Saudi Arabia Gets Pakistani Military Support vs CIA Color Revolution, India Confirms Chinese Military Engineers in Kashmir, India’s Secret Services Join Hands With CIA to Destabilise Pakistan, Saudi Diplomat Shot Dead Two Days after Grenade Attack on Consulate in Karachi, “Pakistani Militants” Hit Anti-Submarine Warfare Base in Karachi, China “Asks” U.S. to Respect Pakistan’s Sovereignty, Islamabad Offers China a Naval Base on Indian Ocean, Russia Expels Israeli Military Attache for “Industrial Espionage”, Expelled Israeli Spy was after Russian-Arab Arms Deals, Moscow Says Washington May Extend Missile Shield to Bulgaria Turkey, Threatens Nuclear Build-up, Syrian Policemen Clash With Hundreds of Gunmen on the Turkish Border, 120 Members of the Security Forces Killed in Ambush, Armed Groups Flee to Turkey, Erdogan: Turkey Will Not Close its Borders to Syrian “Refugees”, Saudi Air Force to Take Part in Turkey’s Anatolian Eagle Exercise, CIA Now Thinks Greece Military Coup Possible, Britain Will Not Abandon Military Bases in Cyprus, Israeli Stealth Ships in Reconnaissance Missions against Iran’s Secret Nuclear Sites, Iraq’s Sadr Rallies Supporters against U.S. Troop Extension, Five U.S. Soldiers Killed in Attack on Base in Iraq, German Soldiers Killed, NATO General Wounded in Afghanistan Attack, Iranian Submarines Sent to the Red Sea
Tarpley.net | April 20,2011
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India confirms Chinese military in PoK
Indian intelligence agencies now have credible evidence of their own that several hundred of the Chinese working in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are People’s Liberation Army engineers. They are in the process of verifying if these Chinese military engineers are engaged in some sort of military construction like bunkers.
Continue Reading >> The Times of India | May 12, 2011
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RAW, RAMA join hands with CIA to destabilise Pakistan
The ongoing tussle between the ISI and the CIA has intensified while the Indian, Israeli and Afghani secret agencies have stepped in to support the American secret service, raising concerns about possibility of more attacks on Pakistan’s military and other strategic installations.
Continue Reading >> The Nation | May 25, 2011
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Saudi diplomat shot dead in Pakistan
Shooting comes two days after grenade attack on consulate in Karachi as tensions rise between Sunni and Shia populations.
Motorcycle-riding assassins have gunned down a Saudi diplomat in the Pakistani city of Karachi, four days after a grenade attack on the Saudi consulate there.
Continue Reading >> The Guardian | May 16, 2011
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Pakistani militants hit Karachi naval base in Bin Laden revenge attack
Pakistani commandos continued to battle with heavily armed militants at a naval airbase in Karachi on Monday after 10 hours of fighting triggered by a Taliban assault to avenge the death of Osama bin Laden.
Blasts were heard after dawn local time as the military stepped up its counterattack on insurgents inside the PNS Mehran base, just off one of the city’s busiest roads.
Continue Reading >> The Guardian | May 23, 2011
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China asks US to respect Pak’s sovereignty, independence
China on Thursday said the international community “must respect” Pakistan’s sovereignty, tacitly confirming reports that it has asked the US not to violate Islamabad’s territorial integrity, following the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Continue Reading >> The Economic Times | May 20, 2011
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Pakistan Offers China a Naval Base on Indian Ocean
China’s “good neighbor” Pakistan recently confirmed to the Financial Times (FT) that it has requested China to build a naval base at its China-financed southwestern port of Gwadar and hopes to see the Chinese navy maintaining a regular presence there.
Continue Reading >> Military.com | May 24, 2011
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Russia expels Israeli military attache for ‘industrial espionage’
The Kremlin has expelled a top Israeli diplomat, accusing him of illegally obtaining Russian military secrets in order to help Israeli companies win lucrative defence contracts.
Continue Reading >> The Daily Telegraph | May 19, 2011
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Expelled Israeli spy was after Russian-Arab arms deals, says FSB
The military attaché at the Israeli embassy in Moscow, who was unceremoniously expelled by the Russian government last week, was allegedly gathering intelligence on Russian arms exports to the Arab world.
Continue Reading >> Intelligence News | May 24, 2011
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Russia Says U.S. May Extend Missile Shield to Bulgaria, Turkey
[...] “Russia is deeply concerned that after Poland and Romania, elements of U.S. missile defense will emerge in the Czech Republic, Turkey, Bulgaria and some other NATO members,” the deputy chief of Russia’s general staff, Valery Gerasimov, told foreign diplomats today in Moscow. “In the future, it may create risks for Russian strategic nuclear forces.”
Continue Reading >> Bloomberg | May 20, 2011
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Russia threatens nuclear build-up over U.S. missile shield
Russia will need to speed up the development of its nuclear strike capabilities if the United States does not convince Moscow its missile defense system isn’t aimed at Russia, President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday.
Continue Reading >> CNN | May 18, 2011
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Syrian forces clash with hundreds of gunmen – TV
Syrian security forces clashed with hundreds of gunmen in the northwestern town of Jisr al-Shughour on Monday, state television said.
“They have managed to end a blockade over one of the neighbourhoods that was seized by the gunmen for a while and are now battling them to end the blockade on the other neighbourhoods,”
Continue Reading >> Reuters | May 18, 2011
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Syria armed groups flee to Turkey
The terrorist groups behind days of deadly clashes in a northwestern Syrian town have escaped to Turkey, reports say.
Hundreds of Syrian civilians have also crossed the northern border into Turkey to escape violence in the town of Jisr al-Shughour after Ankara announced that its doors are open to those seeking refuge.
So far, hundreds of Syrians have crossed the border and Turkish ambulances have moved into Syria, transferring those injured in the unrest to the other side of the border.
At least 120 Syrian soldiers were killed after armed groups attacked police and security stations in the town on Monday. Some 200 others were also injured in the clashes.
Dozens of civilians were also killed and injured during the exchange of fire. Syrian officials said the armed groups were hiding in houses and firing at soldiers and civilians alike, using residents as human shields.
According to the state TV, armed groups also took over parts of Jisr al-Shughour and torched several government buildings.
Continue Reading >> Press TV | June 8, 2011
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Royal Saudi Air Force to take part in Anatolian Eagle exercise
The Royal Saudi Air Force will participate in this year’s Anatolian Eagle military training exercise, which will begin next month in the central Anatolian province of Konya, a newspaper in Saudi Arabia has reported.
This year the participation of the Royal Saudi Air Force, which joined last year’s Anatolian Eagle exercise as an observer, will be a first. Jordan, Pakistan, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Turkey are other participants in the exercise which will run June 13-24.
[...] In the fall of 2009, the Turkish military changed the Anatolian Eagle exercise, which is a joint international military exercise and which was to have included Israel, into a national military exercise, in a move widely seen as a way to exclude Israel.
A delay in the delivery of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Turkey from Israel was linked to the tension sparked by this cancellation, which is contrary to popular speculation that the delay was due to Turkey’s disapproval of Israel’s devastating offensive against the Gaza Strip in the winter of 2008/2009.
Continue Reading >> Today’s Zaman | May 24, 2011
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CIA Now Thinks Greece Military Coup Possible
Despite last year’s 110 billion euro Greece bailout — from the European Union, the International Monetary Fund, and the European Central Bank — there remains serious concern that the periphery EU nation will be unable to continue its debt repayments. Due to the increasing severity of the problem, and the ongoing resistance to additional support, the Central Intelligence Agency has now issued a report warning on how worsening Greek unrest could bring rise to even a military coup.
Continue Reading >> Business Insider | June 1, 2011
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Britain says will not abandon bases in Cyprus
Britain said on Wednesday that the review of its military bases in Cyprus does not involve entirely abandoning them.
In remarks to mostly correspondents of Cypriot media, made public in Nicosia, a spokeswoman for the British Defence Ministry said the bases in Cyprus are very important for Britain from a strategic point of view. “Issues which will be reviewed are what we have now there, how do we use it, can we use it in a better way and with less spending, are changes needed and if yes which these changes should be,” the spokeswoman was quoted as saying.
Continue Reading >> Xinhuanet | May 26, 2011
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Israeli Stealth Ships in Raids on Iran
Cargo vessels owned by Israel’s richest man, who died on Friday, had been used to ferry elite Israeli forces for operations inside Iran, according to defence sources.
The death in Tel Aviv of Sammy Ofer, 89, came just days after the United States accused his company of breaching sanctions by selling an oil tanker to Iran. It has mystified Israelis why a company with close links to the government was allegedly breaching sanctions.
Military experts suggested the cargo ships had carried Black Hawk helicopters, hidden in modified containers, for use by commando teams in reconnaissance missions against Iran’s secret nuclear sites. Israel is conducting a massive intelligence operation to monitor Iran’s nuclear weapons programme.
Continue Reading >> The Progressive Mind | June 5, 2011
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Iraq’s Sadr rallies supporters against U.S. troop extension
Anti-U.S. Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr brought thousands of Shi’ite supporters onto the streets of Baghdad on Thursday in a show of force against any extension of the U.S. military presence in Iraq past a year-end deadline.
Sadr’s threats to revive his Shi’ite militia and protests by his Sadrist bloc are testing Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s fragile coalition government over the divisive issue of whether American troops should remain on Iraqi soil.
Continue Reading >> Reuters | May 26, 2011
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Five U.S. soldiers killed in attack on base in Iraq
The American military suffered the deadliest attack against its forces in Iraq in more than two years Monday when rockets slammed into a joint U.S.-Iraqi base in Baghdad, killing five U.S. troops and reviving concerns about security and the stability of the country’s unwieldy coalition government.
Continue Reading >> The Washington Post | June 6, 2011
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German soldiers killed, NATO general wounded in Afghanistan attack
Two German soldiers and the police chief of northern Afghanistan were killed in a suicide attack in Takhar province. General Markus Kneip, the German commander of NATO forces in the region, survived the attack.
