https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iof-on-high-alert-in-vicinity-of-gas-fields:-israeli-media

IOF on high alert in vicinity of gas fields: Israeli media

The Israeli occupation forces over the past few months have been simulating various scenarios, including a missile attack on several targets in "Israel's" maritime economic zone, Israeli media reported on Tuesday, citing senior security sources.

The sources made the revelations this morning, following statements from Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who warned the Israeli occupation against committing any provocations against Lebanon, saying there were no Israeli targets in the sea or on land that are out of the reach of the resistance's precision missiles.

"The security and military establishment in Israel raised the level of alert and preparedness in light of the issues and stalling of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel regarding the demarcation of the maritime borders, as well as accessing the Karish gas field and extracting oil from it in September," Israeli media said.

"To defend the gas fields and Israel's interests in the maritime economic zone, a multi-arm forum was formed, and it includes the Ministry of Security, the Navy, the Operations Directorate, the Northern Command, and the intelligence services to prepare for the possibility that Hezbollah tries to carry out a military or provocative operation to provoke Israel or affect gas extraction," they added.

"The head of the Operations Directorate Aharon Haliva allocated manpower and resources for the threats posed on the maritime arena and to defend Israel's economic waters," the security sources said.

90% of wheat exported via sea

Over the past few months, several maneuvers were carried out by the Navy, led by the Navy Chief of Staff, the Israeli Walla! newspaper reported. During the exercise, the various units of the IOF dealt with cruise missile attacks, precision missile attacks, and conventional missiles, the outlet added.

"In the upcoming month, a large-scale exercise is supposed to take place, simulating an extreme scenario in the maritime arena, and it will include technological enhancements."

"99% of Israeli imports take place via the sea, and the security establishment’s fear is not only over the gas rigs but also over Israel's maritime freedom of action," the outlet added.

"On average, 5900 ships dock on Israel's seaports, and 53% of them dock at the Haifa port, which is under threat from Hezbollah. Around 300,000 cars arrive at the seaports aboard ships every year, and 90% of Israeli wheat is exported via ships and other means of transportation," Israeli media reported.

The ships the Israeli occupation is deploying to are compatible with all the "threats" emanating from Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, and Syriam the outlet continued, clarifying that the Navy is trying to avoid all criticism regarding their readiness and preparedness, and they are saying that the Sa'ar 5 ship to "defend the Karish platform against all threats, and they will remain in the rig's vicinity for as long as they need to be."

"The Americans distracted Lebanon with negotiations while Israel explored for gas and is preparing to extract it," Sayyed Nasrallah stressed. "The United States pressured the Lebanese state into agreeing to the Hoff line, i.e., the Israeli proposal for the maritime borders."

The issue is not about Karish and Qana, Sayyed Nasrallah said. "It is about all of the oil and gas fields looted by Israel in Palestine's waters in exchange for Lebanon's rights."

>>16826716

How much left before it's totally empty?

>>16826732

It's going to take some time.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/barak:-military-action-wont-be-effective-against-nuclear-ira

Barak: Military action won't be effective against nuclear Iran

Former Israeli occupation Prime Minister Ehud Barak claimed in an article published Monday in Time that Iran is on the verge of being able to produce nuclear weapons, adding that military action will no longer be effective.

In his article, Barak claimed that "both Israel and (for sure) the U.S. can operate over the skies of Iran against this or that site or installation and destroy it. But once Iran is a de-facto threshold nuclear state this kind of attack simply cannot delay the Iranians from turning nuclear."

Barak, who served as "Israel's" Security Minister and IOF chief, considered that when Iran makes a decision "this summer", it will become a nuclear threshold state, claiming that it will take the Iranians "from 18 to 24 months to polish their skills treating metal uranium and packing it into a missile warhead."

"But these steps can be executed in a small lab or workshop and cannot be easily followed, never mind stopped," he added.

The former Israeli official wondered why the US or "Israel" hadn't prepared attack plans against Iran when former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal.

Barak said that "it’s time to face reality," and to "start to think and prepare for the real new phase" with Iran as a nuclear state.

According to Barak, the desired course of action would be regional diplomacy, "independent Israeli attack plans," and awaiting the "collapse of the Iranian regime."

Last week, IOF chief Aviv Kochavi stressed that “preparing a military option against the Iranian nuclear program is a moral necessity and a national security imperative.”

"The preparations are continuing intensively, but preventing Iran from nuclearization through diplomacy is the preferred path,” he added.

It is noteworthy that Tehran continuously stressed that it is not seeking to build nuclear weapons, confirming that it only aims at benefiting from nuclear energy in peaceful ways.

