain chemical weapons to use in terrorist attacks against the West. Israel is also concerned that Palestinian groups could use them in terrorist attacks inside Israel or that Hezbollah could use such weapons against the Israelis in a conventional military battle. However, while the security of these weapons is a legitimate concern, it is important to recognize that there are a number of technical and practical considerations that will limit the impact of these weapons even if a militant group were able to obtain them.

Militant Use of Chemical Weapons

Militant groups have long had a fascination with chemical weapons. One of the largest non-state chemical and biological weapons programs in history belonged to the Aum Shinrikyo organization in Japan. The group had large production facilities located in an industrial park that it used to produce thousands of gallons of ineffective biological agents. After the failure of its biological program, it shifted its focus to chemical weapons production and conducted a number of attacks using chemical agents such as hydrogen cyanide gas, phosgene and VX and sarin nerve agents....

Difficult to Employ

Using chemical munitions on the battlefield presents a number of challenges. The first of these is sufficiently concentrating the chemical agent to affect the targeted troops. In order to achieve heavy concentrations of the agent, chemical weapon attacks were usually delivered by a massive artillery bombardment using chemical weapons shells. Soviet military chemical weapons doctrine relied heavily on weapons systems such as batteries of BM-21 multiple rocket launchers, which can be used to deliver a massive amount of ordnance to a targeted area. Additionally, it is very difficult to control the gas cloud created by the massive barrage. There were instances in World War I and in the Iran-Iraq War in which troops were affected by chemical weapon clouds that had been created by their own artillery but had blown back upon them.

Delivering a lethal dose is also a problem in employing chemical weapons in terrorist attacks, as seen by the attacks outlined above. For example, in the March 20, 1995, attack on the Tokyo subway system, Aum Shinrikyo members punctured 11 plastic bags filled with sarin on five different subway trains. Despite the typically very heavy crowds on the trains and in the Tokyo subway stations that morning, the attacks resulted in only 12 deaths -- although thousands of other commuters were sickened by the attack, some severely.

The Syrian regime is thought to have mustard gas as well as tabun, sarin and VX nerve agents in its chemical weapons inventory. Mustard gas, a blistering agent, is the least dangerous of these compounds. In World War I, less than 5 percent of the troops who were exposed to mustard gas died. Tabun and sarin tend to be deployed in a volatile liquid form that evaporates to form a gas. Once in gas form, these agents tend to dissipate somewhat quickly. VX, on the other hand, a viscous nerve agent, was developed to persist in an area after it is delivered in order to prevent an enemy force from massing in or passing through that area. While VX is more persistent, it is more difficult to cause a mass casualty attack with it since droplets of the liquid agent must come into contact with the victim, unlike other agents that evaporate to form a large cloud...

...

Another option for jihadists or Palestinian militants could be to attempt to smuggle the chemical agent into Israel for use in an attack. However, in recent years, increased security measures following past suicide bombing attacks in Israel have caused problems for militant groups smuggling weapons into Israel. The same problems would apply to chemical agents -- especially since border security has already been stepped up again due to the increased flow of weapons from Libya to Gaza.

Militants could attempt to solve this logistical challenge by launching a warhead or a barrage of warheads into Israel using rockets, but such militant rocket fire tends to be very inaccurate and, like conventional rocket warheads, these chemical warheads would be unlikely to hit any target of value. Even if a rocket landed in a populated area, it would be unlikely to produce many casualties due to the problem of creating a lethal concentration of the agent -- although it would certainly cause a mass panic.

The use of chemical weapons would also undoubtedly spur Israel to retaliate heavily in order to deter additional attacks. This threat of massive retaliation has kept Syria from using chemical weapons against Israel or allowing its militant proxies to use them.

Hezbollah may be the militant organization in the region that could most effectively utilize Syrian chemical munitions. The group possesses a large inventory of artillery rockets, which could be used to deliver the type of barrage attack required for a successful chemical weapon attack. Rumors have been swirling around the region for many months that Libyan rebels sold some chemical munitions to Hezbollah and Hamas. While we have seen confirmed reports that man-portable air-defense systems and other Libyan weapons are being smuggled into Sinai en route to Gaza, there has been no confirmation that chemical rounds are being smuggled out of Libya.

