Syria

And a thirsty one it is indeed, as they all are. The United States has sold Israel two billion dollars worth of military fuel stocks. That’s about 444 million gallons of JP-8, unleaded and diesel fuel.

Israel’s air force would use prodigious quantities of fuel in an all-out air assault against her enemies that could last for days. The tanks and mobile artillery won’t be slow consuming huge amounts of fuel either. This, right in the face of Barack Obama’s biggest push to neuter Israel, by promising a ‘nuclear shield’ to protect her from her enemies… if she promises not to attack Iran. Note to our Israeli friends: Barack Hussein’s promises are as empty as his economic policies.

It’s remarkable that the administration that has done everything in its power to prevent the Israelis from defending themselves against the real and present danger that is fundamentalist Iran, is the same one that is supplying the one strategic assurance Israel needed to prosecute a sustained military effort.

Israel’s quick and final solution to the Galant issue pretty much put a stop to the speculation that it was a red herring to distract the Arabs from Israeli war preparations. The US, Germany, France and UK air forces have been training, simulating operations over Iran.

Syria’s armed forces are at their highest alert status. Hamas continues to agitate and Hizballah concentrates forces in Lebanon. Israel must move soon. We should move with her.

Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis

© Skip MacLure 2010

The chatter among the bad guys, Syria, Hizballah in Lebanon, Hamas and the Palestinians and the Islamic Jihad, is all about the high state of preparedness for war.

Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant and Ehud Barak

Israel moved quickly to solve command issues, with Ehud Barak’s nomination of OC Southern Command Major General Yoav Galant to serve as the country’s Chief of Staff in February, when Lt.General Gaby Ashkenazi steps down. A wise and timely move by the Israeli government.

Iran has its surrogates threatening war, as it continues its insane race for more and more weapons and its relentless pursuit of nuclear arms. Iran may be goading its puppets into attacking Israel to bleed the Israelis as much as they can, before Israel launches an assault aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

When you stop and consider that Hizballah has some forty thousand rockets and missiles hidden just over the border and the length of time they’ve had to fortify strong points inside Lebanon, it makes the prospect of combat there worth serious consideration.

I don’t know how brave the Syrians are. They talk up a great game but they don’t seem particularly eager to go mano a mano with the Israelis. As I recall, the last time the two armies met, the Syrians got fed their lunch. What is more worrisome are the missile batteries that she has concentrated in the border area.

Hamas and the West Bank… there won’t be much change here… Israel will still have to go in and dig them out, only this time the Palestinians will bring out all their toys. It’s a monumental undertaking that Israel has known was coming for years.

Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis

© Skip MacLure 2010

I love enigmatic titles. This is one that is sort of sober in the sense that I’m attempting to discern how soon the business in the Middle East is going to erupt into something really nasty. The build-up of opposing forces is reaching fever pitch with multiple missile systems, both offensive and defensive, on both sides.

Fajr-5, supplied to Hamas by Iran.

Israel has developed some truly remarkable defensive anti-missile systems. Their offensive punch is legendary and has just been made much more powerful with the arrival of the LJDAM deep penetrating bunker buster shipment, which had been held up at the island of Diego Garcia by order of Barack Obama when he was trying to strong-arm Israel. With some help from US anti-missile systems Israel has a reasonable capacity to repel a rocket or missile assault. Still, with the sheer numbers of rockets and missiles they face, some are bound to get through.

Iran would like nothing better than for Israel to be bled out in a prolonged land engagement with Hizballah, with their other surrogate Hamas, and their ultimate stooge, Assad of Syria. The foremost thought in my mind at this point is just how long Israel can or will wait to take action?

Iran has juiced up its nuclear program to fever pitch, while President Obama runs interference for them with his feckless and ineffectual policy of appeasing Islamists and interference with Israel’s security, through endless, pointless negotiations in which Israel has been urged to give, give and give more, for the ‘promise’ of a peace which will never come and the Islamo-fascists who will grant no peace, having sworn to Israel’s destruction and the slaughter of every man, woman and child. More pointedly, their goal is the death of every Jew on Earth. That’s only the appetizer y’all. Then they are going to exterminate or enslave the rest of us if we don’t defeat this cult of death.

