TEHRAN, Sep. 12 (MNA) – Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein says he is set to visit the Iranian capital of Tehran on Wednesday.
Palestinian resistance factions hold massive Mighty Pillar 4 drills
Palestinian resistance factions have launched large-scale military exercises across the besieged Gaza Strip amid threats by the far-right Israeli administration of Benjamin Netanyahu to assassinate high-profile leaders of the groups.
The drills, codenamed al-Rukn al-Shadid 4 (Mighty Pillar 4), kicked off at 7.00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) on Tuesday in various neighborhoods of the coastal enclave and involved various units. They were scheduled to wrap up at 11 a.m.
Palestinian fighters annihilated designated targets in the sea by firing homegrown missiles and rockets during the exercise, which marks the 18th anniversary of the Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Gaza’s Interior Ministry announced in a statement that field operations would also be carried out as part of the drills, and security forces would be deployed in conjunction as well.
The ministry noted that the exercises would also include assaults on the hypothetical enemy’s positions in addition to extensive movements of resistance units, armored vehicles, ambulances and paramedic teams.
The Joint Operations Room of the Palestinian Resistance Factions confirmed on Sunday that it had conducted a reconnaissance and inspection tour of military sites and surveillance points along the separation barrier between the Gaza Strip and the 1948 occupied territories.
It stressed that the tour was undertaken to ensure Palestinian resistance fighters’ preparedness to confront any military confrontation with Israeli forces in the highly strategic Gaza Strip.
The joint operations room praised the vigilance and dedication of Palestinian fighters and called on them to raise their readiness level.
Last December, Palestinian resistance forces staged Rukn al-Shadid 3 drills in the northern Gaza Strip. The exercises featured elite fighters and involved light and medium-range weapons in close combat situations.
Rukn al-Shadid drills were first held in 2020. The exercises have been staged annually ever since and involve various units showcasing their military capabilities.
The maneuvers also serve as a platform for different divisions of Palestinian resistance factions to share their experience in order to enhance coordination on the field.
Riotous Elite Israeli Golani Brigade protest 'judicial reforms'
Israeli soldiers reportedly rioting during a training session for the elite Golani Brigade infantry forces is a clear sign of rising discontent within the Israeli military.
A recent video circulating on social media shows Israeli soldiers of the Army’s Golani Brigade rioting during a training session in protest against the far right Israeli cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent controversial policies.
The video was reportedly filmed on September 4th 2023.
The leaked video shows dozens of soldiers from Israel’s Golani Brigade shouting and vandalizing property.
According to the reports, several of the protests participants had been disciplined by superiors resulting in the arrest of several soldiers, including NCOs.
The Golani Brigade is mostly made up of elite soldiers and is specialized in ground warfare. They have carried out armed attacks against Palestinians, and have participated in almost all the wars waged by Israel.
Ever since the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced the proposal for the judicial overhaul which would limit the authority of the national judiciary, the public has held mass demonstrations across Israel.
Tens of thousands of military personnel from many different sectors of the Israeli army have protested against the decision, including 10,000 reservists from intelligence units and Air Force pilots.
They have threatened to no longer show up for duty in protest to Netanyahu’s judicial reform efforts.
Last month, Israel’s air force chief suspended a number of senior military reserve forces in the wake of ongoing demonstrations against Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan.
The development came a day after the Israeli Navy suspended two high ranking reservists after they announced plans to end volunteer reserve duties, in addition to refusing to serve in a ‘dictatorship’.
Multiple cases of suicide within the Israeli occupation forces have made the headlines recently with observers blaming a mental health epidemic among soldiers.
In July, Israel’s Chief of Staff, General Herzi Halevi, warned that the Army’s unity has dangerously deteriorated due to the thousands of reservists who have threatened to withhold their service in protest against the judicial overhaul Israel faces.
Halevi also warned that Israel would be in existential peril.
Israeli military officials have warned that the protests by the reservists are impacting military readiness amid heightened tension between Israel and the axis of resistance, which includes Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas, in recent months.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters have decried the reservists’ protests as a dangerous and unprecedented form of political blackmail by the military, with some equating the protests to attempts at a military coup.
Despite the threat of reservists refusing service, Netanyahu’s far right cabinet pushed ahead with the judicial overhaul legislation.
The Knesset passed the legislation in a vote in July, despite months of extensive protests.
That controversial legislation has struck down the ability of the Supreme Court to veto legislation passed by the Knesset based on the criteria of reasonableness.
