Fw: DEBKA Newsletter, June 28, 2013 - World War III Update

Summary of DEBKA Exclusives, June 28, 2013 June 21, 2013 Briefs: Obama nominates Jim Comey new FBI chiefPresident Barack Obama Friday announced the nomination of former federal prosecutor Jim Comey as the new director of the FBI. Robert Mueller whom he succeeds faces questions in Congress about the use of drone technology for surveillance on US soil. Iranian crude oil exports to China up by 50 percentThe Customs Administration in Beijing reported Friday that Iran's crude exports to its top customer, China had increased by nearly 50 percent in May from April on a daily basis. Iran sold 2.36 million tons of crude to China in May, equivalent to about 555,557 barrels per day (bpd). Guard shoots Jewish man dead at Western Wall A security guard shot dead a Jewish man, aged 46, because he said the man suddenly put his hand in his pocket and shouted Allahu Akbar! The guard said he feared the man was a Palestinian terrorist in disguise about to attack Jewish worshippers at the sensitive shrine. The guard was detained by the police for questioning. Lavrov: Russia will honor its S-300 missile contract with SyriaDEBKAfile Special Report 21 June Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday, June 20, that Moscow will honor its controversial contract to deliver S-300 air defense missile systems to Syria. He spoke the day after the announcement that two warships carrying 600 Russian marines were heading for Syria "to protect the Russian citizens there" along with air force cover "as needed." DEBKAfile: Russia and the West are pumping more arms into Syria for the decisive battle for Aleppo between the HIzballah-backed Syrian army and heavily mobilized rebel forces. June 22, 2013 Briefs: A 400-strong group of US soldiers ready to deploy in SinaiThe 400 US soldiers have finished training in Texas for their 9-month peacekeeping mission as part of the 13-nation Multinational Observer peacekeeping force originally posted in Sinai to monitor the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace accord. Their new mission is to man posts and security checkpoints in the Sinai Peninsula in support of the Egyptian army, in accordance with the secret agreements the US, Israel, Turkey, Qatar and Egypt concluded for ending Israel's Defense Cloud Operation last year. Syrian Friends" convene in DohaThe meeting Saturday headed by Secretary of State John Kerry is discussing how to organize the delivery of military and other aid to the Syrian rebels – but most importantly to find ways to unify the opposition coalition leadership so that it can take its seat at a future Geneva-2 conference for a political solution of the Syrian conflict. DEBKAfile: The chances of this conference getting underway keep on receding given the differences between Moscow and Washington. US troop buildup in Jordan. Turkey shuts arms corridor to Syrian rebelsDEBKAfile Special Report 22 June. DEBKAfile reveals that Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan informed President Barack Obama Wednesday, June 19, of his sudden decision to shut down the Turkish corridor for the transfer of US and NATO arms to the Syrian rebels. He said he was afraid of Russian retribution. He leaves the Syrian rebels fighting in Aleppo virtually high and dry. Against this background, the US President decided Friday, June 22, to leave another 700 combat-equipped American military personnel in Jordan at the end of a joint US-Jordanian training exercise. They will include crews of two Patriot anti-aircraft missile batteries and the logistics, command and communications personnel needed to support those units. The United States is also leaving behind a squadron of 12 to 24 F-16 fighter jets at Jordan's request. Some 300 US troops have been in Jordan since last year. June 23, 2013 Briefs: Prof. Yaakov Frenkel returns to Israeli central bankThe Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem confirms that Prof. Yaakov Frenkel, Bank of Israel Governor from 1991 to 2000, returns to this position when Prof. Stanley Fischer ends his term at the end of the month. Homemade explosive found in British Midlands MosqueWest Midlands police confirmed that a suspicious package found at a mosque in Wasall is a homemade explosive device. More than 150 worshippers were evacuated for the police check. DEBKAfile: Anti-Muslim tensions have been mounting in Britain with right-wing groups seeking revenge since two Islamist terrorists decapitated a British soldier in London. New US State Dept appointments, critics of Netanyahu governmentWashington sources report two new appointments at the US State Department's Middle East section – both, says DEBKAfile, outspoken critics of the Netanyahu government: US Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson, who has been criticized as overly supportive of the Muslim Brotherhood, is promoted to Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern affairs; Rob Malley, a vocal opponent of Israel's Palestinian policy and Jewish West Bank settlement, is head of the Middle East desk. He has strong ties with the Israeli opposition Peace Now faction in the US. The Economist: The die is cast for a nuclear Iran. "Israel attack unlikely" Neither Iran's election, nor sanctions nor military threats are likely to divert it from its path to getting nuclear weapons, says The Economist, citing top independent experts in the field. Even if talks go on and the new Iranian president wants a deal acceptable to the West, "the die is already cast." Iran is close to "critical capability" – meaning a short dash (10 weeks) away from enough weapons-grade uranium by the end of this year for one or more bombs, before Western intelligence knows what had happened. Will Israel carry out a military attack on Iran's nuclear facilities some time in the next six months? Probably not, says the journal: "Israeli red lines have come and gone in the past (as DEBKAfile has repeatedly reported). Israel might have attacked three or four years ago, but is less likely to do so now. June 24, 2013 Briefs: Lebanese fighting leaves at least 10 deadSectarian gunfights erupted Sunday in the southern town of Sidon between the Lebanese army and an armed Salafi Sunni militia led by the fiercely anti-Hizballah Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir. Five soldiers were killed. After spilling over into the Palestinian Ain Hilwa refugee camp Sunday, the violence quickly spread to Beirut, Tripoli and the Beqaa Valley. DEBKAfile: The Lebanese army has not raised a finger to stop the flow of the Shiite group's forces into Syria, indicting that President Michel Sleiman has thrown his support behind Hizballah. Israeli forces simulate massive al Qaeda attacks from Syria and EgyptIsraeli military, police, Shin Bet and special counterterrorism units early Monday staged their largest ever counter-terror exercise which simulated large-scale al Qaeda attacks by infiltrators from Syria and Egypt against strategic targets and army bases. The scenario depicted scores of Israeli dead and hundreds injured. Half a dozen rockets fired into Israel from GazaDEBKAfile Special Report 24 June. After months of relative calm, the pro-Iran Palestinian Jihad Islami fired 6 Grad missiles at Beersheba and Ashkelon from the Gaza Strip before dawn Tuesday. There were no casualties. DEBKAfile: The attack came after Hamas special forces liquidated Jihad's missile commander Sunday, June 23, amid a violent feud with Jihad. Two of the four Grads were intercepted by Iron Dome. The Israeli air force hit back against Hamas weapons caches in the central Gaza Strip region and a rocket firing pit in the south. Egypt lurches into civil strife. Local militias raise their headsDEBKAfile Special Report 24 June. Egypt is lurching toward a "low intensity civil war." Law and order is breaking down as armed gangs attack governors and burn emblems of government, and Muslim Brotherhood uses armed men to strike back. Neither the police nor the army has interfered to date. Army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi promised Sunday, June 23, to preserve "the will of the people" from attack, without defining which side was "the people." The opposition plans to launch Egypt's third revolution in three years in massive June 30 demonstrations against President Morsi. June 25, 2013 Briefs: Sinai Salafist gunmen aim a Grad missile at Suez CanalThe missile fired from central Sinai exploded near the eastern bank of the Suez Canal Tuesday the first time the al-Qaeda-linked armed Sinai extremists had attacked the canal with a rocket. US Cairo Embassy closes ahead of June 30 protestAmericans were advised to abstain from venturing outdoors as of June 28 in anticipation of the anti-Morsi demonstrations called for June 30 turning violent. Necessities should be stockpiled for a long period and sites of protests and gatherings avoided. British citizens were advised not to travel to Egypt in the coming week. Putin says Russia will not extradite Snowden to the USPresident Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia will not extradite Edward Snowdon. He confirmed that the wanted American was "still in the transit area of Moscow airport," and free to pick his next destination – the sooner the better. Netanyahu stands by two-state solutionAhead of US Secretary of State John Kerry's arrival in Jerusalem, Palestinian Authority spokesman Saab Erekat suddenly declared that the Palestinians had never opposed direct negotiations or posed pre-conditions. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu restated his position in favor of a two-state solution of the dispute. Taliban attacks presidential palace, CIA station in KabulMore than a dozen explosions were heard as the assailants clashed for hours early Tuesday with security personnel at the presidential palace's eastern gate and the Ariana hotel which houses the CIA station. Taliban claimed the assault. Qatar Emir abdicates in favor of his sonIn a speech on Qatar TV, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, 61, handed over power to his son and intelligence chief, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al thani, 33, saying it was time for a new generation to take over. Iran secretly builds Port Sudan supply base for Syria, HizballahDEBKAfile Exclusive Report 25 June. A logistics base for handling tanks, missile systems and self-propelled artillery bound for Syria and Hizballah is secretly under construction at Port Sudan, DEBKAfile reports exclusively. Iranian Revolutionary Guards engineers in civilian dress are overseeing the hundreds of Sudanese workmen laboring flat out to build Iran's second Red Sea base after Assab in South Eritrea. It is designed to handle Iran's largest warships and submarines with a large arms depot that will cut in half the sea route for Iranian heavy arms to reach Iran's Syrian and Hizballah allies through the Suez Canal. June 26, 2013 Briefs: Netanyahu to Golani troops: Put our enemies in fear of death! Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, attending a Golani Brigade exercise on the Golan Wednesday, said: This exercise is not theoretical. The situation around us is fluid and inflammable but Israel stands ready for any changes. "Our forces must have the will to break the enemy. We are not challenging anyone, but are fully able to stand up to anyone who challenge us." Obama and Putin cross swords over Syria. What next?DEBKAfile Exclusive Video 26 June: The US and Russia are coming to blows, leaving the Syrian conflict to spread unabated into widening circles of cross-border and internecine Muslim violence. This also impinges on a secret US-Iranian nuclear dialogue. DEBKAfile's intelligence watchers foresee escalating violence focusing on the battle for Aleppo in the next five months up until the US and Russian presidents meet again in September. Neither side meanwhile has enough strength or game-changing weaponry to win the war outright, and so both big powers prepare for expanded military intervention. Russia evacuates Tartus, also military, diplomatic personnel from SyriaDEBKAfile Special Report 26 June: Moscow announced Wednesday June 26, the evacuation of all Russian military and diplomatic personnel from Syria, including its naval base at Tartus, "for fear of an incident involving the Russian military that could have larger consequences," said a defense ministry official in Moscow. A 16-ship naval task force remains in the eastern Mediterranean. An unannounced Israeli war maneuver was conducted on the Golan. June 27, 2013 Briefs: The CIA moves weapons to Jordan for Syrian rebelsAmerican sources the arms moved by US spy agency to Jordan consist of small arms, ammunition and maybe antitank missiles, and will reach the Syrian rebels in a month's time. DEBKAfile: Rebel leaders say it's too late to help them win the battle for Aleppo. John Kerry arrives in Jerusalem Thursday US Secretary of State John Kerry starts his fifth shuttle mission for reviving peace talks in Jerusalem Thursday evening with talks with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Thursday night, followed by a meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Amman. First clashes in Egypt. Morsi accuses opposition of putsch bidAt least two people were killed and 260 were injured in the Egyptian Delta town of Mansoura Thursday night where the first disturbances took place ahead of the mass opposition rally called for Sunday to overthrow the Muslim Brotherhood. Morsi tried to calm the unrest by admitting he made some mistakes in his first year in power but also did some things right. Because you are a registered member of the Debka.com e-mail list, you are receiving this advertiser sponsored e-mail. Offers such as today's enable us to provide and improve our services. No endorsement of advertiser products or services, real or implied, is intended. 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Fw: DEBKA Newsletter, June 21, 2013

