Eye on the Enemy: Morsi sitting on a Nuclear Bomb
Local Editor
Hizbullah Seeks to Kill Without A Trace
"Israel" Hayom - Yoav Limor
There is no way that the sharp eye of the "Israel" Security Agency missed the symbolism: exactly six years to the day after the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War, on July 12, explosives that had been smuggled into "Israel" by Hizbullah operatives were uncovered in Nazareth.
On the same day, in a speech marking the anniversary of the war, Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah told his supporters that "we are working day and night to confront "Israel"." But unlike the war, this time Hizbullah did not attack directly on the border fence, but rather passed around it deftly. Just as in the Bulgaria attack in which five "Israelis" were killed, Hizbullah was seeking to kill without a trace, to hint to its followers "we did this," but not to leave clear traces behind that would provoke a sharp retaliation from "Israel".
The thwarted bomb smuggling ring teaches us a lot about Hizbullah's current situation. Unlike in 2006, Hizbullah fears a direct confrontation with "Israel" and is refraining from open provocations, preferring to operate covertly and indirectly, without boasting and without leaving fingerprints. This is clear evidence that along with its buildup of missiles and rockets and its attempts to get it hands on more advanced weaponry (chemical weapons, anti-aircraft missiles and surface-to-sea missiles), Hizbullah has remained deterred and fearful of an "Israeli" response.
This pressure is intensifying amid the notion that Hizbullah "is not delivering the goods," at least in the eyes of its followers, something that could lead Hizbullah to lose its jihadi preeminence to other, lesser groups. Add to this complex political situation in Lebanon the destabilization of the Syrian regime - a pillar of support for Hizbullah - and you realize why the Shiite organization is ready to give up on its declared values and team up with drug smugglers in an attempt to attack "Israel".
Hizbullah's latest effort to attack "Israel" was thwarted with the seizure of advanced explosive materials (C4) and detonation mechanisms in Nazareth. The uncovering of the explosives and the arrest of the smugglers was carried out even though the drug dealers were not involved in terror activities and did not plan to take part in the attack. Investigators were tempted to wait until the terror cell came to collect the explosives, but ultimately decided not to allow such a large amount of explosives the chance to be dispersed throughout the country, worried that they could disappear. The ISA believes, however, that a terror cell had not yet been enlisted for an attack and that the explosives were intended for use in future attacks, without a specific date or location.
Just as in Sinai, this incident in the north shows just how dangerous the links between criminal and terrorist elements can be and also the ease with which terrorist groups take advantage of smuggling routes for attacks. The incident also brought the northern border town of Ghajar back into the headlines. Despite fences on the border and checkpoints, as well as intelligence information and intensive patrolling by U.N. forces and IDF troops, Ghajar continues to serve as a dangerous breach through which Hezbollah injects poison into "Israel". This time the plot was foiled, but the mechanism itself could still invite greater threats in the future.
______
Report: "Israel" Finds Unusually High Number of Lebanon, Burgas Phone
Calls Made before Attack
By Barak Ravid
"Israel" has noted an unusually high number of phone calls between Lebanon and the city of Burgas in Bulgaria, in the three days before the terror attack last month in which seven people died, including five "Israeli" tourists, the New York Times reported on Thursday.
The "Israeli" and Bulgarian intelligence services still do not have clear evidence of Hizbullah's involvement in the attack.
An "Israeli" official said that, according to an investigation, in the two months leading up to the attack, the number of phone calls made between Lebanon and the city of Burgas was unusually high. The number became even higher in the three days leading up to the attack.
"We know the sources in Lebanon," but not who is on the other end of the phone call in Bulgaria, the New York Times cited the "Israeli" official as saying.
The Bulgarian intelligence services investigation over the attack has largely not advanced, according to the newspaper, and investigators still do not know the identity of the suicide bomber, or his accomplices. Bulgaria is hesitating to say that Hizbullah was behind the attack without stronger evidence, especially in light of the fact that the European Union does not recognize Hizbullah as a terror organization.
A German intelligence official who was interviewed for the New York Times article said that there is skepticism over the involvement of Hizbullah in the attack. It is likely that Iran used operatives with some connection to Hizbullah, the official said.
