What if one of the missiles streaking from Iran towards Israel had been carrying a nuclear payload? That question has been asked by many in the defence establishment this week. For all the alarm about rockets and drones, the atomic threat is true danger.

Jerusalem’s impressive retaliatory strike whispered a warning about its capabilities while offering a generous exit from escalation, and kept the international community happy. After so many allies had come to its defence, Israel owed them cooperation. But in many ways, it is more vulnerable than it was before.

Right now, war with Iran would suit nobody. Israel has Hamas to destroy and hostages to release, not to mention Hezbollah in the north. But international pressure not to “escalate” meant that Friday’s operation was about fear rather than pain. Fanaticism has a way of dulling fear.

The penalty for a massive aerial barrage, which cost Israel and its allies $1 billion to thwart, is now clear: a pinpoint strike on an airfield in Isfahan. In other words, the Iranians have succeeded in creating a world in which direct attacks on the Jewish state are no longer off the table.

In every dimension of the conflict, Tehran has long been advancing on Israel in increments. This applies to its nuclear progress as much as conventional warfare. In January, International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors visited Fordow, an Iranian nuclear site on the fringes of the Great Salt Desert. They were appalled by what they found. It had mothballed its enrichment processes in 2015, yet now it had been fitted with new equipment and was on track to double its output, including highly enriched uranium.

That same month, Iran’s former foreign minister said: “We have (crossed) all the thresholds of nuclear science and technology... Here’s an example. Imagine what a car needs. It needs a chassis, an engine, a steering wheel, a gearbox. You’re asking if we’ve made the gearbox, I say yes. Have we made the engine? Yes.” It just needs to be put together.

Tehran’s “breakout time” to achieve enough weapons-grade uranium for a bomb is close to zero. It would be a matter of months before the fissile material was deployable on a warhead.

With polls predicting a second Trump presidency, and the return of the man who imposed “maximum pressure” on Iran, Tehran may decide to go nuclear before November, reshaping the power balance of the Middle East before he takes office.

Appeasement has clearly failed. For years, the Israeli side has been calling on the Americans to adopt a four-part strategy of nuclear containment: robust sanctions, pressure from the UN and regional deterrents from a strengthened alliance with Gulf states and other moderate Arab countries and, crucially, a credible military threat.

Not only was this approach never properly adopted, it has been wilfully undermined by the White House. As a result, if Iran is to be prevented from dominating the Middle East and possibly heralding the apocalypse, military force must fall upon the regime’s nascent nukes. And soon.

In extremis, the Jewish state could destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities alone, probably by dropping several bunker buster bombs in succession to reach the complexes deep underground. But the operation really needs American might, including heavy bombers and Massive Ordnance Air Blast bombs.

Containing the fallout, both across the region and vis-à-vis Russia and China, would also require American leadership. God knows the White House owes Jerusalem this much. But years of appeasement mean that the day is coming when Israel must strike, with or without Uncle Sam.

Jake Wallis Simons is the author of ‘Israelophobia’

https://www.yahoo.com/news/israel-must-strike-iran-nuclear-174731851.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Explosions were heard in multiple locations across the Middle East late Thursday night, as Israel appears to have begun exacting revenge for Iran’s unprecedented attack on the Jewish State, which saw some 350 suicide drones and missiles fired at Israeli territory.

Explosions have reportedly been heard in Isfahan and Natzanz, both cities in Iran which have nuclear installations. Three explosions have been reported in Isfahan – where Iran has its main nuclear research facility, though it has not been confirmed that a nuclear site has been struck.

One report suggests that Israel has struck 7 Iranian cities in total: Tehran, Fordow, Arak, Natanz, Kharg, Bushehr, and Bandar Abbas. This has not yet been widely confirmed.

Iranian media report that the Hastam Shikari air force base was hit by a missile. The air base was among several from which Iran launched its direct attack against Israel last weekend. According to Iranian media, the IDF may have targeted the 8th Tactical Airbase of the Iranian Air Force, which is near the airport in Isfahan, and which contains multiple squadrons of F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft.

Airspace across the western side of Iran has been shut and Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport has informed passengers that all flights have been cancelled.

ABC News says it has been in contact with an IDF official who has confirmed that tonight’s strikes are in response to Iran’s drone and missile barrage.

The Supreme National Security Council of Iran has called an emergency meeting following tonight’s retaliatory strikes – which may still be ongoing.

The Jerusalem Post also reports that airstrikes have targeted sites belonging to the Syrian army in As-Suwayda and Daraa in southern Syria.

Additional explosions are also being reported in several locations in Iraq.

