Syrian opposition: 18 Iranians, including a senior Revolutionary Guards military official, killed after Israeli strike.

DEVELOPING: Unknown aircraft reportedly carries out strikes against Iranian assets in Syria pic.twitter.com/rR4Hw57J7R

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 29, 2018

Syrian opposition: 18 Iranians, including a senior Revolutionary Guards military official, killed after Israeli strike. (TOI).

There were conflicting reports on the number of casualties: Syrian opposition officials have reportedly said that 18 Iranians, including a senior Revolutionary Guards military official, were killed, according to Israel Radio.

Other opposition-linked outlets placed the overall number of fatalities at 38. Missile strikes against Syrian regime forces in the central province of Hama overnight killed 26 pro-regime fighters, mostly Iranians, a monitor said Monday.

The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said the fighters had been killed in a raid, “probably” carried out by Israel, on the 47th Brigade base in Hama.

State media reported overnight that “enemy missiles” had struck government targets in Hama and Aleppo provinces, without mentioning any casualties or who may have been responsible. While some sources blamed Israel for the strikes, Syrian state-owned news site Tishreen said late Sunday the raids were carried out by the United States and British forces.

The Western troops launched nine ballistic missiles from military bases in northern Jordan that struck Syrian bases near Aleppo and Hama, the news outlet said on its Facebook page.

Other media outlets claimed the attacks were carried out by aircraft bombers, and Hezbollah-linked sources and other regime outlets attributed the strikes to Israel. Read the full story here.

@WTEpaminondas The impact of the #Israeli attacks was so intense, it resulted in an earth tremor measuring 2.6 on the Richter scale.https://t.co/1I863Gr5ki

— MFS - The Other News (@MFS001) April 30, 2018

Video - ME Expert Elijah J. Magnier: 'Syria Cannot Counter Israel Now, Turkey’s switching position in Syria'.

Video - Syria Cannot Counter Israel Now, Turkey’s switching position in Syria. HT @EjmAlrai.

More from ME Expert Elijah J. Magnier, Al Rai Chief International and veteran War correspondent & analyst: EU, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya..Terrorism, CT. & Intl. SCUBA. HERE: Geneva talks doomed: Turkey’s changing position in Syria is pushing Russia into more aggression.

Video - Houthi Military Spokesman Threatens to Target U.S., French, Other Ships Entering Yemeni Territorial Waters

Sharaf Luqman, Spokesman of the Houthi Forces, said that "any ship - any destroyer or frigate - that enters our territorial waters will be targeted, regardless of its nationality.

We do not care if it belongs to the U.S., to France, or to any other country." 

In an interview broadcast on the Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV on February 6, Luqman further said that the Houthi army has developed surface-to-surface missiles and increased the range of Scud missiles and that they had further capabilities "that we have not yet revealed."

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the Arabs are all "hired hands in an American war," said Luqman, "we are fighting America."

Video - Shiite Iraqi Militia Leader Akram Al-Kaabi interview: We Will Not Stop Our Military Activity after Liberation of Mosul.

LEBANON - Expropriation of land inhabited mostly by Christians are likely to stir up sectarian conflicts.

LEBANON - Expropriation of land inhabited mostly by Christians ordered by the government are likely to stir up sectarian conflicts. (Fides).

The possible confiscation of collectively owned land from the State near the Lebanese village of Aqoura (Jbeil district) is likely to stir up sectarian strife.

The tension around the sensitive issue of land control of the various religious communities that live in Lebanon is increasing again after the Ministry of Finance, led by the Shiite Ali Hassan Khalil, expressed his intention to make a decree signed in 2015 operational which provides for the expropriation by the State of the shared use of land adjacent in Aqoura, a village inhabited mostly by Maronite Christians, and other villages and towns of the district of Jbeil.

The issue, according to some analysts, is likely to trigger yet another feud with sectarian implications regarding the control of the land.

The potential conflict came to the fore on Tuesday, August 30, when the local authority was notified by the Ministry of the intentions to transform state-owned common land, until now considered as belonging to all the villagers.

The inhabitants of Aqoura, represented by lawyer Gaby Germanos, yesterday submitted to the Council of State a request for the annulment of the Ministerial Decree.

