MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

“Iran is contemplating violently shutting down shipping in the Persian Gulf as one of several counterattack options if Israel strikes its nuclear facilities, regional and intelligence analysts say.

Such attacks would present the Obama administration with the option of undertaking a limited war against Iran by striking its warships and shore-based anti-ship missiles to keep the Gulf open for business.

Former CIA analyst Larry C. Johnson said Iran has enough firepower to effectively close the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, through which 40 percent of all the world’s oil moves.

‘One of the things that Iran has exercised, has the capability to do, is shut down the Persian Gulf,’ Mr. Johnson said. ‘The best-case scenario is they shut it down for a week. The worst case is they shut it down for three to four months.’

He said Iran could unleash small boats laden with explosives ‘that we don’t have adequate covers for. Add to that the ability to fire multiple missiles. Our naval force will try to stop it, and that’s the hope.’

Mr. Johnson, now a consultant on counterterrorism, said Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which has orchestrated attacks against the U.S. in Iraq, also likely would hit targets in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations.

‘I think we would be looking at a significant wave of terrorist retaliation by them,’ he said.

Over the past two weeks, Israeli media have reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been seeking consensus on attacking Iran’s nuclear sites ahead of a U.N. atomic agency report last week that said the Islamic republic has engaged in activity consistent with building a nuclear weapon.

Frank J. Gaffney Jr., a former senior Pentagon official who runs the Center for Security Policy, said Iran’s ruling mullahs have always had designs on attacking the U.S., and an Israeli attack might prompt them to do so.

‘I think they will try to do as much damage to as many of us as they can,’ Mr. Gaffney said. “My guess is they will try options to have Hezbollah cells engage in attacks around the world against our forces.” Read more.

Flashback: Confirmed: Hezbollah Terror Operatives, “Sleeper Cells” Poised in the U.S – “Operatives of the Lebanese Islamic terrorist organization Hezbollah, the same group presently firing missiles into Israel and labeled as one of the most dangerous Islamic terrorist group in the world, are believed ‘to be planning to activate sleeper cells located in New York and other larger cities inside the U.S.’ to stage attacks Americans. ‘The FBI and Justice Department have launched urgent new probes in New York and other cities targeting members of the Lebanese terror group.’ Law-enforcement and intelligence officials stated that “about a dozen hard-core supporters of Hezbollah have been identified in recent weeks as operating in the New York City area (alone).’ The above appeared in an article published in The New York Post on May 22, 2006. Not surprisingly, that very same information was verified through several sources within law enforcement agencies and agents contacted by the Northeast Intelligence Network this weekend… Their international operational budget is estimated to be $200-$500 million annually, including $100 million in contributions provided directly by Iran.” Read more.

“NEW YORK – A senior Iranian official said on Tuesday that Tehran was willing to share its controversial nuclear technology with neighboring countries, suggesting it could help Turkey build an atomic power plant.

The United States, European Union and their allies suspect Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons and, along with the UN Security Council, have imposed sanctions to try to stop it from enriching uranium. But Tehran says its nuclear program is to generate electric power and refuses to halt it.

‘Iran developed a very sophisticated nuclear science and technological capability, which we are quite ready to share with … neighboring countries and friendly countries in the region,’ the official, Mohammad Javad Larijani, said.

‘Turkey is for years trying to have a nuclear power plant but no country in the West is willing to build that for them,’ Larijani told reporters. ‘This is true for our Arab (neighbors) in the region.’

‘We are ready to cooperate with them in this regard, while within the NPT.’ He was referring to the 1968 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which aims to prevent the spread of atomic weapons technology.” Read more.

Turkey against military strike on Iran – “Istanbul – Turkey is against any military strike on Iran, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Saturday, warning that speculation risked destabilising the region. ‘We do not think it is right even to talk of possible military intervention in the region… We are against such intervention and believe it would create more instability,’ Anatolia news agency quoted Davutoglu as saying in Ankara. ‘It is unacceptable that countries suspected of having nuclear weapons cause new tensions in our region,’ Davutoglu said, referring to Israel.” Read more.

