The Israeli Air Force has carried out a new round of strikes on Iranian-linked targets near the Syrian-Iraqi border. The airstrikes reportedly hit at the al-Hamadan airport north of the town of al-Bukamal.

Pro-Israeli sources claimed that the strike destroyed a HQ of Iranian-backed militias, as well as ammunition and weapon depots. The U News agency, which is known for its close ties with Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iranian forces in Syria, also shared reports on Israeli airstrikes, but did not confirm them.

Since the start of 2019, the Israel Air Force had conducted over a dozen of strikes on supposed Iranian targets near al-Bukamal. Despite this, the town and facilities around it remain a stronghold of Iranian-backed forces in the border area.

We first started noticing major 'odd' exports of gold from Turkey to Iran in May 2012. Turkey’s trade balance fluctuated wildly as gold stocks flowed out of the country in bursts.

“Turkey’s going to continue it,” the Turkish economy minister said. “If those casting aspersions on the gold trade are searching for immorality, they should take a look in the mirror.”

Then, in 2014, we discussed Turkey's "200 tons of secret gold" trade with Iran detailing how a complex network that spanned Turkey, China, Dubai and Iran was used to skirt US sanctions on energy exports from Iran.

The operation featured an Iranian-born businessman who liked fast horses, faster cars and the fastest planes. His unique skill: Getting gold into sanctions-encircled Iran.

Enough gold that for a time he became the government’s key instrument in improving Turkey’s irksome economic imbalance.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met for an hour and 45 minutes on the specifics of a proposed US-Israel defense pact. The pact amounts to a more or less direct US intervention in Israeli politics, after two elections failed to end with a government formed.

The Trump Administration had made no bones about preferring Netanyahu over his primary political rival Benny Gantz, and the pact seems to be pandering to that fact, since Gantz is opposed to the deal.

Netanyahu looks to be steering heavily into this US lifeline, arguing that the deal proves he needs to stay in power, and that in the event of a rotation government with Gantz, he’d have to be first because of his “unique” ties with the US.

US and Western European officials are continuing a strategy of making dubious allegations against Iran in an effort to try to justify continued military hostility, which is expected to involve a large US military buildup in the region.

In Europe, this is centering on claims about Iran’s conventional missile systems, arguing that they are in violation of a UN ban on nuclear-capable missiles even though Iran doesn’t have any nuclear warheads. Iran has pointed out this is a lie, saying they have a right to missile systems under international law.

This allegation, pushed by Britain, France, and Germany, is likely to be a red herring that will be used in upcoming talks with Iran about their civilian nuclear program to distract from relatively straightforward matters of sanctions relief and enrichment limits.

US and Western European officials are continuing a strategy of making dubious allegations against Iran in an effort to try to justify continued military hostility, which is expected to involve a large US military buildup in the region.

In Europe, this is centering on claims about Iran’s conventional missile systems, arguing that they are in violation of a UN ban on nuclear-capable missiles even though Iran doesn’t have any nuclear warheads. Iran has pointed out this is a lie, saying they have a right to missile systems under international law.

This allegation, pushed by Britain, France, and Germany, is likely to be a red herring that will be used in upcoming talks with Iran about their civilian nuclear program to distract from relatively straightforward matters of sanctions relief and enrichment limits.

The denial isn’t necessarily particularly binding, since the consideration would’ve been at the White House level, not the Pentagon level. The Pentagon has often made policy proclamations that don’t pan out when the administration makes decisions.

In all likelihood, a series of options are being considered, with all reports pointing to the US again escalating its presence. Sending another 14,000 troops is likely on the extreme end of possibilities, but there appears to be no denying that another buildup is in the offing.

The Navy is already talking about the possibility of sending a second aircraft carrier to the region, if so ordered, with Admiral Mike Gilday saying the US could “absolutely” do this as part of the maximum pressure campaign on Iran.

The US government announced on Thursday that it had intercepted a weapons stash which it alleges was destined for Houthi militants and delivered by Iran. This comes as the Trump administration steps up its pressure on the Iranian government.

The US government on Thursday released photos of missile parts which military officials claim to be of Iranian origin and allegedly meant to be delivered to Yemen.

Brian Hook, the US Special Representative for Iran and a senior adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, displayed the photos during an official briefing on Thursday.

OURCE: ZEROHEDGE
We first started noticing major 'odd' exports of gold from Turkey to Iran in May 2012. Turkey’s trade balance fluctuated wildly as gold stocks flowed out of the country in bursts.

“Turkey’s going to continue it,” the Turkish economy minister said. “If those casting aspersions on the gold trade are searching for immorality, they should take a look in the mirror.”