While Naufal Daou, a member of the general secretariat of the "March 14" political coalition, said to al-Markaziya agency that the expropriation represents "a confiscation of Christian goods by a Minister that has exceeded its prerogatives".

On his behalf, Minister Ali Hassan Khalil’s press office denied that the decree in question had to do with the collectively owned land, stating that the ministerial provision is aimed only at defending lands that are already property of the State from infringements and abuse.

There have been sectarian clashes in recent times around the control of land and real estate in Lebanon.

In autumn 2013, a pressing call to curb the misuse of land belonging to the Christians to build housing for the Muslims was launched by Talal al-Doueihy, leader of "the Lebanese Land, Our Land" Movement (see Fides 15/10/2013).

The appeal denounced in particular the case of Al-Qaa, a Christian village near Baalbek, in whose area large plots of land had been acquired by Muslims - Shiite and Sunni - as agricultural land, only to be destined to building housing estates to be sold to Lebanese and Syrian refugees belonging to their own religious communities.

Related?

Lebanese friends say #Hezbollah is already buying land from Christians & Druze leaving.Related to Iran's settlement project for mercenaries?

— Amir Taheri (@AmirTaheri4) August 31, 2016

TEHRAN- Iran to set up fund for #Pakistani and #Afghan Shiite fighters in Syria who wish to settle in #Lebanon later,to buy land,build homes

— Amir Taheri (@AmirTaheri4) August 31, 2016

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Lebanon - Syrian 'Sex Slave' Ring Busted after Hizbullah Tip-Off.

Lebanon - Syrian 'Sex Slave' Ring Busted after Hizbullah Tip-Off. (Naharnet).

A Hizbullah tip-off helped the Internal Security Forces dismantle the country's largest known sex trafficking ring, media reports said on Sunday.

The ISF operation that freed 75 mostly Syrian women was carried out last Sunday and Tuesday.

“A Syrian public passenger van driver was passing Friday night in a non-residential street in Beirut's southern suburbs when he noticed four scantily-dressed young women standing on the side of the road,” MTV said in a report on Sunday.

“The driver convinced the women to get in the van after they told him that they escaped from a faraway place where they were locked up,” it added.

The driver promised to help them and took them to an apartment in Beirut's southern suburbs where he lives with a number of Syrian compatriots, the TV network said.

The women were later “sexually harassed in the apartment, which prompted them to start screaming, the thing that drew the neighbors' attention,” MTV added.

“The neighbors then informed Hizbullah's 'security committee' in the area that something unusual was taking place in the apartment,” the TV network went on to say.

“The members of the security committee arrived on the scene and detained all of those who were in the apartment,” it added.

During interrogation, the young women said that they had escaped from a place in Jounieh “where they were suffering beatings and rape.”

The women revealed to police investigators that other women are locked up at the Chez Maurice resort in Maameltein, which prompted the ISF to carry out the raids, MTV said.

A doctor who was arrested in the operation has confessed to carrying out “nearly 200 abortions,” according to the ISF.

"This is the largest sex trafficking ring we've uncovered since the outbreak of the Syrian war," a Lebanese security source told AFP on Friday.

Ten male ring members, eight female workers and a nurse who worked for the traffickers were also arrested in the raids.

A security source said "an eight-month-old baby, likely the child of one of the rescued women" was found during the raids.

Even before the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, Syrian women had been pushed into the illicit sex trade in neighboring Lebanon.

"However, as with any war, conflict has made Syrian women and children even more vulnerable," the security source said. "They pay the highest price." Read the full story here.

Obama 'admin' fails to present report to Congress on removing Hezbollah online presence in the US.

Obama 'admin' fails to present report to Congress on removing Hezbollah online presence in the US. HT: MEMRI.

On December 16, 2015, Congress passed the “Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015.”

The act requires a report to be presented to Congress within 90 days, by March 15, 2016, detailing the activities of entities doing business with the terrorist group, including with its TV network Al-Manar.

The section of the legislation relating to Al-Manar states:

“SEC. 101. REPORT ON IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS ON CERTAIN SATELLITE PROVIDERS THAT CARRY AL-MANAR TV.

“(a) In General. – Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees and leadership a report on the following:

“(1) The activities of all satellite, broadcast, Internet, or other providers that have knowingly entered into a contractual  relationship with al-Manar TV, and any affiliates or successors thereof.

