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TRUMP’S FINAL GIFT? Israel’s Massive Strike On Syria’s Iraqi Border Came With US Help

by David Mark
written by David Mark

With days to go until the Biden administration officially takes over at the White House, Israel launched another air attack on Iranian forces in Syria. While an attack on Syria by the IAF has become standard in the remaining days of the Trump administration, this time the IAF struck closer to the Iraqi border in Eastern Syria.

The attack targeted at least 15 installations housing Iranian weapons and acted as the main transit hub for the IRCG into Western Syria. There are claims that it killed 57 people – mostly IRCG members or affiliates.

Syria’s official SANA news agency said the following:

“A military source told SANA in a statement that at 01:10 on Wednesday dawn, the Israeli enemy carried out air aggression on Deir Ezzor City and al-Bukamal area.”

WATCH THE ATTACK ABOVE

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From the outset of reports last night, it was already assumed that the US had given Israel the intelligence it needed to successfully carry out such an attack, which essentially crippled the Iranian forces in the area.

The AP has claimed the following in an article published today:

“The U.S. official, who requested anonymity to speak about the matter, said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed Tuesday’s airstrike with Yossi Cohen, chief of Israel’s spy agency Mossad, at a public meeting in the popular Washington restaurant Café Milano on Monday.”

It has been assumed that the Trump Administration would continue to give Israel the green light to take out as much Iranian hardware and personnel as possible before Biden is installed. After January 20th the sinophilic nature of Biden’s regime will make Israel’s overt strikes very hard to carry out. China wants a strong Iran and if past is prescience then so does the Biden administration.

With the region on high alert after the strike, the question remains whether Iran will hold back for a few more days until the Biden administration takes over or retaliate now. Most observers believe the Mullahs in Tehran will refrain from attacking, but if this is not Trump’s final gift to the Jewish state, then expect something far larger to test the Ayatollah’s resolve

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Redemption WatchRegional Analysis

Will Israel Bomb Iran Before Trump Leaves Office?

by David Mark
written by David Mark

I am writing this post with the assumption that the MSM projection that Biden won the election carries weight. I will tackle the widespread voter fraud issues and the likelihood of Trump staying President in another article soon.

The alliance that Trump pushed forward between Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain as well as other Sunni Arab states was not done only for altruistic reasons and yearnings for a utopian world, but rather to offset Iranian expansionism through containment. Trump has employed the same strategy with China.

Given the fact that a Biden presidency most certainly means a return to the Obama era when it comes to Iran, the Gulf States and Israel are understandably worried.

With just over two months to go until Biden would theoretically take over as President, what can be done?

Well, alot.

Since Prime Minister Netanyahu knows full well that any window of opportunity to knock out Iran’s nuclear installations is closing fast, his need for a real decision on this matter must happen now.

President Trump and his team also understand this. While Trump may likely win given the extensive voter fraud cases now coming to light, there is a chance he might not and so he is very clearly planning on undertaking serious actions that will lock the potential Biden administration in place going forward.

Axios reported that the Trump administration is planning a flood of sanctions against Iran by Jan. 20th. Elliot Abrams, the Trump administration’s “envoy on Iran Elliott Abrams arrived in Israel on Sunday and met Prime Minister Netanyahu and National Security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat to discuss the sanctions plan.”

After Abrams’ visit, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due in Israel and the wider region next week. The news infers that this is connected to the sanctions. While this may very well be the case, it seems unlikely.

It is not yet clear if Trump can outmaneuver the corporatist media in the USA and so the regional backup plan is clearly being put into place now just in case he doesn’t. This is why Pompeo is on route.

Israel’s military alliance with the UAE means it can now deploy a strike team and launch an air assault on Iran’s nuclear program that can set it back enough years that any Biden rapproachment towards the Ayatollah’s will not affect the Gulf State or Israel over the next few years.

So expect some big moves if Trump comes up short on December 13th. In fact the assumption should be that if Biden is truly certified the winner on that date then war with Iran may be the likely scenario.

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Borders

Iran Stays Put in Syria, Raising the Stakes with Israel and the USA

by Micha Gefen
written by Micha Gefen

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s 12 point plan to force Iran into complying with normative international behavior is still driving the public discourse on the rogue regime’s nuclear ambitions.  While the Europeans have fought to hold onto the JCPOA, the US has slammed harsh sanctions on Tehran giving the EU a choice  – choose between Iranian oil or the US markets and financial institutions.

For Iran’s part they have not backed down.  If anything they see Pompeo’s speech given at the Heritage Foundation on May 21st as a “declaration of war.”  In usual Iranian parlance they have redoubled their efforts to strengthen their positions in Syria as well as ordering their Houthi proxy in Yemen to increase missile attacks..



For Israel, Iranian intransigence and its deepening hold on the southern areas of Syria pose the  most dangerous threat.  While Russia has appeared to sit back allowing Israel to roll back Iranian advancements, it still continues to provide advanced weaponry to Assad as well as allowing the Iranians to restock their forces in Syria.

Putin has masterfully pinned both Israel and Iran against each other in Syria allowing him to strengthen his holdings while ensuring the growing conflict between the Mullahs and Jerusalem keeps the USA’s focus off of his actions.

Will Jordan Fall to Iran?