Continue Reading >> DW-World | May 29, 2011
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Iranian subs to the Red Sea – riposte for nuclear watchdog’s indictment
The deployment of Iranian “military submarines” in the Red Sea, announced Tuesday June 7, was Tehran’s response to the latest International Atomic Energy Agency’s report accusing Iran of nuclear work with “possible military purposes.”
Continue Reading >> DEBKAfile | June 7, 2011
Indian Army Commander: China’s Presence in Pakistan-administered Kashmir “Increasing Steadily”, China’s First Aircraft Carrier May Be Nearly Ready, Photos Released Days Before Robert Gates Visit to Beijing, Taiwan Inaugurates Missile Ships amid Buildup Vow to Offset the Perceived Military Threat from China, Former Minister of Railways Executed for Act of Sabotage and Espionage Charges in North Korea, Pyongyang Strengthens Submarine Drills Near Border, Threatens Action for US-South Korea Military Exercises, Sri Lankan Army Commander in Indonesia Defence Relations to Be Enhanced, Iran’s Oil Exports to China Increased 62%, Tehran Moscow Underline Increasing Cooperation in Oil Gas Fields, Russia Begins Refuelling Iran Nuclear Plant, China and Russia Fingered in German Industrial Espionage, Washington Gears for High-Stakes Sea-Based Missile Defense Test, With Eye on South China Sea U.S. Might Place Troops in Australia, Russia to Continue Military Conscription for Next 10-15 Years
China’s Presence in PoK “Increasing Steadily”: Army Commander
China’s presence in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is “increasing steadily” and its troops are “actually present” along the Line-of-Control, a top Army commander said, adding the Chinese footprints are “too close for comfort” for India.
“Chinese presence in Gilgit-Baltistan and the Northern Areas is increasing steadily… There are many people who are concerned about the fact that if there was to be hostility between us and Pakistan, what would be the complicity of Chinese. Not only they are in the neighbourhood but the fact that they are actually present and stationed along the LoC,” Northern Army commander Lt Gen KT Parnaik said here last week while addressing a seminar.
He said China’s links with Pakistan through PoK “lends strength” to the “nexus” between the two countries which is a cause of “great security concern” for India.
“As part of (China’s) ‘strings of pearls’ policy, Chinese footprints are too close for comfort,” Parnaik added.
The Army commander said such a nexus between the Chinese and Pakistani military “jeopardises our regional strategic interests in the long run and and facilitates speedy and enhanced deployment of Pakistan armed forces to complement China’s military operations and thus outranks India.”
He said China has been found to be involved in the construction of numerous roads and and several hydro-power projects inside PoK.
Beijing is laying a web of roads that run across areas as distant from each other as Skardu in PoK and Kunming in China near Myanmar border.
China has already constructed roads connecting all its highways to logistic centres and major defence installations that dot the border with India and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in south-eastern Jammu and Kashmir.
The Times of India | April 5, 2011
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Chinese Warship May Be Nearly Ready
The Chinese state news agency has posted photographs of an aircraft carrier under reconstruction that appears to show the warship near completion. Captions with the photos said that the work would end soon and that the carrier was expected to sail later this year.
[...] Xinhua’s headline with the photos said: “Huge warship on the verge of setting out, fulfilling China’s 70-year aircraft carrier dreams.” One caption said: “A few days ago, domestic online military forums consecutively published photographs of the Varyag aircraft carrier being reconstructed at China’s Dalian shipyard. From the pictures, we can see that this project is entering its final stage.” The caption noted that construction on the ship’s bridge was almost done, with the exception of a radar system.
[...] The appearance of the photos came just days before Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visited China. Military officials tested the fighter while Mr. Gates was in Beijing, which led to a puzzling and awkward diplomatic moment between Mr. Gates and President Hu Jintao.
Continue Reading >> The New York Times | April 7, 2011
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Taiwan Inaugurates Missile Ships amid Buildup Vow
Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou inaugurated a squadron of missile boats Thursday as he pledged to continue the island’s military buildup to offset the perceived military threat from China.
The fleet of 10 locally manufactured missile boats joined the navy following a ceremony presided over by Ma at the northeastern naval base in Suao.
Ma, the initiator of detente with the island’s giant neighbour, said tensions with the mainland have eased significantly since he came to power in 2008 but insisted Taiwan needed a deterrent against Beijing which claims the island as part of its territory.
Continue Reading >> AFP | April 7, 2011
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Two Former Ministers Executed in North Korea – Seoul Newspaper
[...] The newspaper reported that the North Korean former minister of railways, who occupied the post in 1998-2000, was executed over the blast case at a railway station in April 2004. This explosion was qualified as an act of sabotage targeted against a special train of a North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, who was on the way back from China.
The minister was accused of classified information leakage. The routes and the schedule of Kim’s trips were accessible only for his bodyguards and secretaries, as well as the railway minister.
Continue Reading >> ITAR-TASS | April 4, 2011
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N. Korea Strengthens Submarine Drills Near Border
North Korea has intensified submarine drills near the tense Yellow Sea border with South Korea, putting Seoul defence officials on alert, a report said Thursday.
JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, citing a Seoul military source, said the North had been staging exercises involving five or six submarines at the Bipagot submarine base on its west coast since last month.
They feature the signature 325-tonne submarines as well as the new and bigger Shark-class submarines called K-300, it said.
“It’s highly unusual for them to beef up submarine drills in March so we’re intensely monitoring the situation,” said the source.
Continue Reading >> AFP | April 7, 2011
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N. Korea Threatens Action for US-SKorea Drills
North Korea warned Friday that its military would not remain a “passive onlooker” if South Korea and the United States continued joint military drills, state media reported.
The threat came from Ri Yong-Ho, a vice marshal of the North’s armed forces, at a meeting attended by top government, military and party officials in Pyongyang.
Continue Reading >> AFP | April 8, 2011
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SL, Indonesia Defence Relations to Be Enhanced
Sri Lankan Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya’s official visit to Indonesia has resulted in further strengthening the longstanding and excellent defence relations between the two nations and their armed forces.
Army sources say that it also provided opportunity to explore further defence cooperation between the two countries.
Continue Reading >> Daily News | April 6, 2011
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Iran’s Oil Exports to China Increased in 2011
The Islamic Republic of Iran’s crude oil exports to China increased 62 percent in the first two months of 2011, Xinhua reported.
In January-February 2011, Iran’s crude exports to China increased 62 percent compared to the same period last year.
During the mentioned time, China has totally imported 45.73 million tons half of which has been supplied by the countries in the Middle East.
Iran’s crude oil exports to China reached 4.11 million tons during the two months. Iran has been second biggest crude supplier to China.
Saudi Arabia exported 8.19 million tons of oil to China and it was ranked first supplying 20 percent of the Asian country’s oil demand during the same period.
Mojnews | April 6, 2011
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Tehran, Moscow Underline Increasing Cooperation in Oil, Gas Fields
Iranian Deputy Vice-President for Economic Affairs Ali Aqa Mohammadi and Chief Executive of Russia’s Gazprom Company Alexei Miller in a meeting in Moscow underscored the necessity for the further promotion of mutual cooperation between the two countries in the oil and gas sectors.
Continue Reading >> Fars New Agency | April 7, 2011
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Russia Begins Refuelling Iran Nuclear Plant
Russia on Friday resumed loading fuel into Iran’s first nuclear power plant after it had to be removed because of an apparent technical fault, news reports said.
Continue Reading >> AFP | April 8, 2011
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China and Russia Fingered in German Industrial Espionage Alert
Industrial espionage by China and Russia is becoming easier thanks to computer hacking, officials warned German business leaders on Thursday, adding that police need data logs to track computer break-ins.
A conference heard that the annual cost to German companies of data theft was at least 20 billion euros (nearly 30 billion dollars).
[...] “Russia and China are the main sources of so-called industrial espionage in Germany,” Schroeder said.
Continue Reading >> Monsters and Critics | April 7, 2011
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U.S. Gears for High-Stakes Missile Defense Test
The United States is preparing for its first test of a sea-based defense against longer-range missiles of a type that officials say could soon threaten Europe from Iran.
Continue Reading >> Reuters | April 7, 2011
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With Eye on South China Sea, U.S. Might Place Troops in Australia
American troops might soon find themselves serving in Australia as the United States looks for better access to the South China Sea, the source of much friction between China and many other Pacific nations.
During testimony on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Adm. Robert Willard, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, said Australians would like to see an increase of U.S. military activities Down Under.
[...] U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said he has a group studying the idea of U.S. troops rotating through existing Australian bases, but he doesn’t want to create any new permanent bases in the Pacific. And he remained diplomatic when asked whether such a plan would be about keeping China in check.
[...] The United States and Australia have been on the same side of every major war since World War I. Australia has the largest group of troops from a non-NATO country fighting in Afghanistan.
Continue Reading >> CNN | April 8, 2011
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Russia to Continue Military Conscription for Next 10-15 Years – Medvedev
The Russian Armed Forces will continue using a mixture of conscripts and contracted recruits for the next 10-15 years, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday.
Russia is in the process of reforming its armed forces by shifting the focus away from a largely inefficient body of conscripted soldiers toward a smaller professional army.
Continue Reading >> RIA Novosti | April 4, 2011
Uruguay Joins South American Nations in Recognizing Palestinian Statehood, French Foreign Minister : European Union Should Consider Recognizing Palestinian State, Mossad Ex-Chief : Israelis and Palestinians Won’t Agree Anytime Soon on Clear Borders for a New State, Israel Seizes Boat “Carrying Weapons from Turkey to Gaza”, “Arms Came from Iran Via Turkey, Syria, and Egypt”, Iran on Arms Seizure : “Zionist Regime is Full of Lies”, “Turkey Stops Iranian Cargo Plane en Route to Syria”, Turkish Government Denies, Egypt Uncovers Israeli Spy Network Reporting on “Developments in the Country” and Collecting Detailed Information About the Size of Armed Forces Stationed on the Streets Government Officials and Natural Gas Lines in Sinai Peninsula, Egyptian Military Delegation in Damascus to Restore Relations, Saudi Troops Deployed in Bahrain, Iran Warns Against Foreign Military Intervention Recalls Ambassador from Bahrain Cancels Jordanian Monarch’s Trip, Saudi Envoy Delivering Message from King Abdullah to Syria’s President Situation in Bahrain Discussed, Syrian Foreign Minister on a One Day Visit to Tehran “to Confer on the Latest Developments in the Region”, China Paying $6 Billion to Develop Iran Oil Fields, Warship Deal With Russia Losing Support in France “Because of Concerns Among Russia’s Neighbors”, Turkish Prime Minister in Moscow, Russia to Build Turkey’s First Nuclear Power Station, Final Step in Visa-Free Regime
Uruguay Joins South American Nations in Recognizing Palestinian Statehood
Uruguay has joined a string of South American nations in recognizing an independent Palestinian state.
