http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=Tehran Sat, 25 May 2013 01:31:46 -0400 Liveleak http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/logo.gif http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=Tehran Mon, 20 May 2013 09:18:44 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=87c_1369055845 cathy winslow Iran unveils a new air defense system. On Monday Iran's Defense Ministry alongside the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Aerospace Force (IRGC AF) unveiled a domestically built mobile air defense system called "Herze 9". Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi commented on this new achievement. "Herze 9" can identify and target enemy helicopters, rockets and fighter jets at low ranges and low altitudes of about 8-12 kilometers. This mobile air defense system uses the most technologically advanced computer hardware and software and the latest navigation system available today. Brig. Gen. Vahidi said Iran has produced this defense system, despite the recent wave of unilateral sanctions of the west against Iran. Iran's Defense Ministry and the IRGC AF future project is to build a domestic high range and high altitude air defense system, which experts believe to be one of the most difficult tasks in military defense. http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/05/20/304447/iran-unveils-new-mobile-air-defense-system/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=87c_1369055845 cathy winslow Iran unveils new mobile air defense system called &quot;Herze 9&quot; Iran,Mobile air defense,tehran,Herze 9 Thu, 23 May 2013 10:57:02 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=faf_1369320790 m16carbine Tony Badran, May 23, 2013 It's been five days since Hezbollah and Assad regime forces launched their joint offensive on the town of al-Qusayr in the Homs countryside. Hezbollah and regime media were quick to claim major advances, confidently predicting that the town would fall swiftly. These pronouncements have proven premature. The attack on al-Qusayr has been long in the making. Assad's forces, limited in manpower, are now acting more in concert with irregular sectarian militias trained by Iran. But the string of tactical gains in the Homs countryside, starting in April and leading to the current battle in al-Qusayr, is tied directly to Hezbollah's lead role in spearheading ground operations. As it became clear that the Syrian opposition was putting up fierce resistance, Hezbollah began adjusting its story about the battle for al-Qusayr. The group was now making it known that it was sending in reinforcements from its elite units, and that the fighting might last at least another week. More troublesome for Hezbollah, however, was the news about the severe losses its units were sustaining, with casualty numbers ranging from 30 to 40 dead after the first day of fighting alone. By Tuesday, Syrian activists in al-Qusayr were claiming another 25 dead Hezbollah fighters. This, of course, is not counting those who had been killed prior to the latest assault, going back to last year. The number and make-up of the casualties raise some interesting questions about Hezbollah's fighting force post-2006. It is generally estimated that Hezbollah lost 500-600 soldiers during the July 2006 war with Israel. Not only was that a high percentage of its regular fighting force - thought to be anywhere around 2,000 men at the time - but also, it represented a loss of operational memory, as many of those fighters had gained combat experience against Israel and its proxy (the South Lebanon Army) in southern Lebanon. Some observers at the time maintained that many of Hezbollah's best fighters "never saw action" in 2006, as local village fighters, and not Hezbollah "regulars," handled much of the defense. But this was mainly party propaganda attempting to put a brave face on what was by any measure a major blow to the resistance. It's been reported since that, after the war ended, Hezbollah embarked on a major recruitment effort, and sent new recruits to Iran for training in order to rebuild its elite units. These new members, however, have not seen actual combat. Judging from the death notices of Hezbollah fighters in al-Qusayr and Damascus, many of them seem to be in their early to mid-20s. In other words, these are fighters unlikely to have participated in the fighting in 2006, and who are part of the post-2006 recruitment drive. Accompanying these untested fighters are older experienced fighters and unit commanders, several of whom have been killed as well, as obvious from the various posters of the fallen released by the group. Last year, for example, one such senior military commander, Ali Nassif (Abu Abbas), was killed near al-Qusayr. Shimon Shapira, an authority on Hezbollah and a retired Brigadier General now at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, thinks that there are several hundred Hezbollah fighters in Syria, "most of them from the elite units." This description fits with what some local sources in Dahiyeh have told NOW Arabic about the Hezbollah soldiers in Syria. However, these sources applied that description to the young fighters who are trained but not battle tested. Shapira explains that these younger soldiers "are well trained, some of them in Iran, and are considered elite in Hezbollah standards" - the operative words here being "Hezbollah standards." In other words, as noted earlier in reference to the 2006 war, while there has been a tendency, carefully nurtured by Hezbollah, to mythologize the outfit's elite fighters, their capabilities should be kept in perspective. What, then, does it mean that Hezbollah is now sending "elite" units to reinforce its fighters in al-Qusayr? Does it mean more of the same younger, untested fighters? Or does it mean sending even more of the experienced, if older, soldiers? Each option exposes a different set of vulnerabilities. A high casualty rate of newly trained "elite" fighters, recruited to replace those killed in 2006, means a waste of precious time and resources. The loss of even more battle-hardened soldiers, on top of the 500-600 from 2006, means further loss of operational memory and combat experience in the party's fighting corps. If the casualty rate stays this high even for another week, it could prove devastating. For instance, according to a party official who spoke to the Kuwaiti al-Rai , many of those killed on the first day in al-Qusayr were cut down by landmines and IED's prepared by the Syrian rebels. A Lebanese source who follows the group closely says that a company of 200 Hezbollah fighters attempted the initial assault but ran into the hidden explosive devices, resulting in the high death toll. The source reveals that the