Iranian and Hezbollah troops in southern Syria are not only becoming a threat to Israel, but are in a position to harm Jordan.  While there are significant US troops by the Yarmuk, they will be over matched by Hezbollah and Iran, if Putin decided to provide air support for any attacks the group may need to carry out cross border attacks in the fragile Hashemite kingdom.

Expect protests by Palestinians to continue against the King at the same time the kingdom faces an external threat from Iran.

Clash Between USA and Iran Inevitable

Anyone who believed that Iran would learn from new USA sanctions is missing the point on why the Trump administration pulled out of the JCPOA.  The Trump team determined it is far better to face a weaker Iran now than a regional powerhouse with nuclear capabilities in a few years. Trump’s team like many clear-sighted people understand that the Iranian regime will not change.  Afterall the Mullahs are set on conquest. It is part of their ideology and religious belief set.  The Iranian leaders will not stop being a menace to global security unless they are removed.

Syria is now ground zero for the coming war between the USA and Iran.




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BordersPolitics

Pompeo, Iran, and the Coming Middle Eastern Storm

by Micha Gefen
written by Micha Gefen

With thirteen days left until Trump announces his intention to either certify or decertify the Iranian nuclear deal, an eerie calm has engulfed the Middle East.  This calm has been broken only by the new Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s whirlwind tour of the region shortly after being confirmed by the Senate.

With no one knowing what Trump will decide on May 12th, the region understands that either decision could in fact draw the Middle East into an intractable conflict. This has been clear given Russia’s stepped up arms shipments to Syria after Trump’s bombing of Syrian chemical weapon’s sites.   Add in Iran’s bellicose statements about attacking the US if they decertify the JCPOA and the tension is palpable.

President Trump is clearly in a bind.  If he decertifies the nuclear deal he will most surely be propelling the Middle East into a conflict of unknown directions.  If he recertifies the deal, he will buy the USA and the world only a short time.  Iran thrives off weakness and if Trump decides to stay in the deal, the Iranians will see that as a go ahead to bolster their positions in Syria. Israel, Saudi, Arabia, and other Gulf States will have a choice to make: Go it alone now and risk being embroiled in a war against Iran or wait and most likely face an even stronger enemy.

Picking Pompeo for Secretary of State is a message that Trump is willing to put his foot down when necessary.  With the growing Iranian menace drawing closer to Israel, Pompeo’s ascendancy is no accident.  To be clear, the USA appears to be set on drawing down their troop levels in Syria if possible, but this means that greater back up will be given to regional allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Mike Pompeo said this today after meeting Prime Minister Netanyahu:

“We remain deeply concerned about Iran’s dangerous escalation of threats to Israel and the region, and Iran’s ambition to dominate the Middle East remains. The United States is with Israel in this fight, and we strongly support Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself.

Regarding the JCPOA, President Trump’s been pretty clear: this deal is very flawed. He’s directed the administration to try and fix it, and if we can’t fix it, he’s going to withdraw from the deal. It’s pretty straightforward.

Unlike the past administration, President Trump has a comprehensive Iran strategy that is designed to counter the full array of threats emanating from Tehran.

As part of the President’s comprehensive Iran strategy, we are also working to counter the broad set of non-nuclear threats: Iran’s missile systems, its support for Hezbollah, the importation of thousands of proxy fighters into Syria and its assistance to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. We look forward to working closely with strong allies like Israel in countering these threats and rolling back the full range of Iranian malign influence.”

It is apparent that barring a last minute change that Trump is moving towards decertifying the JCPOA, which would collapse the Iranian nuclear accords.  This will put the region on edge.  With an America depleted after fighting several wars over the last 15 years, the Trump administration finds itself having to back up its regional allies.

This was clearly why it was necessary for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to fly immediately to the Middle East even before he had moved into his office.

The drums of war are pounding away.

The storm is approaching.

 

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Politics

Pompeo’s Entry Into the State Department May Be Seismic

by Allan M. Coleman
written by Allan M. Coleman

Now that Rex Tillerson is on his way out and CIA Director Mike Pompeo set to replace him, it appears that President Trump may beginning to put together a core team for foreign policy that not only reflects Trump’s views but totes a particular ideological line.

Three aspects surrounding the Mike Pompeo appointment to the State Department should make it clear that this is no ordinary appointment.

Focus on China

Mike Pompeo has said numerous times that Russia, while a geopolitical concern is not really the main threat to the USA.  In Pompeo’s mind China is far dangerous to the USA in the long run and this threat must be tackled before it’s too late.

Pompeo may stand for protection of intellecutual property, says Jim Cramer from CNBC.

Standing with Israel

Mike Pompeo is known to be fierce critic of the Iran deal as well as a hawk when it comes to Israel.  This may be the first truly pro-Israel Secretary of State.  After 70 years of Arabists in the State Department, a real shift o Israel may finally be at thand.

Cleaning Out the Swamp

It seems one of the biggest reason Trump want Mike Pompeo is to clean out the State Department.  It may seem like a tall order, especially since the Deep State has been embedded in there since the early 20th century, but Pompeo is clearly has been given cart blanche to drain Foggy Bottom of its swamp creatures.

In conclusion, Pompeo’s appointment to Secretary of State presents a rare opportunity to entrust the position to someone whose ideology may finally gut the department and replace it with people aligned with America’s intrest.

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