>>16826799

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/foreign-sex-offenders-find-refuge-in-israel

Foreign sex offenders find refuge in 'Israel'

Although Rabbi Baruch Lanner, a convicted sex offender, was not allowed into "Israel", advocate groups say that about 100 rabbis, teachers, and other figures accused or convicted of sexual abuse have found refuge in "Israel".

Israeli Interior Minister, Ayelet Shaked, revealed that the Rabbi would not be granted "Israeli citizenship", sparking a wave of relief among women who have been formerly abused by Lanner in the United States.

However, Lanner, who was convicted of abusing a student in 2002, has an Israeli "residency visa" that allows him to remain in "Israel" and that can be repeatedly extended.

"Tip of the iceberg"

Marcie Lenk, an Israeli settler, talked about her history with the rabbi.

She explained that when she was a leader in the National Conference of Synagogue Youth, her complaints to senior rabbis against Lanner were ignored.

Lenk moved to testify against him in a 1989 religious court and was a source in the breakthrough New York Jewish Week exposé about him 11 years later.

"Withholding citizenship is an important statement but it is mostly symbolic, since Lanner will still be able to live and work here. Without a registry of sexual predators in Israel, how will people know to be careful around him?" she wondered.

Shana Aaronson, who was working to prevent Lanner's "immigration" in her capacity as executive director at "Magen for Jewish Communities," described the rabbi as only the "tip of the iceberg."

She revealed that around 100 rabbis, teachers, and figures who were accused and convicted of sexual abuse abroad found refuge in "Israel".

According to Aaronson, even if they are convicted offenders, there is no mechanism in place in "Israel" to monitor their movements or alert the public.

Another woman, P., said, "I'm not comfortable with Lanner living in Israel and that we won't be notified where he lives, with the possibility that he could move into my neighborhood."

She is concerned that "the next government will grant him citizenship or extend his visa - that could too easily happen. It is unsettling."

P. highlighted a major flaw in the occupation ministry's thinking on Lanner, who is still able to retain his residency status despite being prevented from Israeli citizenship.

Many people petitioned the Interior Ministry not to award the "Israeli citizenship" to Lanner who is able to retain his "residency status".

However, the Ministry had not responded to a request for comment.

>> Anyone from MSM covering this?

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iof-officers-warn-ground-forces-unprepared-for-war:-israeli

IOF officers warn ground forces unprepared for war: Israeli media

Israeli media reported Tuesday that Israeli occupation forces (IOF) officers warned that the Ground Forces are "ill-prepared" for a war.

In a report, Israel Hayom pointed out that since the July 2006 war on Lebanon, the IOF "has made a calculated choice to reduce the deployment of its Ground Forces, favoring the Israeli Air Force instead, mostly with the aim of minimizing casualties."

The newspaper indicated that when IOF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi took office in 2019, "he set out to improve the Ground Forces' operational capabilities, but with only a few months left on his term, senior officers warn that despite his best intentions, the reality on the ground is far different from the vision he introduced."

According to the report, some IOF commanders feel that "military brass and the political echelon have little faith in their abilities," adding that these claims "grew following the decision not to deploy any ground troops" during the Israeli so-called "Operation Guardian of the Walls" in May 2021.

Israel Hayom pointed out that senior IOF officers argued that ground maneuvers must always be the last resort, stressing that the next war with Lebanon requires such deployment to ensure the IOF "has the upper hand."

The newspaper highlighted that Israeli Ground Forces officers "cautioned that the Armored Corps, which shoulders the bulk of ground maneuvers, has been eroded to the point where its operational capabilities have been jeopardized."

The report explained that the "Armored Corps has been plagued with budget cuts for years and its pivotal role in any military operations receives little media attention," and the IOF "shuttered several Armored Corps brigades – in regular service and in the reserves – over the past few decades."

Israel Hayom highlighted that the number of IOF tanks has diminished in 2022, revealing that the Israeli Armored Corps "now has only three armored brigades in regular service, one training brigade that joins the fighting forces in wartime, and only a handful of reserves brigades – all of which suffer from chronic personnel shortages."

The report concluded that if the IOF's "armored brigades are ill-prepared for the war, the military's maneuverability as a whole would face a challenge."

This come right after Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah related to Al Mayadeen, as part of the "Dialogue of the 40th Anniversary", the achievements of the Resistance over the past several decades.

Warning the Israeli occupation against committing any provocations against Lebanon, Sayyed Nasrallah said there were no Israeli targets in the sea or land out of the reach of the Resistance's precision missiles.

Sayyed Nasrallah underscored that the Israeli occupation realized, through the July war, that confrontation with the resistance was dangerous and that the resistance's capabilities were much more than just confrontations at the border.

"Since 2006, the enemy does not dare take any action against Lebanon," the Resistance leader said, noting that "Tel Aviv" was only resorting to run-of-the-mill operations that leave no mark in Lebanon.