Crossfire War – Rapid Fire News=Tehran – Beirut – Damascus Watch – West Asia – North – Northeast Africa Theatre: Israel Increases Military Units on Northern Front and on High Alert – Iran Takes Command of Hezbollah Units – Israel Warns of New Fighting to Remove Iran – Syria – Hezbollah Officers on Lebanon Mt. Sannine – US Loses Nine Soldiers in Largest Taliban Attack in Three Years
Night Watch: MT. SANNINE – As Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak arrives in Washington to plan the Israel Air Force (IAF) attack on some of Iran’s nuclear installations Debka reports Israel Defense Force (IDF) units on Israel’s northern border, confronting Lebanon-Syria have been placed on high alert due to reports of Iranian officers taking over command of every Hezbollah unit. Iranian officers are also attached to Hezbollah anti-aircraft batteries, surface missile units and shore-to-ship missile teams. Hezbollah has always been an extension of Iran’s military ever since the unit was formed in 1982 and this latest development completes their absorption into Iran’s army. This was first shown during the 2006 fighting in south Lebanon as some Iranian officers were found among the Hezbollah dead and Iranian technicians may have assisted in the firing of the anti-ship missile that damaged an Israeli naval vessel. [DEBKA]
Jerusalem is also concerned about the presence of Iranian-Syrian-Hezbollah officers on the strategic Mount Sannine and the radar monitoring station positioned there. This is why though Israel has decided to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities they may not have the time since Tehran may want to force Israel first into heavier fighting against Hamas-Hezbollah. And most of the missiles launched at Israel will be fired from the two countries on the Northern Front, Lebanon-Syria which could keep the IAF so busy they may never have time to attack Iran. Tehran always wants its enemies on any regional theatre or front to be always on the defensive.
Beirut – As an added concern INN/AP report another reason Israel increased its troop presence on the Northern Front is due to reports of a possible Hezbollah attack right after today’s prisoner exchange. Though Iran may have instructed Hezbollah to use as its reason Israel’s supposed involvement in the assassination of Hezbollah official Imad Mughniyeh in February, the real reason is the pretense of peace is over and Tehran wants to begin the wider regional war now. A war that will also encompass UK/US forces in Iraq-Persian Gulf. [INN]
Wanat – At the same time NATO is confronting its heaviest fighting in Afghanistan in three years and this is no coincidence as it reduces the possibility of NATO nations sending any military assistance to European Units serving in south Lebanon with UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon). The Jerusalem Post/AP are reporting today nine U. S. soldiers were killed, fifteen wounded in the largest Taliban attack in three years. More than a hundred fighters attacked from different directions a remote military outpost near the village of Wanat on the Pakistan border 120 miles northeast of Kabul. Fortunately a NATO official, describing the attack as a “concerted attempt,” was willing to speak on condition of anonymity otherwise we would not know. The fighters, firing from houses and mosques, used machine guns, rocket propelled grenades (rpg) and mortars in an attempt to overrun the base. They were not able to do so but during the Sunday morning 4:30 am attack were able to penetrate inside the base and inflict the above casualties. Apache helicopter gunships were called in resulting in the deaths of 40 Taliban soldiers. [JPOST]
Nuristan Province – The above action took place in Kunar province but Debka today quoted an Afghan police official in adjacent Nuristan who admitted besides the presence of Taliban fighters there are also: Afghan fighters in the unit Hezb-i-Islami led by established warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyr, Arab fighters, Chechen and Pakistani. This multi-national coalition is of course organized by Tehran with the full cooperation and understanding of Islamabad and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai. Karzai’s position is virtually identical to that of Iraq Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, while there are Western military forces in the country and one works with them to an extent they are not a lasting presence, therefore allow Iran and other countries to send in Islamic fighters while you increase your economic arrangements with Tehran and other Islamic governments. [DEBKA]
Kabul – In an extended interview President Karzai summed up his disappointment with the NATO effort. Swissinfo/Reuters report he stated, “This is in reality is a disaster…many innocent people have been killed in the bombardment. For five years routinely, I have been trying to prevent foreign forces from possibly harming our nation. Unfortunately this effort has not had the outcome I wanted and as the nation expects.” In the first six months of 2008 nearly 700 Afghan civilians have been killed while the death toll of Taliban fighters I suspect has been exaggerated. This was to have been NATO’s grand power projection outside Europe and all they have really done is protect the opium trade. Perhaps that’s what NATO’s military – diplomatic leadership were injecting when they planned this delusive mission. Brussels, NATO’s headquarters, has been paving the way for Tehran to have more influence in the region. And that is why Tehran will never attack Brussels because decisions there have been helping Iran, from the Balkans to Central Asia. [SWISSINFO]
New Crossfire War Site – The new site should become active at 9:30 pm tonight Central Daylight-Savings Time (Chicago Area). After two weeks of testing it will become subscription only August 1 for the latest articles but their should be some free material available. The most recent free article should be two weeks old. Subscriptions will cost: $35 for 30 days, $165 for six months and $300 for a yearly.