Flashback: Turkish premier signals joint operation with Iran – “Turkey’s prime minister on Sunday signaled a joint military offensive with Iran against their common enemy: Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq. Turkey and Iran were working together and ‘determined,’ Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. ‘There is no question of any postponement,’ Erdogan said in a clear reference to a possible joint military operation against the main Kurdish rebel base on Qandil Mountain which sits on the Iraqi-Iranian border deep inside northern Iraq.” Read more.

Flashback: Turkey to Azerbaijan: Stand with us against Israel – “The Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan called on Baku to stand beside Ankara in its diplomatic struggle against Israel and “reconsider” its relations with the Jewish State, a Persian-language US-based website reported on Sunday… Azerbaijan has become an important strategic asset for Israel’s security and foreign affairs. In 2010, the trade between the two countries totaled more than $2 billion – double than the trade between Azerbaijan and Turkey.” Read more.

Flashback: Turkey Predicts Alliance With Egypt as Regional Anchors – “A newly assertive Turkey offered on Sunday a vision of a starkly realigned Middle East, where the country’s former allies in Syria and Israel fall into deeper isolation, and a burgeoning alliance with Egypt underpins a new order in a region roiled by revolt and revolution. The portrait was described by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey in an hourlong interview before he was to leave for the United Nations, where a contentious debate was expected this week over a Palestinian bid for recognition as a state. Viewed by many as the architect of a foreign policy that has made Turkey one of the most relevant players in the Muslim world, Mr. Davutoglu pointed to that issue and others to describe a region in the midst of a transformation. Turkey, he said, was ‘right at the center of everything.’” Read more.

“For the first time since Saturday’s deadly blast in a military base outside Tehran that killed 17 people, Iranian sources say that Israel was behind the explosion, which also claimed the life of a senior Revolutionary Guards officer.

According to a report in the Guardian, a source with close links to the Iranian regime said Israel’s Mossad was involved in the blast outside Tehran, which rattled windows in Iran’s capital Saturday.

The source, who spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity and was identified as a former director of a state-run organization, was quoted as saying: ‘I believe that Saturday’s explosion was part of the covert war against Iran, led by Israel.’

The ex official said the mysterious explosion was similar to a blast in October 2010 at a Revolutionary Guards missile base located near the city of Khorramabad, the source said.

‘I have information that both these incidents were the work of sabotage by agents of Israel, aimed at halting Iran’s missile program,’ the former official was quoted as saying.” Read more.

Iranian students form human shield near nuclear site amid fears of Israeli attack – “Hundreds of students on Tuesday formed a human chain around the uranium conversion plant in central Iran, in a demonstration staged by students to show that Iranians were ready to sacrifice their lives if the nuclear sites were attacked by Israel. It followed a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that accused Iran of using its nuclear technology to seek atomic warheads. Israel also threatened to attack the Islamic state’s nuclear sites. After holding a noon prayer session in front of the plant’s main gate, students from Isfahan universities shouted ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to America.'” Read more.

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu – “Hizbullah has canceled leaves and is preparing for war, according to the Kuwaiti newspaper As-Seyassah.

‘Hizbullah cancelled the vacations of all its militants, summoned thousands of its members and gave orders to its prominent officials to remain unseen in case a war broke out,’ the daily said.

It added that the terrorist army and political party put its combat units, including missile units, on extreme alert. The newspaper also reported that the IDF is aware of Hizbullah’s preparations and has increased reconnaissance flights over southern Lebanon.

Hizbullah’s general mobilization also includes orders for senior officials to find a place to hide in the event that war breaks out.

Although similar alerts occur often, sources told that the new preparations follow a televised speech, via a video link, by Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday. He warned that a war against Iran and Syria would spread to the entire Middle East, but he added that an Israeli attack on Lebanon is unlikely in the near future.” Read more.