A Foreign Ministry statement says Uruguay has communicated its decision to the Palestinian Authority.
However the statement does not explicitly say whether the country recognizes
Palestine’s borders predating the Six-Day War of 1967, when Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza.
Foreign Ministry officials declined Tuesday to clarify the matter.
More than a half-dozen countries in South America have recognized Palestine recently, though in different ways.
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Paraguay recognized the pre-1967 borders.
Chile and Peru said the issue must be worked out between Israelis and Palestinians.
Haaretz | March 16, 2011
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French FM : EU Should Consider Recognizing Palestinian State
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Tuesday that the European Union should consider the option of recognizing a Palestinian state if no peace agreement with Israel is reached.
“Recognizing the Palestinian state alone is useless,” he said, explaining that the measure should be taken in collaboration with other countries within the EU. Juppe made the statement during a hearing at the Committee on Foreign Affairs of National Assembly in the lower house of the French Parliament. “We’re not there yet, but personally I think it is an option that one must have in mind,” he added.
YnetNews | March 15, 2011
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Mossad Ex-Chief Halevy Says Mideast Talks Won’t Settle Borders
Israelis and Palestinians probably won’t agree anytime soon on clear borders for a new state, leaving them to maintain current political arrangements for another generation, former Mossad Director Efraim Halevy said.
Even if Palestinians declare a state later this year and garner significant support at the United Nations, the move will have little practical significance and will probably perpetuate Israeli’s occupation of the West Bank.
Continue Reading >> Bloomberg | March 10, 2011
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IDF Seizes Boat Carrying Weapons from Turkey to Gaza
The Israeli navy seized a ship on Tuesday that was apparently smuggling weapons destined for Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Unit said that the ship “Victoria” originated from the Lattakia port in Syria and sailed to Mersin, Turkey. It was seized while on its way from Turkey destined for the El-Arish port in Egypt.
Continue Reading >> Haaretz | March 15, 2011
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Netanyahu : Arms on Seized Ship Came from Iran Via Syria
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that weapons seized by the Israel Navy from a ship bound for Egypt earlier in the day had come from Iran, via Syria, and were intended for militants in Gaza.
“We are currently collecting information and the one thing that is certain is that the weapons are from Iran with a relay station in Syria”.
Continue Reading >> Haaretz | March 15, 2011
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Iran on Arms Seizure : “Zionist Regime is Full of Lies”
Iranian Army Commander-General denies sending weapons to Gaza on “Victoria” ship; Hamas also claims weapons weren’t for them.
Continue Reading >> The Jerusalem Post | March 16, 2011
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“Turkey Stops Iranian Cargo Plane en Route to Syria”
Turkish government denies earlier reports that plane was stopped because it carried weapons meant for Syria, says it is “standard procedure” for planes to be checked.
The Turkish government on Wednesday denied reports that Turkish military jets forced an Iranian cargo plane to land at Biyarbakir airport Tuesday night in order to check it for Iranian arms meant for Syria, reported AP.
The government confirmed that the Iranian plane landed in Turkey, but that it is standard procedure for cargo planes to request permission to fly over Turkey and that sometimes they are required to make unscheduled landings to be searched.
Continue Reading >> The Jerusalem Post | March 16, 2011
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Egypt Uncovers Israeli Spy Network
Egyptian authorities have uncovered a spy network that has been working for Israel, said an official report on Wednesday. The discovery is the first of its kind since the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak last month.
Official reports circulated by state newspapers said state security prosecutors were interrogating one of the suspects involved in the cell, and he will remain in custody pending investigations. Initial reports said the suspect is Egyptian and that the network includes another foreigner and two Israelis who fled the country before the uncovering of the network.
State-owned al-Ahram newspaper reported on Wednesday that the foreigner admitted he came to Egypt after the 25 January revolution to report on developments in the country. It is believed he is a Syrian national who entered Egypt under the guise of being a businessman.
The suspect said he was working for Mossad, Israeli intelligence, according to al-Ahram.
Bikya Masr | March 17, 2011
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Israeli spy Ring Aimed at Conducting Espionage against Egyptian Army
Mossad agents were arrested in Egypt 5 days ago, and the mission was sent to collect detailed information about the size of the Egyptian armed forces stationed on the streets; its places, prominent Egyptian government officials and natural gas lines in Sinai”, Israeli online edition said.
“The cell received its first assignment after the January 25 revolution on the purpose of gathering key strategic and political information about the situation in Egypt,” The Hebrew-language news site Inyan Merkazi said.
The Higher State Security Prosecution ordered the imprisonment of the first suspect in custody for 15 days while investigations take place. The suspect is a 34-year-old Jordanian who arrived in Cairo during the demonstrations and allegedly sent information concerning recordings of phone calls made by Egyptian officials and important locations in Cairo to Israel. He was charged with spying for Israel and harming Egypt’s national interests by the Public Prosecutor.
IkhwanWeb | March 18, 2011
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Egypt’s New Rulers Friendly with Assad
Egypt’s temporary military rulers sent a delegation to Syria on Thursday to meet with President Bashar al-Assad. Egyptian General Murad Mohammed Muafi and Assad agreed to boost cooperation between the two countries, according to Syria’s SANA news agency.
The meeting follows long-term tension between Egypt and Syria. Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak refrained from developing warm ties with Assad due to disagreement over Syria’s role in Lebanon.
Continue Reading >> Israel National News | March 18, 2011
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Saudi Troops Have Entered Bahrain : Saudi Official
More than 1,000 Saudi troops, part of the Gulf countries’ Peninsula Shield Force, have entered Bahrain where anti-regime protests have raged for a month, a Saudi official said Monday.
The troops entered the strategic Gulf kingdom on Sunday, the official told AFP, requesting anonymity.
The intervention came “after repeated calls by the (Bahraini) government for dialogue, which went unanswered” by the opposition, the official said.
According to the regulations of the Gulf Cooperation Council, “any Gulf force entering a member state becomes under the command of the government,” the official added.
The Bahraini government has not confirmed the presence of Saudi troops in the archipelago, which is home to the US Fifth Fleet.
Continue Reading >> AFP | March 14, 2011
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Iran Warns Against Military Intervention in Bahrain, Recalls Ambassador
Iran warned against the consequences of military interventions of foreigners in Bahrain and recalled its ambassador from Manama due to the relevant disputes, local media reported on Thursday.
In telephone conversations with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sabah on Wednesday over the recent developments in Bahrain, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi talked about the military meddling in Bahrain.
Iranian foreign minister called for the continued consultations between regional countries to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the Gulf kingdom.
Iranian Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani also warned against foreign military intervention in Bahrain, saying the ” tragic occurrence, would exacerbate the situation in the country.”
“The entering of foreign forces into Bahrain will complicate the situation in the region and make it difficult to find a solution to the ongoing crisis in the country,” Larijani was quoted as saying by satellite Press TV.
Larijani described the move as “detrimental” to the region and added “Foreign troops are committing a bigger crime as they are involved in the crackdown against Bahraini people.”
Continue Reading >> Xinhua News Agency | March 17, 2011
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Jordanian Monarch’s Trip to Iran Cancelled
Iranian MP, Hamid Resai has announced that the King of Jordan’s visit to Iran has been cancelled. “In view of the current critical situation,” he said, “the Jordanian Abdullah’s trip to Tehran did not meet the approval of senior Islamic Republic officials.”
Continue Reading >> Payvand Iran News | March 15, 2011
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Message from Saudi King to President al-Assad on Bilateral Relations, Developments in Arab Arena
President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday received a message from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia highlighting the special relations between their brotherly countries.
The message was delivered during President al-Assad’s meeting with Advisor to the Saudi King, Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah.
The latest developments in the Arab arena, including the situation in the brotherly Kingdom of Bahrain, were discussed in the message.
Continue Reading >> SANA | March 17, 2011
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Syrian FM Due in Tehran Today
Syrian Foreign Minister Valid Muallem is due to visit Tehran on Thursday to confer with the Iranian officials on the bilateral relations between the two countries and the latest developments in the region.
Muallem is also scheduled to meet a number of high ranking Iranian officials in addition to his counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi during his one day visit.
Muallem and Salehi’s latest meeting was on January 29 in Damascus.
Iran and Syria have forged an alliance ever since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the two countries’ officials exchange visits on a regular basis.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was last in Tehran at the head of a high-ranking politico-economic delegation in October 2010.
The two countries enjoy strategic relations in a wide variety of fields.
Fars News Agency | March 17, 2011
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China Paying $6 Billion to Develop Iran Oil Fields
An Iranian official said Beijing has contracted Iran’s Azadegan oil fields for projects estimated at more than $6 billion. The contractor was identified as the state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. assigned to cooperate with the National Iranian Oil Co, Middle East Newsline reported.
Continue Reading >> World Tribune | March 14, 2011
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Warship Deal With Russia Losing Support in France – Paper
The agreement to sell advanced warships to Russia is losing support in France because of Moscow’s wish to get hold of sensitive military technology and concerns among Russia’s neighbors, Le Figaro daily said on Wednesday.
[...] A number of Russia’s neighbors have expressed concern over the upcoming deal, in particular Georgia, Lithuania, and Japan, especially after a Russian Defense Ministry source said in early February the ships would be inducted with the Pacific Fleet to protect the South Kuril Islands claimed by Japan.