Then, in 2014, we discussed Turkey's "200 tons of secret gold" trade with Iran detailing how a complex network that spanned Turkey, China, Dubai and Iran was used to skirt US sanctions on energy exports from Iran.

The operation featured an Iranian-born businessman who liked fast horses, faster cars and the fastest planes. His unique skill: Getting gold into sanctions-encircled Iran.

Enough gold that for a time he became the government’s key instrument in improving Turkey’s irksome economic imbalance.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Lisbon on Wednesday where they spoke about the threat of Iran, Reuters reports.

“Iran’s aggression is growing but its empire is tottering. And I say, let’s make it totter even further,” Netanyahu said.

A senior Pentagon official said on Wednesday that there were indications that Iran could potentially carry out aggressive actions in the future, amid simmering tensions between Iran and the United States.

A Navy warship has seized a "significant cache" of suspected Iranian guided missile parts headed to rebels in Yemen, U.S. officials said Wednesday, marking the first time that such sophisticated components have been taken en route to the war there.

The seizure from a small boat by a U.S. Coast Guard boarding team from the U.S. warship happened last Wednesday in the Arabian Sea, and the cache, which included weapons and advanced missile components, has been linked to Iran, officials said.

Providing additional information on the fresh tussle between the United States (US) and Iran, after the US navy spotted missile parts linked to Iran, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) came out with the story that says the Trump administration is looking to deploy around 14,000 more troops in the Middle East. The news relies on anonymous US officials.

Key quotes
The Trump administration is considering a significant expansion of the U.S. military footprint in the Middle East, including dozens of more ships, other military hardware and as many as 14,000 additional troops to counter Iran.

"This is going to sound insane," Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett introduces during a social media message on Iran published Saturday. He explains that Iran blocked internet access after mass anti-government and economic grievance-driven protests spread to some 100 cities over the past weeks.

"Most social media sites in Iran are still banned as we speak," he notes, while also describing a typical young Iranian's frustration at being prevented from logging in. He then calls for a all programmers and techies to unite for a “worldwide hackathon” to free the Iranians from their regime-imposed internet ban.

“So, here is a crazy idea. How about every techie in the world — Israelis, Arabs, Iranians, Americans, Europeans and everyone else unite for one purpose: to help the long-suffering Iranian people gain open access to all social media. A worldwide hackathon for freedom,” Bennet says.

Protests erupted in several of Iran's provinces in November, following the government’s decision to increase the price of gasoline, with some of the rallies turning violent.

Tehran wants to sue the US for $130bln for civil unrest in the country, according to Iranian judicial spokesman Golyamkhosein Esmaily.

Golyamkhosein Esmaily said that the lawsuits and complaints were filed by Iranian citizens who directly suffered damage from "US actions."

"To date, more than 360 cases and claims of citizens against the US government have been considered," Esmaily said, noting that one court had demanded $130 billion from the United States.

But while it’s fair to say Iran is involved in the Iran protests, if not the way Pompeo presents it, and tangentially involved in Iraq, opposing the protesters, Pompeo’s attempt to tie Iran to the Lebanon protests is plainly untrue.

Lebanon’s protest of the past month has seen protesters faulting the government for its inability to handle economic struggles, and chiefly the government’s inability to reliably provide electricity across the country.

Pompeo said Lebanese protesters “want Hezbollah and Iran out of their country,” which is simply not true. Indeed, the only politician that suffered from the protest movement was Prime Minister Hariri, a long-time political rival of Hezbollah.

In all three countries, the protests have been non-sectarian in nature, and despite Pompeo’s claims to the contrary, none of them have presented their protests are at all about removing the Ayatollahs from power.

For Russia, the Middle East offers a key military pivot from which it can project influence West and East and that it can use to capture and control massive oil and gas flows in both directions as well.

For China, the Middle East – and, absolutely vitally, Iran and Iraq – are irreplaceable stepping stones towards Europe for its era-defining ‘One Belt, One Road’ project.

Earlier this week an announcement was made by Iraq’s Oil Ministry that highlights each of these factors at play, through a relatively innocuous-sounding contract award to a relatively unknown Chinese firm.

The main reasons why US allies are declining the invitation to join the US-led naval coalition and are choosing to distance themselves from the super-power are because they do not want to be dragged into a military confrontation between Washington and Tehran, some such as Germany prefer diplomacy, while others such as Japan want to preserve economic and political relations with Iran. In France’s case they still hold out hope for saving the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]," says Sarah Abed, and independent journalist and analyst.
In addition, the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal a year ago leaving Europe's major states, the signatories to the accords, struggling with the consequences of Washington's move.