Read more: http://www.stratfor.com

Thursday 5 July 2012, WikiLeaks began publishing the Syria Files – more than two million emails from Syrian political figures, ministries and associated companies, dating from August 2006 to March 2012. This extraordinary data set derives from 680 Syria-related entities or domain names, including those of the Ministries of Presidential Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Information, Transport and Culture. At this time Syria is undergoing a violent internal conflict that has killed between 6,000 and 15,000 people in the last 18 months. The Syria Files shine a light on the inner workings of the Syrian government and economy, but they also reveal how the West and Western companies say one thing and do another.

source: http://wl.wikileaks-press.org/syria-files/

The Oddly Cordial Letter That the Muslim Brotherhood Sent to Israel

AUG 2 2012, 10:40 AM ET 
What we can learn from Egyptian President and Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi's note to Israeli President Shimon Peres -- assuming it's real.

Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi (left) and his Israeli counterpart, Shimon Peres (right). (Reuters)

...The letter states, "I am looking forward to exerting our best efforts to get the Middle east peace process back to its right track in order to achieve security and stability for all peoples of the region, including that Israeli people." This seems like routine and mundane for a correspondence between the heads of state of Egypt and Israel, but we are talking not about Mohamed Hosni Mubarak and Shimon Peres, but the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi and Peres...

... The same Muslim Brotherhood, which has vowed not to normalize relations with the Israelis until Israel fulfills the Egypt-Israel peace treaty, which from the Brotherhood's perspective demands the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

...several seemingly technical problems with the actual letter has left its authenticity open to question:

• Whoever wrote the letter, which was in English, spelled the Israeli leader's last name "Perez" instead of "Peres." ...
• President Morsi's signature does not appear on the letter and there is no presidential seal or stamp on it. ...
•  The Egyptians are denying that Morsi sent the letter.  Presidential spokesman, Yasser Ali,told al Ahram Gateway that "President Morsi has not sent any letter to the Israeli president."

So what is going on here?...Conspiratorial? Without a doubt, but one can actually understand the logic train in this one, unlike most conspiracy theories.

...The whole episode speaks to the ambiguous nature of Egypt-Israel relations at this moment in Egypt's transition. The letter comes after three Israeli messages to Morsi (two from Peres and one from Prime Minister Netanyahu) that went unanswered. If the note from Morsi is authentic, it is a good sign because it seems to defy predictions (including my own) that relations between the Egyptians and Israelis were going to get tough. Still, Yasser Ali's denial is curious.  ...

source: http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/08/the-oddly-cordial-letter-that-the-muslim-brotherhood-sent-to-israel/260637/#

---------------end update------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sadly, but not surprisingly, President Vladimir Putin decided that he should support Assad because it would be to Russia's advantage.  Russia hasn't had to do anything except veto the U.N. Security Council resolutions.  They also babbled about negotiations being a better bet in creating a peaceful solution...as if that was even logical.

So, while the Kremlin was continuing to deliver weapons to Assad, masked as old contracts, including attack helicopters, Russian leaders were warning that the West had a plan to bomb Syria and that Russia would protect them.

During this really ignorant process, Syria "leaked" that it actually had a stock pile of chemical weapons, which was something it had been denying.  Assad showed, through it's response to questions by the U.N. and others, that he and his dictatorial regime are not the most intelligent group on this planet.

Image 1 of 2

Bashar al-Assad celebrating the second birthday of one of their children with wife Asma Assad Photo: CAMERA PRESS

Meanwhile, President Bashar al-Assad remains in hiding, with only theories of where he is and how he is directing his troops and keeping his regime together.

The main fighting is now in Aleppo and the attack helicopters are being used here in force ...yes, the same attack helicopters provided by the Kremlin.  Evidently, the rebels are taking over one of Assad's main centers of power.  

