The Islamic Republic of Iran has announced that, it will be initiating specific war games and military drills to ensure its forces’ readiness in respect of its nuclear installations. The announced drills will be carried out tomorrow i.e on Sunday and has further stated that, any intervention or provocation will lead to a missile strike against Tel Aviv, Israel.

As per the information given by Iran’s Brigadier General Ahmad Mighani to the state run media outlet, the extensively planned air defense military drill will last for five days and will be solely aimed at the protection of the country’s nuclear facilities. The announcement of the war games have come just a day after the member of the six party talks expressed their disappointment on Tehran’s rejection of the nuclear deal.

Iran’s complete rejection of the nuclear deal that was brokered by the United Nations has compelled U.S President, Barack Obama to warn the country of the possibility of sanctions and soon after the President’s statement, envoys from United States, Russia, China, Germany, Britain and France held a meeting. Furthermore, the U.S and Israel have stated that, if the diplomatic efforts prove fruitless then military actions could also very well be taken to end the threat of a nuclear Iran.

On the other hand Iran still claims that, its pursuit of nuclear energy is for civilian and energy purposes only. However, it has warned U.S and Israel that if the national security of Iran is threatened, the Islamic nation will strike back at the military bases of both the countries in the Gulf region.

According to cleric Mojtaba Zolnour,

“If the enemy should want to test its bad luck in Iran, before the dust from its missiles settles in this country, Iran’s ballistic missiles would land in the heart of Tel Aviv.”

Via Reuters.

One of the leading web security companies in the world, McAfee has warned the international community that, the established powers of the world are fast heading towards the development of cyber warfare weapons. In a report released by the security specialist, it has stated that, countries  like China, France, Israel, Russia and the United States are well on their way towards a massive cyber arms race.

According to Dave DeWalt (CEO, McAfee),

“McAfee began to warn of the global cyber arms race more than two years ago, but now we’re seeing increasing evidence that it’s become real. Several nations around the world are actively engaged in cyberwar-like preparations and attacks. Today, the weapons are not nuclear, but virtual, and everyone must adapt to these threats.”

McAfee has further stated that the above mentioned countries have infact successfully developed offensive cyber warfare capabilities and that the scope of an all out cyber warfare is a very real possibility. Some of the most recent recorded cases of offensive cyber attacks are the cyber warfare operations undertaken by Russia against the state of Georgia, during the South Ossetia war in August, 2008. Another example of such attacks is the information warfare attack that was carried out against government and financial websites across South Korea and the United States of America.

As per the report,

“Over the past year, the increase in politically motivated cyberattacks has raised alarm and caution, with targets including the White House, Department of Homeland Security. US Secret Service and Department of Defense in the US alone. Nation-states are actively developing cyberwarfare capabilities and involved in the cyber arms race, targeting government networks and critical infrastructures. While we have not yet seen a ‘hot’ cyber war between major powers, the efforts of nation-states to build increasingly sophisticated cyberattack capabilities — and in some cases demonstrate a willingness to use them — suggests that a ‘Cyber Cold War’ may have already begun.”

Via Space War.

The state of Israel has announced that, it will be expanding its settlement plans in Jerusalem in a sector that was captured by the Israeli Defense Forces in the year 1967. The Palestinians on the other hand have long been claiming that the Jerusalem district belongs to Palestine. This latest decision from Jerusalem, has put a deeper strain on the relations between Israel and Palestine and has also put in jeopardy the peace plan proposed by U.S President Barack Obama.

Israel’s decision to expand its settlement plans in Jerusalem has angered the United States and the U.S State Department has issued an statement expressing its disappointment and has restated that the peace talks should be of paramount importance.

The construction plans are further complicated as Palestinian government has been in intense talks with the United Nations Security Council to recognize Palestine as a sovereign country even if Israel disapproves of it. However, Israel and the United States have both opposed this move by Palestine, as the United States is ready to recognize Palestine as a country only if an agreement is  reached between the two middle eastern foes.

Furthermore, Sweden, whose foreign minister is also the President of the European Union has shown reluctance in providing support to the Palestinian initiative, stating that recognizing Palestine as a sovereign country would be “premature”.

Via New York Times.

Iran could be the ‘savior’ of the Middle East. If it wants to, that is.  The conflict between Sunni and Shia, ‘dating back to the seventh-century dispute over who was meant to be the Prophet Muhammad’s rightful successor, is the most consequential in the Middle East because it is so profound and elemental. But precisely because it is so intractable, it might hold the key to solving another seemingly eternal Middle East conflict, the one between Muslim and Jew.’ Iran just might be in the middle of all this.