"A concern that European nations have is that Washington will exploit the IMSC to carry out their sanctions campaign by interfering with legitimate Iranian commercial shipping vessel missions," he says.

Along with missile manufacturing, the country's Navy has also disclosed five other military projects it is currently involved in, including the sea-launched Pelikan drone, the Sadaf-2 naval mine, the Soren positioning system, the Balaban guided bomb, and the Loqman training vessel.

The Iranian Navy has initiated the mass production of submarine-launched Jask cruise missiles, the chief of the naval warfare service Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said on Saturday.

According to Khanzadi the domestically-developed missile will be fitted onto all of Iran's submarines, adding that the current range of the projectile will be significantly improved further on, allowing it to hit targets across long distances.

On Friday six European countries issued a bombshell joint statement declaring their intent to join INSTEX, or the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges, a European special-purpose vehicle serving as a 'SWIFT alternative' to bypass US sanctions on Iran.

Finland, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden released a joint statement asserting it's of "the utmost importance to the preservation and full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) on Iran’s nuclear program by all parties involved."

"In light of the continuous European support for the agreement and the ongoing efforts to implement the economic part of it and to facilitate legitimate trade between Europe and Iran, we are now in the process of becoming shareholders of the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (Instex) subject to completion of national procedures," the statement reads.

day after protesters in Iraq’s holy city of Najaf burned the Iranian consulate to the ground, Iraqi security forces are out in force with increasingly aggressive tactics, shooting live ammunition into crowds of protesters, and killing at least 28.

The biggest incident was in Nassiriya, where protesters were trying to block a bridge. Troops opened fire into the crowd, killing at least 24, and wounding dozens of others in the process.

The other four protesters were killed in Baghdad, also near a bridge, when troops opened fire on them. One protester said that since the consulate burned, riot police are “shooting at us as if we were burning Iraq as a whole.”

Iraq’s government has repeatedly ordered the troops to get more aggressive in stopping the protests, and they seem increasingly to appreciate that the only way they will remain in power is through sheer force.

Just as Americans were gearing up for Thanksgiving, on Wednesday Iranian officials announced they will send a "message to the world" by holding unprecedented war games with partner forces Russia in China in the Indian Ocean.

Semi-official Mehr news agency cited Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi on Wedneday to reveal the "mass war drills" will held at some point next month or the "near future" in a historic first, and as the three unlikely allies find themselves facing ramped up Washington sanctions and pressure.

The month of protest mayhem has continued in Iraq, on Wednesday once again escalating into attacks on Iranian and pro-Iranian bases and sites, especially in the restive southern provinces, where Tehran's proxies in Iraq are considered strongest.

Reuters reports, "Iraqi protesters stormed and set fire to the Iranian consulate in the southern city of Najaf on Wednesday, police and civil defense sources said."

Consular staff had reportedly evacuated as mobs of angry demonstrators gathered prior to the incident, which involved Iraqis storming the compound and breaching the gates. A mass blaze then erupted from within during the evening hours as social media videos quickly put online show.

Iran, China, and Russia will hold in the coming weeks their first-ever joint war drills, which leaders say are meant to send a "message to the world" about increased military cooperation between the rogue countries.

The commander of Iran's navy, Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi, said Wednesday that the Islamic Republic will team up with Moscow and Beijing within the next month to hold the mass war drills.

"When we talk about joint wargames, we are talking about two or more countries with a high level of relations in various political, economic and social fields, which culminate in cooperation in the military sector, with wargames usually being the highest level of such cooperation," Khanzadi was quoted as saying in remarks to Iran's state-controlled press.

Discussions are underway with new NATO ally Bulgaria to create a Black Sea Coordination Center in Varna. The United States is considering a ten-year roadmap for defense cooperation with Bulgaria and is eager to provide Sofia broader access to its high-end military technologies. The advanced technologies would include surveillance capabilities specifically targeting Russia.
There is also a fundamental second level of stupidity in basing such an effort in Bulgaria as the Turks, also frequently at odds with Washington, control the door to the Black Sea through the Bosporus and Dardanelles. If relations really do go sour and if demands to kick Turkey out of NATO ever do bear fruit, Ankara can make it very difficult for NATO warships transiting into the Black Sea.

The month of protest mayhem has continued in Iraq, on Wednesday once again escalating into attacks on Iranian and pro-Iranian bases and sites, especially in the restive southern provinces, where Tehran's proxies in Iraq are considered strongest.

Reuters reports, "Iraqi protesters stormed and set fire to the Iranian consulate in the southern city of Najaf on Wednesday, police and civil defense sources said."

