Crossfire War – TEHRAN – BEIRUT – DAMASCUS WATCH – West Asia – North – Northeast Africa Theatre: Tehran – Riyadh – Baghdad – Ankara – Amman – Tripoli – Khartoum – Damascus – Beirut – Ramallah – Gaza/Jerusalem – Cairo – Paris – Rome – London – Washington – Moscow; Iran Completes Regional Axis to Increase World War III in West Asia – Lebanon Army Commander Gen. Suleiman Orders Army to Aim Rifles in “Proper Direction, Israel Army and Terror” – Iranian Artillery Experts Improve Range – Power of Qassam Rockets – 300 Hit Israel in August – Israel PM Olmert in Cabinet Meeting to Plan Offensive Against “Iran’s Forward Position in Gaza”
Night Watch: GAZA – As Lebanon celebrates and exaggerates its victory in the Palestinian refugee camp city Nahr al-Bared over the suicide unit Fatal al-Islam, Debka reports the commander of the Lebanon Army General Michel Suleiman ordered his troops to aim their rifles in the “proper direction, Israel’s army and terror.” With that directive, Tehran, through the fighting at Nahr al-Bared, has convinced most, if not all of Lebanon’s military, they have more of a future with Tehran and other Islamic governments than in continuing their working with Paris and the West. The French began to lose more influence in Lebanon with Paris’ possessive insistence the Lebanese owe France a huge amount of debt from the fifteen-year Lebanon civil war, 1975-90, which was started by a militia group controlled by France-Maronite Catholics. I doubt if they were eager to join the fighting at Nahr al-Bared, nor were the European units of UNIFIL in south Lebanon interested in helping the Lebanese government against the Islamic extremists most of whom actually may have been from other countries trained and sent by Tehran. [DEBKA]
The fighting at Nahr al-Bared increased the negotiating position of the Lebanese opposition to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora who is scheduled to arrive in Berlin tomorrow and it has also been reported one of the main reasons Washington never had the Pentagon send more than night vision goggles to Lebanon’s army during the fighting is because Washington and the Allies knew any new heavy equipment would find its way to either Hezbollah or other extreme groups controlled by Tehran-Damascus. Last year it was worldwide news a lot of Lebanon’s army supported Hezbollah during its war with Israel last summer, setting the state for the larger regional war this year, one that Tehran-Damascus are going to enter in support of Islamic groups Iran-Syria have been preparing for years. Hezbollah was created by Tehran 25 years ago as part of Iran’s regional policy to remove governments in the region cooperating with the West. That is why Tehran named a street after the Egyptian army Lieutenant who assassinated President Anwar al-Sadat in 1981, Hosni Mubarak’s predecessor. Despite Mubarak’s hatred of Islamic radicalism Iranian artillery experts and their Palestinian contacts are still able to routinely use Cairo airport to transit from Tehran to Gaza, which casts serious doubt as to how much Mubarak really controls Egypt. [DEBKA]
The head of Jihad Islami, Mohammad al Hindi, arrived back in Gaza in early August with Iranian artillery experts and other Palestinian militant leaders who have been instructing their members in the use of more advanced Qassam rockets. According to Israel Defence Forces (IDF), nearly 300 Qassam rockets have hit Israel last month, especially the town of Sderot that first began to receive Qassam rocket fire seven years ago. These other Palestinian militant units are used by Tehran to fire more Qassam rockets than even Hamas, as Iran has Hamas concentrate on establishing itself politically though its armed wing will still engage in some combat. The fire on Sderot has become so intense schools can no longer operate and the residents no longer believe in statements from Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on ending the attacks. [XINHUA]
However, at this moment there is an extremely serious cabinet meeting taking place in Jerusalem. At the same time, outside the parliament building the Knesset, high school students from Sderot have been demonstrating and holding classes with their parents. They have told the government classes will not be resumed until there is an offensive against the Palestinians who continue to fire the rockets. Several government ministers have added their voices to the demand for an offensive against what is now being called “Iran’s forward position in Gaza.” More Israelis realize Tehran is using the Palestinians in Gaza as a missile-rocket force the same way Iran used Hezbollah in south Lebanon last summer with the hundreds of Katyusha’s fired and that will happen again this year with even more devastation and frequency unless Israel responds more heavily and immediately. [DEBKA]
Israel opposition leader and former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is quoted as saying, “If the government cannot provide security for its citizens then it should quit.” Therefore, I suspect with these latest developments around Israel Olmert will have no other choice but to agree with the advice from his Defense Ministry. He does not want the demonstrations outside the Knesset to become as large and as serious as the ones, which removed Siniora in Beirut. Moscow is also announcing its extreme concern over these latest developments in the Gaza Strip and had to remove Russian personnel working in the Gaza as Hamas took over the territory in June. The Kremlin is aware Israel is fighting the same enemy Russia has been fighting in the Caucasus since 1994 and that both of their enemies are directed by Tehran. Under President Vladimir Putin Moscow is prepared to go beyond diplomatic support, which is why for the first time since 1992 Russia’s Air Force has been conducting maneuvers with its long-range Strategic Bomber unit. They have been conducting rendezvous with the West and they can do so with Israel.
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