Continue Reading >> RIA Novosti | March 16, 2011
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Russia, Turkey to Take final Step in Visa-Free Regime
The final official step in the process of introducing a visa-free regime between Black Sea neighbors Russia and Turkey will be taken during Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s three-day visit to Russia.
Continue Reading >> Today’s Zaman | March 15, 2011
Russia Set to Buy 500 Combat Vehicles from France Meant for the Federal Border Guards, Poland Intelligence Officials : 300 Foreign Diplomats in Country are Spies, U.S. Intelligence Chief Describes China and Russia as “Mortal Threats”, U.S. Vice President in Moscow, Meets Putin and Russian Opposition, Calls for “Political Modernization”, Urges Russia to Improve its “Business Climate”, Russia Warns U.S. Against Afghan Bases, Iran Opposes Long-Term U.S. Military Presence in Afghanistan, Afghan President : U.S. Apology for Afghan Deaths “Not Enough” Civilian Casualties By Foreign Troops “No Longer Acceptable” Decision on Permanent U.S. Bases Must Be in Afghan Hands Account for Neighbor Concerns, Afghan President’s Cousin “Mistakenly Killed” in an Overnight Raid By Nato Troops, U.S. Defense Secretary Warns Allies About “Precipitous” Exit from Afghanistan
Russia Set to Buy 500 Combat Vehicles from France
Russia is in talks with French military manufacturer Panhard on the purchase of 500 light armored vehicles for its border guards, a Russian military think-tank said on Friday.
“Negotiations are being held on [the purchase of] 3.1-ton light armored vehicles Vehicule Blinde Leger on a 4×4 wheel platform,” the Center for the Analysis of the World Arms Trade said on its website, citing Panhard Chairman Christian Mons.
The contract could amount to $260 million, the statement said.
The vehicles are meant for the Federal Security Service border guards.
Russia is also continuing talks with France on a $2 billion contract to buy Mistral class helicopter carriers for the Russian Navy.
RIA Novosti | March 11, 2011
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Poland Intelligence Officials Says 300 Foreign Diplomats in Country are Agents
Poland’s leading intelligence agency believes there are about 300 foreign spies working in the country.
The Internal Security Agency gave the figure Thursday amid efforts to enact a law that would make any espionage illegal in Poland.
In a separate report the agency said Poland expelled a Pakistani from the country in April 2010 for trying to conduct logistical work for a terrorist group.
The news agency PAP quoted the head of the security agency, Krzysztof Bondaryk, as saying that the man was suspected of ties to the Pakistan-based Islamist rebel group, Lashkar-e-Toiba, which is believed to be behind the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India.
The Canadian Press | March 10, 2011
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U.S. Intelligence Chief Alarms Senators By Calling China, Russia “Threats”
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper caused a stir Thursday during an appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee when he described China and Russia as “mortal threats” to the U.S.
His remarks, coming in response to a question from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), caused concern among senators of both parties.
Continue Reading >> NPR | March 10, 2011
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U.S. Vice President Meets Putin, Russian Opposition
In a speech wrapping up his two-day visit to Moscow, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has reiterated Washington’s support for Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WT) because it will lead to greater trade between the two countries.
But Biden also urged Russia to improve its business climate, saying fears of abuse of property rights and other legal abuses are a “fundamental obstacle” for many potential investors.
Speaking at Moscow State University, Biden said that “it’s better for America and I believe better for Russia to be able to trade with each other under predictable and transparent rules.”
The vice president added that the Kremlin’s drive to modernize the economy will not succeed without “political modernization.”
Continue Reading >> Radio Free Europe | March 11, 2011
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Russia Warns US Against Afghan Bases
Russia has warned the US against setting up permanent military bases in Afghanistan, saying the move could undermine peacemaking efforts and anger neighbors.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has confirmed US plans to set up permanent bases in the war-torn country to enable US troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond the 2014 deadline.
Karzai says the US officials are in talks with the Afghan government in this regard.
“This information makes one think and raises questions,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
“Why will US military bases be needed if the terrorist threat in … Afghanistan is ended?”
“Will Kabul be able to combine negotiations on a long-term American military presence with the reconciliation process? How will Afghanistan’s neighbors view the deployment of a foreign country’s military bases near their territory?” Moscow questioned.
Continue Reading >> Press TV | February 19, 2011
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Iran Opposes Long-Term US Presence in Afghanistan
Iran’s interior minister spoke out against a long-term US military presence in Afghanistan Tuesday, as the American Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited his country’s troops in the warring country.
“(Iran) is definitely against the the deployment, presence of foreign forces and establishment of US permanent bases in Afghanistan,” Mostafa Mohammad Najjar told a press conference in Kabul.
“The permanent bases would further complicate the conditions in the region and in Afghanistan.”
The minister’s Afghan counterpart, Besmullah Mohammadi, praised Iran as a neighbour who “has always helped in reconstruction and ensuring security in Afghanistan.”
Continue Reading >> AFP | March 8, 2011
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U.S. Apology for Afghan Deaths “Not Enough” : Karzai
Afghan President Hamid Karzai told General David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, on Sunday his apology for a foreign air strike that killed nine children last week was “not enough.”
At a meeting with his security advisers at which Petraeus was present, Karzai said civilian casualties by foreign troops were “no longer acceptable” to the Afghan government or to the Afghan people, Karzai’s palace said in a statement.
Civilian casualties caused by NATO-led and Afghan forces hunting insurgents have again become a major source of friction between Karzai and his Western backers.
Continue Reading >> Reuters | March 8, 2011
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Karzai : Decision on Permanent US Bases Must Be in Afghan Hands, Account for Neighbor Concerns
Afghanistan’s president says any decision on a permanent U.S. military presence in the country must be made by Afghans and take into account the concerns of neighboring countries.
President Hamid Karzai said Saturday that a number of American officials have raised the issue of establishing permanent U.S. bases in the country. He didn’t say whether any formal requests had been made.
Karzai didn’t rule out the possibility of the U.S. establishing permanent bases. But he says any decision should be made in the context of Afghans assuming greater authority over the country, and not being subject to “foreign influence.”
He added that the decision would need to take into consideration the views of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries that include Iran, Pakistan and China.
Newser | February 19, 2011
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Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s Cousin Mistakenly Killed By Nato Troops
A relative of Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai was mistakenly killed by Nato troops yesterday.
Yar Muhammad Khan was at his home near Kandahar when he was shot dead in an overnight raid.
Nato says it is investigating and the president’s brother Ahmad Wali Karzai, head of Kandahar provincial council, said: “There were operations taking place near his house. He was killed by mistake.”
The victim, said to be the president’s cousin in his 60s, apparently left the house at night carrying a weapon.
His death comes just days after President Karzai lashed out at US-led forces over the accidental killing of nine boys in Kunar province.
A spokesman yesterday said: “The president once again calls on Nato forces to avoid killing civilians.”
The Daily Mirror | March 11, 2011
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates Warns U.S. Allies About “Precipitous” Exit from Afghanistan
Speaking at a NATO meeting, Robert Gates says, ‘There is too much talk about leaving and not enough talk about getting the job done right’ in Afghanistan. His remarks are seen as an attempt to keep allies from using a planned U.S. drawdown as a pretext for withdrawing large numbers of troops.
Continue Reading >> Los Angeles Times | March 11, 2011
Danish Warship Extends Operations Off the Coast of Somalia, Italian Air Force Deployed in Afghanistan Trains in Israel for Desert Combat, U.S. Military’s Africa Command Gets New Leadership, U.S. Carrier Group to Join Exercise With South Korea, Chinese Navy Arrives in Pakistan for Naval Exercise, Chinese Naval Fleet Will Sail to the Gulf of Aden, U.S. Resident Arrested for Passing on Defense-Related Projects to China, Japan Regrets China Gas Drilling, Russia Hopes to Make $9.5 Bln in Arms Sales, French Nuclear Submarine Put Under British Command in the Far North “to Monitor the Russians”
Danish Warship Extends Operations Outside Somalia
Denmark’s largest warship, Esbern Snare, will continue its hunt for pirates off the coast of Somalia for another three months, reports public broadcaster DR.
Lene Espersen, the foreign minister, announced the news this morning after a meeting with the Parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee.
[...] Esbern Snare is part of the international Operation Ocean Shield anti-piracy effort and was due to have ended its mission with the force on March 1.
The warship’s journey home to Denmark was, however, temporarily postponed when a yacht with seven Danish passengers was hijacked by Somali pirates on February 24.
This is not the first time that Esbern Snare has been told to prolong its mission. The vessel was to have returned to Denmark in December 2010, but was ordered to continue its mission until March 1.
Continue Reading >> The Copenhagen Post | March 9, 2011
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Italian Air Force Trains in Israel
The Italian air force will continue to use facilities in Israel to train its pilots for desert combat and to defend themselves against surface-launched threats, according to Israeli sources.
With the Italian air force’s continued deployment in Afghanistan, it believes Israel offers the best training for the environment it will encounter.
Continue Reading >> Flight Global | March 8, 2011
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U.S. Military’s Africa Command Gets New Leadership
The U.S. military command responsible for humanitarian aid and any prospective military responses to the violence in Libya is swearing in a new commander.
He is Army Gen. Carter Ham, a former commander in Iraq and most recently the top U.S. Army officer in Europe.
Ham is taking charge of Africa Command, succeeding Army Gen. William Ward, who is retiring. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is presiding at the change-of-command ceremony.
Africa Command, created in 2008, is responsible for U.S. military operations in most of Africa, including Libya – which has no formal military-to-military relations with the United States.
The Washington Post | March 9, 2011
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U.S. Carrier Group to Join Exercise With South Korea
The United States says a naval strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan has entered the western Pacific Ocean and will join an ongoing military exercise with South Korea.
The U.S. military said Wednesday that the giant carrier is accompanied by a guided missile cruiser and a destroyer squadron. The ships will join in the annual Foal Eagle exercise which began early last week involving about 200,000 South Korean and 13,000 U.S. troops.
South Korea has described the drill as a routine defense exercise, but North Korea says it will respond to any provocation by turning South Korea’s capital, Seoul, into a “sea of fire.”
China strongly objected last year when the United States announced plans to send another aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, into the Yellow Sea for an earlier joint exercise with South Korea.