“(2) With respect to all providers described in paragraph (1) –

“(A) an identification of those providers that have been sanctioned pursuant to Executive Order 13224 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note;  relating to blocking property and prohibiting transactions with persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism); and

“(B) an identification of those providers that have not been sanctioned pursuant to Executive Order 13224 and, with respect to each such provider, any information indicating that the provider has knowingly entered into a contractual relationship with al-Manar TV, and any affiliates or successors of al-Manar TV. Read the full story here.

The North Korea - Iran connection.

The North Korea - Iran connection. (JPost).

Former US intelligence officer Bruce Bechtol sheds light on North Korea’s pervasive involvement in the military buildups of Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas.    

Hamas’s attack tunnels in Gaza, Hezbollah’s Scud D missile stockpiles in southern Lebanon, and the Fordow Iranian nuclear facility, dug into a mountain, all have one thing in common. None of them would exist in their current form without North Korea’s assistance and worldwide weapons proliferation network.  

In the early days, when Iran was embroiled in a lengthy and bloody war with Iraq, North Korea sold it Scud B missiles. “The Iranians instantly started firing them at Iraq. They then bought artillery, tanks and trucks – legacy Soviet-made gear from the ’50s and ’60s,” and used them throughout the Iran-Iraq war, Bechtol said.

Since then, North Korea has sold Iran Scud Bs, Cs, Ds, extended-range scuds, and played a crucial role in every step taken by Iran’s domestic missile program. It helped Iran build the Safir two-stage missile and the Sejil solid fuel missile, according to Bechtol’s research.

Within the past two years, at least two long-range missile parts shipments from North Korea arrived in Iran, he said. Iranian technicians traveled to North Korea for help in developing an 80-ton rocket booster.

Then, more missile parts arrived in the Islamic Republic in the fall of 2015, he said.  Read the full story here.

Saudi TV Channel Parody Lampoons Hizbullah's Leader Nasrallah, Sparks Anger among Supporters.

Saudi TV Channel Parody Lampoons Hizbullah's Leader Nasrallah, Sparks Anger among Supporters. (MEMRI).

On February 27, the Saudi MBC TV channel aired a parody, in which an actor impersonating Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is shown taking orders from Iran. "We are independent... Iran does not give us any orders at all," declared "Nasrallah" in the skit, as he fawningly kissed the hand of an off-screen black-robed cleric, representing Iran. The parody sparked anger among Hizbullah supporters in Lebanon.

Head of Hezbollah Special Forces in Syria Ali Fay'yad, aka, Alaa al-Bosni, killed during clashes with ISIS

Head of Hezbollah Special Forces in Syria Ali Fay'yad, aka, Alaa al-Bosni, killed during clashes with ISIS. HT and Source: Chief International Correspondent Al Rai,  @Elijah J. Magnier.

Update 2:

#BreakingNews:#Hezbollah freed tal-alHammam on Ithraya-Khanaser road and recovered the body of Ali Fayyad.https://t.co/b5cQN5kDka

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) February 29, 2016

#Hezbollah have recovered the bodies of 4 fighters including commander Ali Fayyad after regaining Al-Hammam from #IS pic.twitter.com/IXsNvxf5uu

— Hassan Ridha (@sayed_ridha) February 29, 2016

 Update:

Ali Fay'yad' brother said "family was asked 2stop condolences coz he is not a martyr", Not wounded. We wait. @ResistanceER @DesdelAtlantico

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) February 28, 2016

The car he was in was ambushed along with 4 other #Hezbollah officers. Two bodies were recovered but not his. Faith is still unknown.

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) February 28, 2016

Possible coz his body was not yet recovered. 11 #Hezbollah were reported missing. 5 returned. he is still missing.+https://t.co/bO1txPhPtm

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) February 28, 2016

#ISIS will issue a video of #Hezbollah Ali Fay'yad & would kill him if he is prisoner. All his officers/assistance r still reported missing.

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) February 28, 2016

He was in a car with other officers when ISIS attacked the vehicle. The car was in no-man-land. 2 bodies were recovered+ @DesdelAtlantico

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) February 28, 2016

#Hezbollah confirmed (2me):"Cmdr Ali Fay'yad maybe wounded but no confirmation of his death so far. We have no news of him. Still looking".

