Tuesday, December 4, 2018

ISRAEL BREAKING:  MILITARY OPERATION LAUNCHED ON LEBANESE BORDER FOLLOWING NETANYAHU-POMPEO MEETING


(145 AM EASTERN TIME TUESDAY DECEMBER 4TH)
(UPDATED LATER, NEWS, COMMENT AND ANALYSIS)

The sudden Monday meeting in Brussels between Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was widely interpreted as a signal for Israeli military action in Lebanon.

Within hours Israeli media are reporting that "Operation Northern Shield" has been launched to destroy cross-border tunnels operated by the Iranian backed Hezbollah movement.

Not a lot of information is being publicly released but it appears that the Israeli forces are operating on their side of the border to destroy parts of the tunnels that are inside Israel's borders.   Israeli farmers are being warned not to approach the border area.

The military move comes amid turmoil in Netanyahu's government with conservative political forces including the recently resigned Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and the Jewish Home party of Education Minister Naftali Bennett saying Netanyahu has been weak in his response to the Hamas rocket attacks launched on southern Israel from Gaza.

In recent days Israeli police recommended that the Prime Minister and his wife be indicted in a bribery case.

Israel's Attorney General now has recommendations of indictment against Netanyahu in three cases to consider.

Under the law, Israel must have another General Election by November of next year.

Another thing in the background of the increasing economic and military pressure on Iran and Iranian allies like Lebanon's Hezbollah  is the "Deal Of The Century" President Trump hints at.

Recently conservative Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked of the Jewish Home party said the "Deal Of The Century" for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement should not be presented.    She said that Israelis and Palestinians were too far apart for any deal to be considered.

One wonders if the toughness and confrontational approach to Iran that the triumverate of Netanyahu, Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman present with the President's son-in-law Jared Kushner in between is the bait for the nationalist Zionists to set them up for betrayal with that "Deal Of The Century"

A deal that could force many Israelis out of their homes in Judaea and Samaria ("West Bank") in the name of "peace".

Prime Minister Netanyahu was out in front with a full throated defense of Saudi Arabia even before President Trump saying that the brutal murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, widely believed to be at the behest of the Crown Prince, cannot stop close relations with the Saudis because Iran is the greater enemy.

The "Wall Street Journal", which earlier reported 11 text messages from Mohammed Bin Salman to a key aide at the Khashoggi murder scene, now reports that CIA Director Gina Haspel will meet with Senate leaders today regarding the murder.



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