Consular staff had reportedly evacuated as mobs of angry demonstrators gathered prior to the incident, which involved Iraqis storming the compound and breaching the gates. A mass blaze then erupted from within during the evening hours as social media videos quickly put online show.

Iraqis attacking Iranian consulate in Najaf. Symbolism hard to miss. #IranProtests #IraqProtests #irancables pic.twitter.com/rCajjKpSXz

— Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) November 27, 2019

Major protests in Iran about the increase in gas prices may be over, but Iranian officials are saying that they believe a US-orchestrated conspiracy was involved in violence seen during the rallies, which involved attacks on Iranian banks.

Hundreds of banks were attacked, and Iranian authorities say 7,000 protesters were arrested. Iranian intelligence officials say at least eight CIA assets were among those arrested in connection with the violence.

The eight people had been given CIA-funded training, nominally to become “citizen journalists.” Six were arrested at the rallies, while the other two were trying to send information abroad.

According to Pentagon officials, the US has begun negotiations with Saudi Arabia on the question of cost-sharing for the ever-growing US military presence in the Saudi kingdom. Talks began with the arrival of US radar and air defense systems.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley met with the Saudi crown prince this week and brought up this matter. Milley was presenting the US presence as aimed squarely at Iran, and deterring Iran from attacking the Saudis.

Gen. Milley also intended to give the impression that this was not a short-term mission, either, saying the US wants to maintain this presence in the region as part of America’s overall regional footprint.

SOURCE: MIDDLE EAST MONITOR
The Israeli government is aiming to increase the volume of Israel’s defence exports, reported Globes, which has revealed the main points of the plan for the first time.

The project, being overseen by the Defence Ministry’s International Defence Cooperation Directorate (SIBAT) led by Brigadier General (Res.) Yair Kulas, will begin to be rolled out in early 2020.

According to Globes, the plan is based on “focused seminars for senior commanders in foreign armies”, Israeli military “assistance for promoting sales of Israeli weapons”, and “subsidising small and medium-sized defence companies seeking to sell arms around the world”.

Speaking this week, Kulas said that SIBAT favours a major expansion of agreements between countries, resulting in significant deals for the large defence companies, especially Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael Advanced Defence Systems.

Zarif’s intervention was extremely forceful. He stressed how Iran “complied with every agreement and it got nothing;” how “our people believe we have not gained from being part of” the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action; how inflation is out of control; how the value of the rial dropped 70% “because of ‘coercive measures’ – not sanctions because they are illegal.”

He spoke without notes, exhibiting absolute mastery of the inextricable swamp that is US-Iran relations. It turned out, in the end, to be a bombshell. Here are highlights.

The Iranian government is shortening its nuclear breakout time -- the amount of time required to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for a single nuclear weapon. Tehran has accomplished this through several steps in the last few months.

What should the United States do about Iran? The question is easily asked, but for nearly 30 years, Washington has had difficulty coming up with a good answer. The Islamic Republic presents a particularly confounding series of challenges for the United States. Many Iranian leaders regard the United States as their greatest enemy for ideological, nationalistic, and/or security reasons, while a great many average Iranians evince the most pro-American feelings of any in the Muslim world. Unlike other states that may also fear or loathe the United States, Iran’s leaders have consistently acted on these beliefs, working assiduously to undermine American interests and influence throughout the Middle East, albeit with greater or lesser degrees of success at different times.

All external foes will be defeated if they make moves against Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander warned at a massive pro-government rally amid protests over fuel price hikes.

Major General Hossein Salami addressed people in downtown Tehran on Monday. He said that the country’s rivals are “no longer capable of anything” in their attacks against the nation.

We have shown patience towards the hostile moves of America, the Zionist regime [Israel] and Saudi Arabia against the Islamic Republic of Iran... but we will destroy them if they cross our red lines.

Thousands have marched on the streets of the country’s capital and gathered on the Enqelan Square (Revolution Square). Calling themselves the ‘Supporters of the Leadership’, the demonstrators waved national flags, carried placards and chanted slogans in support for the Supreme Leader Ali Khanemei and the current government. Some were also seen burning American flags.

Israel is set to expel a Human Rights Watch employee, its executive director Ken Roth said on Sunday, denouncing the forthcoming deportation of one of his staffers.

US citizen Omar Shakir, the New York-based rights group's director for Israel and the Palestinian territories, is to be deported from Israel on Monday over his alleged support of a boycott of the country, AFP said.

Israel accuses him of being a supporter of the banned Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which calls for a broad-ranging boycott to pressure Israel to end its rights abuses against Palestinians.

