Important Takeaways:
- Hezbollah says it is introducing new weapons in ongoing battles with Israeli troops
- The leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group said Saturday his fighters have introduced new weapons, including a missile with a heavy warhead in the ongoing fighting along the Lebanon-Israel border, adding that they will keep using the tense frontier to pressure Israel.
- Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah also blasted the United States over the Israel-Hamas war, saying it is the only country that can stop Israel’s wide offensive on the Gaza Strip but doesn’t do so. He said attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, that Washington says have reached more than 40 rockets and suicide drone attacks, will continue until the war in Gaza comes to an end.
- Nasrallah’s comments came as the situation along Lebanon’s southern border continues to escalate. Hezbollah on Friday attacked northern Israel with three suicide drones after an Israeli strike in central Syria killed seven Hezbollah fighters.
- Hezbollah officials say that by attacking Israeli posts along the border, the Iran-backed group is keeping three Israeli army divisions busy at a time when Israeli troops are pushing into the Gaza Strip where more than 11,000 people have been killed over the past five weeks, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
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Important Takeaways:
- As tensions soar, Iran is months away from developing nuclear weapons
- The world’s attention is focused on Gaza, but it would be a grievous mistake to overlook the risks posed by Tehran’s nuclear program. There are three critical components to the ability to deploy nuclear weaponry; it is nearing sufficient capability in all three.
- The first, and most crucial of these is a sufficient stockpile of weapons-grade uranium (90 per cent enriched or higher). The latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency shows that Iran has a stockpile of 3,441 kilograms of enriched uranium, of which 122kg has reached a level of 60 per cent. Within four weeks, this could be initially enriched to 90 per cent, and then converted to uranium metal – sufficient to build two nuclear weapons. Given its existing stockpile, Iran could easily obtain more material should it decide to do so.
- The second is the ability to design weapons. Iran had a structured nuclear weapons program in place until 2003, and carried on with related work until 2009. Moreover, it has close military and economic ties with North Korea, which has successfully carried out six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017. It is not improbable that Iran would be able to construct a nuclear weapon within a few weeks of obtaining sufficient enriched uranium metal – without the need for testing.
- The greatest barrier is the third; the ability to deliver a weapon to its targets. Ballistic missiles, air and sea launched cruise missiles, and indeed gravity bombs are all possible options. But aircraft are relatively easily intercepted, and while Iran has an advanced missiles program it does not yet appear to have systems capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
- This could change rapidly. Until October 18, UN Security Council Resolution 2231 on the design, development and acquisition of missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons was still in force. That has now expired, and Russia has already announced its intention to collaborate with Tehran on missile-related activities. With North Korean warheads and Russian missiles, the timeline for a viable Iranian nuclear weapon could be short.
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Important Takeaways:
- Iran’s chilling threat to America over Israel: Islamic regime says the US will be ‘hit hard’ if no Gaza ceasefire is implemented – after Tehran-backed Hezbollah terrorists warned of escalation on Lebanon border
- Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani, Iran’s Minister of Defense, emphasized the urgency, stating: ‘Our advice to the Americans is to immediately halt the war in Gaza and implement a ceasefire, otherwise they will be hit hard.’
- But Mr. Blinken rejected a ceasefire, insisting it would only give Iranian-backed Hamas a chance to regroup following its horrific attack on Israel.
- Instead Mr. Blinken pressed for ‘pauses’ in the fighting to allow civilians to evacuate from the battleground of Gaza City and the northern part of the enclave
- The uncompromising tone was echoed by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who pledged at an air force base: ‘There will be no ceasefire without the return of our hostages, we say this to both our enemies and our friends. We will continue until we beat them.’
- Yemeni proxy, the Houthis, have already been sending missiles towards Israel, intercepted by Israel, the US and Saudi Arabia.
- Meanwhile, on Israel’s borders, attacks from its proxies in Syria and Lebanon continue to ramp up, with action also seen from its militia in Iraq.
