US Ups Defenses Against Iran Closing Hormuz Strait

The Pentagon is bolstering US Navel and land-based defenses in the Persian Gulf in order to thwart any attempt by Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz. Defense officials are saying that the military has notified Congress of plans to preemptively place new mine-detection and clearing equipment and expand surveillance capabilities in and around the strait. The US military also wants to quickly modify weapons systems on ships to target Iranian fast-attack boats, as well as shore-launched cruise missiles. The readiness push, lead by the military's Central Command, indicates the extent to which war planners are taking tangible steps to prepare for a possible conflict with Iran, even as top White House and defense leaders try to emphasize other options over war.

The US' primary concern is that Iran could rapidly mine the strait and use heavily armed speedboats to attack or ram Western ships trying to clear the waterway. A successful Iranian attack on a US warship could drag the US into a larger conflict. In addition, US special-operations teams stationed in the United Arab Emirates would take part in any military action in the strait should Iran attempt to close it. A military official said these forces have been working to train elite local forces in Gulf nations including the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait.

The tension between the US and Iran escalated in January when Tehran delivered a blunt warning that an American aircraft carrier that left the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz should not return. Determined to keep the waterway open, the US deployed a different aircraft carrier to the Gulf, and sent another warship near the area, prompting the Islamic Republic to back down from its threat.

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IDF Thinks Syria Could Attack Israel Soon !!!

There is growing concern in the Israeli army that Syrian dictator Bashar Assad could attack the Jewish state as pressure mounts for him to step down.

Assad is currently facing a revolution in his own country that he has sought to quell with brutal military force. Those bloody tactics have resulted in a good portion of the Syrian army joining the opposition, and Syria is nearing the point of full-scale civil war.

The situation has prompted the Arab League and Western powers to consider injecting their own military forces into Syria with the aim of ending Assad's rule. But before that happens, Israeli military officials believe Assad would lash out at Israel, both to divert Arab attention on Syria's internal struggle and to establish a lasting legacy for himself.

What has made this prospect all the more worrying is that recent reports suggest Assad has been using chemical weapons against the Syrian opposition, including civilians. If he attacks Israel, it is believed Assad would have no problem using those same weapons against the Jewish state.

Syria reportedly has the most extensive chemical weapons arsenal in the world.

The Israeli army has been holding drills and formulating plans focused on dealing with a number of possible scenarios springing from the situation in Syria.

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Revolutionary Guards, Hezbollah Operatives Aiding Assad's Brutal Crackdown

Iran has significantly increased its involvement in Syria over the past few days. The presence of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah operatives assisting Syrian President Bashar Assad's in his brutal crackdown of protesters now number in the high hundreds; while the Arab League said that it will not supply the rebels with arms unless the bloodshed comes to a halt.

The majority of Iranian and Hezbollah operatives in Syria supply Assad's army with intelligence and train the Damascus forces on weapons' maintenance and reconnaissance. A smaller group of operatives is involved in the actual fighting.

Tehran has also increased the financial assistance it lends Damascus. It also maintains regular flights to the Syrian capital – a practice Arab League members have suspended due to the escalating violence.

Iran's financial aid is one of Assad's lifelines, as it keeps the middle class in Damascus and Halab (Aleppo) from rising against him as well.

The Islamic Republic's decision to bolster ties with Syria at a time when Tehran has to deal with growing international sanctions, imposed on it over its refusal to suspend its nuclear program, indicates that the ayatollah's regime believes Assad and his government can survive the uprising.

The rebels have long claimed that Iran is helping Assad – an assessment backed by Britain and the United States.


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Russia Warns Against US or Israel Attack on Iran

Russia has strongly objected to Western belligerence towards its allies Syria and Iran, warning that a military assault on the Iranian regime could cause a “chain reaction” that would destabilize the entire world.

Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, vowed to veto any United Nations proposal for military intervention in Syria and promised especially to do all they could to prevent a military strike on Iran.

“The consequences [of attacking Iran] will be extremely grave,” he said. “It’s not going to be an easy walk. It will trigger a chain reaction and I don’t know where it will stop.” Russia has even been training its military on scenarios related to the crisis of a possible military conflict in Iran.

Russia has supported some sanctions on Iran, but has refused to comply with any additional sanctions. The U.S. has heaped some of the harshest economic sanctions on Iran ever conceived and has been pressuring its allies in the European Union and Asia-Pacific to embargo Iran’s oil, or at least reduce it significantly.

The sanctions could result in a humanitarian catastrophe on the scale of what Iraq experienced in the 1990s, with approximately 500,000 children dying as a result of the U.S.-led sanctions after the Gulf War of 1990-91. The Obama administration claims it is applying the sanctions to convince Iran to stop enriching uranium.

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Another Gas Discovery for Delek, Noble Energy!

Noble Energy and the Delek Group announced on Sunday another significant discovery of a natural gas field off the coast of Haifa. The field, located in the Mediterranean waters 120 kilometers (74.5 miles) northwest of Israel's northern port city, reportedly totals about 1.2 to 1.3 trillion cubic feet.

Gas-bearing strata some 40 meters (120ft) thick was discovered at a depth of 5,500 meters (16,500ft) in the offshore Tanin 1 (Crocodile) well. That strata is part of the Tamar sands structure.

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Killings, blasts, computer worms: The covert war on Iran

Death of yet another nuclear scientist indicates some element has already waged military campaign to halt Islamic Republic's nuclear program

The killing of Iranian professor Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan on Wednesday was the latest in a series of hits on scientists who are linked to the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, which Israel and other Western nations are desperately trying to halt.
According to Iranian media reports, the incident, which took place at the Seyed Khandan neighborhood in northern Tehran, "looks similar to attacks on nuclear scientists in the city," more than one year ago.
Tehran's deputy governor was quick to say that Israel was behind the "assassination… aimed at militarizing the (diplomatic) situation, and disrupt the elections in Iran.”
American blogger Richard Silverstein claimed that a senior Israeli source "with great political and military experience" told him that the Mossad carried out the hit along with Iranian opposition group the People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI).
In addition to the targeted killings of scientists, the three explosions which took place in Iran within a month towards the end of 2011 indicate that some element has already waged a military campaign against Tehran.
On December 12 Iranian media outlets reported that 16 people were killed in an explosion at a steel factory.


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US to sell Israel 2,500 Hummers, trucks

IDF officials reach preliminary deal on equipment used by US forces in Iraq, Afghanistan

The IDF is soon to purchase 2,500 Hummer vehicles, trucks and other equipment from the United States military, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Sunday.
Top IDF officials have recently travelled to the US and reached a preliminary agreement on the deal, which includes gear used during US engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Defense establishment sources noted Saturday that the purchase is worthwhile for Israel, as the payment for the gear would be taken out of the military aid provided by the US to the Jewish state.
If the deal goes through, the reportedly low-mileage Hummers and trucks will arrive in Israel and undergo testing before being stored away in the IDF's emergency warehouses.
The US pulled out its last convoy of troops from Iraq in December, and has set an aggressive timetable for withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan has well.
The IDF said on Thursday that it is gearing up towards a joint missile defense drill with US. Both nations said the exercise is expected to be the largest of its kind so far. While the maneuver's date is yet to be announced, a senior IDF official said it is to take place within the next few weeks.


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