Israel Edges Closer to Iran Attack

Israel Edges Closer to Iran Attack

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

Israel (and the world) is edging closer, everyday, to an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Completely disgusted with the Obama Regime’s “pretty please” approach to diplomacy with Iran, and frustrated with the US government’s “hovering” and insistence that Israel notify the US before any such attack, Israel is leaning forward and chomping at the bit to make the hit and make it ASAP.

Recent reports tell of an Israeli drone capable of reconnaissance, surveillance,  -- and attack – that crashed on a test flight over Israel recently.  News reports of the incident resulted in tensions being raised one more notch.

The Israeli drone – a Heron TP – has a range of well over 4,000 miles.  Iran is roughly 1,000 miles from Israel. 

The Heron is a BIG airplane.  It has a wingspan nearly equal to that of a 737 Airliner -- approximately 85 feet. It can carry a payload of well over a ton. 

According to a report in the Washington Times the Heron TP, which soars as high as 40,000 feet, would likely play a key role in an attack on Iran.  The plane can be utilized for recon and surveillance or “for firing rockets, and can be used in a variety of missions such as aerial refueling, jamming communications and relaying ground control in Israel to manned aircraft over a distant target.”  (SOURCE)

The Heron TP is not a new aircraft.  It has been in service for at least two years.

While Israel feels pressure from Iran, it also must keep an eye over it’s should watching the “New” Egyptian government.  Egypt’s recently elected parliament has said it has no intention of renewing the its long standing peace treaty with Israel.  To Israel’s north, Syria is in flames with Assad’s government slaughtering its citizens in a near Syrian civil war. 

It is not outside the realm of possibility that Assad, Syria’s dictator, could stir up trouble with it’s southern neighbor, Israel, to redirect the attention of it’s people and take some of the pressure off Syria’s unpopular government.

Israel is in a world of trouble with threats from all sides -- not including the so-called Palestinians, who are, in fact, Arabs.  They are pushing the UN to carve a Palestinian state out of Israeli land.

The entire Middle East is in flames with a regional war almost certain in the immediate future.  Any “regional” war in the Middle East, will, of necessity, involve most of the industrialized nations of the west – including the US and the UK.  The Middle East is, of course, the source of much of the world’s oil and that oil must continue to flow even if the price is paid, as it almost certainly will be, in blood.

Here in America, we are confused at our government’s downsizing of the US military.  It makes no sense.  We are on the cusp of a war that has the potential to make the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq … and even Libya, look like Sunday School picnics. 

I have a theory as to why Obama is pushing this draw down of the US military.  It is far-fetched, I grant you, but the Obama Regime is a past master at utterly stupid decision making, so this theory is as good as anyone else’s – at the moment.

Hypothetically, just suppose, the idea is to allow the Middle East to engage in a war with very little involvement by the US.  It would most likely be a protracted war that would reduce the flow of oil to a trickle.  That would send oil prices and fuel prices for transportation, fuel to heat our homes, and the myriad other uses we have for petroleum products astronomically high. 

Americans would, of necessity, be forced to cut back on oil consumption.  That would, supposedly, be good for the environment. Of course, our economy would collapse entirely and set the stage for a takeover of the American government by socialists who will provide a way to “restore” America -- as a socialist country.

Far-fetched, you say?  Really?  Is it really THAT far-fetched?  Think about it:  These are leftists, Marxists, socialists, communists, democrats, anarchists, and yes, environmentalist.  We have come to believe that environmentalism is nothing more that a religion based on Marxism.

Remember:  Just because it is a conspiracy theory doesn’t mean there isn’t a conspiracy.

The US is about to be drawn into a near world war – and we are cutting back our military?   This entire scenario lends itself to all sorts of conspiracy theories.  I’m sure you have your own.

In the meantime, the Obama Regime is allowing our only friend in the region, Israel, to hang out there, twisting in the wind, feeling for all the world like a sacrificial lamb.

Yes, a war between Israel and Iran is on the agenda.  It could be months away, or it could be before sunrise tomorrow. And it could be a nuclear war.       

J. D. Longstreet

War Clouds Continue to Gather

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

First, allow me to explain that, yes, I know it is not popular, today, to point out the obvious.  Ok.  Maybe I should have phrased that this way:  “…to point out what SHOULD be obvious.”

Before I proceed, I’d like to encourage my readers to browse the websites of foreign news services.  If I have learned anything at all (since Al Gore invented the Internet) it is this:  The US mainstream media cannot be trusted.  They have an agenda and that agenda does not necessarily include dissemination of the truth.  As a card-carrying member of the press for many years, I have always been aware of the left-leaning bias of the US media.  That is not to say the same leftist bias does not exist in overseas media because it most certainly does.