The video below appears to show anti-aircraft systems operating in Isfahan, Iran.

This is a rapidly developing, and additional and clarifying information will be added periodically.

https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/2278968/israels-revenge-explosions-reported-in-iraq-syria-and-in-iranian-cities-with-nuclear-facilities.html

An official told ABC News that strikes hit a site in Iran, however it is unclear what target was hit or the extent of the damage.

Footage shared on social media appeared to show anti-aircraft fire striking over the city of Isfahan in central Iran, which hosts one of Iran's nuclear facilities.

Multiple airports in Iran have been closed, and further unconfirmed explosions have reportedly hit Iraq and Syria.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio tweeted soon after reports of the strikes: 'Israel has the ability to conduct strikes against targets inside Iran without entering Iranian air space from aircraft over Syrian and Iraqi airspace.'

Although the US military played a central role in halting Iran's strikes on Saturday, President Biden said he made it 'very clear' to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he had to act 'carefully and strategically.'

Biden urged Netanyahu to 'take the win' of the foiled onslaught, and cautioned that the US would not participate in any Israeli counter-offensive.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13326307/Israel-strikes-Iran-war-Isfahan-rockets-tehran.html

Israel says its military has approved "offensive and defensive action" plans following an unprecedented aerial attack by Iran, with Tehran warning any retaliation would result in a "much larger response".

After an extended meeting of Israel's war cabinet on Sunday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Iran's plans had "failed".

"We are still on high alert and assessing the situation. Over the last few hours we approved operational plans for both offensive and defensive action," he said in a televised statement, without offering further detail.

The Islamic Republic's mission to the United Nations said its actions were aimed at punishing "Israeli crimes", but that it now "deemed the matter concluded".

Iranian army chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri warned on television that "our response will be much larger than the initial military action if Israel retaliates against Iran" and told Washington its bases could also be attacked if it helped Israel retaliate.

Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian said Tehran had informed the US its attack on Israel would be "limited" and for self-defence.

He said Israel's neighbours had also been informed of its planned strikes 72 hours in advance.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-15/israel-approves-offensive-defensive-plans-after-iranian-attack/103707128

Famous Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi, has warned that some policies of the present administration led by President Bola Tinubu are capable of destroying the nation if not revised.

In a 22-second video clip posted on his official Facebook page, Gumi stated that if those tough policies are not reversed, it may destroy even the government.

He urged the president to consult experts before implementing certain policies, saying he should not depend on sycophants.

He said, “President Tinubu, you have to revise your policies; if not they are going to destroy the nation and they are also going to destroy your government.

“Your political and economic policies, you have to review them. You have to ask people who know better and don’t depend on these sycophants”.

adebayo987:
Cow dung chopper

Lanretoye:
hope you and your family that is monging are ready to perish when the war starts in your backyard.

waledeji:
God hates you because you are a bigot

DUBAI: Algeria has refused a French request to fly over its airspace for a military operation in Niger, state radio said late on Monday, after a July 26 coup in the West African nation that lies south of the Algerian border.

Algeria opposes any foreign military action in Niger and favors diplomacy to restore constitutional order, state radio said.
France has about 1,500 troops in Niger that were stationed there before last month’s coup. It is not clear what military operation Algeria was referring to, but France has not said it would intervene militarily to overturn the military takeover.

West Africa’s main regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said last week said it had agreed an undisclosed “D-Day” for a possible military intervention if diplomatic efforts fail — an escalation that could further destabilize a conflict-torn and impoverished region.

On Tuesday, the African Union’s Peace and Security Council said in a communique that Niger had been immediately suspended from all African Union activities.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune voiced Algerian fears about an armed response early this month, saying “a military intervention could ignite the whole Sahel region and Algeria will not use force with its neighbors.”

The North African country worries about repercussions such as an influx of migrants into its territory, a government source familiar with the situation told Reuters.

“We are against the coup but we are against a military action that would worsen the situation in Niger and beyond in the Sahel,” the source who asked not to be named told Reuters.

French authorities did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

France’s military presence in West Africa has become increasingly tenuous amid a wave of coups in the Sahel region since 2020.
Its forces have been kicked out of Mali and Burkina Faso and anti-French sentiment has grown on the streets of Niger’s capital Niamey since the July 26 coup. Meanwhile, Russian influence in the region has grown.

Algeria has had difficult relations with France — its former colonial ruler — sparring over Sahel security and other regional issues, disputes over their shared history, French media coverage of Algeria and human rights issues.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2359376/middle-east

adebayo987:
Imaginary Imaginations

Jack500:


That drug Pusher is your president, you can go and hang yourself

Horus:


It's good to know that Hundreds of trucks with food and essentials reach Niamey

Congratulations to the Africans brothers in Burkina Faso.