Continue Reading >> Voice of America | March 9, 2011
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Chinese Navy Arrives in Pakistan for Naval Exercise
The Chinese naval fleet, comprising the Wenzhou missile frigate and Maanshan missile frigate, arrived in the southern Pakistani port of Karachi on Monday to participate in the “Aman 2011″ multi-national naval exercise.
Chinese Navy fleet commander Colonel Han Xiaohu said China has participated in the naval exercises to promote exchanges and cooperation with other navies and jointly safeguard security and stability at sea.
Upon completion of this exercise, Wenzhou and Ma’anshan will sail directly to the Gulf of Aden as the 8th Chinese naval escort taskforce to undertake the escort mission there.
Organized by Pakistan, the “Aman” multi-national maritime military exercise is held once every two years since 2007.
This year’s exercise will be held from March 8 to March 12 at the open sea near Karachi.
Chinese Military Attaché Senior Colonel Wang Jiliang said the “Aman 2011″ exercise on the Indian Ocean is mainly directed against piracy, terrorism and other non-traditional security threats. It aims to strengthen coordination and cooperation in search and rescue and helicopter operations in the sea.
People’s Daily | March 8, 2011
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U.S. Resident Arrested for Passing on Sensitive Military Data to China
Federal agents arrested on Tuesday a Chinese-born permanent resident of the U.S. for allegedly passing on sensitive defense-related data to China.
Sixing Liu, a 47-year-old former employee of a New Jersey-based technology company, allegedly exported hundreds of documents related to his firm’s defense-related projects, according to reports.
Continue Reading >> International Business Times | March 9, 2011
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Japan Regrets China Gas Drilling
Japan has expressed regret in connection with China’s efforts to develop gas fields in the East China Sea.
As reported by the Japanese Asahi newspaper citing a spokesperson for the Chinese oil and gas company, China has begun drilling off the Shirakaba gas field.
According to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, the drilling runs counter to an agreement on the joint production of gas in the East China Sea signed in 2008.
The Voice of Russia | March 9, 2011
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Russia Hopes to Make $9.5 Bln in 2011 Arms Sales
Rosoboronexport, said on Wednesday it expects to make up to $9.5 billion in arms sales this year.
“Rosoboronexport’s portfolio [of orders] is about $38.5 billion; this is the target we hope to meet in three years,” company head Anatoly Isaikin said.
Last year Russian arms exports totaled $8.6 billion.
RIA Novosti | March 9, 2011
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Interview With Admiral Pierre-François Forissier Chief of Staff of the French Navy
[...] “Récemment, le Charles-de-Gaulle était dans l’océan Indien, et une frégate britannique s’est jointe au groupe aéronaval français. Un sous-marin français est passé sous commandement britannique dans le grand Nord, pour surveiller de plus près les Russes.
[...] “Recently, the Charles de Gaulle (Aircraft Carrier) was in the Indian Ocean, and a British frigate joined the French carrier battle group. A French submarine has come under British command in the Far North, to monitor the Russians.”
Continue Reading >> Le Télégramme | March 5, 2011
Russia Summons U.S. Envoy Over Japan Islands Dispute, Restates Kuril Position, Japan “Shrugs its Shoulders”, Creates Spy Agency Targeting North Korea and China for First Time After Second World War, China Calls for Talks on North Korea, Rejects American’s Appeal of Spy Charge, U.S. Dismisses Bilateral Talks with Pyongyang, Wikileaks Cables Show China Using Debt to Pressure U.S. on Taiwan, Chinese Regime Portrayed as Clamping Down to Prevent Middle-East-Style Protests, Former U.S. Defense Chief Backs Sale of F-16 Jets to Taiwan, North Korea Reportedly Showing Signs of Nuclear Test, Building New Missile Launch Site, Conflict Looms Over U.S. Military Presence in Australia, U.S. to Boost Naval Forces in Asia, Warns China on Pacific Provocation as China Develops Aircraft Carrier, South Korea Spied on Indonesian Delegation, Indonesia Denies Report, to Observe Cambodia-Thailand Border Conflict, Turkey to Sell Armoured Combat Vehicles to Malaysia
Russia Summons U.S. Envoy Over Japan Islands Dispute
The Russian foreign ministry on Monday summoned the US ambassador to Moscow over comments in which Washington reportedly backed the Japanese position in a simmering territorial row with Russia.
[...] “In this connection, the Russian Federation once again laid out it principled and unwavering position on Russia’s sovereignty over the south Kurils.”
Continue Reading >> AFP | February 21, 2011
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Russia Restates Kuril Position While Japan Shrugs its Shoulders
[...] Tokyo-based Moscow News reader Keiran Drea said that the issue was making little impact on most Japanese people – despite scenes of violence outside the Russian embassy, which got significant coverage in Russia.
Continue Reading >> The Moscow News | February 22, 2011
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Japan Creating Spy Agency for First Time After Second World War
Japan is creating an espionage agency for the first time since the end of the Second World War, amid growing tensions with its superpower neighbour China and nuclear-armed North Korea.
[...] The new unit, modelled on MI6 and the CIA, will also be tasked with gathering information to prevent terrorist attacks against Japanese targets, according to a US government cable obtained by WikiLeaks.
[...] worsening of relations with China and the unpredictability of the North Korean regime means that Tokyo can no longer rely on its allies for intelligence about the activities of its enemies.
China and Japan clashed over the disputed Senkaku islands in the East China Sea last year, and Japan has become increasingly apprehensive of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes.
Continue Reading >> The Daily Telegraph | February 21, 2011
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China Again Calls for 6-Party Talks Soon
Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi again emphasized the need for the resumption soon of the stalled multinational talks on North Korea’s denuclearization, indicating the lingering opinion gap with Seoul over how to deal with the North’s ongoing nuclear ambitions.
Continue Reading >> Korea Herald | February 23, 2011
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China Rejects American’s Appeal of Spy Charge
A Chinese court on Friday rejected an appeal by American geologist Xue Feng against his eight-year jail sentence for spying, despite a long-running campaign by Washington to free him, including a personal plea by President Obama.
[...] Mr. Xue’s sentencing last summer sent a chill through foreign investors in China and the people who make their money analyzing its economy. He was found guilty of obtaining and trafficking in state secrets after he unearthed information on Chinese oil wells for his former employer—U.S. petroleum research firm IHS Inc.
Continue Reading >> The Wall Street Journal | February 18, 2011
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U.S. Dismisses Bilateral Talks with Pyongyang
The United States Tuesday dismissed any bilateral dialogue with North Korea on easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, urging the North to first improve ties with South Korea.
Continue Reading >> Korea JoongAng Daily | February 24, 2011
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Wikileaks Cables Show China Used Debt to Pressure U.S. on Taiwan
China has sought to use its massive U.S. debt holdings to influence American financial policy and deter arms sales to Taiwan, according to diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks.
Continue Reading >> National Journal | February 22, 2011
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China Clamping Down to Prevent Mideast-Style Protests
A previously unknown group has called on the Chinese to replicate the popular protests in the Middle East by staging their own peaceful “jasmine rallies” in cities across China every Sunday afternoon, to demand an end to corruption, greater accountability and an independent judiciary.
Continue Reading >> The Washington Post | February 23, 2011
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Former U.S. Defense Chief Backs Sale of F-16 Jets to Taiwan
Washington, Feb. 22 (CNA) Former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Tuesday that he supports the sale of U.S. F-16 C/D fighter jets to Taiwan in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act.
[...] But Rumsfeld said that if a cross-strait conflict erupts, it would be an example of terribly handled diplomacy, because such a conflict would be totally unnecessary.
However, he said, he thinks there is little possibility that such a conflict will occur since both Taiwan and China have been engaged in economic and tourist exchanges.
Rumsfeld said he believes Taipei and Beijing can solve their differences with good behavior and wise diplomacy.
Continue Reading >> Focus Taiwan | February 23, 2011
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North Korea Shows Signs of 3rd Nuke Test
Seoul is closely monitoring activities at a North Korean nuclear site amid signs that Pyongyang is preparing for a third nuclear test, government sources said Sunday.
The vigilance comes after South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities spotted the North digging additional tunnels at the Musudan-ri Launch Facility for a possible underground atomic test, a source told Yonhap News Agency.
Continue Reading >> Korea Times | February 20, 2011
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North Korea ‘Building’ New Missile Launch Site
North Korea appears close to finishing a new missile launch site, according to analysis of satellite images taken in the last month, which show an almost completed 100ft tall launch tower, suggesting a step forward in Pyongyang’s inter-continental ballistic missile programme.
Continue Reading >> The Guardian | February 16, 2011
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Conflict Looms Over US Military Presence in Australia
For two decades, the issue of US bases in Australia has remained dormant. The Government and community seem to have become comfortable with their presence, as long as they are perceived as passive.
[...] Nevertheless, the issue of US bases might be about to re-emerge as a hot-button political issue.
Continue Reading >> ABC | February 22, 2011
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U.S. to Boost Naval Forces as China Develops Carrier
The U.S. navy will continue to upgrade its military capabilities in the Pacific given its steadfast commitment to the region, a U.S. vice admiral said on Monday, while urging China’s growing navy to avoid provocation.
[...] “It is our sincere hope that as China continues to develop a blue-water navy, one which may soon include an aircraft carrier, it will employ that navy in a way that is responsible and constructive,” said Vice admiral Scott Van Buskirk during a visit to Hong Kong.
[...] Following on from Gate’s comments that China’s military advances in cyber and anti-satellite warfare technology could challenge the ability of U.S. forces to operate in the Pacific, Van Buskirk said the United States would upgrade its hardware there.
Continue Reading >> Reuters | February 21, 2011
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Alleged Espionage Attempt Embarrasses South Korea
[...] It was reported earlier this week that three unidentified people who broke into a hotel room of visiting Indonesian presidential envoys last week were actually officials at South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS).
The intruders intruded into the hotel room in downtown Seoul in an apparent attempt to steal laptops and fled after being walked in on by a member of the Indonesian delegation.