The “symbiotic anxiety” shared by Israel and its Sunni Arab adversaries might not be abated as it might be too late to forge a Sunni-Jewish alliance. The reason is hate, a phenomenon that never stopped the ‘formation of pragmatic alliances in the Middle East.’ Making it worse is the new and added Arab enmity for Israel because of last December’s Israeli attacks in Gaza. It might be impossible now ‘for Arab governments to be seen entering even a tacit alliance with Israel.’

Iran has obviously shown to be a guardian of Islamic and, in particular, Palestinian interests. It is an undeniable fact that ‘half of the future state of Palestine is under the control of a Sunni fundamentalist group, Hamas, that is theologically opposed to the Shia dogma, but more than happy to take Iranian money and weapons. Iran can continue encouraging Hamas—as well as the Shia Hezbollah in Lebanon—to subvert any upcoming negotiations.’

David Makovsky, one of the most respected experts on the peace process, and co-author of a new book, Myths, Illusions, and Peace, says, “There is a convergence of interests between the Arabs and Israelis on Iran. As such, this moment is a gift that shouldn’t be wasted. The two sides need to put their differences in perspective to address the common challenge.”

‘The history of Middle East peacemaking is littered with missed opportunities, and the shared challenge of an ascendant Iran might not be enough to induce Arabs and Israelis to make common cause.’

Even if Iran may not want to save the Middle East conflict, it is in the crucial position of owning the possibility of doing so.

Via The Atlantic

The United Nations today announced that, it has given the go ahead to the resolution out for before the international body, that calls for investigations for the alleged war crimes committed dung the Israeli offensive in Gaza strip in last winter. The resolution states that, both Israel and Palestine should conduct independent probes to verify the war crime claims.

As per the resolution, the U.N Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon has been requested to submit the report from both the countries to the United Nations General Assembly in three months time. It has also been demanded that, strict actions should be taken against either country, who fails to uphold the resolution as targeting non-combatants and civilian infrastructure is a gross human rights violation and a serious war crime. If either Israel or Palestine is found guilty of these crimes, then appropriate actions need to be taken against the offender by the corresponding bodies of the U.N including the Security Council. The resolution was put forward by the 20 Arab League members and it was passed with a vote count of 114-18.

In a statement the Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations said,

“This resolution represents yet another pretext to bash Israel at the U.N. and is detrimental to any positive diplomatic engagement in the region.”

Singing the same tune, Israel’s long time ally, the United States of America also expressed its disappointment and concerns about the resolution. The U.S Ambassador to the United Nations, Alejandro Wolff stated that, although the U.S takes the matters of human rights very seriously, especially in the Palestinian region, yet the Goldstone report has been biased and has harshly criticized Israel for its defending its right to existence and hasn’t relegated Hamas’s share of responsibility. Last year’s conflict between the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the Palestinian militant organization, Hamas, was instigated by the Katyusha rockets that were fired targeting the Israeli cities.

Via CNN.

In a recent released by the military intelligence chief of Israel, the intelligence branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has stated that, the rouge militant outfit, Hamas, which is operating from Palestine has now acquired rockets and proje3ctile weapons that can be launched against Israeli targets in the heart of the nation’s capital, Tel Aviv.

The report has come in the wake of intelligence reports suggesting that, Hamas has indeed acquired and test fired short range rockets, supplied by Iran and this new offensive weapon could very well be ready to target Tel Aviv. Iran has reportedly been trying to find loopholes in the security at and along the Palestinian border, to bring the new rockets to Hamas.

These new rockets are far more advanced than the crude and primitive Grad rockets, that have become a regular occurrence in many Israeli cities, but due to the limited range of the weapon, the Grad rockets have always failed to hit the capital Israel. The new batch of vehicle launched short range rockets can reach upto a range of 37 miles or 60 kilometers.

According to Abu Obaida (Spokesman, Hamas),

“We are not interested in responding to the Zionist intelligence reports. They can say whatever they want.”

Even after last year’s military offensive against Hamas conducted by the IDF to shut down the rocket and mortar launching capabilities of Hamas, several intelligence sources believe that, the militant outfit has been able to replenish its stockpiles of small arms, mortar rounds and rockets, courtesy of Iran. These contraband have been smuggled into Palestine, via tunnel that runs between the border of Palestine and Egypt.

Via Associated Press.