Having said that – were you aware that right at the moment the Obama Administration is announcing plans to cut the US defense budget the US is preparing for another war in the Middle East?  Did you know that we have been quietly building an armada of naval assets in the Gulf of Oman just off the shores of Iran?  Did you know this naval armada consists of warships from the US, the UK, France, Israel, and others?  

Looking west a bit we see US, French, and British warships, standing off the Syrian coast, facing off with Russian warships including a Russian aircraft carrier task force.

My regional newspaper is printed in a military town, home to one of the largest military bases in the US, and yet, I see very little information in it’s pages concerning this build-up of military might in the waters of the Middle East.  Why?

I’ll make the answer as straight forward and simple as I possibly can.  There re two parts to the complete answer: 1) Obama is seeking reelection.  2) Obama is seeking to reduce the military budget to gain more money to spend on his leftist agenda for America.

At the risk of being called an “alarmist” allow be to make it plain:  I AM alarmed.

So when will this war begin.  Well, let me put it this way:  The Iranians should carefully watch Obama’s poll numbers.  If those numbers continue their slide downwards, the Iranians are going get the heck bombed out of them. 

Americans are extremely reluctant to change Presidents in the middle of a war.  Obama knows this and is expected to act accordingly. 

Some conservative writers and commentators expect that war in the Middle East is currently scheduled for October 2012. That would be the famed “October Surprise.”

On the other hand, those in my camp believe the Iranians, in all their hyped-up passion, will do something stupid like firing on a tanker or a US warship or aircraft, or even worse, make an attempt to close the Straits of Hormuz by sewing it with mines and other hazards to maritime traffic.  That would be the spark that would bring down the considerable wrath of that naval armada lying off their shores.

Then there are the Israelis.  They have had enough of Iran’s threats and Iran’s war on Israel by proxy.  Israel’s secret war of sabotage in Iran can only deliver limited success at delaying and derailing Iran’s race to build or acquire a nuclear bomb.  Israel could decide, at any moment, that enough is enough and launch their fighter-bombers and cruise missiles at Iran’s nuclear facilities.   Even if it only buys a few months or a couple of years of breathing space for Israel, it is becoming clear there is no other way to effectively deter Iran from building their coveted Islam Bomb.

The situation in the Middle East today is far, far, more dangerous than the US media is reporting.  A single spark will ignite a devastating war that will affect practically every nation on earth to some degree or other.

Those of us who continue to sound the warning bell of a huge war in the Middle East are being compared to the boy Peter in the story of “Peter and the Wolf.” An article at Haaretz.com noted that those who make such public comparisons seem always to leave out the end of Aesop’s famous tale of the boy who called wolf too much.  In the end, the wolf actually DID come -- and the sheep were slaughtered.  (SOURCE)

So, with that ending in mind, I have no concern about continually pointing to those dark, foreboding, clouds gathering in the east.  Since the mainstream media seems to be ignoring a certain war to protect Obama’s prospects in the coming election, someone must stand as a watchman on the ramparts and sound the alarm when clouds of dust from the approaching armies of the enemy is sighted and when the sound of distant war drums is heard.

Today those dust clouds are clearly seen over the horizon and the pounding of the drums can be heard in the distance -- and we are sounding the alarm.

J. D. Longstreet

Third US Carrier Arrives Off Iran. Iran Surrounded By US Troops

Third US Carrier Arrives Off Iran.

Iran Surrounded By US Troops
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

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The build up of US troops and naval asserts off the shores of Iran continues with the arrival of a third carrier off the coast of Iran. It is supported by amphibious assault ships and up to 4,000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel, bringing the total US strength in those waters to three carriers and 10,000 combat personnel. This report is from Debkafile HERE.

The report from Debkafile goes on to say: “The third US carrier group to reach waters around Iran consists of three vessels: 1. The USS Nassau Amphibious Assault ship is not just an enormous landing craft for the 3,000 Marines aboard; its decks carry 6 vertical take-off AV-HB Harrier attack planes; four AH-1W Super Cobra, twelve CH-46 Sea Knight and CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters, as well as choppers convertible to fast V-22 Osprey airplanes capable of landing in any conditions. This vast warship has 1,400 cabinets for sleeping the entire Marine-24th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard.”

2 - The amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde, which carries 800 Marines equipped for instantaneous landing.
3 - The amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland, which carries 400 Marines and 102 commandos, trained for special operations behind enemy lines.”