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) February 28, 2016

#BreakingNews:
One of the most absolute important field commander in #Hezbollah killed today in #Khanaser while clashing with #ISIS #Syria

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) February 26, 2016

He has been in #Syria since years and fought in #BosniaandHerzegovina in 1993 when #Hezbollah dispatched forces to fight the serbs.

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) February 26, 2016

#Hezbollah Haj A.F, aka A.al B. was THE head of field operation in #Syria, killed in Hammamet, close2 Khanaser,where #ISIS is still fighting

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) February 26, 2016

He is a kind of commander that #Hezbollah Leader Nasrallah would come out specially to deliver a speech about his military career.

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) February 26, 2016

His full name is Ali Fay'yad, aka, Alaa al-Bosni. He was leading Sayyeda Zainab Special Forces in 2013, Led the battle of Qalamoun & Maheen+

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) February 26, 2016

He originates from South of #Lebanon and joined #Hezbollah in 1985. He was the head of all #Hezbollah Special Forces in #Syria.

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) February 26, 2016

#Hezbollah Ali Fay'yad head of Special Forces killed today, with #Iran #IRGC General Qassem Soleimani in #Syria. pic.twitter.com/zeFYbBqaNu

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) February 26, 2016

#Syria #Aleppo #SouthernAleppo Islamic Resistance Commander Ali Ahmad Fayyad "Haj Alaa Bosnia" Martyred #Khanasser pic.twitter.com/0Xwbavi7jW

— Ivan Sidorenko (@IvanSidorenko1) February 26, 2016

Nasrallah in Latest Speech: 'Ammonia plant in Haifa is my atomic bomb'.

Nasrallah in Latest Speech: 'Ammonia plant in Haifa is my atomic bomb'. (YnetNews).

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened on Tuesday to fire missiles at the ammonia plant in Haifa, which he claimed would cause an explosion similar to that of a nuclear bomb.

Nasrallah had a message for IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, "its simple mathematics. A few missiles on a few ammonium plants equals the same amount of death as an atomic bomb...you can destroy Lebanon and Dahiyeh. You have the strongest airforce, you have missiles, and you have other means by which to do it. But we can do the same thing to you (Israel) with only a few missiles aimed at a few amonium plants."

Nasrallah then quoted an Israeli expert saying that the residents of Haifa are afraid of a deadly attack on the ammonia plant which contains more that 15,000 tons of gas. An explosion there could kill hundreds of thousands of people in the area. The same expert compared the hypothetical attack to a "nuclear bomb."

After the Second Lebanon War, the Haifa municipality ordered a report from a British company, in order to mitigate the risks to the ammonia plant. The report revealed that in the event of a hit on the ammonia plant, it will release a cloud ten miles in diameter, and will cover all of Haifa and Acre. "Researchers who conducted the studies in the 1990's concluded that there could be 70,000 casualties," said professor Amos Natua.

 "The State Comptroller released a statement in 2003 that the number will likely be much higher."

The Haifa municipality issued a response to the speech saying "We don't believe that we should run the country based on Nasrallah's arrogant speeches, but we're happy that he put this worrying and important issue on the agenda- even if it is coming from a frightened man who's been hiding in a bunker for the last several years." Read the full story here.

Iranian-Backed Group “Al-Sabirin” members Arrested in Bethlehem.

Iranian-Backed Group “Al-Sabirin” members Arrested in Bethlehem. (Aawsat).

Ramallah- Palestinian security forces in the West Bank managed to abort an attempt on establishing an infrastructure for the “Al-Sabirin [The Patient] for the Victory of Palestine.”. The movement is present in Gaza and is known for its direct affiliation with the Iranian regime.

Security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that five activists affiliated with the newly-founded movement in Bethlehem, located east of the West Bank, were arrested. They had received funds from “Al-Sabirin” in Gaza, and are presumed to harbor intentions of establishing movement units in the West Bank.

Sources clarified that this is not the first time the Iranian government has attempted to form armed factions in the West Bank. During the Second Intifada, they tried to support militant factions via the Lebanese Hezbollah, yet they failed.

“Al-Sabirin” is a movement that was launched in Gaza, over two years ago. Hisham Salem, founder of the movement, is an ex-Islamic Jihad leader and one of those who broke away from their factions to launch movements supported by Iran.

