Lebanon warns of new 'Israeli war'

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 01:54:50 GMT

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Lebanese President Michel Suleiman

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman has declared that Israel could launch a new war against Lebanon, vowing tough response to those Lebanese convicted of spying for Israel.

"The occurrence of an Israeli war is possible, but I don't want to generate an atmosphere of fear," Lebanon's Naharnet quoted Suleiman as saying on Wednesday.

"Israeli threats against Lebanon are persistent and aim at dividing the Lebanese between those who back fighting Israel and those who don't," he noted.

Suleiman also vowed to sign "any death sentence issued against individuals convicted of spying for Israel," a Press TV correspondent in Beirut reported.

His comments come only days after the arrest of Charbel Qazzi — a technician working for the state-owned mobile phone firm Alfa — on suspicion of spying for Israel.

Lebanon began a wave of espionage-related arrests in April 2009. It has detained dozens of people suspected of spying for Israel.

A retired brigadier general of the General Security Directorate was among the high profile officials detained. More than 20 people have been formally charged.

Lebanon says the crackdown has dealt a major blow to Tel Aviv's spy rings.

Israel launches airstrikes on Gaza‎

Israel launches airstrikes on Gaza‎

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:32:13 GMT

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An Israeli fighter jet (file photo)

Israeli aircraft have fired five rockets at the Gaza Strip, striking three targets, witnesses and Palestinian security officials say.

Israeli F-16 aircraft fired two rockets at a airport in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah early Thursday.

The rockets hit the Yasser Arafat Airport, which is currently not in service, in southern Gaza. The same airport was also hit in February.

Another strike targeted an official Hamas base in the center of the coastal strip. There are no reports of casualties in either of the attacks.

Over the past three years, Israel has killed hundreds of Palestinians in airstrikes targeting civilian and official buildings.

Three other rockets were fired on areas belonging to Hamas' armed-wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, including underground tunnels used by Gaza residents to bring in essential commodities banned by the Israeli government, dpa quoted Palestinian security officials as saying.

Pakistan arrests German man in burqa

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:13:12 GMT
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Pakistani soldiers in the tribal areas
The Pakistani police have arrested a German man wearing a burqa and carrying a gun who was leaving an area near Miranshah, North Waziristan, where many militants are active.

The police said the 30-year-old German, who was in a car with two other men and a six-year-old girl, was intercepted at a checkpoint in Bannu, some 140 kilometers southwest of Peshawar on Monday.

The other two men were wearing blue-colored Afghani burqas, local police station chief Farid Khan said, adding that they were handed over to an intelligence agency for further investigation.

The German man was also carrying some maps, Khan told AFP.

Last week, a US construction worker armed with a pistol and a sword was arrested further north in the mountains of Chitral. He purportedly told police he was on a mission to hunt down and kill al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

US, Israeli warships move to PG: Report

US, Israeli warships move to PG: Report

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 05:14:31 GMT

An armada of more than twelve US and Israeli warships has passed through the Suez Canal toward the Red Sea and is reportedly heading to the Persian Gulf.

Egypt allowed the vessels to pass through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea Friday, UPI reported on Saturday.

The final destination of the fleet, which also includes an aircraft carrier, is not yet known; but some say it may be heading towards the Persian Gulf.

Special security measures were implemented by the Egyptian authorities for the safe passage of what is believed to be the largest US armada to pass through the canal in years.

All commercial and civilian traffic through the Suez Canal was halted and beefed-up security forces posted along both sides of the waterway.

The fleet is led by the aircraft carrier, the USS Harry Truman and its strike group of 60 fighter-bombers and 6,000 seamen and marines, Debka File reported from its military sources.

Meanwhile, Jeff Steinberg from the Executive Intelligence Review in Washington told Press TV that the US Defense Department had confirmed the report. He further added that the move should be closely watched.

Egyptian opposition parties have criticized the government for allowing the passage at a time when tension is high in the Middle East over the recent Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound aid convoy.

On May 31, Israeli forces attacked the flotilla, killing nine activists on board. The attack was condemned by the international community and prompted global protests.

Saving Israel, 1st aim of UN sanctions

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 09:44:40 GMT

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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressing a large crowd in Shahr-e Kord in Iran.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the main purpose behind the UN Security Council's (UNSC) anti-Iran resolution was to save the Israeli regime from worldwide criticisms.

Addressing a large crowd of people in the central Iranian province of Chaharmahal- Bakhtiari Province, President Ahmadinejad said that the Iranian nation is vigilant and will respond to the Israeli regime.