If President Obama does not support Israel in this extremely dangerous region, the American people will. Sixty three percent of Americans support the nation of Israel. Aside from the tens of thousands of offensive rockets and missiles sitting just across the border in Lebanon, with the new longer range missiles supplied by Syria, the launchers don’t even have to be near the border. Syria has been training large units of regular Hizballah troops and around 5,000 ‘special operations’ commando types, thought to be the spearhead of a possible incursion into Israel itself.

Hizballah

Israel has had a long time to prepare for that which they knew to be inevitable. The odds against them seem to multiply, as more and more arms are smuggled across the Syrian border and more and more Hizballah ‘troops’ are trained by Syrians.

I keep seeing new factors come to light that I think may be the thing that pulls the pin on Israel’s grenade. So far I’ve been wrong. But neither do I see how she can let the situation deteriorate beyond the point at which they can militarily be confident of success.

Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis

© Skip MacLure 2010

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has a surrogate. That surrogate is being trained and equipped by Syria. They are not only being supplied, they are being trained as a standing army. Assad’s surrogate is Hizballah in Lebanon.

Syria is also training Hizballah fighters on the advanced M-600 missile systems which they have supplied. It’s been reported that Hizballah in Lebanon has some 40,000 rockets and missiles, among them are the aforementioned M-600 missiles, Scuds, Kornets, Silkworms, anti-aircraft batteries, Yakhont cruise missiles and the usual shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. Syria has been training their surrogates in special operations and there is a 5,000 man assault unit poised to enter Israel from Lebanon.

President Assad is not popular with his own military. A Syrian military large enough to directly confront Israel is also a military which could threaten Assad’s control. Technically, a state of war still exists between Syria and Israel. A storm is coming and many are surprised that it has not already burst upon us. Israel has been navigating a difficult path, knowing that sooner or later Hizballah’s missiles and troops will have to be faced. Israel will not forget or forgive President Assad’s support of Hizballah.

Iran made a great show of chasing a US surveillance aircraft away from its most recent eleven day naval exercise designed to intimidate the US Fleet away from the Straights of Hormuz and the major shipping channels. It is a direct challenge to a first world navy by a third world nation bent on destruction. Before Obama such a scenario would have been laughable. Now? Well, I have infinite confidence in the ability, courage and dedication of the United States military… I have absolutely no faith in Barack Hussein Obama.

The real problem begins and ends with him. His willingness to allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons is a crime against humanity. He hasn’t the courage to stand up to our stated enemies… enemies that want all of us dead… or in slavery to their pernicious religion of death. Israel will have to take the bone in its teeth and go for it sooner or later. We can only pray that we have the uncommon good sense to aid her against the most monstrous regime since Adolf Hitler.

Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis

© Skip MacLure 2010

I understand he can be seen flitting around the White House, dodg…, er, avoiding the press whenever possible. Even his extreme leftist lap dogs find it difficult to obtain access to His Benificence. Is it that his handlers have figured out that he doesn’t do well off the cuff? Is it because even the tame press is starting to ask a few real questions… few and far between, but commendable none-the-less as a departure from the usual slavish pandering to the administration, timid though these questions would be coming from the ultra left’s most staid guardians of political correctness.

Seems like the President has been acting a little gun shy since his tangle with Fox’s Bret Baier. Sooner or later, even some of the tame press are going to start asking the right questions. Obama knows that the lie lines on most of his policies are about to run their course and reality begins to stream in. This guy has told lie after lie with the slickness of a snake-oil pitch man. Same story, sooner or later somebody is going to call him on some of his stuff. We’ve already seen how this self-absorbed narcissist reacts to any sort of criticism. In his mind’s eye he can do no wrong, he’s on a mission and he’s a committed radical ideologue.

He plays the buffoon on the international stage to the amusement of his third-world dictator audience, while at home he strangles the life from the nation with his insane fiscal and economic Keynesian gymnastics. We face a world far more dangerous and volatile than at almost any time in our history. We have sworn enemies who are at war with us, while our President prances from one meaningless conference or forum to another with apologies to all and sundry, while playing havoc with our national security interests and appeasing people we shouldn’t be talking to.