The Indonesian delegation, led by Indonesia’s coordinating economic minister Hatta Rajasa, was visiting Seoul last week at the invitation of President Lee Myung-bak. The delegates, six of whom are ministerial-level officials, asked for support of the South Korean government and local firms for their major economic projects.
Continue Reading >> People’s Daily | February 22, 2011
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Indonesia Denies Report South Korean Spies Stole Military Data
The South Koreans who entered the hotel room of Indonesian officials visiting Seoul didn’t steal military data, Indonesia’s Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said, denying a report by the Chosun Ilbo newspaper.
The incident occurred on a different floor than the one officials from the Indonesian Defense Ministry were staying, Yusgiantoro told reporters in Jakarta today. An official from the Indonesian Industry Ministry saw the South Koreans in his room and a laptop that was taken from the room was returned, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Rajasa said.
Chosun reported today South spies broke into the Lotte Hotel room in Central Seoul on Feb. 16 to find out what price Indonesia may bid for weapons and trainer jets. The report cited an unidentified South Korean government official, and didn’t say how the person knew the details of the case.
Bloomberg | February 22, 2011
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Indonesia to Observe Cambodia-Thailand Border Conflict
Amidst the recent border conflicts between Thailand and Cambodia, both countries have accepted Indonesia to observe both sides of the border, officials said Tuesday.
An Indonesian team of observers will be deployed to the region where they will observe and report accurately, as well as impartially on complaints of violations and submitting its findings to each party, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said.
Continue Reading >> Channel 6 News | February 22, 2011
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Turkey to Sell Armoured Combat Vehicles to Malaysian Military
Turkish defense industry company FNSS signed Tuesday a $600 million deal with Malaysia’s DEFTECH to sell armoured combat vehicles to Malaysian military.
[...] The deal is important for Turkish defense industry as it is the largest amount in defense industry exports of the country at one time.
Continue Reading >> World Bulletin | February 23, 2011
Dmitry Medvedev Reaffirms Soviet Recognition of Palestinian State, Moscow Airport Bombed, Coordinated Campaign Against the Ruling Elite in Russsia, Austrian Soldier on Trial in Germany on Charges of Spying for Russia, Moscow Says Foreign Power May Have Caused Spy Satellite Loss, French Police Seize Fugitive Tycoon’s Yachts on Russia’s Behest, U.S. Vetoes UN Resolution on Israeli Settlements
Russian President Bypasses Israel, Reaffirms Soviet Recognition of Palestinian State
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Austrian on Trial in Germany on Charges of Spying for Russia
An Austrian soldier went on trial in Germany on Monday, accused of spying for the Russian secret service and passing on sensitive information about European helicopter prototypes.
Prosecutors at the Munich court allege that the 54-year-old Austrian army mechanic, spied for Russia’s foreign intelligence service (SVR) from 1997 to 2002.
Continue Reading >> Monsters and Critics | February 14, 2011
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Russia Says Foreign Power May Have Caused Spy Satellite Loss
The Russian space agency suggested Monday that a foreign power may have been behind the space accident that disabled one of the country’s most modern military satellites earlier this month.
Russia on February 1 launched a high-tech Geo-IK-2 craft to help the military draw a three-dimensional map of the Earth and locate the precise positions of various targets.
News reports said the satellite was a vital part of Russia’s effort to match the United States and NATO’s ability to target its missiles from space.
But the craft briefly went missing after its launch only to re-emerge in a wrong orbit that left the craft unable to complete its assigned task.
[...] The official did not identify the country he suspected of trying to derail the Russian military mission. But Moscow frequently accuses Washington of attempting to “militarise” space.
The space official conceded that there may have been other reasons for the launch failure. These included the wrong operations being programmed into the guidance system and other software mistakes.
But the Russian source stressed that the accident occurred between the first and second burns of the Briz-KM upper-stage booster rocket — an area in which the craft makes no contact with ground control.
The official suggested that the electromagnetic pulse may have been aimed at the Russian craft “from a land, sea, air or space vehicle.”
Continue Reading >> AFP | February 15, 2011
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French Police Seize Berezovsky’s Yachts on Russia’s Behest
The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has confirmed that two yachts and other valuable possessions belonging to the fugitive Russian tycoon have been seized in southern France.
“Our French colleagues have managed to seize [Berezovsky's] yachts in the Juan Bay in southern France, not far from Berezovsky’s estate on Cape Antibes, which was earlier arrested at the request of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office,” Marina Gridneva, spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General’s Office told Interfax.
[...] French police seized other Berezovsky-owned valuables, including paintings, in the presence of a Russian investigator, the spokeswoman said.
The French judiciary made the decision to confiscate Berezovsky’s property following an official request issued by the Office of the Prosecutor General in Moscow, Itar-Tass reported.
[...] Boris Berezovsky, who has been sentenced to prison in absentia in Russia on charges of embezzlement, fraud and money laundering, has been living in self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom since 2001.
Despite arrest warrants being issued to Interpol by Russian and Brazilian authorities, repeated extradition requests from Russia to UK authorities have produced no results.
Continue Reading >> Russia Today | February 18, 2011
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U.S. Blocks U.N. Resolution Calling Israeli Settlements “Illegal”
The U.S. today vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as “illegal” and ordered all construction operations there to stop.
The U.S. was the sole no vote on the 15-member Security Council, which had broadly supported the Palestinian-sponsored resolution.
Continue Reading >> ABC News | February 18, 2011
Iraq’s Largest Gas Field Discovered in Kurdistan, Syria and Turkey Agree on Cooperation Against Kurdish Separatist PKK, Turkish Intelligence Warns Against Attacks Ahead of Elections, Turkish Intelligence Chief in Azerbaijan, Turkish Interior Minister in Moscow, Iran to Tighten Security Along Eastern and Northwestern Borders
Iraq’s Largest Gas Field Discovered in Kurdistan
[...] The UK-based Heritage Oil Company announced that it has made a huge discovery of natural gas in the Miran area west of Suleimaniya. The statement reads that the field has between 6.8- and 9.1-trillion cubic feet (approximately between 192- and 257-billion cubic meters) of natural gas.
[...] Those could see the company bringing gas into Turkey and Europe through the planned U.S. and EU-backed Nabucco pipeline, which aims to bring gas from the Middle East and Caspian Sea region to Europe via Turkey and Bulgaria.
“The discovery of a major gas field of up to 12.3-trillion cubic feet (348-billion cubic meters) in place with exceptional flow rates makes this one of the largest gas fields to be discovered in Iraq,” the statement said.
[...] However, the ‘never-ending’ dispute between the KRG and the central government of Iraq regarding the region’s oil and gas production sharing contracts signed with international oil and gas companies since mid 2007 is still an obstacle to future prospects from which the region would benefit and the destiny of the oil companies working in the region.
Iraqi government’s ex-Oil Minister was firmly against any oil activities done in Kurdistan without his control, and labeled all its oil deals illegal. Moreover, refusing the KRGs request from Baghdad to pay the international oil companies’ fees led to a stoppage of Kurdistan’s oil exports in 2009.
Nevertheless, hopes are back on again with the new government’s promises to solve these disagreements, especially the new Iraqi Oil Minister’s statement that his new government will recognize the KRG’s PSCs and that the region’s 150- to 200-barrel-per-day exports would resume shortly.
Continue Reading >> Kurdish Globe | January 30, 2011
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Syrian-Turkish Agreement to Collaborate Against PKK
The Turkish daily Milliyet reports that a comprehensive Turkish-Syrian agreement for counterterrorism cooperation, aimed especially at coordinating efforts against the Kurdish organization PKK, is being considered by the Turkish parliament. According to the agreement, both countries will undertake to prevent all military, cultural, economic and propaganda activity by the PKK in their territory; a direct communications system (hot line) will be installed between the Syrian and Turkish chiefs of staff; joint military operations will be conducted, as needed, and procedures will be established for the rapid extradition of PKK members between the two countries.
The MEMRI Blog | February 12, 2011
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Turkish Intelligence Warns Against Attacks Ahead of Elections
[...] Intelligence units from the National Police Department and the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) have this past week issued warnings against a possible increase in attacks intending to create unrest ahead of the June 12 national elections.
The National Police Department says that potential provocative attacks seeking to influence voter opinion ahead of the national election will target Turkey’s metropolitan areas. They say that even the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
[...] Attacks on security forces are also expected, particularly in the spring months.
[...] There is also intelligence signaling the possibility of mass anti-government rallies, not unlike the ones led by the Atatürkist Thought Association (ADD) and the Support for Contemporary Life Association (ÇYDD), where hundreds of thousands marched on the streets of İzmir, İstanbul and Ankara.
[...] The police department also emphasizes a threat based on intelligence indicating that there are groups planning to assassinate Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli and MHP parliamentary group chairman Oktay Vural.
Continue Reading >> World Bulletin | February 12, 2011
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Turkish Intelligence Chief in Azerbaijan for Talks
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today met head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Hakan Fidan.
[...] President Ilham Aliyev stressed the necessity of strengthening security issues in the region, adding development of Azerbaijan-Turkey relations in this field has positive impact on the whole region.
Continue Reading >> News.az | February 7, 2011
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Turkish Interior Minister in Moscow
[...] Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay arrived in Moscow on Thursday upon an invitation by Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev.
During meetings between Turkish and Russian delegations, cooperation in security and fight against illicit drug trafficking as well as deepening the cooperation between Turkish and Russian interior ministries were discussed.
The officials also took up fight against terrorism, prevention of extremism, exchange of intelligence, training of police officers and student exchange in police academies.
Continue Reading >> Turkish Daily Mail | February 11, 2011
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Iran to Tighten Border Security
Iran’s interior minister says the government has devised a new comprehensive plan for enhancing control and security along the country’s borders.
Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar told IRNA late on Sunday that the new plan has been implemented along the eastern and northwestern borders of the country, and will be put in practice along the entire borders of the Islamic Republic in the near future.