Syrians received assistance from certain Palestinian factions in planning the defense of the town. Already, prior to the latest onslaught on al-Qusayr, Hezbollah's former secretary general, Subhi Tofeyli, stated that the group had lost 138 members in Syria. Shapira believes that "from the hundreds" they have deployed, "they have lost over 200. Some are commanders, over 30-35 years of age." As many as 65 - ten percent of the total lost in the 2006 war - were killed in just two days of fighting. There's another key issue to consider: Even if in the end Hezbollah manages to take the town, it remains unclear who would hold it. Indeed, this has been a problem for the Assad regime throughout the two-year conflict: Assad forces can capture ground from the rebels but they don't have enough manpower to hold it. The likelihood, then, of a renewed Hezbollah engagement in al-Qusayr further down the road is likely - provided the rebels continue to receive steady shipments of ammunition and are able to secure supply lines. The severity of this overall picture explains why Hezbollah's chief Hassan Nasrallah had to travel to Tehran and meet with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani. There, he was reportedly told to go all in, regardless of the cost. It was Iran's call. After all, not only were these fighters trained in Iran, but also they were prepared in order to serve in the next ground war with Israel. In fact, over the last three years, Hezbollah has been putting out leaks in the media about its intention to have its commando infantry units go on the offensive and take the fight to northern Israel in any future conflict. By publicly taking the lead in the assault operations in Syria, Hezbollah was to show its military capability to decisively and swiftly win battles - first in al-Qusayr, then on other fronts in the country. The problem for Iran, however, is that, regardless what happens next in al-Qusayr, the performance of Hezbollah's elite forces is signaling the opposite of the message Iran sought to communicate. As more of the group's elite units are called up from Lebanon to reinforce their comrades in Syria, Iran has to be concerned about more than just seeing its strategic weapons caches blown up by Israel. It also has to be worried about how Hezbollah's vulnerabilities are being exposed not by the IDF, but by Syrian rebels that the Party of God was supposed to dispatch easily. If the Iranians have overestimated Hezbollah's capabilities against an adversary like the Free Syrian Army, one wonders what else about their power they've misjudged. ------------------------- ------------------------- Hezbollah's Fallen Soldiers BY PHILLIP SMYTH, MAY 22, 2013, Foreign Policy Magazine Hezbollah is throwing its men into battle in the Syrian city of Qusayr, and many are returning to Lebanon in coffins. Through their funerals and commemorations posted on pro-Hezbollah Facebook pages, we are now getting a sense of the casualties that the self-proclaimed "Party of God" is suffering as it joins the Syrian conflict on the side of President Bashar al-Assad. Despite Hezbollah's obscuring of facts surrounding their dead, it is clear their supporters know these men met their end in Syria. Chants of "Labayka ya Zaynab" ("We are here for you, O Zaynab") are ubiquitous at funerals for Hezbollah's martyrs. The highly sectarian and mantra-like chant references the Zaynab mosque in Damascus, an important Shia shrine near Damascus and a gathering point for pro-Iranian foreign fighters in Syria. Qusayr isn't Hezbollah's first battle in Syria -- for months, its militiamen have also taken part in fighting around the Zaynab shrine . While in Damascus, Hezbollah members tend to operate under the moniker of a group called Liwa Abu Fadl al-Abbas (LAFA). The group is comprised of fighters from throughout the Shia world, the vast majority coming from Iranian proxy parties in Iraq and from Hezbollah. The group takes its name from a legendary Shiite fighter who was martyred during the Battle of Karbala , a central event in Shiism. Hezbollah's dead are often also claimed by LAFA on their wide network of Facebook pages. When a Hezbollah fighter is killed, the party often releases a photograph of the militiaman when he was still living. Their posters sometimes feature the Zaynab shrine's golden dome in the background. Hezbollah's semi-official Facebook announcements tend to offer the best information of the circumstances of a fighter's death: Some photographs are posted with a caption reading " defending Sayyida Zaynab" or "martyred during the sacred defense." Sometimes, there is enough publicly available information about a fallen Hezbollah militiaman to reach a conclusion about where he was fighting at the time of his death. The case of Hezbollah's "Haidar" Ali Jamal Jishi presents the perfect case where cross-referencing on YouTube, Facebook, and official Hezbollah pages established, without a doubt, that he was operating in Damascus. In one video, Jishi is seen firing a recoilless rifle in Damascus's Midan neighborhood. Semi-official Facebook announcements of his death said he died "defending Sayda Zaynab." Jishi was also pictured fighting in an urban area, and some of his martyrdom posters feature the gold dome of the shrine. However, Jishi's case is a rarity -- in most cases, it is difficult to determine with any degree of certainty where a Hezbollah fighter died. Other death notices suggest strongly that Hezbollah fighters were killed in Qusayr. One of the deceased fighters, Muhammed Fouad Raba', was pictured in an April 15 photo with what appears to be a Syrian military ZSU-23-4 anti-aircraft gun. The photo's date also coincides with the beginning of the joint Syrian military-Hezbollah assault on Qusayr. Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah has explained his party's involvement in Syria by saying that it is an ad hoc effort by fighters from areas bordering the conflict zone to protect Shia villages within Syria. But the information coming to light about the dead belie that claim: Hezbollah's slain fighters come from a diverse set of locations within Lebanon, from towns in the central Beqaa to southern Lebanese towns on the Israel-Lebanon border. While burials of the Hezbollah fighters occur in these villages and towns, it is still hard to gauge where exactly they were living in Lebanon prior to the fighting in Syria, as funerals are generally held in those areas from where their families originated. Another narrative, primarily one emerging from pro-rebel sources, was that Hezbollah was mainly losing young men. This too appears to be incorrect: While ages of those killed are very rarely posted by any Hezbollah-affiliated source, a number of older members have been killed in Syria. Ahmed Kamal Khurees , a Hezbollah fighter from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, sports a white beard in his martyrdom photo. Fadi Muhammed Jazar , a Hezbollah member --and possible commander -- who served time in Israeli prisons and was released during a 2004 Hezbollah-Israel prisoner exchange, was no youngster. Ibrahim Husayn , reportedly a Hezbollah commander, was also an older fighter. The presence of veteran fighters in Syria underlines the importance of this campaign for Hezbollah. As fighting around Qusayr continues and announcements of new deaths flood in, one thing is certain: Hezbollah's involvement in Syria will only continue to grow. The group's slain fighters will now find graves in the soil of Lebanon, and on pages commemorating their life and death on Facebook. Despite Hezbollah's obscuring of facts surrounding their dead, it is clear their supporters know these men met their end in Syria. Chants of "Labayka ya Zaynab" ("We are here for you, O Zaynab") are ubiquitous at funerals for Hezbollah's martyrs. The highly sectarian and mantra-like chant references the Zaynab mosque in Damascus, an important Shia shrine near Damascus and a gathering point for pro-Iranian foreign fighters in Syria. Qusayr isn't Hezbollah's first battle in Syria -- for months, its militiamen have also taken part in fighting around the Zaynab shrine . While in Damascus, Hezbollah members tend to operate under the moniker of a group called Liwa Abu Fadl al-Abbas (LAFA). The group is comprised of fighters from throughout the Shia world, the vast majority coming from Iranian proxy parties in Iraq and from Hezbollah. The group takes its name from a legendary Shiite fighter who was martyred during the Battle of Karbala , a central event in Shiism. Hezbollah's dead are often also claimed by LAFA on their wide network of Facebook pages. When a Hezbollah fighter is killed, the party often releases a photograph of the militiaman when he was still living. Their posters sometimes feature the Zaynab shrine's golden dome in the background. Hezbollah's semi-official Facebook announcements tend to offer the best information of the circumstances of a fighter's death: Some photographs are posted with a caption reading " defending Sayyida Zaynab" or "martyred during the sacred defense." Sometimes, there is enough publicly available information about a fallen Hezbollah militiaman to reach a conclusion about where he was fighting at the time of his death. The case of Hezbollah's "Haidar" Ali Jamal Jishi presents the perfect case where cross-referencing on YouTube, Facebook, and official Hezbollah pages established, without a doubt, that he was operating in Damascus. In one video, Jishi is seen firing a recoilless rifle in Damascus's Midan neighborhood. Semi-official Facebook announcements of his death said he died "defending Sayda Zaynab." Jishi was also pictured fighting in an urban area, and some of his martyrdom posters feature the gold dome of the shrine. However, Jishi's case is a rarity -- in most cases, it is difficult to determine with any degree of certainty where a Hezbollah fighter died. Other death notices suggest strongly that Hezbollah fighters were killed in Qusayr. One of the deceased fighters, Muhammed Fouad Raba', was pictured in an April 15 photo with what appears to be a Syrian military ZSU-23-4 anti-aircraft gun. The photo's date also coincides with the beginning of the joint Syrian military-Hezbollah assault on Qusayr. Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah has explained his party's involvement in Syria by saying that it is an ad hoc effort by fighters from areas bordering the conflict zone to protect Shia villages within Syria. But the information coming to light about the dead belie that claim: Hezbollah's slain fighters come from a diverse set of locations within Lebanon, from towns in the central Beqaa to southern Lebanese towns on the Israel-Lebanon border. While burials of the Hezbollah fighters occur in these villages and towns, it is still hard to gauge where exactly they were living in Lebanon prior to the fighting in Syria, as funerals are generally held in those areas from where their families originated. Another narrative, primarily one emerging from pro-rebel sources, was that Hezbollah was mainly losing young men. This too appears to be incorrect: While ages of those killed are very rarely posted by any Hezbollah-affiliated source, a number of older members have been killed in Syria. Ahmed Kamal Khurees , a Hezbollah fighter from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, sports a white beard in his martyrdom photo. Fadi Muhammed Jazar , a Hezbollah member --and possible commander -- who served time in Israeli prisons and was released during a 2004 Hezbollah-Israel prisoner exchange, was no youngster. Ibrahim Husayn , reportedly a Hezbollah commander, was also an older fighter. The presence of veteran fighters in Syria underlines the importance of this campaign for Hezbollah. As fighting around Qusayr continues and announcements of new deaths flood in, one thing is certain: Hezbollah's involvement in Syria will only continue to grow. The group's slain fighters will now find graves in the soil of Lebanon, and on pages commemorating their life and death on Facebook. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=faf_1369320790 m16carbine Hezbollah's assault at al-Qusayr (article) syria, hezbollah, qusayr, assad, Tue, 21 May 2013 18:23:50 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=149_1369174529 drynwhyl Saudi Arabia has arrested 10 more suspects in what it says is a spy ring linked to Iran, state media report. Those detained include eight Saudis, a Turk, and a Lebanese citizen. Eighteen people were arrested in the same case in March. Saudi Arabia, which is predominantly Sunni Muslim, has recently repeatedly found itself at odds with Iran, an overwhelmingly Shia Muslim nation. Iran has denied any involvement in spying in Saudi Arabia. Those arrested in March included an Iranian, a Lebanese and 16 Saudis. The Lebanese suspect has subsequently been released, officials said. Shortly after their detention, the Saudi authorities said the suspects were gathering information about installations and vital areas, and were linked to Iranian intelligence services. Saudi Arabia's Shia minority is concentrated in the country's eastern province, and community leaders there were quoted as saying all the Saudi suspects detained in March were Shia. Tensions between Riyadh and Tehran deepened last year when Saudi Arabia deployed troops to the Gulf island kingdom of Bahrain to help crush a Shia-led uprising there. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22615566 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=149_1369174529 drynwhyl Saudi Arabia Arrests 'Iran Spy Ring' Suspects saudi, arabia, iran, spy, ring, arrests, intelligence, services, shia, sunni Mon, 20 May 2013 11:12:51 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d13_1369061584 m16carbine How do you say 'Quagmire' in Farsi? By THANASSIS CAMBANIS, May 2013, Foreign Policy Magazine ARSAL, Lebanon - For more than a year, leaders in Lebanon have anxiously eyed the murderous civil war in Syria, wondering whether it would leap across the border and engulf the small, fractious country. And yet, it is Lebanon that now has jumped decisively into the fray, with Hezbollah's help apparently crucial to the Syrian regime 's strategy and survival. Uniformed Hezbollah fighters openly patrol the northern reaches of Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, fighting on either side of the increasingly porous border with Syria. Rocket and mortar teams target Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters a few miles away, and Lebanese Hezbollah infantry fighters crisscross the "Shiite villages" surrounding the city of Qusayr just across the border in Syria, which now forms one of the pivot points of the conflict. The fighting around Qusayr has brought into the open the parlor game over whether Iran and Hezbollah are active combatants in Syria's war. In an April 30 speech, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah hinted at greater involvement from the Lebanese paramilitary group in Syria, warning that the regime had "real friends" who would prevent Syria from "fall into the hands" of the United States and Israel. The thunder of artillery fire in the mountains flanking the Beqaa Valley, like the spate of no-longer-hidden Hezbollah funerals , make clear that Hezbollah and its Iranian sponsors have crossed a Rubicon. They are now fully vested factions in the Syrian civil war, and they're committed to an open and escalating fight. Not 20 miles from Hezbollah's position as the crow flies, FSA fighters flee across the border to the Sunni village of Arsal, nestled north in the Beqaa Valley in the mountains separating Lebanon and Syria. They make no distinction between the Syrian army, Hezbollah, and Iran -- because, they say, they get shot at by all three. "We could have common interests with Hezbollah, but they're attacking us. Now there are grudges, which we will have to settle after the war," said Shehadeh Ahmed Sheikh, 24, a self-described mortar man in the FSA. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor of an unfinished home in Arsal. Sheikh had brought with him 16 members of his extended family after their house in Qusayr had been destroyed earlier that week; as we talked, they squatted around him in the dwelling, which they had been assigned to by Arsal's mayor. Like many Sunnis in the area, he referred to Hezbollah, whose name means "the Party of God" in Arabic, as Hezb al-Shaitan -- "the Party of Satan." By supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the hilt, Hezbollah and Iran are risking their hard-won reputation as stewards of an anti-Israel and anti-U.S. alliance that transcends sect and nationality. Syrian combatants increasingly understand the war in sectarian terms: On one side there is the Sunni majority; on the other side, other sects and a small group of Sunnis that have made common cause with the Alawite regime. Western diplomats estimate that a few thousand Hezbollah fighters are involved in the Syrian fighting. Close observers of the group, which carefully guards its operational structure, say that they mistrust any precise numbers. But if Hezbollah has sent hundreds, or even a few thousand, of its best-trained fighters to Syria, that deployment certainly represents a significant percentage of its fighting force. During its 2006 war with Israel, the highest estimate of Hezbollah fighters killed was about 700, with the group's own official death toll closer to 300. Sunnis are increasingly framing the conflict as a sectarian jihad. The influential Lebanese Salafi cleric Ahmad Al-Assir has set up his own militia , suggesting his fighters would be just as willing to confront Hezbollah in Lebanon as they already are to travel to Syria to fight alongside the rebels there. Supporters of the regime and Hezbollah point out that the rebellion tolerates Sunni fundamentalist extremists whereas Assad and Hezbollah rely on a time-tested alliance of minorities, including Alawites, Christians, Druze, and Shiite Muslims. The propaganda of both sides has sharpened a narrative of the Syrian conflict as a struggle between Sunni extremists and old-style authoritarians, who at least protect the minorities they exploit. Deadly identity politics have taken root, and people on both sides of the conflict see it more and more as a matter of survival. Sheikh, the young Sunni fighter, planned to return to battle as soon as he settled his family: "We cannot go back to the way things were before" On the eve of the uprisings just three short years ago, many Arab analysts observed half-jokingly that the most influential state in the Arab world wasn't Arab at all -- it was Iran, awash in oil revenues and ready to lavish cash on a region in the throes of an increasingly hot Sunni-Shiite cold war. Sunni monarchs and dictators fretted about a "Shiite Crescent" linking Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Hezbollah. Tehran, for its part, strutted triumphantly across the Arab stage, bragging about an unstoppable "Axis of Resistance" oiled with ideological fervor and the supreme leader's bank account. What a difference a few uprisings can make. Today, Iran's involvement in Syria has all the makings of a quagmire, and certainly represents the Islamic Republic's biggest strategic setback in the region since its war with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ended in 1988. Syria's conflict has begun to attract so much attention and resources that it threatens to end the era when Iran could nimbly outmaneuver the slow-moving American behemoth in the Middle East. Iran -- already reeling from sanctions -- is spending hundreds of millions of dollars propping up Bashar al-Assad's regime. In the murky arena of sub rosa foreign intervention, it's impossible to keep a detailed count of the dollars, guns, and operatives the Islamic Republic has dispatched to Syria. Westerners and Arab officials who have met in recent months with Syrian government ministers say that Iranian advisers are retooling key ministries to provide copious military training, including to the newly established citizen militias in regime-controlled areas of Syria. "We back Syria," Iranian General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan reiterated on May 5. "If there is need for training we will provide them with the training." In private meetings, Iranian diplomats in the region project insouciance, suggesting that the Islamic Republic can indefinitely sustain its military and financial aid to the Assad regime. To be sure, its burden today is probably bearable. But as sanctions squeeze Iran and it comes under increasing pressure over its nuclear program, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) might find the investment harder to sustain. The conflict shows no signs of ending, and as foreign aid to the rebels escalates, Iran will have to pour in more and more resources simply to maintain a stalemate. If this is Iran's Vietnam, we're only beginning year three. The cost of Tehran's support of Assad can't entirely be measured in dollars. Iran has had to sacrifice most of its other Arab allies on the Syrian altar. As the violence worsened, Hamas gave up its home in Damascus and its warm relationship with Tehran. Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood-dominated government has also adopted a scolding tone toward Iran on Syria. On Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy's first visit to Tehran, he took the opportunity to blast the "oppressive regime" in Damascus, saying it was an "ethical duty" to support the opposition. Gone are the days when Iran held the mantle of popular resistance. Popular Arab movements, including Syria's own rebels, now have the momentum and air of authenticity. Iran's mullahs finally look to the Arab near-abroad as they long have appeared at home -- repressive, authoritarian, and fierce defenders of the status quo." Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Iran's commitment to Assad has put the crown jewel of its assets in the Arab world, Hezbollah, in danger. Just a few years ago, a survey found that Nasrallah was the most popular leader in the Arab world. Along with other members of the "resistance axis," Hezbollah mocked the rest of the Arab world's political movements as toadies and collaborators, happy to submit to American-Israeli hegemony. Today, however, it has sacrificed this popular support and enraged Sunnis across the Arab world by siding with a merciless dictator. Hezbollah used to try to cultivate allies from all sects, so that it wouldn't seem to be pursuing a purely Shiite agenda, but it now appears in the eyes of the Arab world to have cast its lot -- hook, line, and sinker -- with a brutal minority regime in Syria over a popular, largely Islamist movement. A Pew survey last year found that the group's popularity was declining in predominantly Sunni countries such as Egypt and Jordan, while Lebanese Sunnis and Christians also increasingly soured on the party. In the border town of Hermel, usually secretive Hezbollah fighters have openly mobilized. They fight on both sides of the border, protecting a ring of Shiite villages in Syria that connect Damascus to the Alawite heartland. An untold number of Hezbollah fighters have been killed in Syria -- so many that the movement has stopped keeping the funerals secret and has even released videos of some of the martyrs. "We bury our martyrs in the open," Nasrallah said in his recent speech. "We are not ashamed of them." Hezbollah positions in Hermel were shelled on May 12, and the Sunni jihadist Nusra Front reportedly claimed responsibility . In their rhetoric, Lebanese politicians have sought to downplay the sectarian nature of the fight in Syria, and there are plenty of individuals who say they have chosen sides out of interest or ideology, rather than sect. Yet to most of its participants, the conflict has taken on an undeniably sectarian hue: an almost entirely Sunni rebellion, against a regime supported by the majority of Syria's other sects. "There's no difference between Hezbollah, the army, and the Syrian regime," scoffed Mustafa Ezzedine, a driver in Arsal who was recently dragged into the conflict as a literal hostage, kidnapped because he was a Sunni Muslim by a Shiite clan that wanted one of its own kidnapped members released. It doesn't matter that among his guests at a recent, lazy hashish-fueled afternoon tea was a member of that same rival clan: sectarian politics have little regard for personal views. For residents of the Beqaa Valley, the war in Syria has already drifted across the border, and they fear it could get worse quickly. The regional stakes are high as well. On at least one occasion, the Syrian conflict has cost an Iranian military commander his life. In mid-February, a shadowy IRGC officer responsible for overseeing Iranian reconstruction projects in Lebanon who went by the names Hessam Khoshnevis and Hassan Shateri was killed on the road from Damascus to Beirut. Iran put out the story that Israel assassinated their man, but Western and Arab officials told me they had seen reliable intelligence reports that it was a Syrian rebel ambush. A who's who of Lebanese politicians paid condolences at the Iranian embassy, and Hezbollah's number two, Naim Qassem, delivered a long tribute to the fallen IRGC offer at a memorial service in an underground theater in Beirut's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs. It was the latest sign that Hezbollah is willing to risk everything in supporting the Syrian dictator -- and that Iran just may ask its Lebanese ally to fight to the end, or go down with the ship. "We would be nothing without Iran!" Qassem thundered in his tribute. "Others hide the foreign funds they receive. We proudly open our hands to Iran's gifts. What the resistance needs, they provide." http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d13_1369061584 m16carbine How Do You Say 'Quagmire' in Farsi? hezbollah, fsa, saa, syria, syria civil war, iran Mon, 20 May 2013 02:46:30 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bff_1369032049 Abdul Ruff Colachal USA against Denuclearization and Disarmament By DR. ABDUL RUFF COLACHAL Affairs ,Former university Teacher; Editor:INTERNATIONAL OPINION; Editor: FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES; Palestine Times: RANDOM THOUGHTS; ( http://abdulrubb.wordpress.com ); website: http://abdulruff.wordpress.com / mail: abdulruff_jnu@yahoo.com ] __________________________________ Humanity seeks a secured world free from nukes and wars. But big powers and their traditonal military n and space rivalries dney the pople of globe real chances for safety and security. Although it criticizes Iran and North Korea on their legitimate nuke projects, USA is not at all serious about denuclearization and disarmament. Washington stalls al serious attempts by global nations to create a world free of nukes. American opposition and lack of commitment to various international disarmament conventions are obstacles to advancing the issue of global