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Important Takeaways:
- American troops in the Middle East targeted for the 25TH TIME: Iraq base hit by drone strike hours after White House said its holding Iran ‘accountable’
- S. forces deployed to the Middle East have been targeted for the 25th time since the Hamas attack on Israel October 7, amid fears of a widening conflict.
- The attack came as two armed drones targeted the Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq, which U.S. and international forces use in western Iraq to go after remnants of ISIS.
- It follows repeated attacks on U.S. forces in the region, and came on a day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quoted the Old Testament and declared ‘this is a time for war,’ rejecting calls for a cease fire. Israeli Defense Forces have been pounding Gaza, and Israeli forces have also begun operations inside Gaza as part of their effort to root out Hamas following the terror attacks earlier this month.
- The attack is the 25th on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17th – which prompted the U.S. to unleash airstrikes on targets inside eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) last week.
- ‘I think we proved pretty clearly last night that we’re holding Iran accountable,’ White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Friday.
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Important Takeaways:
- As Israeli forces ground deeper into Gaza Sunday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi posted a foreboding social media message.
- “Zionist regime’s crimes have crossed the red lines, which may force everyone to take action. Washington asks us to not do anything, but they keep giving widespread support to Israel,” Raisi said in a post on X.
- “The US sent messages to the Axis of Resistance but received a clear response on the battlefield,” Raisi said, referring to Iran-aligned groups that are opposed to both Israel and the United States.
- “Americans who claim human rights, who equip and support this fake and anti-human regime with military equipment for crimes in Gaza, what answer do they have to their nation and the nations of the world for these actions?” the statement said.
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Important Takeaways:
- Iranian Foreign Minister Arrives in New York, Praises Hamas as Legitimate ‘Resistance Group’
- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian arrived in New York on Thursday to attend a session of the U.N. General Assembly.
- Amirabdollahian praised the terrorists of Hamas as a lawful and legitimate “resistance group” to reporters and delivered a belligerent speech to the U.N., threatening dire consequences for the United States and Israel if the Israelis continue their assault on Hamas in Gaza.
- Amirabdollahian told reporters outside U.N. headquarters that Hamas has the right under “international law” to perpetrate whatever atrocities it desires because it is a “liberation movement” whose territory has been “occupied” by Israel.
- “Therefore, whatever concerning the action of the resistance groups and Palestinian liberation groups in confronting the occupation is completely rooted in international law and the United Nations Charter,” he said.
- Amirabdollahian went on to deliver a menacing address to the U.N. in which he said the United States will suffer if Israel continues its operation in Gaza.
- “I say frankly to the American statesmen, who are now managing the genocide in Palestine, that we do not welcome expansion of the war in the region. But if the genocide in Gaza continues, they will not be spared from this fire,” he declared.
- Amirabdollahian claimed the Hamas terrorists told their patrons in Iran they are ready to release some of the 220-plus hostages they kidnapped on October 7 – but the Iranian foreign minister said they should hold out until the world community presses for Israel to release 6,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange.
- Amirabdollahian will reportedly meet with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres before the U.N. General Assembly votes Friday on a resolution to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
- Guterres himself is under fire for comments on Wednesday that suggested the Hamas sneak attack was justified by Palestinian grievances against Israel
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Important Takeaways:
- McConnell calls China, Russia, Iran new ‘axis of evil’ that US must deal with: ‘This is an emergency’
- “You have to respond to conditions that actually exist that are a threat to the United States. The Iranians are a threat to us as well. And so, this is an emergency. It’s an emergency that we step up and deal with this axis of evil – China, Russia, Iran – because it’s an immediate threat to the United States,” McConnell said.
- “In many ways the world is more endangered today than it has been in my lifetime,” McConnell said, recalling that unlike when the Berlin Wall fell, the world faces a “big power competition” coinciding with the terrorism threats in the Middle East and culminating in Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists.