It is believed that the arrested activists in Bethlehem belong to families who had previously converted to Shi’itism. Moreover, Salem did not hide the presence of “Al-Sabirin” agents in both the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Salem said that he had received full-on support from the Iranian government, just the way Hezbollah did. Salem clarified that his movement is not a Shi’ite one; however Palestinians, especially in Gaza, found his declaration hard to believe.

Sources also told Asharq Al-Awsat that Iranian support flowing in for “Al-Sabirin” clearly defines the orientation of the movement.

Many consider Salem a mere Iranian proxy promoting Shi’itism across the Gaza Strip. Other Islamic movements and the Salafists had broadcasted several times videos in which events and rituals relevant to the Shi’ite sect being held in Gaza. What makes accusations real for observers, is the YouTube videos showing Salem talking about historical events that are important to Shi’ites, such as the battle of Karbala and the killing of Imam Hussein.

Palestinians are concerned that movements like “Al-Sabirin” will lead to an outbreak of sectarian strife in the Gaza Strip.

French Arrest four Hezbollah operatives in Paris on U.S. Arrest warrants.

French Arrest four Hezbollah operatives in Paris on U.S. Arrest warrants. (albawabaeg).

French authorities reportedly detained four Lebanese based on an arrest warrant issued by the United States, local daily As-Safir said Friday.

The newspaper identified the four men as Mohamad Noureddine, Mazen Al-Atat, Ali Zbib and Osama Fahs.

The report said that the French authorities did not inform Lebanese authorities of the arrest until Fahs' relatives in Paris reported him missing to French police. This prompted the latter to contact the Lebanese embassy in the capital to inform it of the detention of four of its nationals.

The daily added that preliminary information disclosed that French authorities had no charges against any of the four men, but it briefed Lebanese authorities on a U.S. arrest warrant issued against them.

Noureddine was targeted in sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department Thursday, along with another Lebanese Hamdi Zaher, for his alleged activity in money laundering at the behest of Hezbollah.

The department targeted Noureddine and Zaher for providing financial services to Hezbollah, which the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization.

Treasury claims Noureddine has laundered money through his company called Trade Point International S.A.R.L. He is accused of using his network across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East to provide money laundering, bulk cash shipment, black market currency exchange and other financial services to clients, including members of Hezbollah.

The sanctions freeze any assets the two men have under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibit U.S. citizens from doing business with them.

The U.S. has sanctioned more than 100 individuals and entities associated with Hezbollah.

Canada - Iran in Ontario court to fight law that allows terror victims to sue for damages.

Canada - Iran in Ontario court to fight law that allows terror victims to sue for damages. (Napo).

TORONTO — The Iranian government sent lawyers to a Toronto courtroom on Monday to fight attempts by victims of Hamas and Hezbollah attacks to hold the Islamic republic to account for sponsoring the terrorist groups that harmed them.

The unusual case in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice is the first test of a Canadian law that allows terror victims to seek damages from state sponsors of terrorism. After long ignoring the case, Iran now wants the claims thrown out.

The dispute comes as the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has indicated it wants to re-establish diplomatic ties with Iran that were severed by the Conservatives in 2012 over Tehran’s rights abuses, nuclear program and military support for Syrian President Bashar Assad. Read the full story here.

Video - In Tehran, Iraqi Hizbullah Leader: We Will Retaliate Militarily for Al-Nimr Execution on Saudi Soil.

During a press conference at the Fars News Agency in Tehran, Sheikh Akram Kaabi, Leader of the Hizbullah Al-Iraq ("Al-Nujaba") militia, threatened Saudi Arabia: "Our retaliation for the blood of Sheikh Al-Nimr will take place on your own turf." He further said: "When I say that we will retaliate - of course, I mean military retaliation." The statements were posted on the Internet on January 20, 2016.

2 planeloads of Syria evacuees land in Beirut International Airport under UN-brokered deal

Two planes carrying 338 wounded fighters and civilians from Foua, Kefraya arrive in Beirut from Turkey. (AlBawaba).

More than 200 wounded Syrian rebel fighters and civilians reached Lebanon Monday en route to Turkey via the Beirut airport, in the second phase of a UN-backed agreement between combatants in Syria's nearly five-year-old conflict.