DEBKAfile SPONSORED ADVERTISEMENT Summary of DEBKA Exclusives, June 21, 2013 June 13, 2013 Briefs:No US intervention against Assad's decisive Aleppo operationDEBKAfile Special Report 13 June. The eagerly-awaited White House statement on President Barack Obama's decision to extend military support to the Syrian rebels was seen by DEBKAfile as his final rejection of the proposals put before him to intervene militarily in Syria - despite the urgency of action to thwart the Syrian-Hizballah offensive to capture Aleppo. The US president also turned down a limited no-fly zone plan which would have entailed no more than 20 US and Turkish fighter bombers for depriving the Syrian Aleppo offensive of air support. Our military sources say the fall of Aleppo and Idlib would make Bashar Assad the winner of the 28-month Syrian civil war, just when its death toll nears 100,000 according to official figures. June 14, 2013 Briefs: Ya'alon: Even if Assad falls, Syria will be left in chaos"We can't see any conclusion to the current situation with or without Assad," said Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Friday. "The worst outcome is a chaotic solution," said the minister. "But we can manage it." Israel-Turkish intelligence dialogue revivedDEBKAfile: The meeting between the two spy chiefs, Mossad director Tamir Pardo and Turkish intelligence agency's Hakan Fidan in Ankara on June 10, marked the revival of the strategic intelligence cooperation between the two bodies after three years' interruption. They traded general assessments on the war in Syria and reviewed Iranian influence on the embattled country. US: 100-150 died in Syria in attacks using sarinUS intelligence estimates that 100-150 people have died from detected chemical weapons attacks used "on a small scale" by Syrian government forces, according to a White House statement early Friday.White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said Obama had decided to provide military support for the Syrian opposition following the use of chemical weapons by the Assad government. June 15, 2013 Briefs: Egypt breaks off relations with DamascusPresident Mohamed Morso said Saturday night that Egypt had decided to break of ties with the current regime in Syria, close its embassy in Cairo and recall Egypt's charge d'affaires, after his party, the Muslim Brotherhood denounced Hizballah's intervention in Syria and backed calls for a Jihad there. Turkish police round up Al Qaeda-linked Syrian Al Nusra terroristsIn raids in Istanbul and southern cities near the Syrian border, Turkey police Friday arrested 12 members of al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, Al Nusra Front. Found in their possession were four and a half pounds of sarin nerve gas, hand guns, grenades, bullets and documents for what the Turkish daily Zaman reported was a bomb attack on the Turkish town of Adana. Hizballah units near Golan. Some armed with limited-use chemicals DEBKAfile Special Report 15 June. The Obama administration and Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon on a visit to Washington backed away Friday, June 14, from any effective response to the Syrian ruler's proven use of chemical weapons against rebel forces. American sources claimed Saturday, June 15, that the "military support" the Obama administration promised the Syrian opposition Friday consisted of automatic weapons, mortars and recoilless rocket grenades (RPGs) for delivery within three weeks through Turkey. Those items, say DEBKAfile's military sources, are no more than a mockery of the rebels' needs, especially when every few hours Russian and Iranian air transports deliver military equipment to cover the ongoing war requirements of the Syrian army and Hizballah. Those sources meanwhile report Hizballah and Syrian army movements were detected heading toward the Golan and the Jordanian border from the military concentrations building up in the last two weeks around the nearby town of Deraa. They also reported that Hizballah has been awarded "limited-use" chemical weapons. Guards will fight Iran's new president on nuclear issueDEBKAfile Special Report 15 June. Iran's leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei views Hassan Rouhani's election as president as the opening for a more flexible approach on Iran's nuclear controversy with the West. DEBKAfile: Rouhani's first task will be to draft a detailed plan setting boundaries for Iranian concessions to obtain the partial lifting of sanctions and restore the flow of oil revenues to the country's empty coffers. This will bring the president-elect head on head with the Revolutionary Guards, who are already rumored in Tehran to be plotting his removal by a military putsch. June 16, 2013 Briefs: "Price Tag" movement deemed an illegal associationThe cabinet Sunday authorized Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon to exercise his authority under emergency regulations to prosecute activists of the Jewish group calling itself "Price Tag" as members of an illegal association rather than terrorists. This decision gives the Shin Bet and police extra intelligence-gathering and investigative tools for bringing those activists to book. They are suspected of avenging Palestinian terrorist actions against Israelis by vandalizing Palestinian property on the West Bank and Muslim and Christian institutions in Israel. Erdogan flies 1,000 riot police into IstanbulThey were gathered in from remote regions of Turkey, beefed up by military police, and deployed at strategic points in the city, including the Bosphorus Bridge, to prevent protesters from reassembling. The protesters are now looking for a new rallying site. Netanyahu: World must step up sanctions pressure on IranIn his first comment on Hassan Rouhani's election as president of Iran, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned the international community Sunday against "wishful thinking" about Iran's nuclear program and advised testing Iran by its deeds. He pointed out that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the ultimate authority on all state security policy decisions, including nuclear projects. The world must increase its pressure on Tehran, Netanyahu urged, to end its nuclear program which is the biggest threat to world peace as well as an existential threat to Israel. June 17, 2013 Briefs: UN watchdog chief: Sanctions have not slowed Iran's nuclear progress Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said Monday that Iran is making steady progress in expanding its nuclear program - despite international sanctions that do not seem to be slowing it down. Ya'alon concerned West may ease sanctions on IranIsrael's Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon voiced concern Monday that the West will be gulled by the election of Hassan Rouhani as president to lift sanctions on Iran while its nuclear program remains active. He spoke at Le Bourget when he opened the Israeli pavilion at the French air show. Rouhani: Iran will not halt enrichment. Party over?Iran's president-elect Hassan Rouhani said in his first speech that Iran will not stop uranium enrichment as demanded by the world powers – only make its nuclear program more transparent. DEBKAfile: Rouhani opened the bargaining with the world powers over which parts of Iran's program would be make transparent. This debate could go on for months, if not years. US: Iran must come clean on its illicit nuclear programPresdient Obama's chief of staff Denis McDonough said Sunday that Hassan Rouhani's election as president of Iran was a potentially hopeful sign. "If he is interested in, as he has said in his campaign events, mending his relations… with the rest of the world – there's the opportunity to do that. But doing so would require Iran "to come clean on its illicit nuclear program." Putin will address G8 summit as head of winning Syrian war campDEBKAfile Special Report 17 June. The conditions Vladimir Putin will lay down for a G8 consensus on Syria are that Bashar Assad remains in power in any political solution and Iran is part of that solution. He will address the summit opening Monday in Northern Ireland in the interests of his allies, Bashar Assad, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Hassan Nasrallah and demand that the summit acknowledge them as winners of the war. Putin will block any attempt by Barak Obama to use the election of Hassan Rouhani as Iran's president to counter those successes. June 18, 2013 Briefs: Putin warns West to stop sending arms to rebelsAfter the G8 summit issued its final communiqué Tuesday, including the controversial Syrian clause, Vladimir Putin cautioned the West that if arms shipments to the rebels (disclosed exclusively by DEBKAfile Tuesday) continue, Moscow will consider transacting more arms deals with the Assad regime. G8 leaders bow to Putin on SyriaThe final communiqué released Tuesday by the two-day G8 summit in Northern Ireland bowed to President Vladimir Putin's demand to drop any reference to Bashar Assad's ouster. The seven-part Syrian section called for a diplomatic effort to bring the warring sides to the negotiating table; the convening of Geneva-2 for a political solution; to leave no regime vacuum in Damascus; to cleanse Syria of chemical weapons and terrorist elements; to form a new government representing the consensus of all parts of Syrian society; and to set up a $1.5 million refugee aid fund. Deep freeze on Syria in Obama-Putin meetingPresidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin ended their meeting at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland Monday night with grudging courtesy. Obama said the meeting was "very useful." But both side agreed that they were at