Flashpoint? The Syrians are pushing the limits of Israel tolerance by moving batteries of Scud “A” or SS1B missiles up to the Lebanese border and massing them there. Though there has been no attempt to move the missiles into Lebanon, Syria has been training Hizballah militants in their use. Israel has warned Syria that it would consider any transfer of these missiles across the border to be an event that will engender an Israeli response. As Drudge would say… developing.

Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis

© Skip MacLure 2010

With all the Obama-Congressional dog and pony side shows to dazzle the rubes losing their luster, and the country coming to the stark realization that President Obama’s ‘transformational’ leadership is actually the gateway to durance vile for all Americans, have we taken our eyes and attention from what is actually happening in Iran?

With our attention riveted to the battle in Washington over the detested health care legislation, and Congress poised to attempt to thwart the will of the great majority of the American people apparently without regard to political consequences, are we missing the increasingly obvious signs of impending Middle East conflict?

IGLA-S

Syria has ratcheted up the war index by supplying the Lebanese Hizballah with the advanced shoulder-fired Russian-made IGLA-S surface to air missile, ignoring Israel’s pointed warning that such an action would guarantee Israeli retaliation on Syria. The IGLA-S is an all-weather day or night missile which could threaten low-flying F-16 warplanes, drones, helicopters, cruise missiles, transports or surveillance aircraft. These weapons in the hands of the Lebanese Hizballah could seriously hamper Israeli operations over Lebanon.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has already stated in a visit to Washington that if Israel is attacked from Lebanon by Hizballah, she will retaliate by attacking Hizballah’s terrorist sponsors in Iran and Syria. There are an estimated 45,000 rockets and missiles in Lebanon which could be loosed on Israeli towns and cities by Hizballah. Iran has successfully test-fired a multiple warhead missile. Though the range was not stated, it was thought that it was comparable to Iran’s existing ballistic missile which has a range of 2000 miles.

Iran's Simorgh Rocket

Iranian state television said that the missile had the capability of avoiding anti-missile radars. The launch of the FAJR-3 raises the odds even farther that Israel is going to have to act soon or face much heavier odds.

Iran is also building a massive new launch site with the aid of the North Koreans. The new launching facility is located in Semnan province, east of Teheran. Intelligence sources say that the site may be for launching the Simorgh, which is supposedly intended as a space launch vehicle but which could be converted to a military long range ballistic missile.

Semnan Province Launch Site

Iran is planning large-scale military exercises in late March aimed at ‘repelling’ Iran’s ‘enemies’. And the beat goes on…..

Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis

© Skip MacLure 2010

In a truly cowardly about face, Barack Hussein Obama reversed his promise to Israel to drive for speedy sanctions against Iran with or without the UN Security Council. On March 2, Hillary Clinton said that “Security Council” action would take several months, leaving Israel strung high and dry… again.

Hillary Clinton

Several disturbing factors are becoming apparent. Iran’s recent movement of some 4300 lbs. of low-enriched uranium to an above-ground facility may be, and probably is, a shell game. A 45 ton shipment of N. Korean yellowcake uranium destined for Syria’s nuclear plant, which was destroyed by the Israeli Air Force, has turned up in Iran. Obviously hidden from IAEA inspectors and unknown until revealed in a Japanese intelligence report, the only question remaining is how many other unknown caches there are.

The US military may have issues of its own. Syria, Lebanon and Qatar will be hosting Iranian troops in an apparent ratcheting up for possible hostilities with Israel. Qatar is home to the largest Air Force Base outside of the continental United States. If war comes to the region, which seems likely, having Iranian troops in-country and within striking distance of a strategic base of this importance would draw America into the shooting war whether we wanted to or not. Hopefully, Iran would think twice about attacking a US facility, but one of the hallmarks of the fanatical Iranian regime is its instability and unpredictability.

Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad summoned his Islamist and terrorist allies to Tehran to ‘finalize’ their military roles at the outbreak of hostilities. Ehud Barak, Israeli Defense Minister, in response to threats by the Iranian and Syrian presidents, said that he didn’t think that it would be possible to “slide toward 2011 without decisions”. He also stated that in the event of the outbreak of hostilities, Israel would go after the Lebanese government and infra-structure and “other sources of sponsorship”.

Obama’s cowardly reversal won’t cause this war. But his refusal to support our ally has certainly moved the Middle East war counter down. Meanwhile, Israel’s military high command has completed a five day command and communications exercise assuming an assault from four separate sources.

Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis

© Skip MacLure 2010

Before I get into the cauldron simmering in the Middle East, I want to revisit the ‘health care summit’ and an article written by Joe Klein of TIME/CNN. If there is a better example of why the ‘lamestream’ press are becoming extinct in this country I haven’t seen one.

Mr Klein was apparently elsewhere during the hearing and depended on ‘tea leaves’ for his reporting. Read: ‘I don’t know anything about this but I’ll pass judgment based on second hand garbage from other lefty sources’. Klein’s article was a misrepresentation from beginning to end. Joe, your boy Obama was on the defensive the whole time. The only way he had to protect himself from the very cogent points being presented by the Republicans was to repeatedly cut them off and go off on some obscure posturing or another. Despite being held to only one hundred and ten minutes the Republican lawmakers made the Democrats and President Obama look pretty damn silly.

Events in the Middle East are becoming more dangerous by the day following talks in Damascus, with Syria calling for military support from Iran in the event of war with Israel. Iran has been ginning up the image of war with Israel in talks with Syria, Lebanon and Hizballah.

Ahmadinejad and Assad

Iranian President Ahmadinejad, in a series of phone calls with Syrian President Assad, Lebanese President General Michel Suleiman and Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah, said that Israel is after finding a way to compensate for the ‘defeat’ they suffered at the hands of Hizballah in Lebanon.

Despite this nonsense Israel’s hand may be forced soon. The on-again off-again Russian missile deal is apparently back on again. Israel has been beefing its anti-missile and civil defense postures considerably. IDF training has been going on at a fevered pitch. The new long distance drones are operational and could conceivably take some of the pressure off of the IAF by performing deep penetration real time surveillance and targeted strikes, leaving the more difficult precision strikes to the IAF fighter and fighter-bomber strike forces.

The Heron TP Drone. The IAF are also currently engaged in exercises to 'rapid refuel' aircraft while on the runway.

There are reportedly some 45,000 rockets and missiles in Lebanon ready to rain down on Israeli towns and cities. Our own Coward-in-Chief has sent our national security adviser and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to ‘ensure’ that Israel doesn’t do anything rash… like defend themselves and their country. One would hope that the Israelis told them to put it where the sun doesn’t shine, but they’re more diplomatic than that. One thing is for sure, when they do decide to go they won’t be asking Obama for permission.

Too tempting to pass up? Iran, in a puzzling move, has taken virtually its entire stock of 4,300 lbs of low-enriched uranium to an above ground facility from storage in a hardened facility underground. It’s like they are begging Israel to do its worst… and they might just find out that Israel’s worst is likely to be Iran’s worst nightmare.

Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis

© Skip MacLure 2010

The ‘Grand Aya-told-ya-so’ has been muttering through his beard about how the WEST (read Israel and the US) is going to be ‘punched’ on Feb 11, 2010, the anniversary of the overthrow of the Shah of Iran and the advent of the most virulent Islamic fundamentalist regime in the world. The Ayatollahs, with the weak, inept Jimmy Carter at the helm of the United States, declared war and have been waging that war on us ever since, deftly utilizing their surrogates throughout the world, as they built their international terror networks with one end game in mind. The goal of that end game is nothing less than world-wide fundamentalist domination. The only substantial obstruction to the realization of that goal has been Israel and the United States of America.

Ahmadinejad addresses the crowd in Tehran.