The rebels and civilians who had been trapped in three Syrian towns were evacuated Thursday morning.

Dozens of relatives welcomed them at the Masnaa border crossing in Lebanon's Bekaa, cheering as they arrived and waving the three-star flag of the Syrian opposition.

Other pro-rebel Syrian refugees and Lebanese citizens also gathered at the border point in a show of solidarity with the fighters, shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is great).

Sources told The Daily Star a total of 123 people - 70 wounded militants and 53 women, children and elderly suffering from deterioration in their overall health - were evacuated from Zabadani, a Syrian town near the Lebanese border.

In the rebel-held Shiite villages of Kefraya and al-Fouaa in the northwestern province of Idlib, a total of 338 wounded fighters and civilians were evacuated, according to the sources.

They were taken by the Syrian Red Crescent to the Lebanese border crossing at Masnaa, where they were met by delegates from the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

A convoy of 22 LRC ambulances, two ICRC cars and several buses had arrived earlier at Masnaa escorted by Lebanon's General Security.

The deal, under the auspices of ICRC, has allowed scores of rebel fighters, many of whom are wounded and have been holed up for months in the war-ravaged town of Zabadani, to have safe passage to the Beirut airport and from there to Turkey, their final destination.

Simultaneously, around 300 families in the two besieged Shiite towns headed in an overland convoy to the Turkish border from where they will then fly to Beirut.

The route via Turkey was the safest option for the families, as traveling through Syria would have taken them through Idlib, where a patchwork of rebels controls different areas.

An airport source told The Daily Star that two Turkish planes were preparing to fly to Beirut to transport the Syrian Shiite families, while another plane in Lebanon was preparing to fly to Turkey to transport the Syrian rebels and civilians. It said the planes would fly out together as part of the deal.

The UN and foreign governments have tried to broker local ceasefires and safe-passage agreements as steps towards the wider goal of ending Syria's war, in which more than 250,000 people have been killed.

Iran and Turkey, which back opposing sides in the Syrian conflict, helped bring about the local ceasefires in Zabadani and in the two villages in Idlib in September, in the first phase of the deal.

Zabadani, which lies in Syria's mountanious Qalamoun area, had been the focus of an offensive by Hezbollah and the Syrian army against insurgent groups. The area is of importance to Assad because of its proximity to the Syrian capital Damascus and the Lebanese border.

Insurgent groups have in turn launched attacks on the two Shi'ite villages that intensified after most of Idlib province fell to rebels after a series of advances against the army this year.

Earlier this month Syrian government officials said they had agreed on a deal for rebel fighters to withdraw from the last insurgent-held area of the city of Homs with their weapons as part of a local ceasefire agreement. Hmmm.........The next Groups of Canadian government invited refugees better be vetted 100 %. Considering Stephane Dion's 'love' for Hezbollah.  More here.

Related:  Trudeau’s Foreign Minister Stephane Dion implies: a government with Hizbullah is a “legitimate” partner for Canada

Samir Kuntar died as an Iranian Terrorist, not Hezbollah’s.

Islamofascists......they Do Excist.

Samir Kuntar died as an Iranian terrorist, not Hezbollah’s. (TOI).

Samir Kuntar (Bashed Israeli toddlers head in, killed family in 79) always regarded as major hero for Lebanese/Palestinian militant factions

— Daniel Nisman (@DannyNis) December 20, 2015

After taking Danny and four-year old Einat hostage, Kuntar and his group took them down to the beach. Samir Kuntar quickly shot Danny in the back and then drowned him in the Mediterranean Sea to ensure his death. While Kuntar drowned Danny, he forced terrified Einat to watch and cry. According to eyewitnesses, "Danny was murdered in front of Einat so that his death would be the last sight she would ever see." Little Einat would not have that horrible memory in her head for long. Kuntar, the brave Lebanese freedom fighter, crushed Einat's skull over and over upon the rocks with the butt of his rifle until she was dead. Read the full story here.

In recent years, the notorious killer was allied with Tehran against Israel; still, the Lebanese militia will retaliate — the only question is when.

As has been the case following previous alleged Israeli airstrikes, Hezbollah and its chief Hassan Nasrallah are now faced with a thorny dilemma: to retaliate or not to retaliate, or perhaps more accurately, how to retaliate, since the response is sure to come.

