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In an impassioned speech before the UN General Assembly on September 27, 2024, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spelled out to the world that Israel is done with international efforts to placate or excuse Hamas and Hezbollah. He declared there would be no peace until the terrorist organizations dedicated to the mass murder of Jews and the eradication of Israel are themselves eradicated.
Netanyahu started his speech by stating he originally had zero interest in attending the UN meeting this year, but felt compelled to do so in order to combat the lies of those claiming Israel was unjustifiably aggressive in combating terror. //
Netanyahu stated to those gathered that Iran was and is a threat to not only Israel but the civilized world as a whole.
And that is the choice we face today: the curse of Iran’s unremitting aggression or the blessing of a historic reconciliation between Arab and Jew. In the days that followed that speech, the blessing I spoke of came into sharper focus.
Netanyahu reminded the UN that before the Hamas-committed obscene atrocities of October 7, 2023, the Middle East was close to enjoying genuine peace as it has ever been since Israel’s formation in 1948. //
I have a message for the tyrants of Tehran: If you strike us, we will strike you. There is no place—there is no place in Iran—that the long arm of Israel cannot reach. And that’s true of the entire Middle East. //
This is the map I presented here last year. It’s a map of a blessing.
It shows Israel and its Arab partners forming a land bridge connecting Asia and Europe. Between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, across this bridge, we will lay rail lines, energy pipelines, and fiber optic cables, and this will serve the betterment of 2 billion people.
He next displayed a map of the present reality.It’s a map of a curse. It’s a map of an arc of terror that Iran has created and imposed from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean. Iran’s malignant arc has shut down international waterways.
It cuts off trade, it destroys nations from within, and inflicts misery on millions. On the one hand, a bright blessing—a future of hope. On the other hand, a dark future of despair. And if you think this dark map is only a curse for Israel, then you should think again.
Because Iran’s aggression, if it’s not checked, will endanger every single country in the Middle East, and many, many countries in the rest of the world, because Iran seeks to impose its radicalism well beyond the Middle East.
That’s why it funds terror networks on five continents. That’s why it builds ballistic missiles for nuclear warheads to threaten the entire world. For too long, the world has appeased Iran. It turned a blind eye to its internal repression. It turned a blind eye to its external aggression. Well, that appeasement must end. And that appeasement must end now. //
And now I have a question, and I pose that question to you: What choice will you make? Will your nation stand with Israel? Will you stand with democracy and peace? Or will you stand with Iran, a brutal dictatorship that subjugates its own people and exports terrorism across the globe //
I have a message for you: Israel will win this battle. We will win this battle because we don’t have a choice.
After generations in which our people were slaughtered, remorselessly butchered, and no one raised a finger in our defense, we now have a state. We now have a brave army, an army of incomparable courage, and we are defending ourselves.
As the book of Samuel says in the Bible:
“נֵ֣צַח יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹ֥א יְשַׁקֵּ֖ר”
“The eternity of Israel will not falter”.
In the Jewish people’s epic journey from antiquity, in our odyssey through the tempest and upheavals of modern times, that ancient promise has always been kept and it will hold true for all time.
To borrow a great poet’s phrase: Israel will not go gently into that good night. We will never need to rage against the dying of the light because the torch of Israel will forever shine bright.
To the people of Israel and to the soldiers of Israel, I say: Be strong and of good courage.
“חִזְק֣וּ וְאִמְצ֔וּ אַל־תִּֽירְא֥וּ וְאַל־תַּעַרְצ֖וּ מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם כִּ֣י ה’ אֱלֹקיךָ ה֚וּא הַהֹלֵ֣ךְ עִמָּ֔ךְ לֹ֥א יַרְפְּךָ֖ וְלֹ֥א יַעַזְבֶֽךּ”
עם ישראל חי
The people of Israel live now, tomorrow, forever”.
The Islamic Republic imposes strict rules on Iranian life. This extended photo collection shows Iranian society prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution and, it’s obvious that Iran was a very different world.