Hezbollah warns of regional war if Iran, Syria attacked – “Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah on Friday warned Israel and the US that a war against Iran and Syria would lead to an all-out regional conflict. ‘They should understand that a war on Iran and Syria will not remain in Iran and Syrian territory, but it will engulf the whole region and there is no escaping this reality,’ Nasrallah said during a televised speech honoring ‘Martyrs’ Day.’” Read more.

Flashback: Nasrallah: Next War with Israel Will Start in Tel Aviv, Says Hezbollah Has ‘Many Surprises’ That Will Change the Face of the Region in a Future War – “The next war with Israel will start in Tel Aviv, not on the northern border, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned on Friday, the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper reported. ‘If Israel decided to wage a war against Lebanon, we will not only break the Israeli soldiers’ bones, we will smash them,’ Nasrallah was quoted as saying during a meeting with Hezbollah members. ‘The war would be waged without any red lines, and [Hezbollah] would in return commit to the new equations,’ Nasrallah said. ‘[Hezbollah] has many surprises that will change the face of the region,’ he added.” Read more.

Flashback: Hezbollah may be receiving weapons of mass destruction from Syria – “French newspaper Le Figaro reported on Saturday that Israel has asked Western countries to stop their diplomatic campaign against the Syrian regime for fear that the weapons of mass destruction of the Syrian regime will fall in the hands of Hezbollah and Hamas. The newspaper said the chief of military intelligence in the Israeli army, Major-General Aviv Kochavi has relayed the Israeli position during his visit to the United Nations headquarters in New York a few weeks ago. According to a French diplomat Kochavi warned that the Syrian arsenal of weapons will be directed at Israel if the regime of Bashar al-Assad falls.” Read more.

By Itamar Eichner – “Knesset Member Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a close friend of deposed Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, warned that the latest developments in Egypt indicate that ‘over time Israel will find itself in a head-on confrontation’ with its Arab neighbor.

Ben-Eliezer (Labor) told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday that Israel ‘should start preparing for a conflict’ with Egypt.

‘We are in the midst of an earthquake, and I still can’t see it subsiding, definitely not in the near future when elections are on the horizon (in Egypt),’ Ben-Eliezer told Yedioth Ahronoth.

‘Today it is clear that for the first time in history the Muslim Brotherhood will win at least a third (of the seats in parliament). Islamization is taking the place of nationalism,’ the MK said.

According to Ben-Eliezer, ‘We are in a situation whereby no one can predict how the new Egyptian leadership will look like (following elections).'” Read more.

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu – “Kenya’s prime minister, visiting Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres, asked Israel to help his country get rid of Al Qaeda terrorists.

Kenya’s soldiers have crossed into Somalia to hunt down al-Shabab terrorists, linked with Al Qaeda, in Somalia.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga asked Preisdent Peres Monday to help his security forces in light of Israel’s reputation for knowing how to combat terror. Foreign news agencies noted that Kenya’s request could provoke al-Shabab terrorists, who already have threatened to stage attacks in the capital of Kenya.

The African country, which has a high presence of Israeli businessmen and private security personnel, has accused al Shabab terrorists of being behind several kidnappings in Kenya.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga met with Prime Minister Netanyahu Monday morning ‘in a continuation of the deepening of Israel’s relations with African countries,’ government spokesmen said.

Netanyahu met with the president of Uganda on Sunday and with the South Sudanese president in the United Nations two months ago.” Source – Arutz Sheva.

By Kim Kwang-tae – “SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Yonhap) — Hundreds of North Korean nuclear and missile experts have been collaborating with their Iranian counterparts in more than 10 locations across the Islamic state, a diplomatic source said Sunday.

The revelation lends credence to long-held suspicions that North Korea was helping Iran with a secret nuclear and missile program.

It also represents a new security challenge to the international community as it seeks to curb the nuclear ambitions of Pyongyang and Tehran, and thwart trading of nuclear and missile technology.

