Crossfire War – RAPID FIRE NEWS=TEHRAN – BAGHDAD – DAMASCUS WATCH – West Asia – North – Northeast Africa Theatre: Tehran – Riyadh – Tripoli – Khartoum – El Arish – Ramallah – Gaza – Beirut – Damascus – Baghdad/London – Washington – Jerusalem – Cairo – Amman – Paris – Rome; More Powerful Katyushas – Precision Hawn 170 Missiles Now Being Launched at US-British Embassies in Green Zone – Divided Arab League Summit Ends With No Official Agreement on Major Issues – Unofficial Separate Agendas
Night Watch: GREEN ZONE – Tehran is increasing its effort to do at least major damage to the U. S.-British embassies in Baghdad’s International Green Zone in the center of the city by supplying armed groups with more powerful Katyushas and the precision Hawn 170. Right after a three day curfew was lifted AKI reports the six square mile area was being hit again by a missile-mortar barrage. Hashim Hassan, an Iraqi journalist who specializes in military issues, stated in an Al Jazeera interview, “For several months there has been an escalation of guerrilla attacks against the ‘Green Zone’ in the centre of Baghdad. For five days the city’s inhabitants have heard the sounds of explosions. For 48 hours it has slowed down but missiles are still being launched. The real news is that the missiles have been launched from the eastern part of Baghdad and in particular from an area far from the centre. What that means is that they are using missiles of a new type that have longer range and that are launched with such precision they can strike directly at the U. S. Embassy and other embassies.” [AKI]
U. S. Embassy Compound – The linked photo from Xinhua indicates the new seriousness of the attacks, a harbinger of more direct open warfare between London-Washington/Baghdad-Tehran. Hassan goes on to observe, “What this means is that we have entered a new phase in the guerrilla war that is already more dangerous that in the past. All attempts by the Americans to detect places from where they are being launched have failed because the militants are continually changing their positions and launching them from areas occupied by civilians.” And with the militants able to use missiles of longer range it means the UK/US have to search a wider area to have any chance of finding the launch site. Frankly it is rapidly becoming less of a guerrilla war and more of a conventional one. [XINHUA]
That is why I suspect the next phase will be the use of anti-aircraft missiles by groups armed by Tehran and also anti-tank rockets. Iran is aware these more powerful attacks, that will eventually cause major damage to the embassies, will leave the lost alliance of London-Washington with no other choice but open, declared war with Tehran, which is exactly the trap Iran led them into.
Damascus Declaration – The two day Arab League Summit in Damascus ended with a deliberately vague declaration open to interpretation with the loud understanding they are all prepared to blame Israel for the next wave of war. Haaretz/Reuters provided a quote from Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, “The Arab heads of state decided to evaluate and review Arab strategies and the plan of action regarding reviving the peace process as a prelude to decide on the next Arab moves.” Nothing more should have been expected since three heads of state: Saudi Arabia-Jordan-Egypt were not there and Lebanon had no official head of state to send and its unofficial President-General Michel Suleiman is preparing to support Hezbollah-Syria in this year’s war as every Arab government knows, not to mention Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki who was very much in attendance. [HAARETZ]
It was Tehran’s very real, militaristic presence that provided the summit with its only real drama since it is no secret Syria-Iran are ready to show the effectiveness of their defense agreement against Israel-UK/US-European Units in UNIFIL and with the full cooperation of Hezbollah-Lebanon’s Army. The summit did reveal a division within the Arab League between governments who are in the Combatant War Club led by Iran and those who are in the Non-Combatant Club, Arab governments who will not actively commit forces against Israel and the West. All of them realize the Jihad is here, been building up for quite sometime, actually since the Islamic revolution in Iran led by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, and this is the year it runs its offensive course. Which makes the “peace process” a moot point, just a publicity stunt divined by the Bush Administration as their way of ensuring their mythical status in history, but it can no longer be discussed with a straight face. It is mentioned by governments preparing to increase and expand the war. I doubt if London-Washington can continue to convince themselves of their own hypocrisy. Those who were in attendance and those who weren’t realize they have to prepare themselves to pick up the diplomatic regional-international pieces afterward, which is why crossfirewar.com mentioned yesterday the House of Saud is preparing to counter the effects of a nuclear war. The immediate reality of (f)allout war overshadowed the summit.
When the smoke clears Egypt will have a government not headed by President Hosni Mubarak or anyone close to the West, the Iraq government would be clearing the refuse left from the UK/US bases no longer in the country, Persian Gulf states will be doing the same to U. S. bases no longer in the Gulf, UNIFIL would have evacuated south Lebanon with Beirut still within the sphere of influence of Damascus-Tehran, Moscow will be filling the vacuum in the region left by the West and Israel of course will still be there, very much intact when the smoke clears because there is no market for salt in the Dead Sea. Iran is more concerned about removing the West’s influence in the energy market. Tehran will commit some expendable units against Israel as a ceremonial gesture of support for Palestinian people knowing it will inspire more radicalism that will be directed against Mubarak.