It was also a world that was looking brighter for women. And, as everyone knows, when things get better for women, things get better for everyone. After the revolution, the 70 years of advancements in Iranian women’s rights were rolled back virtually overnight.
It turns out that, in the history of Twitter, now X, the most-liked Farsi (Iranian) language post on that platform came from a source that may surprise you - Donald Trump.
The post reportedly says in part: “I have stood with you since the beginning of my presidency and my government will continue to stand with you.”
Now, among the members of the Iranian diaspora - people who oppose the rule of the mullahs in Iran, many of whom fled the country after the Islamic revolution - are forming an "Iranians for Trump" movement. As unlikely as that sounds, it makes more sense than one might think. //
Iran - Persia - is a nation and a people with a long history. It wasn't always a nutcase theocracy ruled by Bronze Age lunatics. It was, as recently as 1979, a modern nation. It could be again. Under a Kamala Harris presidency, though, the Iranian advocates for dumping the mullahs and returning some sanity to Persia won't stand a chance. And as long as the mullahs remain in power, Iran will continue to be the world's number-one state sponsor of terror. //
Scholar GBenton
4 hours ago
People with good memory recall that Obama refused to support the Green Revolution in Iran under the guise of "no interference in internal affairs of another country" but later interfered in Egypt and Libya.
Laurentiu B . 🇪🇺 @laurbjn
·
Israeli man charged with aiding ‘Iran-backed’ plot to kill Netanyahu. Suspect was smuggled to Iran and demanded $1mn to carry out surveillance in bid to kill prime minister or other senior figures, says 🇮🇱 Israel. https://ft.com/content/a177ba24-72e6-4481-b3ee-50e50eeff5d1
via @ft
Image
6:12 AM · Sep 19, 2024
The State Department Inspector General has released a blistering report documenting how probable Iranian agent-of-influence Robert Malley was allowed to have access to highly classified information and meetings even after his security clearance was belatedly pulled by the Biden-Harris regime for mishandling classified information. Unlike former President Trump, Malley was never prosecuted for his mishandling of classified information even though he was closely affiliated with an Iranian-sponsored group dubbed the “Iran Experts Initiative” (IEI), a network of influential academics and researchers across the world who would advocate on behalf of Tehran on several important issues. //
In addition to lying, the State Department did not take action to limit Malley's access to highly classified information and meetings. Rather the opposite, the State Department's senior leadership hid Malley's lack of security clearance so it could not be enforced. //
It isn't clear exactly what resulted in the suspension of Malley's clearance, as the State Department has refused to explain it to Congress. What is clear is that Iranian media is the best source of information on his suspension. //
The Tehran Time’s article is just the latest in a string of scoops the outlet has published about the Malley affair, including U.S. government documents, audio recordings of the diplomat, and dates and reasons tied to his departure. So far, most have proven to be accurate. //
The long-term protection and coddling of Malley, a guy who can be described without malice or hyperbole as a hardcore Iranian sympathizer, shows the degree to which hostile foreign powers penetrate the Biden-Harris gang. The "investigation" of Malley of improperly handling classified information is both an exemplar and a warning. It is an exemplar in that the Department of Justice is pursuing a political prosecution of former president Donald Trump on that point, while the documents in question were stored in a place guarded by the Secret Service, but are unwilling to prosecute someone in Kamala Harris's circle who seems to have given classified information to Iran. It is a warning because if Harris is elected, Malley's investigation will go away, and he'll end up with a senior position at the State Department or the National Security Council.
But Iran? If Iran were to obtain a nuke, either by building their own or just buying one from North Korea or Pakistan, that might very well be the flashpoint. This is a line that has not been crossed since 1945, and was Iran to torch off a nuke in Haifa - or New York - that would almost certainly plunge the world into conflict.
Watch Iran. Watch the least stable players. Hopefully, reason will prevail, but as von Clausewitz famously said, "Only the dead have seen the end of war."