The expulsion, upheld by Israel’s supreme court, would make Shakir the first HRW official to be expelled from the country under a controversial 2017 law allowing the deportation of foreigners who support the boycott, according to authorities.

Israel's supreme court orders expulsion of Human Rights Watch campaigner

It seems more than coincidence that as the legal noose tightens around Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, Israeli military have suddenly stepped up air strikes on Iranian forces based in Syria.

Playing the strongman role on national security and winning another term as prime minister would stave off prosecution over pending corruption charges.

If Netanyahu is ousted from office he will be immediately subjected to trial. A subsequent conviction on all charges could result in him facing up to 13 years in jail. A lot is at stake for Israel’s elder statesmen. At 70 years old, he is the longest-serving prime minister in the history of the Israeli state, having been elected four times already.

Therefore the longer he can hang on as premier, the longer he can postpone his day in court, as the leadership position affords a certain immunity while in office.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Twitter Wednesday that he was meeting with Arab leaders to further the “common interest of war with Iran” — but then quickly deleted the bellicose statement.

“I am going to a meeting with 60 foreign ministers and envoys of countries from around the world against Iran,” Netanyahu wrote on Twitter from Warsaw, Poland, where a two-day, U.S.-led summit began Wednesday. The “Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East” was meant to center on what the administration considers the biggest roadblock to such a future: Iran. But under pressure from European allies, the United States broadened the focus to the entire Middle East.

Israel obviously did not get the memo.

Following the international outcry against the Islamic regime’s authorities blocking the internet to Iranians nationwide and the sanctioning of Mohammad-Javad Azari-Jahromi, Tehran’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Internet in Iran has been restored.

The threat from Tehran continues to increase despite U.S. military buildup, U.S. Central Command’s Gen. Kenneth McKenzie says.

MANAMA, Bahrain—Since May, the Pentagon has dispatched 14,000 additional U.S. troops, an aircraft carrier, and tens of thousands of pounds of military equipment to the Middle East to respond to what it says are alarming new threats from Iran. But despite the stepped-up U.S. military posture, the top U.S. general in the region believes the Iranian threat continues to rise—and Tehran is likely to continue lashing out.

“I think the strike on Saudi Aramco in September is pretty indicative of a nation that is behaving irresponsibly,” said Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, in a Friday interview, referring to the Sept. 14 Iran-sponsored attack on Saudi facilities that took half of Riyadh’s oil production offline.

YOSSI VERTER, HAARETZ, NOVEMBER 22, 2019

It was totally clear in his remarks Thursday: The embattled prime minister aims to accuse the legal system of launching a coup against him – and wait for the masses to follow his lead.

Not a smidgen of humility or regret did we hear from defendant Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday night. Israel’s first sitting prime minister to be charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust neither bowed his head in shame nor gave any other indication of soul-searching.

Like any garden-variety criminal, he assailed the police investigators, the prosecutors and the attorney general in crude language and with boundless chutzpah. With his back to the wall, both figuratively and literally, and facing trial, maybe even prison, he gave shape to what has been written on the wall for three years now: He has no intention of going quietly and cutting his losses.

Source: Moon Over Alabama

The Attorney General of Israel just indicted Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu in three cases. The announcement comes at a time of political stalemate. It might help to resolve it.

Israel had two parliament elections this year which both ended in a political stalemate. Neither Prime Minister Netanyahu of the Likud Party nor Blue and White coalition leader Benny Gantz managed to form a government. Both were unable to find enough additional votes to form a coalition and to gain a majority.

Now the parliament has 21 days to find a majority. It will likely fail and a third election seems inevitable.

Source: Moon Over Alabama

The Attorney General of Israel just indicted Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu in three cases. The announcement comes at a time of political stalemate. It might help to resolve it.

Israel had two parliament elections this year which both ended in a political stalemate. Neither Prime Minister Netanyahu of the Likud Party nor Blue and White coalition leader Benny Gantz managed to form a government. Both were unable to find enough additional votes to form a coalition and to gain a majority.

Now the parliament has 21 days to find a majority. It will likely fail and a third election seems inevitable.

SOURCE: MIDDLE EAST MONITOR

The Iranian armed forces today launched a major air defence drill codenamed “Guardians of Velayat’s Sky-98” in the northeastern province of Semnan, local media reported.

Air Defence Brigadier General Alireza Sabahifard said yesterday that the manoeuvres were being held across an area of some 416,000 square kilometres and will simulate a conflict in the Gulf, especially over the Strait of Hormuz.