Debkafile continues: “These new arrivals are a massive injection of naval, air and marine muscle to the strength Washington has deployed in the Persian Gulf-Red Sea-Indian Ocean arena in recent months. The USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group consisting of twelve warships is cruising in the Arabian Sea opposite Chah Bahar, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards biggest naval base not far from the Iranian-Pakistan border. It is there that most of Iran's special commando units are housed.

Also posted in the Arabian Sea, further to the west, is the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Strike Group.”

This is an excellent report, from Debkafile, on the buildup of US Military assets around Iran. Makes one wonder why domestic news organizations seem to have difficulty in covering events such as this for its American readers, does it not?

This scribe has been, for a very long time now, relying upon foreign news organizations to keep abreast of news concerning America and American interests around the globe.

The information in the report above is important for Americans to know. However, the American mainstream media so filters what they print and broadcast that it is nigh impossible to get a “big picture” of world happenings and how they affect America. If the report happens to concern Israel, the American mainstream media seems to go out of its way to reflect the Obama Regime’s anti-Israel/pro-Islamic state’s bias.

Look, there is a third war brewing in the Middle East -- one the US may find itself drawn into -- whether the Obama Regime wants it -- or not.

We have been warning, for many months now, that Israel and Iran are preparing for a military engagement. It is as sure to come as tomorrow’s sunrise. When it happens, it COULD trigger another regional war, with Israel the target, or—it could not. Some things are just NOT predictable.

International reports tell us a number of the Arab states, while publicly decrying an Israeli strike on Iran, are quietly supporting Israel. But the Iranian-sponsored terrorists surrounding Israel will, most certainly, strike Israel upon learning of the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

But the strike IS coming – and soon. Israeli planning has been meticulous and is, far the most part (we gather from foreign news reports) complete.

There have been hints and signs for many months of the Israeli preparations. As late as June 18th “the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman and task group including the German frigate Hessen, in the company of an unidentified Israeli naval vessel, made a fast transit of the Suez Canal. The Egyptians not only closed the canal to all traffic, all fishing boats where docked, while the Egyptian military lined the banks of the canal. All facets of this passage rank as extraordinary. It is readily apparent that the US Department of State and the Pentagon collaborated closely with an Arab country to create a lane of fast transit not only for US Navy assets and an attached NATO ally, but for an Israeli ship.” This report can be found in the Asia Times HERE.

In the same article it is reported that another application of high technology was the launch on June 11, 2007, of Ofek-7, which is a reconnaissance satellite, giving Israeli intelligence specialists site and system mapping capability of unprecedented accuracy. Military experts believe Ofek-7 undoubtedly contributed to strike planning for the IAF's successful mission to bomb Syrian nuclear facilities.

At the same time there has been reports of American troop movements along the borders of Iran.
An Article at IsraeliNationalNews.com reports the following:
“ Iran is bordered on the east by Pakistan and Afghanistan, where U.S. troops have been waging a costly war, in terms of money and lives, against Taliban, Al-Qaeda and other terrorists. The Persian Gulf is on Iran’s southern border, and last week’s report, confirmed by the Pentagon, that 11 warships had sailed through the Suez Canal, raised alarm bells that the U.S. is ready to fight to keep the Persian Gulf open.” We urge you to read the entire article HERE.

Iran has threatened to close the waterway through which 40% of the world’s oil is transported by tanker ship. The US has vowed to keep the Gulf open; especially the Straits of Hormuz -- to keep the world’s oil supply flowing.

Kuwait is located on the southwestern border of Iran. There are a number of American bases located there.

To the west of Iran are Turkey and Iraq -- and BOTH have American bases and troops.

Turkmenistan, the Caspian Sea, and Azerbaijan are Iran’s neighbors to the north. There have been news reports from that area of unusually high American troop activity along the Turkmenistan/Iran border. (Just last year the US made a deal with Turkmenistan for military cooperation between the two countries.)

Shortly after a British newspaper reported that Saudi Arabia had given Israel “fly-over” authority for a raid on Iran, the Iranian news agency reported that Saudi Arabia had also given permission for Israel to store military supplies at a Saudi airbase in the northwestern sector of the country. The report claimed that Israeli helicopters had already delivered and stored those supplies. Saudi Arabia denies both reports.

There are also reports, on the Internet, that Israel has as many as three submarines in the Persian Gulf. Again, we urge you to read the article, which was originally written by Christian A. DeHaemer, editor of the “Energy and Capital” publication. You will fine it HERE.

It seems to us that one would do well to prepare for the war to widen in the Middle East for, in the not too distant future, we Americans will awaken one morning to news reports that an air raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities has already taken place. After that – all bets are off.

J. D. Longstreet