Seven people were killed in the bombing, five of them "Israeli" tourists, one of them the Bulgarian bus driver. An additional 34 "Israelis" were wounded in the attack.
____________
Ben Eliezer: Morsi sitting on a Nuclear Bomb
Ynet - Ron Notkin - Roee Weinberg
Former defense minister, MK Binyamin (Fouad) Ben Eliezer, who knows well the Egyptian arena, hoped on Wednesday morning that unprecedented operation against terrorists will contribute in "awakening Egypt from its sleep." In an interview with the Ynet he said, "I listened to the statements of Morsi and he realized that if he didn't reach a solution and didn't control Sinai soon, then he will be sitting on a nuclear bomb."
Ben-Eliezer added that "Sinai in all elements and all those who reside in it, including the Global Jihad, al-Qaeda and other "terrorist" organizations, is becoming more and more the place that can destabilize whole Egypt."
In the meantime, two days after the terrorist attack in northern Sinai, which also reached "Israel", fierce battles broke out at dawn in that region and according to circulating reports in Egypt, at least 20 vandals were killed. The attack also included bombing from military helicopters, and that is the first time the Egyptian army bombs from air in the Sinai Peninsula since the "Day of Atonement" War in 1973. Earlier, gunmen attacked three security forces outposts in the area of El Arish.
Ben-Eliezer said that the Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, "was elected to solve social- economic problems in Egypt, as evidenced by throwing a shoe at Prime Minister-elect yesterday during the funeral of the soldiers killed in the operation. Thus, if the revolution does not succeed, shoes will be thrown at Morsi too, so he paid attention and rose up. "
In the current situation, according to his words, "Sunnis are killing Sunnis. Al-Qaeda and Islamic Jihad Killed Sunni Egyptians. I hope that the situation is settled there because what is happening and what should happen from now on, is a strategic interest to Egypt as to "Israel"."
The former defense minister and a member of the Labor Party stressed that ""Israel" responded quickly and well, what should worry us is the possibility of firing from there, as they did to Eilat, and our planes, rockets and others. "Israel" remains quiet the first time, the second but in the third it responds on its own. "
_________
State and Army won't be responsible for shelters
Ma'ariv - Aric Bender
Knesset decided yesterday (Wednesday), that neither the state nor the Home Front command will hold the responsibility of the safety and maintenance of more than one hundred thousand special refuges across the country and that this would be imposed on the control sections of the local authorities that are not prepared for it. Under the proposal, which passed today they will be "empowered" to check the status of shelters.
The resolution is an amendment to the law of civil defense, which was ratified with a majority of two members of the Knesset Ze'ev Bielski (Kadima) and Nissim Zeev (Shas) against one, MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) who depicted the ratified amendment as a "scandal" because according to him, "the resolution spares in fact the home front and the local authorities the duty of monitoring the common and private shelters in homes and in factories."
"The threats on the home front are serious and growing, but the authorities seek to exempt itself from the responsibility of the next war and from the next Commission of Inquiry ," said MK Eldad who named the resolution a "chaos."
In the amendment, which passed today was the following "the local authority is empowered to monitor the common and private shelters in factories in the region to oversee their maintenance so they can be used at any time as a shelter from an attack."
Furthermore, Chairman of the Subcommittee, MK Zeev Bielski (Kadima) said "I hoped and I could have imposed on local authorities this mission, but without the appropriate budget provided to the authorities, it is not possible."
He added, "In the debate held today the Commission approved the agreement reached by the home front on the responsibility of shelters maintenance."
Bielski noted that he will make an extra effort to get additional budgets that will allow the local authority to take responsibility over the development of 107 thousand shelters."
According to his words, "shelters require monitoring devices and large huge budgets of hundreds of millions of shekels. In the scheme concluded between the home front and the local authority, it has been agreed that "Israel" has 107 thousand shelters that will be the responsibility of the residents."
Under the amendment in the law of civil defense, which was ratified today, the responsibility of overseeing the common shelters will be held by the authorities themselves and not by the state or the home front.