“If the enemy intends to invade, attack or even infringe on our country’s skyline, which is one of our red lines, we can deal with it,” he said.

The manoeuvres come as tensions between Iran and the United States and Saudi Arabia persist in the Gulf region.

Syrian air defenses have thwarted multiple hostile targets in the Syrian capital of Damascus early Wednesday morning, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.

Several powerful explosions were heard in Damascus as air defenses engaged several hostile targets in the city's southern region around 1:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday. Approximately 20 blasts occurred in seconds-long intervals that shortened as time passed.

Social media footage from the region shows fires that resulted from the the strikes. Unconfirmed reports say the missiles originated from the Israeli Air Force (IAF).

So much for drawing down in the Middle East. President Trump notified Congress on Tuesday that more American troops are en route to Saudi Arabia, which will bring their overall numbers to about 3,000 in the kingdom.

"These personnel will remain deployed as long as their presence is required to fulfill the missions described above," the president said in a letter.

The official White House notification of Congressional members described the American military presence there as essential in countering Iran's influence in the region.

The Russian-made S-400 air defense system – the one that triggers US threats of sanctions for nations if they decide to buy it – can actually help an American soldier to win a battle... in a card game.
The S-400 [or SA-21 Growler in NATO nomenclature] is a joker in a new line of card decks for the US army, an all-mighty card of many faces capable of incinerating an enemy.

The second joker in the Russia-themed deck is the Iskander tactical missile system [SS-26 Stone in NATO nomenclature] with its 9M729 missile that was used by Washington as a pretext for quitting the INF Treaty, despite Russia’s assurances that it did not violate the agreement.

In a move that almost certainly will have a major impact on Iraq’s future, the nation’s top religious leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has publicly endorsed the protesters and is demanding that the ruling elite give in to real reforms.

Sistani rarely interjects in Iraqi politics, which tends to make his rare comments highly influential. After weeks of criticizing violence against the protesters, he is now accusing the government of being “delusional” and thinking they can stall to avoid real reform.

Sistani went on to declare that what comes after the protests “will not be the same as before,” and that the government should recognize that fact. He also praised the protesters for the honorable way they’d sought reform.

A pair of Israeli airstrikes targeted senior Islamic Jihad commanders in Gaza and Syria early Tuesday, escalating Israel’s confrontation with Iran across the region and threatening to unleash another devastating round of cross-border violence with Palestinian militants.

In eastern Gaza, the Israeli strike killed Bahaa Abu el-Atta and his wife, setting off a furious barrage of Gaza-fired rockets that reached as far as the Tel Aviv heartland as Islamic Jihad vowed further revenge. The military said Abu el-Atta was the mastermind of recent attacks against Israel and the militant group’s top commander in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Syrian officials said an Israeli airstrike in the capital, Damascus, targeted another Islamic Jihad commander, Akram al-Ajouri, who was not harmed.

Throughout weeks of recent anti-government protests in Iraq the US wasn’t immediately clear on their position. It was only following weekend reports of Iran trying to save the current government and forestall early elections that the US declared itself firmly on the side of early elections.

The White House demanded that the Iraqi government immediately fulfill talk of reforms and early elections by President Salih, further demanding an immediate halt on violence against Iraqi protesters.

These are somewhat uncharacteristic positions for the US to take on Iraq, as generally they, like Iran, prefer to prolong the survival of governments at any cost, and they’ve rarely presented anything like opposition to crackdowns on public protests before.

Iraqi security forces continued to crack down on protests Friday, with security forces killing at least 10 people in Basra, where the protesters have been keeping the country’s main Gulf port closed for days.

Live gunfire and killing protesters hasn’t worked in the past, nor is there any sign it’s going to work here. The biggest issue is likely to be Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani’s sermon, which is now saying the government must immediately meet demands of protesters.

The top religious leader in Iraq, Sistani has long warned against using force against the protesters, and now says it is time to just meet the demands of the protesters immediately. His aide Sheikh Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalaie, added that their position is that the Iraqi government can not “procrastinate on this issue because of the great risks facing the country.”

Moments ago, local Iranian news outlets confirmed the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have shot down a drone from a "foreign country."

IRANIAN OFFICIAL CONFIRMS DOWNING OF A DRONE BY ARMY, SAYS IT BELONGS TO A FOREIGN COUNTRY - YOUNG JOURNALISTS CLUB

COMMANDER OF IRAN ARMY AIR DEFENSE SABAHIFARD SAYS THE DRONE WAS SHOT DOWN "BEFORE REACHING SENSITIVE SITES" OF THE COUNTRY - IRAN FRONT PAGE
The unidentified drone was downed near the port of Bandar-e-Mahshahr on the Gulf coast, ISNA and Tasnim, reported.

