Nasrallah’s Surprise By Rannie Amiri “If you, the Zionists, are considering attacking Lebanon, I am reserving a surprise for you that will change the fate of the war and the region.” – Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, in a speech marking the end of last year’s war with Israel. “We have to take Nasrallah seriously. He has never lied.” – Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, infrastructure minister and member of Israel’s security cabinet, in reference
Saudi Arabia’s Myth of Moderation By Barbara Koeppel Almost daily, the Bush administration ratchets up the war-like rhetoric about Iran’s alleged role in destabilizing Iraq. Eerily, like the pre-Iraq War drumbeat, the U.S. press repeats the accusations with little skepticism and Congress marches in lockstep, as a new Middle East villain is marked for punishment. On Aug. 15, front-page stories in the New York Times, the Washington Post and other
From the Jewish daily Forward: Jerusalem – The summer tour season to Israel for American politicians reached its peak this month, with nearly 10% of the House of Representatives visiting Jerusalem in the past two weeks. Forty Republicans and Democrats met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in two separate rounds of intensive touring mixed with high-level policy meetings. This year’s tours came at a crucial moment, as Congress is considering
Source: Al-Ahram, 16-22/08-2007 Hizbullah`s Sheikh Naim Qasim speaks to Omayma Abdel-Latif about the resistance movement one year after the US-backed “Israeli” war on Lebanon. Sheikh Naim Qasim: There will be no fresh war in the near future between Hizbullah and “Israel”, according to the Islamic resistance movement`s deputy secretary-general. Speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly from his office in Dahiya, Beirut, Sheikh Naim Qasim said Hizbullah does not expect an imminent “Israeli”
Pakistani security forces have secured the release of 21 Iranians taken hostage by gunmen, and arrested 18 terrorists in armed clashes. Armed bandits opened fire at vehicles in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province on Sunday and took civilians hostage, according to a report by Pakistan’s private TV One from Quetta, the capital of Pakistan Baluchistan province. Pakistani security forces managed to secure the release of the Iranian hostages early Monday in
Tehran – Iran is threatening to strike the U.S. with “stronger punches” while Hezbollah vows it is ready to become “dismembered limbs to keep Iran strong and dignified.” This will likely leave Lebanon in the crossfire. The Commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Gen. Rahim Safawi (left in picture), who met Hizbullah’s deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem (right in picture) at a religious conference in Tehran, has threatened the United States
The full text of the victory speech given by Hizbullah Secretary General, his eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on August 14, 2007, at al-Rayah stadium. I take refuge in God from Satan the outcast, in the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, peace and prayers be upon our Lord and Seal of the Prophets Abu Kassim Mohammad the chosen and upon his infallible household, his chosen
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) – The leaders of Russia, China and Iran said Thursday that Central Asia should be left alone to manage its stability and security — an apparent warning to the United States to avoid interfering in the strategic, resource-rich region. The veiled warning came at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and on the eve of major war games between Russia and China. The SCO was created
ESFAHAN, Iran, Aug 17 — The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard said Friday that his country is after the establishment of peace and stability in the Middle East.“We trust on our strong military power but Iran has a defensive strategy and we are after the establishment of peace and stability in the Middle East”, Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi said. The US has launched a fresh round of war-on
BAGHDAD, Aug 17 –Washington’s envoy to Iraq has claimed that pulling US troops out of the country could open the door to a “major Iranian advance” that would threaten US interests in the region. Ambassador Ryan Crocker also accused Tehran of seeking to weaken the Iraqi government so that it could “by one means or another control it”. Crocker’s allegations clash head-on with Tehran’s public support for Iraq’s government. Washington
US citizen Jose Padilla has been found guilty of plotting to kill people overseas and supporting terrorism. His two co-defendants, Lebanese-born Palestinian Adham Amin Hassoun and Jordanian-born Kifah Wael Jayyousi, were convicted on the same counts. Below is a detailed report from Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now! news show describing what has been done to him: In a Democracy Now! national broadcast exclusive, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Angela Hegarty speaks for the
A pending court case could expose the administration’s torture regime. by James Bovard From the first days after the Abu Ghraib photos hit the airwaves, the torture scandal has epitomized the worst of the Bush presidency. A timid media, a cowardly opposition party, and a refusal by most Americans to face the grisly facts has contained the damage since 2004. But the web of lies and lawlessness is rapidly unraveling.
Tuesday: 572 Iraqis Killed, 6 GIs; 412 Iraqis Wounded Updated at 5:21 p.m. EDT, Aug. 15, 2007 At least 572 Iraqis were killed and 412 more wounded in the latest round of attacks, which included a major triple bombing in northern Iraq. Also, six GIs were killed and three more were wounded in separate events. One American servicemember was killed and three others were wounded during combat operations in western
BEIRUT: Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned “Israel” on Tuesday against launching another war on Lebanon, saying any attempt to attack the country “will be faced with a colossal surprise likely to change the fate of the war and the region.” “You might say I am exercising a war of nerves … This is true yet my war of nerves is based on truthful facts and aims at avoiding any
By GARY LEUPP Hamid Karzai, hand-picked by Washington to pose as president of the broken country of Afghanistan, says his government has “very, very good, very, very close relations [and] will continue to have good relations with Iran.” He declares on CNN, “So far, Iran has been a helper” in fighting terrorism. Nuri al-Maliki, favored by Washington as the most viable prime minister to pretend to lead the bleeding country
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Salam (Peace) be upon you oh most honorable of people, who made the glory of the nation, you were the makers of the victory, heroes of the resistance, the meaning of sacrifice and symbols of steadfastness. I bless and congratulate you for the recorded victories and those yet to come in the course of mankind’s history and that of
Neolibs and Neocons, United and InterchangeablePhilip Giraldi When it comes to foreign policy, particularly as it relates to the Middle East, there is not a whole lot of separation between the Democratic and Republican Parties. Republicans tend to be more bellicose in their statements, but Democrats have more than made up for that with their steely resolve to take the fight to the enemy wherever he might be. Both Republicans
The Israeli army had become used to smashing Palestinian civilians in their homes, to murdering their emerging leadership, to terrorising pregnant women in roadblocks, and to shelling young kids in their school classes. By Gilad AtzmonSpecial to PalestineChronicle.com “A few reasons help to create the Nasrallah obsession (‘dibuk’), that influenced decision makers along the (Second Lebanon) war. Primarily, Israel always perceived the Arab (leaders) as (private) people rather than representatives
As British Leave, Basra DeterioratesViolence Rises in Shiite City Once Called a Success Story By Karen DeYoung and Thomas E. RicksWashington Post Staff WritersTuesday, August 7, 2007; A01 As British forces pull back from Basra in southern Iraq, Shiite militias there have escalated a violent battle against each other for political supremacy and control over oil resources, deepening concerns among some U.S. officials in Baghdad that elements of Iraq’s Shiite-dominated
Bush, Colombia & Narco-Politics By Andrés CalaAugust 8, 2007 George W. Bush’s strategy of countering Venezuela’s leftist president Hugo Chávez by strengthening ties to Colombia’s rightist government has been undercut by fresh evidence of high-level drug corruption and human rights violations implicating President Alvaro Uribe’s inner circle. These new allegations about Colombia’s narco-politics have tarnished Uribe’s reputation just as Bush has been showcasing the Harvard- and Oxford-educated politician as a