disarmament. To put it aptly, the US opposition to the protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention, its non-adherence to its commitments under the Chemical Weapons Convention to eliminate its arsenal by 2012, and efforts to prevent global denuclearization as well as a nuclear-free Middle East are all part of Washington's black record of non-compliance with international obligations and disrespect for international mechanisms on global disarmament and security. The USA has, for all practical purposes, taken the UN Disarmament Conference hostage and is hindering its effective performance in advancing international peace and security. For years now, the USA is opposed to bringing up the issue of disarmament in the UN Disarmament Conference Refusal by USA to denuclearize Israel clearly shows its own mindset to retain have nuke regime intact. But the efforts by USA-Israel twins to project Iran as a rogue state are motivated and hence do hold water. Iran is among the first founders of the UN Disarmament Conference and, Iran says, has always played an instrumental and constructive role in advancing the objectives of the conference, in particular that of nuclear disarmament. Iran has also played a key role in negotiations on international treaties, including the Chemical Weapons Convention. Iran proposed the idea of a nuke-free Middle East and is among the flag-bearers of nuclear disarmament. Describing Iran as a victim of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), the Iranian spokesman said the Islamic Republic of Iran along with other peace-loving nations of the world will continue to tap into all national and international potential to contribute to the creation of a WMD-free world. The recent remarks by US President B Obama and UK Premier David Cameron about continuing pressure on Iran are discouraging and indicate the lack of a realistic view and the right understanding of reality by those who advocate these pressures. Iran said the policy of pressure had never been effective, adding that purposeful negotiations made with goodwill were the only way to achieve a solution to the Western standoff over Tehran's nuclear energy program. Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned Canada regime for joining anti-Iran rogue states bandwagon led by USA-Israel twins and also condemned the recent remarks by Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird and the holding of an anti-Iran conference in Canada as flagrant interference in the Islamic Republic of Iran's internal affairs. Canada's blame-game in the foreign policy arena, particularly with respect to the Islamic Republic of Iran, will not be able to divert public attention either inside or outside Canada from issues such as the election fraud known as the Robocalls scandal, which brought the current Canadian government to power, or the blatant and systematic violation of human rights in Canada. People around the world have learned about the massive racial discrimination, child trafficking and sex abuse, biased regulations for aborigines and minorities, growing poverty and unemployment among immigrants, racism and xenophobia in Canada, which were all reported by the UN official sources as well as Canada's non-government organizations. The international community is concerned about democracy and the human rights situation in Canada The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman further welcomed Egypt's proposal on forming a quartet on Syria and voiced the Islamic Republic's readiness to help resolve the crisis in the Arab country. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bff_1369032049 Abdul Ruff Colachal USA against Denuclearization and Disarmament USA against De-Nuclearization and Disarmament Sat, 18 May 2013 10:54:29 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c21_1368888439 AntiPropagaanda Iranian firefighter saves lives after deathTEHRAN, May 16 (MNA) - Iran's Firefighters Organization spokesman says a firefighter's body parts will transplanted to other patients.Jalal Maleki told Mehr News that "firefighters received a call informing of a fire on a residential building in Bagheri neighborhood in Tehran at 2:18 PM on Tuesday. A young woman with her two children had been trapped inside home. The women managed to escape along with her son, but her 9-year-old daughter was hanging from window and in the brink of a free fall. They were saved by the firefighters. A young firefighter gave his oxygen mask to 9-year-old girl, and subsequently, suffered brain death. This was not the end for the 35 years old firefighter, as his family decided, in a laudable act, to give his body parts to be transplanted to other patients in need of his organs. Arrangements for transplanting of organs of young firefighter have been made in Masih Daneshvari Hospital in Tehran. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c21_1368888439 AntiPropagaanda Iranian firefighter saves lives after death Iranian firefighter saves lives after death Sat, 18 May 2013 05:56:21 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a25_1368870824 skolonom http://espn.go.com/new-york/story/_/id/9279942/iran-crushes-us-6-1-wrestling-exhibition-new-york-grand-central-terminal Iran's wrestling team visited the United States for the first time in a decade and found a virtual home meet.The fans waving Iranian flags and stomping on the temporary bleachers were treated to a show of dominance by the wrestling power Wednesday in the exhibition at Grand Central Terminal. Iran beat the Americans 6-1."It's typical Iranian. Wherever we go, they do the same thing," two-time world champion Mehdi Taghavi Kermani said through a translator after winning his match at 145 1/2 pounds.The fans' chanting and horn-blowing echoed off the intricate patterns on the ceiling high above and through the curtains separating Vanderbilt Hall from the commuters rushing home to the suburbs. The event dubbed "The Rumble on the Rails" marked the fourth straight year a New York City landmark was transformed into a wrestling meet to raise money for charity, with the last two in Times Square.But this one took on added significance beyond supporting wrestling nonprofit Beat the Streets. In February, the International Olympic Committee recommended that the sport be dropped starting with the 2020 Games.So there were the United States, Iran and Russia all together Wednesday, hoping the IOC takes to heart the symbolism of the three nations peacefully sharing a wrestling mat. The Americans swept five freestyle matches from the Russians later in the day.Iran also will face the U.S. in Los Angeles on Sunday. Wrestling is now one of eight sports seeking to fill one spot in the 2020 Olympics. The IOC board will meet May 29 in Russia to