Iran Front Page's Reza Khaasteh said, "Mahshahr is home to Iran's Petrochemical Special Economic Zone (Petzone), where a major part of the country's petchem plants are located."

Reza Khaasteh
@Khaaasteh
Mahshahr is home to Iran's Petrochemical Special Economic Zone (Petzone), where a major part of the country's petchem plants are located.

Iran restarted enrichment at the underground Fordow site overnight on Wednesday, and on Thursday US officials were accusing Iran of preparing a “nuclear breakout” situation the international community must unite against.

The concept of the “nuclear breakout” has always been ill-defined, but rests on the notion that at some point Iran would have such a substantial civilian nuclear program that it would be tantamount to an irreversible military program. Though it’s not clear that’s even theoretically possible, as nations like Canada and Japan have never been accused of approaching a “breakout” despite huge nuclear programs, attaching the label to Iran has been popular with US hawks and Israel.

The breakout idea is meant to push a narrative in which action, presumably a war, needs to be launched quickly. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took the lead in urging other world powers to do something to force Iran back into compliance with the P5+1 deal.

"As it is protocol, all of the IAEA inspectors' belongings are closely inspected and scanned before they enter any of the country's nuclear facilities," read the AEOI statement.

"Upon this lady inspector's entry, the security control machines sounded the alarm and denied her entry," it said, adding then that Iran had reported the issue to the IAEA.

Iran also told the international agency in a report that the inspector's previous admissions at various sites were all scrapped and as a result, she decided to abort her mission and go back to the Austrian capital of Vienna.

Legal questions. That’s hilarious.

I just want to remember the good old days, when they felt the need to dazzle us with yellow cake uranium fraud before they stole the oil.

Via: Military Times – AP:

President Donald Trump has approved an expanded military mission to secure an expanse of oil fields across eastern Syria, raising a number of difficult legal questions about whether U.S. troops can launch strikes against Syrian, Russian or other forces if they threaten the oil, U.S. officials said.

According to the conditions of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, the country can't enrich Uranium above 3.67%. But Tehran started to roll back its commitments this year due to the US sanctions against its oil and banking spheres.

Head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation Ali Akbar Salehi has announced that the country will start enriching uranium up to 5% at the Fordow nuclear site on 6 November. The official added that the process of injecting gas into the centrifuges, enriching uranium, will be monitored by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Salehi further noted that if necessary, Iran is capable of enriching uranium up to 20% at the Fordow plant. The official added that currently, the country has enough 20% enriched uranium stockpiled.

he senior ministers of the Israeli government met twice last week to discuss the possibility of open war with Iran. They were mindful of the Iranian plan for a drone attack from Syria in August, aborted at the last minute by an Israeli air strike, as well as Iran’s need to deflect attention from the mass protests against Hezbollah’s rule in Lebanon. The ministers also reviewed the recent attack by Iranian drones and cruise missiles on two Saudi oil installations, reportedly concluding that a similar assault could be mounted against Israel from Iraq.

There is a certain irony in President Donald Trump’s frequently expressed desire to withdraw from the endless wars that have characterized the so-called “global war on terror” initiated by George W. Bush in 2001. The problem is that Trump has expressed such sentiments both when he was running for office and also as recently as last week without actually doing anything to bring about change. In fact, the greatly ballyhooed “withdrawal” from Syria turned out to be more like a relocation of existing military assets, with soldiers moving from Syria’s northern border to take up new positions to continue control of the Iraqi oil fields in the country’s southeast. Indeed, the number of American soldiers in Syria may have actually been increased with armor units being transferred from their base in Iraq.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz yesterday expressed his support for anti-government protests in Iraq; slammed Iran’s alleged intervention in the crackdown on demonstrators.

On Twitter, Katz wrote: “We sympathise with the Iraqi people’s protest for freedom & dignity. We condemn their repression and murder led by Qassem Suleimani & Iranian Revolutionary Guards.”

“The Iraqi people have a long & glorious history. Many Israelis from Iraq fondly remember years of living together.”

Compare US pillaging with Russia-Iran-Turkey’s active involvement in a political solution to normalize Syria..

What happened in Geneva this Wednesday, in terms of finally bringing peace to Syria, could not be more significant: the first session of the Syrian Constitutional Committee.

The Syrian Constitutional Committee sprang out of a resolution passed in January 2018 in Sochi, Russia, by a body called the Syrian National Dialogue Congress.