The assassination of Samir Kuntar, who became a member of Hezbollah after his release from Israeli prison in 2008, is another in a series of blows to the Shiite Lebanese militia, on both an operational and a symbolic level.

The attack attributed to the Israel Air Force, in which missiles were launched at a building in a neighborhood of Damascus that has a high concentration of Druse residents, and in which additional Hezbollah field commanders were killed, would constitute a major intelligence achievement for Israel. It is not simple to obtain real-time information on the entry into a safe house by terror operatives who know that they are wanted targets for Israel.

It bares noting that despite Samir Kuntar's terrorist past and his involvement in the murder of Danny Haran and his daughter Einat, as well as two police officers on the beach in Nahariya, the considerations standing before those who carried out the operation were mainly connected to his current involvement in attempts to organize terror attacks on Israel from the Syrian Golan Heights.

In other words, the reason for his assassination is not his past actions, but rather the danger he currently poses and his potential to continue to carry out terror activities against Israel.

In recent months, Kuntar was working under the guidance of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and had slightly distanced himself from Hezbollah. In this sense, one could say that Kuntar died as a mercenary for Iran rather than a model Hezbollah fighter. Farhan al-Shaalan, a second commander listed among the dead in the strike, was also enlisted by the Iranians rather than Hezbollah.

Still, because Kuntar was significant to Hezbollah, which had won his release from prison, a retaliation against Israel for the strike is likely to come. He’s identified with the Shiite group despite being Druze, and had been spotted at various events organized by Hezbollah.

In the past few months, Hezbollah has launched a massive draft of youths 17 and older to make up for its losses. However, the recruits are not at the same level as the trained and sophisticated fighters that filled its ranks just a few years ago. The thousands of young recruits still require months of training, and Hezbollah is thus unlikely for now to seek out war with Israel. Hmmmm.........The Billions from the Iran deal will create many more monsters like this one, thanks Obama. Read the full story here, more here.

Two #Israel/i jets were spotted at 22:15 by radars above the Golan heigh when these fired 4 missiles against a bldg in #Jaramana #Damascus.

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) December 20, 2015

Al-Qintar was at the 2d floor, receiving guests when he was hit. It is only 6 hours later that the body was recovered from under the debris.

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) December 20, 2015

Video - Hizbullah Iraq Forces Fighting in Syria: Death to Sunnis, Mercenaries of the Jews and Americans

Five young Middle Eastern men Arrested Near Mexican Border with Steel Cylinders.

Hamas Qassam Rockets.

Five young Middle Eastern men Arrested Near Mexican Border with Steel Cylinders. (JudicialWatch).

Five young Middle Eastern men were apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol this week in an Arizona town situated about 30 miles from the Mexican border, law enforcement and other sources told Judicial Watch.

Border Patrol agents spotted the men crossing a ranch property in the vicinity of Amado, which is located about 35 miles south of Tucson and has a population of 275. Two of the Middle Eastern men were carrying stainless steel cylinders in backpacks, JW’s sources say, alarming Border Patrol officials enough to call the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for backup. A multitude of federal agents descended on the property and the two men carrying the cylinders were believed to be taken into custody by the FBI.


Only three of the men’s names were entered in the Border Patrol’s E3 reporting system, which is used by the agency to track apprehensions, detention hearings and removals of illegal immigrants. E3 also collects and transmits biographic and biometric data including fingerprints for identification and verification of individuals encountered at the border. The other two men were listed as “unknown subjects,” which is unheard of, according to a JW federal law enforcement source.

“In all my years I’ve never seen that before,” a veteran federal law enforcement agent told JW. Hmmm........No doubt were planning to do some plumbing (sarc). Read the full story here.

Video - Alongside Assad's female snipers in Syria. (English captions)

FRANCE 24's Ksenia Bolchakova was able to report from the cities held by the regime. She met with a very special unit of the Syrian army: Assad's female snipers. There is nearly 2000 of them in the Brigade, fighting on 6 fronts across Syria.HT And source:

#EXCLUSIVE - Alongside #Assad's female snipers in #Syria https://t.co/s8tcKRWJgO pic.twitter.com/IaDBlWDdce

— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) November 9, 2015