A Jerusalem Post story, citing sources in Kuwait, alleged that the Biden national security team gave the Iranians the names of deep-cover Mossad operatives working in Iran to try to de-escalate tensions between Israel and Iran. //
All of this may be true. The Kuwaiti paper may have pushed an Iranian story to stir up mischief. Fox may not have done due diligence on the story. It all might be a clever bit of disinformation.
On the other hand, "a hit dog will holler."
The counterargument to the story is based on the idea that the Kuwaiti newspaper has links to the Tehran regime and has posted inaccurate stories. //
That sounds plausible until you consider how many of the Steele Dossier stories that the media accepted at face value were also based on a single anonymous source. I'm not sure that is the strongest argument to make given our own media's performance during the Russia Hoax and COVID when they produced regime disinformation on a massive scale. I don't know why I'd believe the same people who were involved in sending $1.7 billion in cash to Tehran and lying about it rather than some other group of liars. //
The fact is that Biden's foreign policy is based on two impulses: fear and appeasement. Well, three impulses: fear, appeasement, and lies. We have read over and over about how the White House is trying to prevent "escalation" between Israel and Iran. We know from White House sources that Biden is trying to pressure Netanyahu into winding down the war in Gaza and not reacting to Hezbollah and Iranian provocations. We know that Iran has threatened to hit American targets if it can't adequately punish Israel; see Iran Warns US That If It Helps Israel Defend From Iran's Retaliation Itself Then the US Is Next – RedState. We know that the White House permits Iranian-backed gunmen to rocket US bases in the region with token retaliation. //
We know that Biden's foreign policy and defense agencies have senior people with very close ties to Tehran; see Defense Official With Frequent White House Visits and Known Iranian Ties Has a Link to Kamala Harris. Kamala's national security adviser has been employed by what is described as Iran's lobbying arm in Washington.
We also know that the White House is in thrall to the "Palestinian" movement and is deeply anti-Israel, if not outright antisemitic. //
I understand why people don't want to believe the story is true. I'd also love to be able to tell the story of an outrageous fraud. What I don't understand is what about the story isn't both plausible and totally on-brand for the Biden White House. //
John Q. Public Dieter Schultz
4 hours ago
The people who say that the story isn’t true have lied about literally everything else. Is today the day they finally decided to be honest? //
Wabash08
2 hours ago
Even if it’s not accurate, it reflects the utter shambles Biden has left our relationship with Israel. That story wouldn’t get reported unless there is either hard evidence the US acted as accused, or Israel is angry enough at American behavior to let it be printed without definitive proof. I would put my money on the story being true given Biden and his Obama staffed state department’s obsequiousness to Iran.
All of this may be true. The Kuwaiti paper may have pushed an Iranian story to stir up mischief. Fox may not have done due diligence on the story. It all might be a clever bit of disinformation.
On the other hand, "a hit dog will holler."
The counterargument to the story is based on the idea that the Kuwaiti newspaper has links to the Tehran regime and has posted inaccurate stories. //
That sounds plausible until you consider how many of the Steele Dossier stories that the media accepted at face value were also based on a single anonymous source. I'm not sure that is the strongest argument to make given our own media's performance during the Russia Hoax and COVID when they produced regime disinformation on a massive scale. I don't know why I'd believe the same people who were involved in sending $1.7 billion in cash to Tehran and lying about it rather than some other group of liars. //
The fact is that Biden's foreign policy is based on two impulses: fear and appeasement. Well, three impulses: fear, appeasement, and lies. We have read over and over about how the White House is trying to prevent "escalation" between Israel and Iran. We know from White House sources that Biden is trying to pressure Netanyahu into winding down the war in Gaza and not reacting to Hezbollah and Iranian provocations. We know that Iran has threatened to hit American targets if it can't adequately punish Israel; see Iran Warns US That If It Helps Israel Defend From Iran's Retaliation Itself Then the US Is Next – RedState. We know that the White House permits Iranian-backed gunmen to rocket US bases in the region with token retaliation. //
We know that Biden's foreign policy and defense agencies have senior people with very close ties to Tehran; see Defense Official With Frequent White House Visits and Known Iranian Ties Has a Link to Kamala Harris. Kamala's national security adviser has been employed by what is described as Iran's lobbying arm in Washington.