recommend a short list, with the final decision in September."This is what we're trying to do right now," said 22-year-old Kyle Dake, who could be an American star of the 2020 Olympics. "This is how we're going to save Olympic wrestling."The youngster was the lone bright spot for the U.S. against Iran. At 163 pounds, he beat veteran Hassan Tahmasebi, who's almost 10 years older, in his first major senior-level international match.In March, Dake became the first wrestler to win NCAA titles in four weight classes. College wrestling uses folkstyle, and Dake hadn't competed in freestyle in more than a year before Wednesday. Both his periods were scoreless and went to a leg clinch, and he won the first despite losing the ball draw."It was really loud in there. Feels like we were in Tehran," he joked. "What's going on? Where's our USA folks?" They got going chanting "U-S-A U-S-A!!" during the Americans' second meet of the day. Some of the top U.S. wrestlers, including Olympic champ Jordan Burroughs, took the mat against Russia, which did not send its best lineup. Burroughs remained undefeated, though he needed three periods to beat Saba Khubetzhty at 163 pounds and cracked a molar in a headlock."I had a filling in this tooth, and it's somewhere out there on the mat," he said with a laugh. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a25_1368870824 skolonom Iran crushes U.S. 6-1 in wrestling exhibition Iran USA Tue, 07 May 2013 17:49:21 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=4cb_1367962896 aydeo Before Iran became Israel's No. 1 archenemy, thousands of Israelis stationed in Tehran lived quite the life there. Dan Shadur's film "Before the Revolution," premiering at the Docaviv Film Festival in Tel Aviv this week, takes an insider's look at this dolce vita that came to an abrupt end in 1979, when under threat to their lives, Israelis were forced to evacuate Iranian territory. Shadur, who spent his childhood years in Tehran, where his parents served as envoys, tracked down many of their old friends and acquaintances - among them former Mossad agents, diplomats, contractors and security guards. Their shared recollections, letters, photographs and home movies bring back to life this almost-forgotten pre-revolutionary period when Israelis and Iranians wined and dined together, engaged in business dealings and exchanged intelligence secrets. Shadur's 80-minute documentary, with English subtitles, opens with a former security guard recounting the incredulous scene of hundreds of Iranians gathered on the streets to watch a film about Israel's famed Entebbe raid being projected on the outside wall of the embassy. At the part where Israeli soldiers storm the Ugandan airport, he recalls, the Iranians burst into wild applause. But later on, when the Israeli commando leader Yoni Netanyahu (Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's brother) is gunned down, they collectively erupt into tears. Who could have imagined, he asks, that just a few months later, he and other once-admired Israelis would be forced out of the country "with our tails between our legs"? Shadur's deceased mother, the filmmaker recalls, once described those years in Iran as the best period in their lives. A husband and wife, former kibbutzniks and old friends of his parents, talk about their initial amazement at being assigned a maid who "washed all our clothes by hand." Salaries were so high and the cost of living so low, other members of this former Israeli expat community testify, that they were eventually able to save enough money during their stints in Iran to purchase spacious apartments in Tel Aviv with no need to take out mortgages. All this may explain why many preferred to ignore the increasingly evident signs around them of a grassroots uprising against the Shah and to live in their "bubble," as one woman described it, making their way out of the country, often clandestinely, in just the nick of time. As an Israeli passenger on one of the last flights to leave Iran recalls, the plane "absolutely shook" from all the celebratory jumping and clapping that took place when it safely entered Turkish airspace. http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/once-upon-a-time-in-iran-and-other-israeli-tales-1.518632 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=4cb_1367962896 aydeo The day when the Iranians cheered the IDF special forces in Entebbe... Before the Revolution,Tehran,Israelis,Relations,Entebbe Sat, 27 Apr 2013 05:54:00 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8ab_1367056119 BadNad Guess What our media don't want us to see ! http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8ab_1367056119 BadNad <span class="highlight">Tehran</span> Evening Pictures !!! iran, persia, islam, muslim , jews, israel , party , bomb, shia Fri, 17 May 2013 09:08:08 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=32a_1368796034 skolonom Why George Galloway ignored the Zionist Jew http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=32a_1368796034 skolonom Why George Galloway ignored the Zionist Jew Tehran Sat, 11 May 2013 05:01:11 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0fc_1368262594 skolonom unlike western politicians this man takes a taxi to his work ! he is ali bagheri, member of iran supreme security council. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0fc_1368262594 skolonom Iranian nuclear negotiator goes to work without personal vehicle Tehran Fri, 17 May 2013 23:52:05 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d69_1368837829 RasputinFTW Ok Guys My You tube account Was banned (Many Snackbars report me) so I lost all my subscriptions and favorites however I make this new informative post who can answered many question MY ENGLISH IS A FUCKING BAD I KNOW SO YOU NO NEED TO COME HERE TO SAID WHO EVERYONE SEE. Israel *Israel got at the moment the better military Force in the Middle East US share their better System and technology with Israel *Israel Arrow 3 Is a project at the moment not ready yet *The best Air Defense in the Middle is the Israel Air defense *Israel can Strike Very Easy Iran with Ballistic Missiles Iran no got a good Anti Missile shield *Israel Aid the Ayatollahs during the Iran Iraq war but Romance over *Israel can shot down Syrian Airacraft into Syria Air Space - Syria can do the Same into Israel Air Space *At the military point the only winner in the Syrian conflict is Israel and the Terrorist Al Qaeda.. so the Snackbars destroying the Syrian Military capabilities and Will be make very easy if Israel decided bombing Syria all the fucking time killing Child with White Phosphorus like Zionists do all the Time in Gaza (THAT IS WHY I WANT DEATH ALL THESE SNACKBARS BASTARDS) *Israel got many good large force form