Continue Reading >> Press TV | February 14, 2011
New Iranian Foreign Minister Endorsed By Parliament, Senegal Ambassador Returns to Iran After Dispute Over Weapons Shipment Seized in Nigeria, Mossad Station Chief Flees Gambia
Iran Arms Shipment May Deal Setback to Expansion of Africa Ties
A political wrangle over an Iranian arms shipment seized in Nigeria has set back the Persian Gulf nation’s efforts to cultivate links in Africa as it seeks to forestall diplomatic isolation over its nuclear program.
A United Nations team arrived in Nigeria Jan. 16 to probe the consignment of rockets, grenades and mortar shells that may have been destined for Gambia or Senegal in West Africa. Gambia cut ties with Iran in November and ordered its diplomats out of the country over the shipment. A month later, Senegal recalled its ambassador, citing “grave concern” about the weapons.
[...] Iran is pursuing closer relations in Africa as the U.S., the European Union and the United Nations enforce economic sanctions against the country. The Iranian effort worries the U.S., and at least one senior Republican Party lawmaker has warned Africans to shun Iran if they want additional U.S. aid.
Iran is focusing attention on states with substantial Muslim populations such as Senegal and Niger to try to leverage off their shared faith. Iranian leaders are also tailoring their campaign to resonate among Africans who see the continent’s poverty and lack of development as a legacy of Western colonialism.
[...] In Africa, “their goal is to win votes in the UN and to increase the number of countries that support them there, to win economic points, to increase Iran’s economic clout in the region and in the world,” Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian-born Middle East analyst at Meepas, said in an interview on Nov. 11. “The Iranian leadership sees Iran as a superpower, and superpowers build alliances.” Meepas is a risk-analysis group based in Tel Aviv.
[...] The Iranian arms shipment may have been heading for Gambia, where President Yahya Jammeh might have intended to give the weapons to a loyalist militia or sell them for a profit, Africa Confidential, the London-based publication, reported last month.
[...] Alternatively, the arms may have been destined for separatists in Senegal’s Casamance region, Strategic Forecasting Inc., an Austin, Texas-based intelligence group, said in November.
[...] “For the U.S., other emerging powers in Africa wouldn’t be such a concern, but Iran is kind of hard-wired to give American diplomats concerns,” he said. “That makes Iran different from a Turkey or even China.”
Continue Reading >> Bloomberg Business Week | February 1, 2011
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New Iranian FM Endorsed By Parliament, Outlines Priorities
Iranian Majlis (Parliament) on Sunday approved the nuclear chief as the country’s new foreign minister.
The Majlis gave the vote of confidence to Ali-Akbar Salehi after former Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was dismissed in December by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
[...] Salehi also noted that he “will try to further expand ties with Africa.”
“The misunderstanding between Iran and Senegal has been completely removed during my recent visit to the African country,” he was quoted as saying.
Continue Reading >> XinhuaNet | January 30, 2011
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Senegal Ambassador Returns to Iran After Dispute Over Weapons
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade told his government to return the country’s ambassador to Tehran, five weeks after the official was recalled following a diplomatic dispute over a seized Iranian arms shipment.
Wade’s decision, detailed in minutes published on the government’s official website today, follows a 24-hour visit to Senegal by Iran’s interim foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi. The partial normalization of relations between the two Muslim nations was mediated by Turkish President Abdullah Gul, according to the minutes.
Iran plans to provide as much as $200 million dollars for joint economic projects between his country and Senegal, Salehi said yesterday in an interview with the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
Continue Reading >> Bloomberg Business Week | January 21, 2011
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Israeli “Spy” Absconds From Gambia After Cover Blown
Mossad’s Station Chief for Gambia, Danny Shinn, fled the country on Thursday. This follows the story on Freedom Newspaper that blew his cover. His departure from The Gambia was a big blow to the Mossad according to Western Embassy sources. Danny was not only Station Chief for Gambia, but was responsible for managing Mossad espionage activities in the whole Anglophone West Africa. According to these sources, the Freedom exposure made it impossible for Danny to meet his agents in The Gambia anymore.
[...] Because of his good network, Danny was able to get bugs implanted in the State House in Banjul and record sensitive conversations. Practically all of Ben’s briefings with the president were also recorded. This is how the Iranian arms were discovered and passed to the xxx. This is also how the drugs cache in Bonto was discovered and passed on to the MI-6.
Continue Reading >> Freedom Newspaper | February 7, 2011
Emirati Spy Ring Dismantled in Oman, Iran “Pursues Mossad Moves in Muslim and Neighboring Countries”
Oman Says Busts UAE Spy Network, UAE Denies Role
[...] “Security forces (of Oman) were able to discover a spy ring belonging to the state security forces of the United Arab Emirates targeting the regime in Oman and the mechanism of governmental and military work there,” said the official, quoted by the official ONA news agency.
[...] The cell “gathered information on the Sultanate’s military, security and economy, in return for large sums of money from Emirati security services,” the same official added requesting anonymity.
The cell “was interested in the issue of the succession of Sultan Qaboos, in the absence of an heir to the throne,” a security official said.
[...] Oman has very good relations with Iran, while the UAE is a staunch ally of the United States. The UAE also has a long-lasting dispute with Tehran over three Iran-controlled islands in the Gulf.
Qaboos, known for rarely travelling out of Oman, was the first foreign leader to travel to Iran since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected in a disputed 2009 vote.
Oman has always had close relations with Iran and remained neutral during the war between the Islamic Republic and Iraq that lasted from 1980 to 1988, unlike most of its Arab neighbours who had supported the regime of the toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Continue Reading >> Reuters | January 30, 2011
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Iran Closely Monitors Mossad Moves
[...] “Iran’s Intelligence Ministry not only closely monitors various Mossad measures inside the country but it also pursues moves by this intelligence service in Muslim and neighboring countries,” IRNA quoted Iranian Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi as speaking to reporters.
[...] Iranian forces penetrated into the depth of the Mossad information system and recognized and dismantled its different networks.
Continue Reading >> Press TV | January 31, 2011
British MI6 Proposed “Direct Lines” to Israeli Intelligence For Crackdown On Iran-Backed Hamas in The Gaza Strip
British intelligence helped draw up a secret plan for a wide-ranging crackdown on the Islamist movement Hamas which became a security blueprint for the Palestinian Authority, leaked documents reveal. The plan asked for the internment of leaders and activists, the closure of radio stations and the replacement of imams in mosques.
The disclosure of the British plan, drawn up by the intelligence service in conjunction with Whitehall officials in 2004, and passed by a Jerusalem-based MI6 officer to the senior PA security official at the time, Jibril Rajoub, is contained in the cache of confidential documents obtained by al-Jazeera TV and shared with the Guardian. The documents also highlight the intimate level of military and security cooperation between Palestinian and Israeli forces.
The Guardian | January 25, 2011
Huge Spy Hub Uncovered in Israel
It has been described as Israel’s ‘big ears’ – a huge facility where it is claimed phone calls and emails from all across the Middle East and beyond can be monitored for intelligence.
Hidden from prying eyes for decades in the desert, it has become a focus for investigative journalists. Many Israelis have probably driven past it and not cast a second glance. A few satellite dishes outside a little known town in the Negev desert. But, this is no ordinary military base.
Russia Today | January 20, 2011
Chinese Espionage and French Trade Secrets
Paris prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin on Jan. 14 began an inquiry into allegations of commercial espionage carried out against French carmaker Renault. The allegations first became public when Renault suspended three of its employees on Jan. 3 after an internal investigation that began in August 2010. Within days, citing an anonymous French government source, Reuters reported that French intelligence services were looking into the possibility that China played a role in the Renault espionage case. While the French government refused to officially confirm this accusation, speculation has run wild that Chinese state-sponsored spies were stealing electric-vehicle technology from Renault.
Stratfor | January 20, 2011
Why the CIA is Interested in the Climate Change Issue?
Environmental issues have long been recognized as key to understanding what might happen in unstable countries.
Last summer, as torrential rains flooded Pakistan, a veteran intelligence analyst watched closely from his desk at CIA headquarters just outside the capital.
For the analyst, who heads the CIA’s year old Center on Climate Change and National Security, the worst natural disaster in Pakistan’s history was a warning.
“It has the exact same symptoms you would see for future climate change events, and we’re expecting to see more of them,” he said later, agreeing to talk only if his name were not revealed, for security reasons.
“We wanted to know: What are the conditions that lead to a situation like the Pakistan flooding? What are the important things for water flows, food security … radicalization, disease” and displaced people? As intelligence officials assess key components of state stability, they are realizing that the norms they had been operating with – such as predictable river flows and crop yields – are shifting.
The Jerusalem Post | January 16, 2011
Taiwan to Reconsider Sharing Intelligence with the U.S. and Japan
For decades, there has hardly been a place more suitable to monitor the rising China than Taiwan. In close proximity to People’s Liberation Army (PLA) military bases along China’s southeastern coast, the island has long been amassing electronic hardware at air-defense radar stations on top of Yangmingshan, Taipei’s iconic recreation mountain.
Being one of the world leaders in information technology, Taiwan arguably has what it takes to field one of the world’s most advanced Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems. But also when it comes to the gathering of intelligence on the soil of mainland China, the Taiwanese have always had a sizable edge over other countries.
Like Israeli agents who blended into Arab societies in the run-up to the Gulf wars, Taiwanese spies with their shared ethnicity, language and culture can keep a much lower profile in mainland China than their foreign counterparts – with nearly 1 million Taiwanese businesspeople living there making for ideal cover. Yet, after almost three years of relatively Beijing-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou having the say in Taipei, there is speculation that Taiwan is beginning to renounce its role of being other countries’ eyes and ears.
Ma, who heralds the concept of “honest diplomacy” when dealing with China, is not only suspected of having stopped recruiting agents to operate on the other side of the Taiwan Strait but also of planning to put the brakes on the sharing of intelligence with the US and Japan, its longtime allies.
Asia Times | January 4, 2011
U.S. Stepped up Spying Operations against Turkey and Brazil over Iranian Nuclear Program
The US spy agencies have intensified their intelligence operations against Turkey and Brazil after the two countries insisted on their independent policies and played a key role in Iran’s nuclear issues.
According to a May 2010 report by Wayne Madsen Report, the US intelligence agencies have started new intelligence operations against Turkey and Brazil after they found out that Ankara and Brasilia do not intend to pursue Washington’s policies on Iran.