We also know that the White House is in thrall to the "Palestinian" movement and is deeply anti-Israel, if not outright antisemitic. //
I understand why people don't want to believe the story is true. I'd also love to be able to tell the story of an outrageous fraud. What I don't understand is what about the story isn't both plausible and totally on-brand for the Biden White House. //
John Q. Public Dieter Schultz
4 hours ago
The people who say that the story isn’t true have lied about literally everything else. Is today the day they finally decided to be honest? //
Wabash08
2 hours ago
Even if it’s not accurate, it reflects the utter shambles Biden has left our relationship with Israel. That story wouldn’t get reported unless there is either hard evidence the US acted as accused, or Israel is angry enough at American behavior to let it be printed without definitive proof. I would put my money on the story being true given Biden and his Obama staffed state department’s obsequiousness to Iran.
A senior Department of Defense official linked to an organization that lobbies for the mullahs in Tehran has continued to hold the highest level of security clearance and visit the White House. //
Senior Department of Defense official Ariane Tabatabai participated in multiple meetings organized by the White House’s Presidential Personnel Office, which is responsible for recruiting and vetting scores of nominees across the government, visitor logs reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon show.
Tabatabai was at the White House just two months after Semafor revealed she was a key member of a secretive Iranian influence group, the Iran Experts Initiative, that reported back to Tehran’s foreign ministry, according to the logs. She participated in at least seven other White House gatherings throughout the end of 2023 and into April 2024, mixing with officials from a range of cabinet-level agencies. //
Her patron is none other than Phil Gordon, Kamala Harris's national security adviser.
Ismail Haniyeh, a top leader of Hamas, was assassinated on Wednesday by an explosive device covertly smuggled into the Tehran guesthouse where he was staying, according to seven Middle Eastern officials, including two Iranians, and an American official.
The bomb had been hidden approximately two months ago in the guesthouse, according to five of the Middle Eastern officials. The guesthouse is run and protected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and is part of a large compound, known as Neshat, in an upscale neighborhood of northern Tehran.
Mr. Haniyeh was in Iran’s capital for the presidential inauguration. The bomb was detonated remotely, the five officials said, once it was confirmed that he was inside his room at the guesthouse. The blast also killed a bodyguard. //
Such a breach, three Iranian officials said, was a catastrophic failure of intelligence and security for Iran and a tremendous embarrassment for the Guards, which uses the compound for retreats, secret meetings and housing prominent guests like Mr. Haniyeh. //
Seth Mandel @SethAMandel
·
You know, I often make fun of the "MOSSAD UNDER THE BED!" ppl on here, but sometimes yeah the Mossad is under your bed what can I tell you
nytimes.com
Bomb Smuggled Into Tehran Guesthouse Months Ago Killed Hamas Leader
9:39 AM · Aug 1, 2024
On Thursday, we learned that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who has been living in luxury in Qatar, was taken out by an explosive device placed in a guest house room in Tehran months ago and remotely detonated. Haniyeh was in Iran for the swearing-in of Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, which was scheduled for Tuesday. Haniyeh's pronouns have now been permanently changed to "was" and "were." //
Three Iranian officials separately told The New York Times that the security breach that allowed the explosive device to find its way into the compound where Haniyeh was residing – which is used by the Guards for secret meetings and housing prominent guests – is a massive embarrassment to the military agency. //
No matter who planted this device, it's an effective little piece of retribution for Oct 7th. And you know what the thing is about revenge? It's patient.