odds on the key issues, such as whether Assad should step down and arms supplies to the rebels. Putin agreed they would both try and push the warring parties to the negotiating table, but they failed to agree on the make-up of a conference. Lavrov: Iran agrees to halt 20-percent uranium enrichmentDEBKAfile Special Report 18 June. Iran confirms it is prepared to halt enrichment of 20-percent uranium, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported Tuesday, June 18. He urged Western nations to reciprocate by lifting sanctions. DEBKAfile: It was not clear whether this is a temporary or absolute stoppage - or a dodge for getting sanctions eased to help the new Iranian president find his economic feet. Jerusalem was not convinced by Lavrov's positive slant on this development because Iran has already accumulated enough low-grade 5.3 percent uranium for rapid conversion to 20 percent. First European and NATO heavy arms for Syrian rebelsDEBKAfile Exclusive Report 18 June. DEBKAfile exclusive: In the last 48 hours, two European and NATO have airlifted to the Syrian rebels shipments of the long-demanded anti-air and tank missiles as well as recoilless 120 mm cannons mounted on jeeps. They landed in Turkey and Jordan and were transferred to southern Syria and Aleppo, where Syrian rebels are poised to fend off a major Syrian army offensive backed by 2,000 Hizballah troops. Accordingly, the Obama-Putin meeting went badly at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland. Widely expected Russian reprisals portend a longer Syrian war. June 19, 2013 Briefs: The mysterious rocket (s) fired at AshkelonThree Grad rockets were first reported to have been fired from the Gaza Strip at Ashkelon early Wednesday causing no harm. In the next report, they had shrunk to a single Qassam which landed in Hof Ashkelon outside the town. It was finally transmuted into an unspecified type of projectile which exploded in neither place but inside Gaza Strip. Four US troops die in attack on Afghan Bagram air baseThe four American soldiers were killed by "indirect fire" on the big Bagram air base early Wednesday, hours after Taliban's consent to direct peace talks with the US was announced, and the day after Afghan forces took over security responsibility from NATO. A suicide bomber killed 34 people at a Pakistan funeralThey victims including a provincial lawmaker were attending a funeral in the Mardan district of the restive Pakhtunkhwa province for a local petrol station owner who was shot dead by unknown gunmen. Another 52 people were injured. Russian marine and air power head for SyriaDEBKAfile Special Report 19 June. Just one day after Western leaders at the G8 summit failed to ram past Vladimir Putin a resolution mandating President Bashar Assad's ouster, Moscow announced Wednesday June 19, that two warships carrying 600 Russian marines were heading for Syria "to protect the Russian citizens there." Russian Deputy Air Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Gradusov said an air force umbrella would be provided if needed. DEBKAfile: Moscow's pretext thinly disguises the flexing of Russian muscle against continuing Western arms supplies to the Syrian rebels. Incoming Russian air power will impede the imposition of a no-fly zone over Syria. June 20, 2013 Briefs: Lebanese President: Hizballah must pull out of SyriaLebanese President Michel Sleiman Thursday demanded that Hizballah withdraw from the Syrian conflict. If they take part in the battle for Aleppo, he said, many Hizballah fighters will be killed and it will lead to more tension in Lebanon. Saudis start deporting pro-Hizballah Lebanese and Shiites Saudi ambassador to Beirut Ali Awad Assiri said Thursday that Lebanese citizens who support Hizballah will be deported over the group's role in the Syrian civil war. The IDF ends a major war exercise against Syrian or Hizballah attackAll IDF ground, sea and air units, including tanks forces, took part in the almost secret exercise from Sunday to Thursday against a massive Syrian missile assault on Tel Aviv. It was synchronized with the US-Jordan Eager Lion maneuver now its second week. US-Taliban Afghanistan peace talks are delayedThe Afghanistan peace talks between the US and the Taliban scheduled to start Thursday in Doha, Qatar, were put off after an angry Afghan President Hamid Karzai who demanded a leading role in the negotiations. Russia to send S300 missiles to Syria – after all Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow will honor its controversial contract to delilver S-300 air defense missiles to the Assad government.

World War III - Free Syrian Army, a.k.a. FSA, and rebels, kills and Assad atrocities fake

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