The report, also credited by intelligence experts, said that the US administration has issued the required permission for intelligence gathering operations against both countries.
Washington believes that Brazil and Turkey had been in covert consultations with China and Russia to pursue at least a veto-wielding power to reject the UN Security Council resolution 1929 against Iran, which was of course approved later on June 9 at the UN.
In a major breakthrough Iran, Brazil and Turkey after several hours of intense negotiations worked out a solution to the problem on May 17, 2010, according to which Tehran would ship its low enriched uranium to Turkey.
The agreement envisaged sending some 1200 kg of Iran’s 3.5% enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for a total 120 kg of 20% enriched fuel.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the then Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, called on the world powers to support the Tehran Declaration on swap of nuclear fuel, and voiced their strong opposition to the US-backed talks about imposing new UN sanctions against Tehran.
Fars News | January 3, 2011
Intelligence Agencies Feeding Info to Whistleblowing Websites
Cryptome.org was publishing classified and secret documents long before WikiLeaks made headlines. Cryptome co-founder John Young told RT such sites are allowed to stay online so that spy services might keep an eye on their visitors. There is no secrecy on the Internet, John Young warned.
Russia Today | January 2, 2011
Israel, US, UK Cooperating to Sabotage Iran’s Nuclear Program
US and UK intelligence services are cooperating with the Mossad to sabotage Teheran’s nuclear program in exchange for Israel agreeing not to launch a military strike on Iran, the French weekly Le Canard enchaîné reported on Thursday, quoting French intelligence sources.
Acts of sabotage carried out in the past year in Iran were conducted by Israel with the help of the CIA and MI6, the sources said.
The sabotage included, according to the report, the introduction of the Stuxnet computer virus into 30,000 computers in Iran’s nuclear reactors and explosions in October in which 18 Iranian technicians were killed at a factory in the Zagros mountains that manufactured Shihab missiles.
According to the sources, the assassination of five Iranian nuclear scientists were also carried out by the Mossad in cooperation with the American and British intelligence agencies.
The sources said the cooperation continues, and more joint actions aimed at stopping Iran from completing its nuclear program are expected.
The Jerusalem Post | December 30, 2010
Iran: Mossad Killed Former Iranian Deputy Defense Minister
The Iranian-Israeli clandestine war is heating up. Just a day after Iran publicly hanged alleged Israeli spy Ali Akbar Siadati, hinting that at least one more Iranian national was due to be executed for working for the Mossad, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Middle East and Russia Affairs Mohammad Rauf Sheibani announced Wednesday, Dec. 29 that Tehran would ask international organizations to investigate “the murder by the Israeli Mossad’” of the former Iranian deputy defense minister Alireza Asgari in Israel’s Ayalon Prison.
Asgari went missing form his Istanbul hotel shortly after arriving there from Damascus on Dec. 9, 2006 and has not been seen since.. Until now, Iranian sources claimed he was in American hands. Western intelligence had reported in fact that he was the source of the information about secret Iranian nuclear installations, including the underground enrichment plant near Qom. Now, for the first time, Tehran has come up with the tale not only that he was taken to an Israeli prison after his disappearance in Istanbul, but that he died there.
DEBKAfile | December 29, 2010
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Iranian General Murdered in Israel’s Ayalon Prison?
Eurasia Review | December 29, 2010
Mutual Expulsion of Diplomats Between Russia and Spain
Spain has expelled two members of Russia’s diplomatic staff in Madrid, and says Moscow has responded by expelling two Spanish diplomats.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry said Tuesday the Russian staffers were “invited” to leave after being found “to have engaged in activities incompatible with their status.” In diplomatic language, the phrase is normally taken to mean spying.
The ministry says Russia retaliated, sending home two Spanish embassy officials.
The Spanish daily El Pais says the Russian departures took place in early November, based on a request from the director of Spain’s National Intelligence Center.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry says both governments consider the incident closed, and says both sides are working to return their delegations to full strength as soon as possible.
Press TV | December 28, 2010
Egypt Hits Back at Moscow-Jerusalem-South Sudan Ties with Spy Charges against Israel
A secret meeting in Tel Aviv last Thursday, Dec. 16 between the high-ranking Russian emissary Mikhail Margelov and representatives of the South Sudanese semi-autonomous government so infuriated Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that he ordered his intelligence minister Gen. Omar Suleiman to hit back by accusing Israel of recruiting Egyptian agents to spy on Lebanon and Syria.
According to DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources, Cairo has only just begun settling the score with Jerusalem for bringing Russia into its quiet support for oil-rich South Sudan, whose President Silva Kiir Mayardit plans to lead his Christian-dominated province to independence of the Muslim North in a referendum on Jan. 9.
The Egyptians suspect that the recent delivery of Russian arms to South Sudan, mainly combat helicopters, is part of a joint Russian-Israeli armament program.
Sudan is not expected to take its breakup lying down, especially when a separate referendum on the same day may lead a second province Abyei to secede, a double blow to Khartoum’s oil industry: 85 percent of its oil is pumped in the South and most of its exports are piped through Abyei to Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
Margelov, who is Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, as well as the Chairman of the European Democrat group of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, had previously opposed South Sudan’s secession, voicing fears of “a new Somalia” emerging. However, after appreciating its inevitability after decades of bloody war, the Kremlin changed its tune.
Margelov’s get-together with South Sudanese officials last Thursday – first revealed by the Israel-Russian IZRus website and believed to have been set up by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman – was noted in the several world capitals which are keeping an eagle eye on the January 9 plebiscites.
Four days later, Cairo announced Egyptian Tareq Abd Al Rezak Hassan had been arrested and charged with working for the Israeli Mossad. Not a day has gone by since without lurid revelations about his clandestine activities.
The Sudan question was pressing enough to bring Hosni Mubarak and the Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafi on a visit to Khartoum On Dec. 21 for talks with President Omar Bashir. They arrived together to try and persuade him to postpone the referendum fearing they would lead to more bloodshed. But their agendas were essentially quite different: Qaddafi abhors the very notion of a new oil power rising next door to Libya – and especially under Christian rule. Mubarak fears the momentous changes overtaking Sudan will upset the colonial treaties which grant Egypt 85 percent of Nile waters. Most of it comes from the river’s main tributary, the Blue Nile, which flows in from Ethiopia; less from the White Nile which rises in Uganda. The two tributaries merge near Khartoum and flow north as a single river which has been Egypt’s lifeline for millennia.
Egypt feels threatened not only by the Sudan upheavals to come, but by a new initiative launched by Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi which challenges Egypt’s monopoly over Nile Waters and demands equitable shares for the river’s seven upstream nations, most of them extremely poor.
The Mubarak government regards its control of the Nile an existential issue and will if need be fight for it. Zenawi remarked recently: “I am not worried that the Egyptians will suddenly invade Ethiopia. Nobody who has tried that has lived to tell the story.”
Both Cairo and Addis Ababa are therefore sharpening their teeth over the Nile.
And that is the point at which Israel has entered the picture, DEBKAfile’s intelligence and military sources report.
President Kiir maintains a covert office in Tel Aviv, the hub through which his diplomatic, military and intelligence relations with Israel are funneled. Egypt and western military sources believe Israel has been steadily arming South Sudan through a third party, thereby backing its drive for independence.
Ethiopia, too, is a friend of Israel and maintains strong military and intelligence ties with the Jewish state. This month, Cairo was dismayed to discover that Israel had developed connections and influence in East African countries south of Egypt powerful enough to override the Mubarak government’s dominant role on the Palestinian issue.
For Mubarak, the covert meeting between Russian and South Sudanese officials in Tel Aviv, of all places, was the last straw. He saw it as the culmination of an Israeli gambit to enlist Russian support for the new ventures Jerusalem had launched as a disconnect from Washington’s falling prestige in the Middle East and a means of circumventing the Iranian-fueled radicalization of its neighbors.
Cairo thereupon put its foot down on Israel’s Sudan venture, making the Mossad the object of its ire.
Tareq Abd Al Rezak Hassan is now charged with conducting contacts with Israel harmful to state security and hostile activities against Syria. Indictments have also been filed against “Eddy and Moshe Joseph Dimor,” described as Hassan’s handlers,
Cairo has taken care not to go all the way and charge Israel with spying against Egypt – only other Arab states. But it has made the affair public as a warning to Israel to back off from its diplomatic forays in East Africa or face more embarrassments.
DEBKAfile | December 25, 2010
Syria Uncovers Israeli Spy Cells with Egypt’s Help
A security official was arrested and three “spy networks” were found in Syria, allegedly gathering intelligence for the Mossad, UK daily Al-Quds al-Arabi reported on Friday, days after four were arrested in Egypt on suspicion of espionage.
Tarek Abdel-Razek, a Kung Fu coach, reportedly bribed a senior Syrian security official “for a huge sum of money” to give him security-related files.
Egypt reportedly shared intelligence with Syria, that led to the arrest.
A Lebanese journalist also claimed that Tarek tried to recruit him to work for the Mossad, offering him $200,000.
On Monday, an Egyptian security official has said that four locals were arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel and plotting to kidnap of tourists to harm Egypt’s economy.
The official revealed Sunday that the four suspects allegedly set up offices in Egypt, Britain, Israel, and the Gaza Strip to record officials’ phone conversations and collect information about Japanese and Chinese tourists visiting the Sinai Peninsula.
The official said those detained were responsible for supplying Israeli officers with the information necessary to orchestrate the abductions of the tourists.
The suspects are facing charges of espionage and forming a terrorist cell.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The Jerusalem Post | December 24, 2010
Britain, Russia Expel Diplomats Suspected of Espionage
Britain expelled on Tuesday a diplomat from Russia’s embassy in London and Russia responded in kind as the recent spat between the two countries over espionage continues.
Britain made the request on Dec. 10 for “clear evidence” of Russian intelligence service activities against British interest, said British Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Russia, in return, asked a British diplomat in Moscow to leave on Dec. 16. Both diplomats have been withdrawn, according to a statement by the British Foreign Ministry.
Xinhuanet | December 22, 2010
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