Iran Ordered Attack on Israel, Official Says

NewsMax ^ | July 24, 2006 | Kenneth R. Timmerman,

[Kaslin]

MAATAT, Israel -- On the eve of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's much-awaited trip to Israel on Monday, a senior Israeli official said that Iran had coordinated the Hezbollah attacks on Israel on July 12 that sparked the current Israeli military action.

Iran's goal was to "deflect world attention from its nuclear bomb-building program," veteran government spokesman Avi Posner told NewsMax in an exclusive interview.

"Even the timing of this operation [against Israel] was coordinated with Iran," he added.

That coordination was extraordinary, and has gone largely unreported.

On July 11 – just the day before the Hezbollah kidnappings – the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, flew suddenly to Damascus, after stonewalling European foreign ministers in Brussels over Iran's nuclear weapons program.

Larijani is a top personal adviser to Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and was accompanied to Damascus by the head of Iran's intelligence ministry, Hojatoleslam Gholam-Hussein Mohseni-Ejei.

Their departure from Brussels was reported by the official Iranian News Agency, IRNA. But their flight from Brussels to Damascus, on board a special military aircraft, was not.

"Before the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg, Iran wanted to deflect world attention from Iran's nuclear bomb-building activities," Posner said.

And they succeeded. Instead of focusing as planned on the Iranian nuclear program, the G-8 summit tackled a broad range of world problems, starting with the emerging Middle East crisis between Israel and Hezbollah.

While Posner did not allege that Iran orchestrated the kidnapping of the two Israeli soldiers the day after Larijani's arrival in Damascus, an Israeli military official told NewsMax - in an exclusive interview at this military outpost overlooking the Lebanese border - that Hezbollah had been preparing the kidnappings for months.

All Hezbollah had been lacking was the political go-ahead to carry out the operation, he said.

Hezbollah fighters had attempted to cross the electronic fence along Israel's border to kidnap Israeli soldiers six months before their successful July 12 operation, but were intercepted by Israeli troops.

"They learned from their mistakes," the military official said. "This time, they knew to place their booby trap in a blind spot in our video surveillance coverage. They knew exactly when the Hummer was coming. They knew exactly how much time they needed to cut through the fence, kidnap our guys and get back through the fence into Lebanon."

Israel has built a fence along the entire 150 kilometer (96 mile) border with Lebanon, equipped with electronic sensors to detect intruders and video cameras. But it still takes Israeli troops up to 20 minutes to respond to intrusions, especially if they occur off-camera.

The entire operation on July 12 took an estimated five minutes, the military official said. A Hezbollah get-away vehicle was waiting on the other side of the fence for the commando that kidnapped the two Israeli soldiers.

Posner believes there is a "direct link" between Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

"Nasrallah is the puppet of Ahmadinejad," Posner told NewsMax.

"Together, they have created a very dangerous situation. They are building on our northern frontier a terrorist entity that threatens not only Israel, but the stability of all the Middle East."

Iran's direct involvement in the current war is one reason why Posner and other Israeli officials no longer believe that the United States or the European Union plans to pressure them for a quick ceasefire.

"When we fight Hezbollah, behind it we are facing the big shadow of Iran," Posner said.

"This might explain why Israel is enjoying such a broad base of support from the international community," he said.

At an Israeli military base described as a "jumping off point" for future ground operations inside Lebanon, Israeli Brig. Gen. Shuki Shakrur provided new details Sundday to NewsMax of Iranian weapons used to strike Israel.

"Hezbollah has used their entire arsenal against us," Gen. Shakrur said.

With Iranian help, Hezbollah has modified the Soviet-standard 122 mm Katyusha rockets, extending their range so they can reach targets up to 35 kilometers distant.

These modified "Raed" rockets have been used to hit targets north of Haifa, and all through central Galilee.

In addition, Iran has provided 240 mm Fajr 3 missiles, with a range of 45-50 kilometers, which have been used against downtown Haifa.

Sunday, a succession of Hezbollah rocket attacks killed 2 people in Haifa and wounded another 27 civilians. Sunday's deaths were the first civilian casualties since the deadly rocket attack last Sunday on a railway repair depot in Haifa that killed eight railway workers.

Sunday is a working day in Israel.

General Shakrur noted that Israel has managed to prevent a significant number of rockets from being launched from Hezbollah positions inside Lebanon through real time intelligence.

"We have to be very accurate and very quick," he said.

Israeli artillery batteries at nearby positions in Maatat pounded Hezbollah launch positions throughout the day, responding to real time intelligence input.

Israeli military sources said they had "a two to three minute window" to act on intelligence, so there was close coordination between signals intelligence and operational command centers in the field.

Last week, the Israeli Air Force managed to destroy a battery of long-range Iranian "Zelzal" missiles on their launch pad, Gen. Shakrur said.