All Africans puppets of the West should be Executed by firing squad

Long live to the Niger Military.

Frenchs and Americans colonisers out of Africa

TemplarLandry:
Let him keep wasting his time and money.

Parachoko:
It's good to know the sanction is biting hard on Niger Republic

Bigkoko:
Omo yeebos (in a typical agbado accent) this one no concern una.

Ronu clan vs Hausa Fulani. Let's see how the fight go end.

Around 300 trucks of food and other materials crossed into Niger from Burkina Faso with many arriving in the capital, Niamey Sunday, according to a regional customs official.

The convoy of trucks departed from Burkina Faso, the last open border with Niger since the West African regional bloc imposed sanctions after mutinous soldiers overthrew the country’s president last month.

But the route between Burkina Faso and Niger is lined with jihadi groups, making it dangerous to drive and requiring military escorts from both armies.

Niger’s coup was seen by the international community and ECOWAS as one too many and in addition to threatening a military invasion, the bloc has imposed severe economic and travel sanctions.

In the first six months of 2023, attacks on civilians were 49% lower than in the first six months of 2022, and the number of deaths 16% lower, according to the NGO Acled, which records the victims of conflicts around the world.

Western observers and partners, notably France, a privileged ally of the ousted regime which still has 1,500 troops in Niger, have highlighted these encouraging results.

This improvement is partly attributed to the strategy implemented by Mr Bazoum, the only one of its kind in the Sahel, to combat jihadist groups.

While the military regimes in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso are carrying out “anti-terrorist” operations that are accused of taking a heavy toll on civilian populations, Niger has opted for a policy of “extending a helping hand”.

Peace agreements between communities, development projects, negotiations with leaders of armed groups… A strategy considered promising and appreciated by Western partners, but criticized in Niger, particularly within the army.

https://von.gov.ng/niamey-receives-trucks-of-food-essentials-from-burkina-faso/

MrEverest:
Hahahaha, El Rufai the Rastafarian is now using the war to fight back against his humiliation.

I thought they said he is strong and indomitable, so why is he now acting cowardly?

El Rufai come outside and fight back like a man, Tinubu has disgraced you

Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, has cautioned the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) against military intervention in Niger Republic.

President Bola Tinubu, chairperson of ECOWAS, said the bloc had resolved to use force as a last option if the coup leaders in Niger do not relinquish power to ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

Last Thursday, after a meeting of the bloc’s defence chiefs in Accra, Ghana’s capital city, ECOWAS said it had begun the activation of its standby force in Niger.

Although the defence chiefs had backed calls for dialogue as a mediation tactic, the group said all elements that would go into any military intervention had been worked out and were being refined.

This included the timing, resources needed and how, where and the day to deploy such force.

In a tweet on Tuesday, el-Rufai said a war within the sub-region would be a war between brothers.

“As ECOWAS beats the drums of war, I recall the 1970s rock classic by Dire Straits – ‘Brothers in Arms’, because a war within our subregion is a war between brothers,” el-Rufai tweeted.

“Indeed, the people of Niger Republic are one and the same with those living in Northern Nigeria. Let us bend therefore over backwards to avoid this civil war between brothers.”

El-Rufai’s call to avoid military intervention in Niger is the latest from stakeholders in Nigeria’s northern region.

The Northern Senators Forum (NSF) had also asked Tinubu to exhaust all diplomatic means in resolving the crisis.

The forum warned that deploying Nigerian troops to Niger Republic will hurt seven northern states — Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno — who share borders with the landlocked West African nation.

Shortly after their warning, Tinubu met with governors of five of the states as part of his wider consultations on how best to address the situation.

Nigeria’s leading Islamic scholar Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky has warned that the US and France intend to stoke sedition in African countries following the recent coup in Niger that ousted a Western-sponsored president.

“It is clear that this is not our war; it is a war [waged by] America and France,” said the prominent Shia scholar on Saturday while addressing Islamic Seminary students in Abuja, further insisting that Washington and Paris may attempt to spark a crisis between Nigeria and Niger.

The Nigerian cleric went on to point out that although Niger has closed its airspace, French aircrafts still pass through, noting that they also maintain “terrorist” camps across the country that are the source of attacks waged by the Boko Haram Daesh-linked terrorists.

“That’s where they come from, to launch attacks and ferret away mineral resources (gold) to be subsequently shared among them (the stakeholders),” he further emphasized.

Zakzaky also expressed concerns about the potential employment of such terrorists to wage assaults against Abuja and make it look like Niamey is responsible and vice versa.