On June 10, twelve Security Council members, including Russia and China, voted in favor of a US-proposed resolution for a fourth round of sanctions against Iran. Brazil and Turkey voted against the resolution while Lebanon abstained from voting.

President Ahmadinejad also said that Israel backed by propaganda campaign and US military force has occupied the Palestinian territories.

"Israel made the Palestinian people homeless. Over a period of more than over 60 years they launched five major wars and attacked dozens of villages and killed people. They bombarded the Palestinian residential areas. They assassinated and bombarded the faithful people," he added.

"They launched large aggressions against their neighboring nations and put heavy pressure on the Palestinian people and also threatened freedom-seeking nations. These have been done under this criminal group," he went on to say.

"Look how they act. They gathered the worst criminals and in broad daylight they assassinated people by using fake passports and ID cards of other nationals to our region and even other countries. They assassinated good and faithful people. This is while the US government and Washington support the criminal cabal. They awarded them with peace medals and supported these criminals."

President Ahmadinejad further noted that it is for more than three years that the people of Gaza are under siege in their own homeland and they are deprived of food, water and medicine.

"They are under the bombardment and missile attacks and heavy shelling and even being attacked by chemical weapons", the Iranian chief executive stated.

"You saw what the Zionists did to the Gaza-bound aid flotilla carrying medicine and food for the civilians. Of course most governments have condemned the attack on flotilla convoy. We see the US government and a few of its allies support the criminal instead of condemning these crimes they committed," he said.

"They bombarded the people of Gaza with helicopters, aircrafts and advanced weapons. They have killed a large number of them and arrested them. While in custody they are tortured."

"Israel assassinates people after faking other countries' passports. At the same time what did the US government did?" he asked.

President Ahmadinejad also pointed out that the Zionist regime has hundreds of nuclear weapons and constantly threatens regional nations.

"The US supports Israel and provides it with nukes. The US supports Israel politically and offers billions of dollars in aid to Israel," he concluded.

President Ahmadinejad is currently on the third round of his provincial tour in the central Iranian Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Province.

a displaced Gazan family; their home was riuned in israeli bombardment

احمد و منا خواهر برادر فلسطینی

شرایط سخت زندگی برای خانواده های فلسطینی در غزه که در جنگ 22 روزه رژیم صهیونیستی منازل مسکونی آنها را ویران کرده است

تهیه قهوه توسط الفت الغراوی در چادری در شمال غزه

محمود الغراوی کودکی فلسطینی که محل سکونتش در جنگ از بین رفته

شادا الغراوی به همراه همسرش الفت منزل مسکونیشان در جنگ 22 روزه توسط جنگنده های رژیم صهیونیستی از بین رفته است

تمامی کودکان خانواده الغراوی در خوابی بس دشوار

یخچالهای خالی فلسطینیان چادر نشین در شمال نوار غزه

خانه این کودکان توسط رژیم صهیونیستی از بین رفته است

'Israelis threw 4 injured into the sea'

'Israelis threw 4 injured into the sea'

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 23:37:12 GMT

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Pro-Palestinian protesters simulate the funeral of an activist in a demonstration against Israel's attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla in Barcelona.

Activist Idris Simsek, who was on board one of the six ships of the Freedom Flotilla during the Israeli attack, claims that four wounded activists were thrown into the sea.

The Israeli troops also put immense psychological pressure on the activists of the Freedom Flotilla, the Turkish daily Today's Zaman quoted Simsek as saying in an article published on Saturday.

Simsek said they expected some harassment from the Israeli forces but did not expect an armed attack.

He went on to say that he witnessed that the person who waived the white flag to surrender was shot by the Israeli troops.

Erol Demir, another activist who was on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, said there is film footage of the chaos and the carnage on the ship and stated that the footage will show the real face of the Israeli military to the entire world.

“They even shot those who surrendered. Many of our friends saw this. They told me that there were handcuffed people who were shot,” he added.

Hakan Albayrak, a journalist from the Turkish daily Yeni Safak who was also on the ship, said, “It was an outright massacre what Israel did out there. They attacked us in international waters… We had no weapons. I think we lost more people.”

The Israeli military attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea early on May 31, killing nine Turkish citizens on board the six ships and injuring about 50 other people.

The fate of three other Freedom Flotilla activists is still unknown.

Israel also arrested nearly 700 activists from 42 countries on board the ships of the Freedom Flotilla, which was attempting to break the siege of Gaza in order to deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian assistance to the long-suffering people of the territory.

Vienna protests against Israeli attack

Vienna protests against Israeli attack

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 14:16:30 GMT

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Thousands of people protest around the war against Israeli's deadly attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.

