by Jennifer Hanin
Ongoing Iranian provocation in the Middle East. Ahmadinejad’s incessant railing for the demise of Western democracies. Iran’s nuclear program progressing at lightning speed despite international sanctions. Lastly, Ahmadinejad’s umbilical cord of terror attached to Syria, Lebanon & Gaza shows signs of weakening.
It couldn’t be any clearer that Ahmadinejad is losing his stranglehold on Syria now that he launched Iranian warships into the Red Sea yesterday, reportedly gathering “intelligence” on the sea floor. Please. We all know this is a weak excuse for his real motive, which is protecting his assets in Syria once Syrian President Bashar Assad is overthrown. These assets include intelligence bases that monitor Israeli military activity. They also include roads between Syria and Lebanon where Iran provides Hezbollah with logistic aid and even transports Revolutionary Guard members among other activities.
Besides power upsets ignited by the Arab Spring, the growing instability in Syria threatens the lifeline between Hamas and Islamic Jihad’s headquarters in Damascus, where Iran conducts its operations.
Remember the failed attempt where Syrians were paid to breach Israel’s border last week on “Naksa” day. Then there’s the failed attempt to breach three of Israel’s borders on “Nakba” day, both were linked to Iranian provocation. Then there’s the Iranian naval presence in the Gulf of Aden that began last year under the pretext of assisting international efforts against Somali Piracy. Come on. Even before that, Iran was quick to offer Gaza more “aid” flotillas when Israel has led the pack in aid contributions to Gaza.
Clearly, permanent presence of warships and submarines in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are not there to combat Somali pirates or most recently “study seabeds.” Both are absurd. Those warships allow Tehran to keep surveillance of IDF Navy activities. They also allow the Revolutionary Guard to track Israeli activity and secure arms shipments by giving a heads up to vessels carrying weapons or to smugglers waiting on shore, and possible even confronting Israeli naval forces head-on.
Could Iran’s presence in the Red Sea spell impending war? Former Mossad Chief Meir Dagan’s recent remarks sure seem to imply a military strike was an option on 6/1/11.
Regardless of the staged approach Ahmadinejad is using to ratchet up more provocation against the Jewish State, the world can easily ID an antisemitic “leader” who goes to great lengths to express his hatred towards Israel and the United States.
Does Ahmadinejad know something we don’t know? Here is just one of Ahmadinejad’s Western moments on 06/04/11 in a speech at the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the late supreme leader of the 1979 Islamic revolution:
“I am certain that the region will soon witness the collapse of Israel and the U.S.,”
Should we be concerned? In two words, You bet.
Jennifer Hanin is an Act For Israel founder, blogger and author of Becoming Jewish.
Photo credit: Associated Press