Iran supplying Samad-3 drones — like the one that hit Tel Aviv — to Mexican drug cartels and Venezuela, Israeli sources say. //
Iran-made drone flew over 1200 miles before hitting Tel Aviv
The Iran-made Samad-3 drone “traveled about 2,000 km from Yemen to Israel through the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt,” the Israeli news website YNET reported Friday. “The drone used different routes to confuse the IDF detection systems. The drone’s payload was relatively small and contained few kilograms of explosives to prolong the aircraft’s distance, allowing it to cross Sinai and enter Israel through the Mediterranean Sea.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken used the occasion of an interview at the Aspen Security Forum to announce that Iran “is now probably one or two weeks” away from having enough fissile material to construct a nuclear weapon. The real news is that Iran may already have a bomb. //
What is much more likely is that the Iranians have a nuclear weapon on hand. In February 2023, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told the House Armed Services Committee that Iran could make enough fissile for one nuclear bomb in "about 12 days." If they could make enough material for a bomb in "about 12 days" a year and a half ago, there is no reason to assume they didn't. There is nothing in the behavior of the Biden White House that could have possibly deterred them. Just last month, the official White House estimate was 18 months (see How Close Is Iran to Getting Nuclear Weapons? New Info Alarms Intelligence Officials). //
Blinken, of course, tried to blame it all on the Trump administration for leaving the Obama-conceived Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that guaranteed Iran a path to owning a bomb without troublesome sanctions by calling Iran out for cheating (Trump Says Iran Is Violating Nuclear Deal and the Left Goes Bonkers (VIDEO) and BREAKING. President Trump's Remarks on Leaving the Iran Nuclear Deal – RedState).
The real fault lies in a strategy based on nothing more than the hope that a terrorist state dedicated to the destruction of the United States could be convinced to forgo developing a nuclear weapon by bribing them.
Hallen
an hour ago
The US should have taken care of this a year ago. There is a reason we have to be strong worldwide. When we clean up messes, nobody can do much about it. They may whine. They may call us bullies, but their governments pretty much all smile and wipe the sweat off their brow. They know that since the US did it, there won't be escalations.
With Israel and others having to do these things, it's the perfect excuse for others to escalate.
Anyone who doesn't get this is fooling themselves. It's why Biden's foreign policy is so dangerous. His weakness invites total war. A strong president would have bombed the Houthis out of existence by now -- well, at least their capability of harassing anyone. That would have ended that problem. Now, it's a much, much bigger problem. That's Biden's fault.
While most news outlets are focused on Roaring Kitty, the jobs report, or Hunter Biden, the most consequential news item of the year may be unfolding before our very eyes in our hemisphere. The Russians are coming. But so, too, are the Chinese and Iranians. In fact, they’re already here.
We’re not talking about the border so the right isn’t covering it. We’re not talking about Trump, so the mainstream media isn’t covering it. We’re talking about the war coming to South America designed to distract the United States.
To understand the significance of this, we must first recognize the rapidly changing geopolitical landscape at the expense of a distracted and weakened United States. An emboldened Russia, China, and Iran have coordinated internally to bypass international sanctions, while externally, they have provoked conflict on a growing number of fronts. //
American oil companies are actively exploring the oil-rich Essequibo region of Guyana. Venezuela is preparing to invade it. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Quds Forces are in Venezuela already, along with both Russian and Chinese military advisors. The Venezuelans have been using Iranian coast guard vessels to patrol the river border with Guyana.
Russia, China, and Iran are in Venezuela, helping them prepare an invasion of an American and British ally to seize American-backed oil fields. The only thing Joe Biden is doing is letting Venezuela sell oil to fund the invasion.
Sleeping With the Enemy: Biden Warns European Allies Not to Rebuke Iran's Nuclear Program – RedState
the Wall Street Journal reports in an exclusive:
Joe Biden is opposing a European plan to rebuke Iran for advances in its nuclear programme as Washington wants to avoid an escalation of tensions ahead of the US presidential election, diplomats involved in discussions have claimed.