According to a recent study published for this month’s reputed science journal, Geology, the Aegean Sea that was constituted of the Thera volcano was the epicenter for a host of immense killer waves also known as Tsunamis. The eruption of this giant volcano, that took place some 3,000 years ago produced massive tidal waves impacting the region of Israel and many other coastal areas in the middle east. At the time of these tsunamis, the Mediterranean area was the home to some of the most flourishing cultures in human history, namely, Crete, Cyprus, Egypt, Phoenicia and Turkey.

One of the brightest and most advanced civilizations of all, the Minoan race is believed to be a victim of this volcano’s eruption and the subsequent tsunamis that would have obliterated the entire region. The Thera volcano according to the researchers is thought to have erupted during 1630 and 1550 B.C.

The research team that conducted the study was comprised of geologists and scientists from Israel, the United States of America, Canada and Hawaii. The excavations that took place for this project were carried out near the coastal town of Caesarea, Israel, that is known to have its origins from the days of the Roman and the Byzantine empires.

According to the study, “These findings constitute the most comprehensive evidence to date that the tsunami event precipitated by the eruption of Santorini reached the maximum extent of the Eastern Mediterranean.”

The research process involved drilling tubes into the seabed, and collecting sediment cores that were later studied and analyzed for the compilation of the study. The core sample were later observed for telltale signs that are left after a tsunami strike, such as, pumice, peculiar patterns of microfossils etc.

Via New York Times.

According to an Amnesty International report, Israel is ‘using its “total control” over water supplies to discriminate against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.’ “Water is a basic need and a right, but for many Palestinians obtaining even poor quality, subsistence-level quantities of water has become a luxury that they can barely afford,” said Donatella Rovera, author of the Amnesty report.

It was discovered that ‘many Palestinians in the West Bank have no access to running water and the Israeli military prevents them from digging well and accessing rainwater. Israeli settlers, meanwhile, enjoy virtually unrestricted access to water despite a prolonged drought.’ Presently, up to 200,000 families have no running water, according to the report.

The report claims that 450,000 settlers have taken up residence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the Six-Day War in 1967. These people ‘consume as much as or more than the 2.3 million Palestinians living in the West Bank.’ Additionally, ‘between 180,000 and 200,000 Palestinians living in rural communities – especially in the Israeli controlled “Area C” which comprises 60 per cent of the West Bank – have no access to running water.’

The Israeli military often uses prevention tactics in stopping Palestinians to access rainwater by ‘destroying water-harvesting cisterns or even confiscating water tankers.’

Via The Independent

The Israeli occupation of the West Bank seems to be supported not by political aims but by a religious and holy promise that was delivered to the Jews by the Bible. This apparently justifies the continuous occupation of the west bank rendering thousands of Palestinians homeless.

Major Adrian Agassi, who immigrated to Israel long time ago, is known to be at the forefront of encouraging illegal occupation of the West Bank, not because it is necessary for the State of Israel, but because it has been promised by none other than god.

In fact, he prefers calling Israel, State of Jews than by the name Israel, though technically that is what it is. Such attitudes towards occupation of the West Bank will only flare up situations and the entire region would be caught in a downward spiral, never to return to a state of peace.

Thus, once again it is proven that religion seems to be the driving force behind any kind of dispute, wherever in the world the dispute might be. Adrian Agassi’s judgements were considered extremely biased by his critics and once even the military prosecution appealed against his ruling to Israel’s high court.

Via: guardian

That Iran has become nuclear is no longer a matter of doubt. ‘The Iranians are in fact moving rapidly toward a weapon.’ It has also managed to deceive US intelligence during the Bush administration. It was only during the Obama administration that Iran was discovered to be on full speed at producing nuclear weapons. Dealing with Iran at this juncture, while having a worst-case scenario in mind, is of decisive significance.

The nuclearization of Iran is ‘the direct responsibility of Russian nuclear expertise.’ With the recent disclosure that Russian nuclear scientists and engineers have been employed in Iran’s nuclear program, the Russians must therefore be held ‘responsible for the current state of Iran’s weapons program.’ Corollary, Russia also ‘bears responsibility for any actions that Israel or the United States might take to solve the problem.’

Regarding sanctions on Iran, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is mum on the subject. On the other hand, while ‘the Russians have indicated that participating in sanctions on gasoline imports by Iran is not out of the question, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev did not clearly state that Russia would cooperate.’

While there has already been proof as to the considerable degree of technical cooperation on military hardware between Iran and Russia, pointing to the conclusion that Russia is indeed involved in Iran’s civilian nuclear program, an important question rises to the surface: does Russia really want a nuclear Iran while knowing full well what the consequences might be in terms of Iran’s future potential capability and Russia’s relationship with the rest of the world, especially with US and Europe?

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Via STRATFOR