North Korea has long been suspected of being behind nuclear and missile proliferation in Iran, Syria, Myanmar and Pakistan.

‘Hundreds of North Korean nuclear and missile engineers and scientists have been working at more than 10 sites (in Iran), including Natanz and Qom,’ the source said, citing human intelligence he declined to identify for security reasons.

The source would not allow the specific number of North Koreans to be published, citing the sensitivity of the intelligence, and would not give further details on the extent of the collaboration. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicate nature of the issue.” Read more.

Flashback: Iran, North Korea to Discuss ‘Expansion of Cooperation’ in Talks – “A top Iranian official is scheduled to make an official visit to North Korea, the Islamic Republic announced on Tuesday, in order to discuss ‘expansion of cooperation’ with Pyongyang. The trip underlines the close ties between the two nations. Israel and the West suspect Iran is trying to use its nuclear program to develop atomic weapons, and that North Korea had been aiding Iran by providing Iran with advanced missiles capable of targeting European capitals. An announcement released on the Iranian parliament’s website on Tuesday indicated that parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani, will arrive in Pyongyang for a three-day visit beginning Sunday.” Read more.

“(Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday the full extent of Iran’s nuclear program was not reflected in a recent U.N. report, which said that Tehran appeared to have worked on designing an atomic bomb.

‘Iran is closer to getting an (atomic) bomb than is thought,’ Netanyahu said in remarks to cabinet ministers, quoted by an official from his office.

‘Only things that could be proven were written (in the U.N. report), but in reality there are many other things that we see,’ Netanyahu said, according to the official.

The Israeli leader did not specify what additional information he had about Iran’s nuclear program during his cabinet’s discussion on the report by the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released last week.

At the start of meeting, Netanyahu made a broadcast repeating his call for the world ‘to stop Iran’s race to arm itself with a nuclear weapon before it is too late.'” Read more.

‘No more point’ in concessions, says Iran’s foreign minister – “Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has said he sees no more room for compromise in the battle over Iran’s contested nuclear programme, in an interview published Sunday. ‘I think there’s no more point in making additional concessions,’ he told the German news weekly Der Spiegel. ‘The nuclear question is just a pretext to weaken us by all means,’ he added. Salehi rejected an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report released Tuesday citing ‘credible’ evidence that Iran had worked towards nuclear weapons…” Read more.

Top Iran official: Tehran should reconsider cooperation with UN nuclear agency – “The Iranian parliament called on the government Sunday to revise its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the wake of a damning report on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, state television IRIB reported. Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani said that after the latest IAEA report, there was an urgent need to revise cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. He was referring to IAEA report released Tuesday, which stated that Iran had carried out tests ‘relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device.’… ‘The parliament deems necessary to review [Iran’s] cooperation with the agency, because it showed with its new approach that cooperation and non-cooperation makes no difference in its decision — which are unprofessional anyway,’ he told reporters, according to local media.” Read more.

By Jeffrey T. Kuhner-The Washington Times – “Is Bosnia-Herzegovina doomed? The small Balkan nation is being subverted by powerful internal forces that threaten its existence. The West must wake up before the former Yugoslav republic descends once again into sectarian bloodshed.

Last month, an Islamic terrorist from neighboring Serbia, Mevlid Jasarevic, opened fire on the U.S. embassy in Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo. The 23-year-old jihadist was armed with hand grenades and an automatic weapon. Fortunately, no one was killed. Mr. Jasarevic was protesting American policy toward the Muslim world. He was arrested and is awaiting trial.

Police also raided a northern Bosnian village, Gornja Maoca, which is a hotbed of Wahhabist activity and a place Mr. Jasarevic often visited. The terrorist attack shocked both Sarajevo’s political establishment and the U.S. State Department. It shouldn’t have. In Bosnia, radical Islam has been growing for years. In fact, America and the West have deliberately turned a blind eye to its dangerous rise.