The Ayatollahs are directly responsible for the deaths of many thousands of American and Israeli men, women and children over the last thirty years, as well as thousands in other countries around the globe. They have much to answer for. To us, to Israel, but most of all to their own people who have suffered immeasurably under the iron boot of brutal totalitarian oppression.

There have been stories of unrest coming out of Iran for years. The advent of computer technology, the internet and satellite communications have allowed clarification of the situation inside of Iran. With many thousands of Iranian refugees here in this country and around the free world a better picture of events in Iran is emerging. Recent stories and videos show a picture of practically universal resistance to the brutal Islamist regime. The stories we see and hear are only a small portion of the whole, as resistance has been brutally suppressed. The courage of the Iranian people striving for the freedoms we take so much for granted cannot be understated. They risk their lives on a daily basis to get news, pictures and videos out to the free world.

The Grand Ayatollah’s ‘punch’ against the west is to be a nationwide display of Islamic strength and unity, with hundreds of thousands of people imported into the capital to participate in a massive extravaganza. In an ironic note, huge and extensive public address sound systems have been installed throughout the city to drown out the voices of the protesters. When it was tested, instead of playing the anthem of the Islamic Republic, it played the anthem of the late Shah of Iran!

There are massive demonstrations emerging all over the nation that are sure to be brutally suppressed. If we had a President with even a tiny amount of  character and courage he would support this nascent revolution by a people who are, and would be, friendly to the United States and Israel. But our leader is NOT a man of conviction. He is not a man of character. Having come from a tradition of warriors, I have the distinct impression that he has no courage either.

In the meantime, the Israelis and the United States continue to build up forces in the gulf and off the shores of Iran. Israel has naval and special forces assets in the region. Israel faces a dicey proposition in facing off with Iran as it will almost certainly encounter the Syrians, the Lebanese Hezbollah, which all but runs the country, and the Palestinian Hamas. According to some reports Hezbollah has trained some 5000 men, who with Syrian help would sweep across the border to seize towns in Galilee. The Syrians have become increasingly belligerent in recent weeks. Additionally, Syria has reportedly supplied Hezbollah with the Fateh 110 mobile missile system which has a range of 250 miles and could hit targets anywhere in Israel. Israel has warned Syria that she considers it to be an act of war.

Between the massive unrest of its own people and what looks like eminent hostilities between Iran and Israel, the Ayatollahs may just get a whole lot more than they bargained for.

Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis

© Skip MacLure 2010

RAHM EMANUEL has been running off with his Chicago tough guy mouth again. This time making Israel and the Palestinians quiver with trepidation over his threats on behalf of his boss, Ineptitude the First. I’m sure that a properly chastened Israel will immediately drop all concerns over security and little items like  survival and accede to the Anointed One’s command, “Peace now at any cost”.

MEANWHILE, in the world the rest of us have to inhabit, Israel may well have placed the final game piece on the board. It’s called the Iron Dome Short Range antimissile defense system. It has passed its advanced testing and will be deployed to combat units soon. Capable of shooting down Qassam rockets, Grad rockets, Hezbollah Katayusha rockets, Iranian short range Fajr missiles and even high trajectory mortar shells. Not only that, but the system’s computers and telemetry can differentiate between a target that will hit an unoccupied area and not fire on it, in favor of taking out one that threatens to destroy property or strike an occupied area.

Critics say it has not yet been tested in a combat situation and will not fulfill the role of destroying incoming medium and long range missiles. The system is designed primarily for distances of between four and seventy miles. A single missile battery will protect a medium sized city. The longer ranged defense system called magic wand is slated to be on line in 2012.

As the COWARDLY OBAMA drops any pretense of sanctions against the fanatical Mad Mullahs of Iran, even as their people riot in the streets dying for the freedoms OBAMA WOULD STEAL FROM US, the Israelis are finally no longer dependent on Washington’s vagaries for protection from it’s enemies. With the missile defense system in place the final game piece is also. Having penetrated both Syrian and Iranian airspace and tested the effectiveness of both countries’ air defense systems, time has just about run out for both. Israel has stated as a matter of national policy they WILL NOT permit Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. It’s about time somebody started to pay attention….

Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis

© Skip MacLure 2010