The Biden administration is said to be arguing against an effort by Britain and France to censure Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency's member state board in early June, they added. While US officials deny lobbying against a resolution, the diplomats say the administration is pressing other countries to abstain in a censure vote, which is what Washington will do. //
The differences are emerging as Western officials’ concerns have deepened about Iran’s nuclear activities.
On Monday, the U.N. atomic-energy agency reported that Iran’s stockpile of 60% highly enriched uranium rose 20.6 kilograms to 142.1 kg as of May 11 from three months earlier, its highest level to date.
U.S. officials say that material could be converted into weapons-grade enriched uranium in a matter of days. It would then be enough to fuel three nuclear weapons….
European diplomats have warned that failure to take action would undermine the authority of the IAEA, which polices nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. They say it also weakens the credibility of Western pressure on Iran. And they are frustrated over what they see as U.S. efforts to undermine their approach.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) was on fire on Tuesday as he grilled Joe Biden's Secretary of State Antony Blinken before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
This may just be one of the most effective cross-examinations over how bad the administration has been on Iran that you're ever going to see, and how they've helped our enemies while hurting our allies. He really drops the hammer on him at the end. //
"You've funded our enemies and you undermine our friends," Cruz said. "And the world is much much more dangerous as result and Americans are in much greater jeopardy because of it."
Blinken protested saying we weren't "alone" anymore.
Cruz dropped him with a final withering remark, "Remember the Abraham Accords?"
That was a reminder of how we had the area in greater peace under former President Donald Trump and now it's in flames because of Joe Biden.
The question for the mainstream press and their Democrat friends was how to respond. Iran had become a quasi-ally of the far left over the last decade and a half, leaving journalists and politicians to decide whether to offer condolences or to speak clearly about who Raisi was. Expectedly, they went with the first option.
As RedState reported, the Biden administration released a letter of "official condolences," a move that left many in disbelief. Raisi was a genocidal butcher (the "butcher of Tehran" was his nickname) who oversaw the murder of thousands of innocent people over his time in power. //
When I made the above statement on social media, I had some people chime in by citing the command from Jesus to pray for one's enemies. I'm not too keen on taking religious advice from people who have probably never picked up a Bible, but that verse is not a command to pray for those mourning a genocidal maniac. The intention is to pray for one's living enemies that they might come to know salvation. Raisi is dead. Prayers aren't going to do anything for him at this point, and those mourning him and his tyranny are not doing something righteous. They are doing something evil.
Besides, the idea that the "Iranian people" are mourning Raisi is a vast misrepresentation of the dynamics on the ground. Heck, it's outright insulting to those whose loved ones have been killed by the Islamic Republic. Iran's regime is largely hated by its population, as evidenced by the massive demonstrations that have taken place (and been brutally put down) over the last several years.
This chaplain should have offered prayers for the victims of Raisi. That would have been prudent. //
Probable Cause Blue State Deplorable
8 hours ago
When I read that they prayed "for the Iranian people who mourn the death of their president," I thought:
"For both of them?"
John Hasson
@SonofHas
·
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Last week: Biden Admin claims it can locate Hamas leaders, and it offers to give the locations to Israel to stop the Rafah invasion
Today: Biden Admin was wrong about Sinwar’s location, and its intel about Sinwar is roughly one month old
7:28 PM · May 18, 2024 //
That should leave people asking exactly what Iran, which uses Hamas as a proxy, has on the president. What else would motivate Biden to try this ruse on a long-time ally besides appeasing the Mullahs he's always bent over backward for?
I would think this has to be the end of Israel taking any council from Biden seriously.
Gabriel Noronha
@GLNoronha
·
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My thoughts are with the @washingtonpost obituary team in this difficult time as they fiercely debate whether to call Ebrahim Raisi an “austere religious scholar”, a “patriotic anti-Zionist leader” or a “zealous anti-corruption crusader”.
3:04 PM · May 19, 2024. //
pat Real GOP 690
4 hours ago
They flew into the fog knowing God's hand would guide them. And he did. //
Locked and Loaded
6 hours ago
Pieces be upon him.