Source: "Israeli" Press, translated and edited by moqawama.org
Hizbullah Seeks to Kill Without A Trace
"Israel" Hayom - Yoav Limor
There is no way that the sharp eye of the "Israel" Security Agency missed the symbolism: exactly six years to the day after the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War, on July 12, explosives that had been smuggled into "Israel" by Hizbullah operatives were uncovered in Nazareth.
On the same day, in a speech marking the anniversary of the war, Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah told his supporters that "we are working day and night to confront "Israel"." But unlike the war, this time Hizbullah did not attack directly on the border fence, but rather passed around it deftly. Just as in the Bulgaria attack in which five "Israelis" were killed, Hizbullah was seeking to kill without a trace, to hint to its followers "we did this," but not to leave clear traces behind that would provoke a sharp retaliation from "Israel".
The thwarted bomb smuggling ring teaches us a lot about Hizbullah's current situation. Unlike in 2006, Hizbullah fears a direct confrontation with "Israel" and is refraining from open provocations, preferring to operate covertly and indirectly, without boasting and without leaving fingerprints. This is clear evidence that along with its buildup of missiles and rockets and its attempts to get it hands on more advanced weaponry (chemical weapons, anti-aircraft missiles and surface-to-sea missiles), Hizbullah has remained deterred and fearful of an "Israeli" response.
This pressure is intensifying amid the notion that Hizbullah "is not delivering the goods," at least in the eyes of its followers, something that could lead Hizbullah to lose its jihadi preeminence to other, lesser groups. Add to this complex political situation in Lebanon the destabilization of the Syrian regime - a pillar of support for Hizbullah - and you realize why the Shiite organization is ready to give up on its declared values and team up with drug smugglers in an attempt to attack "Israel".
Hizbullah's latest effort to attack "Israel" was thwarted with the seizure of advanced explosive materials (C4) and detonation mechanisms in Nazareth. The uncovering of the explosives and the arrest of the smugglers was carried out even though the drug dealers were not involved in terror activities and did not plan to take part in the attack. Investigators were tempted to wait until the terror cell came to collect the explosives, but ultimately decided not to allow such a large amount of explosives the chance to be dispersed throughout the country, worried that they could disappear. The ISA believes, however, that a terror cell had not yet been enlisted for an attack and that the explosives were intended for use in future attacks, without a specific date or location.
Just as in Sinai, this incident in the north shows just how dangerous the links between criminal and terrorist elements can be and also the ease with which terrorist groups take advantage of smuggling routes for attacks. The incident also brought the northern border town of Ghajar back into the headlines. Despite fences on the border and checkpoints, as well as intelligence information and intensive patrolling by U.N. forces and IDF troops, Ghajar continues to serve as a dangerous breach through which Hezbollah injects poison into "Israel". This time the plot was foiled, but the mechanism itself could still invite greater threats in the future.
______
Report: "Israel" Finds Unusually High Number of Lebanon, Burgas Phone
Calls Made before Attack
By Barak Ravid
"Israel" has noted an unusually high number of phone calls between Lebanon and the city of Burgas in Bulgaria, in the three days before the terror attack last month in which seven people died, including five "Israeli" tourists, the New York Times reported on Thursday.
The "Israeli" and Bulgarian intelligence services still do not have clear evidence of Hizbullah's involvement in the attack.
An "Israeli" official said that, according to an investigation, in the two months leading up to the attack, the number of phone calls made between Lebanon and the city of Burgas was unusually high. The number became even higher in the three days leading up to the attack.
"We know the sources in Lebanon," but not who is on the other end of the phone call in Bulgaria, the New York Times cited the "Israeli" official as saying.
The Bulgarian intelligence services investigation over the attack has largely not advanced, according to the newspaper, and investigators still do not know the identity of the suicide bomber, or his accomplices. Bulgaria is hesitating to say that Hizbullah was behind the attack without stronger evidence, especially in light of the fact that the European Union does not recognize Hizbullah as a terror organization.
A German intelligence official who was interviewed for the New York Times article said that there is skepticism over the involvement of Hizbullah in the attack. It is likely that Iran used operatives with some connection to Hizbullah, the official said.