The 150-strong committee breaks down as 50 members of the Syrian opposition, 50 representing the government in Damascus and 50 representatives of civil society. Each group named 15 experts for the meetings in Geneva, held behind closed doors.

This development is a direct consequence of the laborious Astana process – articulated by Russia, Iran and Turkey. Essential initial input came from former UN Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura. Now UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen is working as a sort of mediator.

As governments in Iraq and Lebanon stagger and stumble under huge waves of popular protest, powerful factions loyal to Iran are pushing to quash political upheaval which challenges Tehran’s entrenched influence in both countries.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri has resigned and the government of Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has been pushed to the brink of collapse.

Both governments have enjoyed backing from the West. But they have also relied on the support of political parties affiliated with powerful Iran-backed Shi’ite armed groups, keeping allies of Tehran in key posts.

That reflects the relentless rise of Iranian influence among Shi’ite communities across the Middle East, since Tehran formed the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon in 1982 and after Saddam Hussein was toppled in Iraq in 2003.

A major incident has unfolded along Lebanon's southern border with Israel on Thursday involving an Israeli drone. Hours ago Lebanese media reported that Hezbollah operatives shot down an Israeli aircraft, identified as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), likely with an anti aircraft missile, specifically a MANPAD (or man-portable air-defense system).

McKenzie said the US was under no illusions it had destroyed Isis, and warned the group would try to take revenge.

“They will be dangerous. We suspect they will try some form of retribution attack,” he said. “We don’t see a bloodless future because unfortunately this ideology is going to be out there.”

However McKenzie predicted that the campaign against Baghdadi would grind down Isis capabilities.

Embattled Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has submitted his resignation as people remain on the streets across Lebanon for the thirteenth day of anti-government demonstrations against the country’s economic crisis.

“I have reached a dead end today. I will head to the Baabda Palace to submit the government's resignation to President Michel Aoun,” Hariri said as he addressed the Lebanese nation in a televised speech on Tuesday evening.

“Posts are not important; what’s important is the country's dignity and safety,” he added, calling upon people from all strata of the Lebanese society to preserve the stability and security of the country.

Hariri highlighted that he wants to make a “positive shock,” saying, “No one is bigger than his country.”

He also told Lebanese political parties that “It is our responsibility to protect Lebanon.

Under the constitution, Hariri’s cabinet would stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new government is formed.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced Monday new sanctions to continue punishing Iran for its nuclear program.

Speaking in Jerusalem next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mnuchin said U.S. sanctions have put maximum pressure on Iran’s economy, basically cutting off their oil revenue.

“We will continue to ramp up more, more, more … I just came from a very productive working lunch with your team,” Mnuchin told Netanyahu. “They gave us a bunch of very specific ideas that we will be following up.”

Netanyahu praised the United States for killing Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi but also warned that “the struggle continues, even against Shiites in Iran.”

SOURCE: RT
As anti-government unrest in Iraq continues, authorities have ordered a counter-terrorism force to help restore security in Baghdad. The turmoil is the latest political crisis to hit Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003.
"Counter-Terrorism Service forces have been deployed in some areas of Baghdad to protect state buildings from undisciplined elements taking advantage of security forces being busy with protecting protests and protesters," the unit said in a statement.

Two sources who spoke to Reuters said the elite troops had been instructed to "use all necessary measures" to end ongoing protests against Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s government.

As many as 67 Iraqis have been killed in two days of protests, according to reports. The anti-government demonstrations, which began in early October, are believed to have already killed more than 100 people.

A surge in violent clashes with police marked another deadly week of protests in Iraq, after two weeks ago over 150 were killed and over 6,000 wounded nationwide when the large-scale demonstrations began.

On Friday over 40 protesters were killed in clashes with police, and according to security sources cited in Reuters, an "Iranian-backed militia opened fire to try to quell renewed demonstrations."

Baghdad's central diplomatic compound area which hosts the heavily fortified American Embassy among others has remained on security lock-down throughout much of the month.

SOURCE: NY POST
US troops withdrawing from northeastern Syria to Iraq are “transiting” and will leave the country within four weeks, Iraq’s defense minister said Wednesday.

Najah al-Shammari made the remarks to the Associated Press following a meeting in Baghdad with visiting US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who arrived as Iraqi leaders chafed over reports the US may want to increase the number of troops based in Iraq, at least temporarily.

Iraq’s military said Tuesday that American troops leaving northeastern Syria don’t have permission to stay in Iraq in a statement that appeared to contradict Esper, who has said all US troops leaving Syria would continue to conduct operations against the Islamic State group from Iraq to prevent its resurgence in the region.

He later added that the troops would be there temporarily until they are able to go home, but no time period has been set.