During the strike, one of the missiles misfired and hit Beirut, leading to mistaken press reports that Hezbollah had shot down an Israeli jet fighter.

The Zelzal is the only guided missile Iran is believed to have supplied to Hezbollah.

With a range estimated at 120 km (75 miles), it would allow Hezbollah to target strategic facilities such as oil refineries and chemical plants in Haifa, which they have missed until now with the less accurate Fajr and katyusha rockets.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Bumps

[brain bleeds red]

Israeli military official told NewsMax that Hezbollah had been preparing the kidnappings for months..

I don't doubt this for a minute, but please, please provide evidence, Mr. Israeli official. It would make the whole international condemnation thingy majig a whole lot easier.

[Recovering Hermit]

"Even the timing of this operation [against Israel] was coordinated with Iran," he added.

I don't doubt this at all.

[RightWhale]

This is something everybody on earth already knows. If an ultimatum is delivered to Iran, then there will be war now. If an ultimatum is not delivered, then war is not imminent.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Yes, War will come later when they are better prepared!

[silentknight]

So what?

Do you think Israel will take out Syria and Iran in the next couple of weeks?

Do you think the world will let this spread?

Don't you believe that we will have a peace treaty because the terrorists are getting worried that Hezbollah is kicking their a%$ kicked?

WILL Israel have the GUTS to do what it takes to end this once and for all?

I doubt it. I can only hope.

Let's see what happens next.

My prediction is that Iran always has nukes and is baiting Israel. I also believe that the Middle East will end this on its own.

IRAN JUST ANNOUNCED THAT ISRAEL IS TO BE DESTROYED SOON.

Go figure.

[Just mythoughts]

This was Putin's show (G-8 Summit) and if Iran and Syria were monkeying around with changing focal points then Putin would have been in on it as well, at the very least turning a blind eye.

Who is Iran getting their nuclear wares from???

[A. Pole]

a senior Israeli official said that Iran had coordinated the Hezbollah attacks on Israel on July 12 that sparked the current Israeli military action

A senior moment? Before it was the capture of two Israeli soldiers that sparked Israel attacks on Hezbollah (to which Hezbollah responded).

How quickly the past is changing.

[ExTexasRedhead]

The only doubters are Liberal Dummycrats who admire dictators and give rights to terrorists. Their philosophy is to make nice, appease, and don't make waves and the enemies of the US will just go away. Kind of like make-believe when we were children. The only problem is that Liberals like to play games and the rest of us will end up with the enemy on our doorsteps in the real world.

[Peisistratus]

"A senior moment? Before it was the capture of two Israeli soldiers that sparked Israel attacks on Hezbollah (to which Hezbollah responded)."

Those captures WERE attacks by Hezbollah. Said attacks prompted Israeli response.

[A. Pole]

Those captures WERE attacks by Hezbollah.

And earlier captures by Israel were attacks too?

[RightWhale]

Yep. In spite of everybody knowing this, politics in this country will not let another preemptive war such as Iraq be done until the danger is very great.

[Peisistratus]

"And earlier captures by Israel were attacks too?"

Earlier "captures" by Israel have been in response to rocket and suicide attacks.

What is Hezbollah to you, anyway?

[A. Pole]

What is Hezbollah to you, anyway?

Hezbollah is a main organization of the largest Lebanese ethnic/religious group. Military wing of Hezbollah was involved in some terrorist and insurgency acts, but it is only a smaller part what Hezbollah is about.

[Peisistratus]

"Hezbollah is a main organization of the largest Lebanese ethnic/religious group. Military wing of Hezbollah was involved in some terrorist and insurgency acts, but it is only a smaller part what Hezbollah is about."

Friends of yours? Hezbollah (the "Party of Allah" - a Syrian front group) has only a "military wing". Everyone else supports the "military wing". They're an enemy of the United States by their own words, so any friend or defender of them is also an enemy of the United States.

Where do you stand?

[A. Pole]

Where do you stand?

The most important is that Lebanese infrastructure, especially in the north/center is not being destroyed as it will set back Lebanon 20 years and will ruin the hope for rebuilding this country as modern one and with Christians communities flourishing.

Second, Israel could if she wanted to set compromise with Lebanese Shiites and it is wrong that it is not being done.

[KevinDavis]

It seems that A. Pole stands with the terrorist..

[A. Pole]

It seems that A. Pole stands with the terrorist..

I watch Polish and Russian TV. There are many Polish and Russian refugees who lived in Lebanon and were married to Lebanese (Christians and some Muslims). Today I have seen the interview with Russian Jew who is being evacuated back to Russia together with his family.

The infrastructure (like bridges, power plants, TV buildings etc) is being destroyed in areas not under Hezbollah control. This is wrong.

[Salem]

---

Zec 12:6 In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.





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