Despite calls from the protest movement to protect, what they describe as ‘Israeli democracy’, the protesters have not called on Netanyahu’s cabinet to cease illegal settlement building on usurped Palestinian land, end Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank, or extend the same rights to Palestinians that Israelis enjoy under Israeli law.
US convoy transfers military equipment from Iraq to Syria
Citing unnamed sources, Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen news channel reported that the convoy had entered eastern Syria through the Faysh Khabur border crossing in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region on Monday night.
The US military has in recent months ramped up its military presence in Syria, a country gripped by a foreign-backed militancy since 2011 which has repeatedly denounced the deployment as “illegal”.
Last month, the Pentagon sent a convoy to the bases in eastern Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province through the Al-Waleed border crossing between Iraq and Syria.
Comprised of around 50 vehicles, the convoy reached US bases in the Koniko natural gas field and al-Omer oil field on August 14.
The Pentagon claims that the deployment of its forces and equipment in Syria is aimed at preventing oil fields from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.
Damascus, on the other hand, maintains that the deployment is meant to plunder the Arab country’s natural resources.
In letters sent to the UN on Sunday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry called for an end to the illegal presence of US occupation troops and return of the country’s energy reserves and natural resources to the Damascus government.
It also put the damage inflicted on the Syrian oil and mineral sectors as a result of “acts of aggression and sabotage” by US forces and their allied terrorists at $115.2 billion.
MNA/PressTV
US convoy transfers military equipment from Iraq to Syria: Report
A convoy belonging to the US-led coalition has reportedly transferred military equipment, ammunition and fuel from American bases in Iraq to neighboring Syria.
Citing unnamed sources, Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen news channel reported that the convoy had entered eastern Syria through the Faysh Khabur border crossing in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region on Monday night.
The US military has in recent months ramped up its military presence in Syria, a country gripped by a foreign-backed militancy since 2011 which has repeatedly denounced the deployment as “illegal”.
Last month, the Pentagon sent a convoy to the bases in eastern Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province through the Al-Waleed border crossing between Iraq and Syria.
Comprised of around 50 vehicles, the convoy reached US bases in the Koniko natural gas field and al-Omer oil field on August 14.
The Pentagon claims that the deployment of its forces and equipment in Syria is aimed at preventing oil fields from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.
Damascus, on the other hand, maintains that the deployment is meant to plunder the Arab country’s natural resources.
In letters sent to the UN on Sunday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry called for an end to the illegal presence of US occupation troops and return of the country’s energy reserves and natural resources to the Damascus government.
It also put the damage inflicted on the Syrian oil and mineral sectors as a result of “acts of aggression and sabotage” by US forces and their allied terrorists at $115.2 billion.
British rabbis warn top diplomat about Israel’s ‘survival’ under Netanyahu
Dozens of leading British rabbis and other prominent Jewish figures have written to Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to warn against the existential threat that the far-right Israeli administration of Benjamin Netanyahu poses to the “survival” of the regime.
They also called on the senior British diplomat not to label his forthcoming visit to the 1948 occupied territories later this week as “business as usual.”
The letter comes ahead of Cleverly’s proposed meetings with 73-year-old Netanyahu, who is also the chairman of Likud right-wing political party.
Reflecting the growing discontent within the UK Jewish community over the policies of Israel’s right-wing administration, including the controversial judicial overhaul, the rabbis called on Cleverley to stress that London’s relationship with Israel is contingent on its adherence to international principles.
Signatories to the letter include prominent rabbis Jonathan Wittenberg, Charley Baglinsky and Josh Levy from non-Orthodox Jewish denominations, as well as leaders of progressive Jewish organizations like the New Israel Fund and Habonim Dror.
Critics have accused Netanyahu of using the so-called judicial overhaul scheme to remain in power. They argue that he, who is on trial on several counts of corruption charges, is also attempting to use the scheme to quash possible judgments against him.
Protests have gained momentum since the end of July, when the Knesset (Israeli parliament) passed the first bill of the plan, which restricted the Supreme Court’s ability to declare the cabinet’s decisions “unreasonable.”
Earlier, several protests were launched in the military to denounce the far-right cabinet’s policies. More than 10,000 reservist soldiers, including members of the elite intelligence unit 8200 and air force pilots, have said they would no longer show up for duty on a voluntary basis in protest.
Former politicians and members of the security establishment have also declared support for the boycott.
Former Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin said at a demonstration in Tel Aviv in July that the time had come “to decide on the suspension of volunteering for the reserves until the legislation is completely stopped.”
Former minister for military affairs and Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon has also said that he “would have done the same” when commenting on reservists who stop their service.