“Therefore, any military action on the borders of the two countries, be assured that it is the handiwork of France and America, not Nigeria, and not Niger,” he underlined.

The Muslim leader further insisted that the two colonialist powers could trigger a ‘tribal’ conflict within Niger, just like they have already done in Sudan, among various ethnic groups there.

The pro-West government of Niger’s former president Mohamed Bazoum was toppled in a military coup on July 26 and remains in military detention since then and is facing trial for committing treason against the West African nation.

Zakzaky’s warning came as reports said the West African bloc of countries, ECOWAS, had agreed on a date for possible military intervention in Niger to reverse the military coup.

Nigeria has said a military intervention would “practically exacerbate the crisis and inflict further suffering on the innocent people in the Niger Republic and the wider region.”

Niger’s neighboring states of Mali and Burkina Faso have also pledged that foreign intervention would be tantamount to a declaration of war on them.

The two countries dispatched warplanes Friday to Niger in a show of solidarity against possible military intervention by the ECOWAS, Niger’s state television said.

“Mali and Burkina Faso turned their commitments into concrete action by deploying warplanes to respond to any attack on Niger,” it said, noting that the planes were Super Tucano fighter jets.

Thousands of anti-West protesters took to the streets last week to protest against plans by West African nations to deploy a military force to the country.

The protesters surrounded a French military base in Niger, protesting against years of military intervention by the European country that had colonized numerous West African nations and continues to exert influence in the region.

Protesters rallied near the army base on the outskirts of the capital Niamey on August 11, shouting, “Down with France, down with ECOWAS.”

Niger’s military leaders have blamed France for being the major force behind ECOWAS’ determination to re-install Bazoum back to power to continue serving Western interests.

France was a colonial power in West Africa until 1960. Since independence, the European country has maintained trade relations and a military presence in the region. It has 1,500 soldiers in Niger. American and other European military forces are also deployed in attempts to make sure the impoverished nation remains subservient to Western interests.

Press TV

https://21stcenturychronicle.com/sheikh-zakzaky-warns-of-us-french-plots-to-sow-discord-between-nigeria-niger/

Tacoma – One of two Nigerian citizens residing in Canada, who allegedly defrauded the pandemic unemployment benefit programs in multiple states, made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Tacoma this afternoon at 2:00 PM.

Sakiru Olanrewaju Ambali, 45, was arrested in February 2023, in Frankfurt, Germany, as he traveled back to Canada from Nigeria. Ambali had been detained in Germany pending extradition. He arrived in the Western District of Washington yesterday afternoon.

Ambali and codefendant Fatiu Ismaila Lawal, 45, are accused of using the stolen identities of thousands of Americans to submit over 1,700 claims for pandemic unemployment benefits to over 25 different states, including Washington State.

According to the indictment, Lawal and Ambali used the stolen personal information of thousands of U.S. taxpayers and residents to file fraudulent claims for COVID-19 pandemic assistance and false tax returns seeking refunds. In total, the claims sought approximately $25 million, but the conspirators obtained approximately $2.4 million, primarily from pandemic unemployment benefits.

The co-conspirators allegedly submitted claims for pandemic unemployment benefits to more than 25 states including New York, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, California, and Washington. Using 13 Google accounts they filed some 900 claims. The co-conspirators also allegedly established four internet domain names that they then used for fraud – creating some 800 different email addresses that were used for fraud.

Lawal and Ambali allegedly filed over 2,300 fraudulent income tax returns seeking over $7.1 million in tax refunds. The IRS caught most of the fraud and paid only about $30,000 in fraudulent refunds.

The co-conspirators also attempted to use the stolen American identities for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) to defraud the Small Business Administration.

According to the indictment, the co-conspirators had the proceeds of their fraud sent to cash cards or to “money mules” who transferred the funds according to instructions given by the co-conspirators. They also allegedly used stolen identities to open bank accounts and have the money deposited directly into those accounts for their use.

Lawal and Ambali are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, ten counts of wire fraud and six counts of aggravated identity theft.

Lawal remains in Canada, pending extradition.

The conspiracy and wire fraud counts are punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Aggravated identity theft is punishable by a mandatory minimum two years in prison to run consecutive to any other prison time imposed in the case.

The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The National Unemployment Fraud Task Force provided a lead on this case to the investigative team in Western Washington. The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG). Also contributing to the investigation were Washington State Employment Security Division (ESD), the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and the Small Business Administration (SBA).

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Cindy Chang and Seth Wilkinson of the Western District of Washington. DOJ’s Office of International Affairs is assisting.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.

The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.