good Logistical vehicles *Israel Armour - Mechanized is are very good and well updated *IAF is the first Air force from the Middle East very modern *IAF got the capacity from bombing Iran the problems is the Route. *Israel have nuclear weapons but are inactive (80) *Jericho 1, Jericho 2, Jericho 3 can carried nuclear head Israel can delete Tehran from the Map and any other Middle east City if they wish the range from Jericho 3 is huge *If Israel know Iran is close to got nuclear weapons they will be destroyed the Iranians installations with the Ballistic Missiles. *The Middle East countries who are a Nuclear Threat Are Israel and Pakistan *Israel links with Al Qaeda terrorists in Syria must be exists. *Israel is a very moderns Military force in a pretty Small territory to defend it make easy the Early Warning Syria *After Israel the Second country with better military capabilities is Syria (In 2011) so After more than two years the fucking Zionists Snackbars doing damage is unclear what is the real Syrian Army force now. *The Map of the SyAD not included Pantsir-S1 this map is from 2007-2009 Syria get Pantsir-S1 in 2010. *After the Lasted IAF strike inside Syria Is totally stupid the Snackbar theory who claim &quot;Israel Assad Protector&quot; If Israel decided Help Assad all Snackbars die in just days - Israel Working VERY HARD in HELP Al Qaeda in Syria. *The 50% Of the Syrian tank are a fucking old using during the Yom Kippur War but part of that is well outdated *The Damage from the Syrian Armor structure after two years is around 850 - 900 Tanks / APC /IFV combat vehicles destroyed / Captured it is less than the 15% of the Syrian Armor force - Probability Russia will be replace it soon for more moderns military vehicles. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8ec_1366502995 *Syrians APCs are outdated. *The Israel Attack on the &quot;Syrian Nuclear Reactor&quot; is a Zionist bullshit without any Serious evidence http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=544_1368545767 *Syrians IFVs force is more decent than the APCs force but outdated too (Most Part). *For Snackbars is impossible win they only can Win if NATO move in *Most Syrian Air force is Still obsolete compared with Israel, Israel ask Russia many times for no sold Advanced planes to Syria *SyAF got very good and solid ground attack capabilities. *SyAF Losses 100% Confirmed are less than 12 War Planes. *Arab Saudi got a long Range of Chinese Missiles this worried more Syria than Israel Missiles that is probability Syria are working on do a Anti Ballistic Missile Shield like Israel got now. *Syrian Army is in rebuild up phase if the Situation no change the &quot;War&quot; must be over in April 2014. *Syria got the Military capacity for attack Israel and can do high Damage however if Syria do It NATO will be move to Syria that is because Israel do a lot provocation every the time *The more large range Syrian missile is the Scud D with 700km of range *NATO can nuke Syria in a fews Hours - Not Surprise the Only NATO &quot;Equivalent&quot; is Russia *Syria can hit with Ballistic Missiles the Al Qaeda bases in Turkey that is Why NATO deployed Patriots in the Turkey Border just for saving Al Qaeda Ass *Syria need replace some oldies weapons for news elements. Iran *Iranian military capabilities (Air Force - Army) are poor Saddam destroyed the most part of the Ayatollahs Air Force - Army. *During the gulf war part of the Saddam Air Force defected to Iran but Iran got a UN Weapon embargo the quantity of Iranian combat planes operatives are less than 100 according some reports. *Iran at the CONVENTIONAL military point can't help Assad too much it is a Myth of the Zionist - Iran Only can send medicines - some individual equipment thinks like that but nothing &quot;Stronger&quot; *The conventional military capabilities from Iran are Worts during the Sha Era *Iran got a decent infantry force well equipped *The Ballistic Missile capabilities from Iran are unclear *Iranians doing Photoshops in their Ballistics Missile tests *Iranian Zulfiqar Tanks are just a local updated from oldies Americans tanks using during the Vietnam War. *Iranians Made good medium Range Ballistic Missiles *The capacity from Iran to attack Israel is nothing Israel Shield can intercept all the fews Iranians missiles *The &quot;5o Generation Stealth&quot; Iranian plane is a laughable bullshit only Russia and US can do it China no made one 100% 5o Generation Stealth plane working yet. *Iranians got very large and good Air Transport force *Iranians got a medium military industry who can be better soon it worried Israel *Iranians got a nuclear program and build a nuclear plan with Russian Assistance *Iranians got nothing for Stooped the Israel Ballistic Missiles *Iran Navy is very large and a bit decent but NATO can destroyed it without major problems. Others countries: Jordan Small but decent Army / Air force Iraq Very good Army Well Equipped by the Americans - But no got a Combat Air Force yet however the transport and logistic capabilities is decent - They also get Saddam Era Equipment (In 1991 Saddam Was able to delete Israel from the Map) that is the basic Reason because US decided killed him plus 500k of Sunni Muslims who support him. United Arab Emirates Small Military force but very good and modern Air Force, Army and Navy. Lebanon Decent army with good infantry but in a total submission with Israel in 2006 Israel bombing AT LEAST more than 500 times the Lebanese territory killed many civilians - The Two Times who Israel bombing Syria this years they used the Lebanese Air Space - Lebanese must be hate Israel a lot If you bombing my Dear Mongolia 500+ Times I will be hate you a lot too Egypt Egyptians got a large very good military force Equipped by Second Hand US Weapons Egyptians got ballistic missile capabilities according with my info more long range Egyptian Missile is just the scud B Arab Saudi Is the country who wasted more money in weapons in all the fucking middle East, their military hardwares are very moderns From EU and US many weapons from Al Qaeda in Syria come from Arab Saudi - After Israel Arab Saudi is the Most important allied from US in the Middle East Saudi Got a very dangerous small quantity from long range Chinese Missiles - Arab Saudi could be Very soon the first military force from the Middle East. I can do mistakes in some elements but you Experts can fixed it with you comments LOL http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d69_1368837829 RasputinFTW Military comparative / Info from Syria, Israel, Iran and other Middle East Countries Syria, Iran, Israel, Syrian Army, FSA, Al Qaeda, Al Nusra, Free Syrian Army, Israel defenses forces, IAF, Israel Air force, Israel Army, Iran Army, Iranian Army