It's interesting that Assad is doing what Bin Laden did until he was found and killed.  Instead of speaking live, Assad is appearing in recorded clips on television and some of his remarks are appearing in the military's magazine.  

"The fate of our people and our nation, past, present and future, depends on this battle," said Assad, whose low public profile suggests acute concern over his personal safety since the bombing in which his brother-in-law was among the dead.

In confronting "terrorist criminal gangs" - the government's usual term for the rebels - the army had proved it had "the steely resolve and conscience and that you are the trustees of the people's values," the 46-year-old president declared. 

reuters

Aleppo is Syria's biggest city.  At times, the volleys of shells wind up drowning out the Islamic call to prayer.  This does not stop the rebels.  The civil war has continued to intensify with fears that Assad will use the mass stockpile of chemical weapons on his own people, prompting even children in classrooms to try on gas masks.

Children trying on gas masks at a junior high school in Holon. iPhoto by Uriel Sinai

The civil war is now so horrifying that it has spurred a growing humanitarian crisis.  There is dire need for safe distribution of food and water to the people of Syria. Thousands have fled, but the need is still monumental.  

"The humanitarian situation is deteriorating in Aleppo and food needs are growing rapidly," the World Food Programme said.

Right now, the fighting is engulfing Damascus and Aleppo, both of which are prized power holds.

Unfortunately, there is footage that shows that rebels are carrying out summary executions, such as Assad's forces have been accused of taking part in.  Of course, these are videos that are floating around the Internet, so that information may not completely be correct, however, this may be something they have decided was good for their cause, as unfortunate the actions are. I won't go into the details.

It is reported from my sources that neither side has full control of Aleppo or Damascus.  There are many areas that are like ghost towns that have closed shops and empty streets. 

It's been reported that some foreign fighters, militant Islamists, have joined the battle.  These who have joined, have joined against Assad.  Additionally, sources say that the rebels now possess almost two dozen surface-to-air missiles that were delivered to them by Turkey.  These missiles will help them fight back against the air fighters that Assad has been using. 

Rebels have been battling Assad's regime that obviously has more to use against them.  However, the rebels have been capturing some of Assad's power by capturing some tanks and heavy weapons.  This is confirmed by a reputable source.


Meanwhile, Israel is concerned about the advanced weaponry that may be used against them, that may be transferred to Hezbollah.  The weaponry does include chemical weapons.

As Haaretz reported last month, only 53 percent of Israelis have gas masks. The government has not set a final target date for handing out gas masks, but the issue will be resolved in the discussions on funding the program, Tessler said. 

The initial target was to have 4.5 million gas masks distributed by next year, but this goal would probably be met this year, Tessler said. 

With the threat of an attack on Iran's nuclear installations and the uncertainty about Syria's chemical weapons, civil defense planners are also concerned about possible missile attacks against civilian targets in a future war. 

Still, only 30 percent of Israelis have a reinforced room in their homes and a  quarter have no such shelter either at home or nearby. Home Front Command says Israelis lacking a protected space against chemical or biological weapons should head for the most secure space in their homes and seal it on their own. 

"People need to know that they don't have protection, and the solution is the sealed room and the mask," Tessler said. "There are those who view brown adhesive tape cynically, but it saves lives. In many cases, it's the difference between life and death. 

Several months ago, the Israel Defense Forces' planning division projected that the number of missiles falling on Israel would be 10 times higher than the number during the 2006 Second Lebanon War. The IDF said several hundred civilians would be killed, and thousands of houses and apartments would be made uninhabitable. 

200,000 missiles 

Eisenberg has said that at any given moment 200,000 missiles are aimed at Israel.

source:  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-unlikely-to-be-hit-by-unconventional-weapons-says-home-front-command-chief-1.455065

In conclusion, the outlook is terrifying because Israel may be in planning for a strike against Iran, Iran may be in planning for a strike against Israel, Syria may be in the middle of a power grab that would include Iran and Russia, Russia cannot be trusted by America, Turkey fits in there somewhere, and so forth.


More to come.