Seven people were killed in the bombing, five of them "Israeli" tourists, one of them the Bulgarian bus driver. An additional 34 "Israelis" were wounded in the attack.
____________
Ben Eliezer: Morsi sitting on a Nuclear Bomb
Ynet - Ron Notkin - Roee Weinberg
Former defense minister, MK Binyamin (Fouad) Ben Eliezer, who knows well the Egyptian arena, hoped on Wednesday morning that unprecedented operation against terrorists will contribute in "awakening Egypt from its sleep." In an interview with the Ynet he said, "I listened to the statements of Morsi and he realized that if he didn't reach a solution and didn't control Sinai soon, then he will be sitting on a nuclear bomb."
Ben-Eliezer added that "Sinai in all elements and all those who reside in it, including the Global Jihad, al-Qaeda and other "terrorist" organizations, is becoming more and more the place that can destabilize whole Egypt."
In the meantime, two days after the terrorist attack in northern Sinai, which also reached "Israel", fierce battles broke out at dawn in that region and according to circulating reports in Egypt, at least 20 vandals were killed. The attack also included bombing from military helicopters, and that is the first time the Egyptian army bombs from air in the Sinai Peninsula since the "Day of Atonement" War in 1973. Earlier, gunmen attacked three security forces outposts in the area of El Arish.
Ben-Eliezer said that the Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, "was elected to solve social- economic problems in Egypt, as evidenced by throwing a shoe at Prime Minister-elect yesterday during the funeral of the soldiers killed in the operation. Thus, if the revolution does not succeed, shoes will be thrown at Morsi too, so he paid attention and rose up. "
In the current situation, according to his words, "Sunnis are killing Sunnis. Al-Qaeda and Islamic Jihad Killed Sunni Egyptians. I hope that the situation is settled there because what is happening and what should happen from now on, is a strategic interest to Egypt as to "Israel"."
The former defense minister and a member of the Labor Party stressed that ""Israel" responded quickly and well, what should worry us is the possibility of firing from there, as they did to Eilat, and our planes, rockets and others. "Israel" remains quiet the first time, the second but in the third it responds on its own. "
_________
State and Army won't be responsible for shelters
Ma'ariv - Aric Bender
Knesset decided yesterday (Wednesday), that neither the state nor the Home Front command will hold the responsibility of the safety and maintenance of more than one hundred thousand special refuges across the country and that this would be imposed on the control sections of the local authorities that are not prepared for it. Under the proposal, which passed today they will be "empowered" to check the status of shelters.
The resolution is an amendment to the law of civil defense, which was ratified with a majority of two members of the Knesset Ze'ev Bielski (Kadima) and Nissim Zeev (Shas) against one, MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) who depicted the ratified amendment as a "scandal" because according to him, "the resolution spares in fact the home front and the local authorities the duty of monitoring the common and private shelters in homes and in factories."
"The threats on the home front are serious and growing, but the authorities seek to exempt itself from the responsibility of the next war and from the next Commission of Inquiry ," said MK Eldad who named the resolution a "chaos."
In the amendment, which passed today was the following "the local authority is empowered to monitor the common and private shelters in factories in the region to oversee their maintenance so they can be used at any time as a shelter from an attack."
Furthermore, Chairman of the Subcommittee, MK Zeev Bielski (Kadima) said "I hoped and I could have imposed on local authorities this mission, but without the appropriate budget provided to the authorities, it is not possible."
He added, "In the debate held today the Commission approved the agreement reached by the home front on the responsibility of shelters maintenance."
Bielski noted that he will make an extra effort to get additional budgets that will allow the local authority to take responsibility over the development of 107 thousand shelters."
According to his words, "shelters require monitoring devices and large huge budgets of hundreds of millions of shekels. In the scheme concluded between the home front and the local authority, it has been agreed that "Israel" has 107 thousand shelters that will be the responsibility of the residents."
Under the amendment in the law of civil defense, which was ratified today, the responsibility of overseeing the common shelters will be held by the authorities themselves and not by the state or the home front.
Source: "Israeli" Press, translated and edited by moqawama.org
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