As anti-Israeli demonstrations continue across the world, over 15,000 people have taken to the streets of Vienna to condemn Israel's attack on a Gaza-bound aid convoy.

The Saturday protect in the Austrian capital came after The Israeli navy attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea on May 31.

The attack killed at least nine people onboard ships, including eight Turkish citizens, and injured about 50 others.

Despite international outrage over the incident, Israel attacked another aid ship, the Rachel Corrie, in international waters on Saturday.

Protesters also took to the streets in Latin America, the United States, South Korea and New Zealand.

Latin American demonstrators strongly criticized the UN for what they called the world body's inaction regarding Israeli crimes.

The fate of three other Freedom Flotilla activists is still unknown.

The Gaza Strip has been under a crippling Israeli siege since 2007. The blockade prevents the entry of food, fuel, medicine and other necessary supplies into the cosatl sliver.

Israeli commando 'to get valor medal'

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 09:44:36 GMT

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An Israeli commando lands on a Gaza-bound ship in the Mediterranean Sea.

An Israeli commando who shot dead several activists in a recent attack on a Gaza-bound international aid convoy may receive a medal of valor, a report says.

The Times Online reported on Saturday that the nominated Israeli soldier single-handedly killed six campaigners on the Turkish ship, Mavi Marmara -- one of the six ships of the Freedom Flotilla.

The convoy was carrying hundreds of activists and thousands of tons of supplies for the people of Gaza, who have been under siege for three years.

The flotilla came under attack on Monday by Israeli commandos, leaving at least nine activists dead and more than 40 others injured.

In an interview with Israeli media, the soldier -- identified for security reasons only as Staff Sergeant S -- said the shooting had started within minutes after he and his comrades were set upon by a "mob of mercenaries."

Israeli forces claim that pro-Palestinian activists on board the ships started the violence, while all activists say that Israelis began shooting from their boats surrounding the ship and a helicopter hovering above.

Granting the award to the commando is expected to worsen the already shaky relations between Turkey and Israel as Ankara has called on Tel Aviv to make an apology over the deadly assault.

Israel resists calls for int'l inquiry into flotilla attack

Lebanese members of flotilla back to their home, click for the report

Lebanese attending at freedomFlotilla are back to home , Press TV report(watch)

Flotilla activists return amid cheers

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 04:43:00 GMT

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Thousands of demonstrators welcome Turkish activists deported from Israel, at the airport in Istanbul, Turkey, June 3, 2010.

Hundreds of activists from the embattled Gaza Freedom Flotilla have come back home amid cheers from thousands who rush to give the campaigners a hero's welcome.

Deported by Israel under international pressure led by Ankara, the campaigners were flown to the airport in Istanbul, Turkey, early on Thursday.

The activists are mostly Turks but there were nationals from Arab countries, Europe and the United States. Nine bodies were on the first plane.

"They faced barbarism and oppression but returned with pride," said Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc who together with several Turkish lawmakers welcomed the activists at the airport.

I wish she is righteous and will leave israel for ever , israel is a myth not a country!

Israeli lawmaker: No arms on Flotilla

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:15:14 GMT

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Haneen Zuabi

A member of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) who was onboard the Gaza-destined aid convoy when it came under Israeli fire dismisses allegations that the Freedom Flotilla was carrying weapons.

Haneen Zuabi, a senior member of the Balad party, was among hundreds of activist aboard the Freedom Flotilla, which was comprised of nine ships carrying thousand of tons of humanitarian aid for the impoverished people of the Gaza Strip.

In comments following her release in the Ashdod port on Wednesday, Zuabi disputed Israel's claims that the ship was carrying weapons for the Palestinian Resistance Movement of Hamas.

"Our goal was to break the siege. We had no plans for a confrontation. Israel carried out a provocative military operation. Israel is used to doing as it pleases with the Palestinians. The main problem is not the ship, but the siege." She added.

On Monday, commandos acting upon direct orders from Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak stormed the aid convoy, leaving at least 20 people dead and more than 50 others injured.

The member of Knesset also said that Israeli forces were seeking to leave behind a high number of casualties.

"It was clear from the size of the force that boarded the ship that the purpose was not only to stop this sail, but to cause the largest possible number of fatalities in order to stop such initiatives in the future," Zuabi said.

The assault sent shockwaves around the world, prompting two countries to withdraw their ambassadors from Tel Aviv and many others summon Israeli envoys.

The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting in which the 15-nation body called for an "impartial, credible and transparent" probe into the incident and condemned "those acts which resulted in the loss of ... civilians and many wounded."