Iranian hackers penetrate networks of over 30 Israeli firms
Israel’s Ynetnews website reported on Monday that the information security company ESET found that what it called Iranian hackers took advantage of a known weakness in the corporate email servers of 32 Israeli companies to introduce a backdoor, allowing them to enter their networks.
The cyber security company, which declined to disclose the names of the hacked companies, said the purported Iranian hackers also broke into a company in Brazil and another in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
According to the report, the hacked companies operate in diverse fields, including insurance, medicine, industry, communications, IT, technology, retail, automobile, law, financial services, architecture and civil engineering.
Ynetnews said the hacking group identified itself as Ballistic Bobcat, which is also known by other names, including Charming Kitten, TA543 or PHOSPHORUS as well as APT35/42. It said at least 16 other companies were affected by secondary attackers.
The Israeli regime has targeted Iran on many occasions either directly or by instigating and providing support for the actual perpetrators.
Back in 2012, The Washington Post reported that the United States’ National Security Agency (NSA), its spy service CIA, and Israel’s military had worked together to launch malware, named Stuxnet, against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
In retaliation, Iranian hacking groups purportedly operate against targets in Israel.
Back in late 2020, the Israeli daily Ha’aretz claimed a group of elite hackers it introduced as Iranians had advanced as far as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and the regime’s major aerospace company.
MNA/PressTV
‘Presence of terrorists in Kurdistan region violates Iraq’s constitution, at odds with friendly ties
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says the presence of terrorists in Iraqi Kurdistan region contravenes the Arab country’s constitution and is not compatible with cordial relations between Tehran and Baghdad.
Amir-Abdollahian made the statement in a meeting with Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), in Tehran on Monday as the deadline agreed by Iran and Iraq to disarm and relocate terror groups based in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region approaches.
“The presence of terrorists in Kurdistan region and their moves against security of Iran are incompatible with Iraq’s constitution and friendly bilateral relations [because] no party should [be allowed to] harm security of Iraq’s neighbors,” Iran’s top diplomat said.
Amir-Abdollahian added that Iran is in favor of an “independent, prosperous, and developed” Iraq, noting that Tehran and Baghdad enjoy solid ties.
The Iranian minister also called for the speedy implementation of a security agreement concluded between the two sides. Under the agreement, the Iraqi government has promised to disarm terrorist and separatist groups based in Kurdistan region by September 19, vacate their military barracks there, and transfer them to the camps established by the Baghdad government.
Iraqi officials have notified authorities in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of the terms of the agreement.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kan’ani, said on Monday that the deadline “will not be extended in any way,” noting that the Iraqi government has taken measures to implement the deal.
For his part, Talabani hailed Iran’s continuous support for the Iraqi government and nation, adding, “We take pride in our relations and friendship with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
He pointed to his party’s measures to boost security along the borders of Kurdistan region, stressing that Iraq will not allow any harm to come from its territory to regional countries, particularly Iran.
Meanwhile, a statement from Talabani’s office cited the PUK leader as saying, “Our goal is to achieve stability and coexistence in the region, for which we support responsible dialogue and understanding and believe that this is the only way to overcome the problems and achieve national goals.”
In a meeting with Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad, Mohammad Kazem Ale-Sadeq, earlier on Monday, the president of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani, said the semi-autonomous region is committed to the security agreement between Iran and the Arab country and will allow no one to pose a threat to Tehran.
The security agreement between the two countries came after anti-Iranian terrorist groups residing in Iraqi Kurdistan region increased their malign activities, especially in border areas.
Responding to their activities, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has launched several rounds of strikes against their positions since September 24 last year, vowing to continue the attacks until the groups are disarmed.
Iran has, on countless occasions, warned Iraqi Kurdistan’s local authorities that it will not tolerate the presence and activity of terrorist groups along its northwestern borders, saying the country will give a decisive response should those areas become a haven for anti-Tehran terrorists.
VIDEO: Zionist driver rams into anti-Netanyahu Protesters
President of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan arrives in Tehran
Media outlets affiliated with the PUK reported that Talabani is scheduled to hold several “important” meetings with officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran during his visit, Shafaq News reported.
Recently, Qasim al-Araji, the national security adviser of Iraq, said in a speech that Baghdad is making a lot of efforts to implement the provisions of the security agreement with Iran.
“We emphasize our desire to strengthen relations between the two neighboring countries in a way that benefits the nation and the country and strengthens stability and security in the region,” al-Araji added.
Almutalee website recently reported that Tehran, Baghdad and Erbil signed a tripartite agreement to expel separatist Kurdish terrorist elements from the Kurdistan region of Iraq to the western regions of the country.
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