- “I think the Biden administration sent the wrong signal and they had the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. I think that was like giving a green light to Putin to go into Ukraine. And we see that Iran, principal sponsor of terrorism, sending drones to the Russians and attacking – Hezbollah and in this particular situation, Hamas – attacking the Israelis with drones. So it’s all connected. You can’t separate out one part of it and say we’re only gonna deal with this. It’s all connected.”
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Important Takeaways:
- DeSantis calls for policy reversal at southern border — says system ‘spits in the faces of those who respect our laws’
- Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis called for a reversal of policies at the southwest land border that has seen record surges of illegal immigrants, while recent reports showed thousands of migrants had been apprehended from the middle east.
- “I would also ask the president to consider reversing his policies on the southern border. We are vulnerable when you have all these military-age men coming in. Do you think that our enemies have not been looking at that weakness?”
- “We know people from Iran have come, we know people from Russia have come, and we know China and other parts of the Middle East.
- Israel probably has the strongest border security in the world, and yet, this happened to them,” the governor added.
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Important Takeaways:
- Israel Didn’t See a Hamas Strike Coming. The U.S. Could Be Next, McCarthy Warns
- Former House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.), who told the Washington Free Beacon in a wide-ranging interview that the chaos at the U.S. southern border could set the stage for a similar type of terror attack.
- McCarthy said. “We caught more people on the terrorist watch list in February than we caught in the entire administration. We could have cells sitting inside of America right now.”
- Analysts are calling the attacks Israel’s 9/11, echoing a time when U.S. intelligence agencies completely failed to detect a shock al Qaeda operation that killed nearly 3,000 Americans.
- “We should take a step back and look at ourselves,” McCarthy said. “Your intel is never perfect and we’ve got a wide-open border. They’re coming from 160 different countries,” including those known to harbor militant operatives loyal to Iran and other terror groups, like the Taliban.
- “How did we not know that is happening” in the Gaza Strip? McCarthy asked. “Everybody should look at their own intelligence right now.”
- McCarthy told the Free Beacon that the uncertainty created by his ouster is contributing to fears Congress will not be ready to ensure Israel is armed with the resources it needs to combat Hamas.
- McCarthy also said the Biden administration is “1,000 percent” responsible for creating conditions that enabled Iran to fund Hamas and help plan its attack on Israel.
- This includes a $6 billion ransom payment last month that gave Iran access to cash reserves that analysts and Republican lawmakers say helped pay for Hamas’s war.
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Important Takeaways:
- Palestinians’ War on Israel and US Senators’ Delusional ‘Two-State Solution’
- Less than 48 hours after 20 US Democratic Senators urged President Joe Biden to push for the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Iran’s Palestinian terror proxies launched a massive attack on Israel, killing more than 700 Israeli men, women and children, and wounding thousands more. An unknown number of Israelis (estimated at more than 100), including infants, toddlers and an elderly Holocaust survivor in a wheelchair, have also been kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip.
- The two groups [Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad] do not recognize the Oslo Accords that were signed between the PLO and Israel in 1993-1995, and they are opposed to the establishment of a Palestinian state only in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. The only solution they believe in is one that would see Israel replaced with an Islamic state.
- Instead of condemning the Palestinians for transforming the Gaza Strip into a base for Jihad against Israel, the Senators who signed the letter are asking the Biden Administration to give the Palestinians another state in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Like the Gaza Strip, the new Palestinian state will also be quickly transformed into an Iran-backed terror entity and a base for pursuing the Jihad against Israel.
- In their letter, [the Senators] make no mention of the tens of thousands of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel over the past two decades
- The Senators also failed to mention the wave of Palestinian terrorism that Israel has been facing over the past two years in the West Bank
- The Senators further ignore Abbas’s “Pay-for-Slay” program that rewards terrorists and their families, as well as the Palestinians’ ongoing campaign of incitement to violence
- The Palestinians [in 2005] were given, with no conditions, the entire Gaza Strip. They replied by launching tens of thousands of rockets into Israel. These are inconvenient facts that the 20 Democratic Senators, who appear to be shockingly uninformed, do not want to acknowledge.
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