From 1992 to 1995, Bosnia was ravaged by a war pitting Muslims (known as Bosniaks), Serbs and Croats against each other. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the conflict was not – and never was – a civil war driven by “ancient ethnic hatreds.” Instead, the country was a victim of outside aggression. Serbia’s late strongman, Slobodan Milosevic, waged a genocidal campaign to annex large chunks of Croatia first and then Bosnia in order to erect a Greater Serbian Empire. More than 200,000 were murdered and nearly 2 million ethnically cleansed. To counter Serbia’s expansionist ambitions, Islamic countries sought to help the besieged Bosniaks. In particular, Saudi Arabia and Iran offered extensive financial and military assistance. Thousands of foreign Mujahedeen guerrillas entered the country to battle rampaging Serb forces. The 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement ended the fighting. It also partitioned Bosnia along religious lines, creating two quasi-national entities – the Muslim-Croat Federation and the Bosnian Serb Republic.

Yet, after the war, many jihadists did not leave.” Read more.

Meh, I’m sure that if you talk nicely to them they’ll change their minds and make peace …

Revelation 6:8a, “And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth …”

Khodhr Habib: “We in the Islamic Jihad movement would like to convey several messages. The first message is to our enemies, to the entity that has been implanted in our midst, in our hearts, in the apple of our eye – Palestine. We say to them: Palestine in its entirety belongs to us. We will not forsake even a grain of its pure soil. Palestine is like a verse in the Book of Allah. Palestine is a part of our faith. We will not forsake or give to you a single grain of its pure soil. We will give you nothing but the sword. We will give you nothing but bombs. We will give you nothing but spears and swords, which will slit your throats …”

Islamic Militants in Gaza: Allah’s Teachings Are the Fire with Which ‘We Harvest the Skulls of the Jews’, ‘We Move Closer to Allah through Blood, Body Parts, and Martyrs’ – “Praise be to you, our Lord. You have made our killing of the Jews an act of worship, through which we come closer to you… Allah’s prayers upon you, our beloved Prophet [Muhammad]. You have made your teachings into constitutions for us – the light with which we dissipate the darkness of the occupation, and the fire with which we harvest the skulls of the Jews… Yes, our beloved brothers, even though the entire world moves closer to Allah through fasting, through hunger, and through tears, we are a people that moves closer to Allah through blood, through body parts, and through martyrs… Oh sons of Palestine, oh sons of the Gaza Strip, oh mujahideen – wage Jihad, wreak destruction, blow up and harvest the heads of the Zionists. Words are useless by now. The lie of peace is gone. Only weapons are of any use – the path of [recently killed] Yousuf and Ali, the path of martyrdom and Jihad. Only our wounds talk on our behalf. We speak nothing but the language of struggle, of Jihad, or rockets, of bombs, of cannons and of martyrdom-seekers. This is the language in which we talk and negotiate with the Zionist enemy… We say to the Zionists: Like a bad seed, we shall uproot you from our land, so that it can blossom in the light of the everlasting sun of our Jihad, and of our invincible religion. Jerusalem is not yours – get out of it! Haifa is not yours – get out of it! Tel Aviv is not yours – get out of it! Oh Zionists, get out before we expel you. these are the words of the mujahideen.” Watch video.

Flashback: Hezbollah Cartoon Teaches Children to Throw Stones at Israelis and to Seek Death as Martyrs to Gain Paradise – “The enemies harm everyone, therefore the young ones are now crying ‘Allah Akbar!’ [Background shows the Dome of the Rock, a holy Islamic shrine in Jerusalem] You are [our people’s] purpose and concern, let your stone pour out blood. Your land is your honor and your mother, and worldly things only come after it. My book has turned into a stone. With it, I repel the treacherous. It is small like [the boy] but its effect is great. Purify yourself, pray and set out. With your blood the soil will be perfumed. Engrave your name on [Heaven’s] doors.” Read more.