02 January 2009

Does the Israel - Gaza conflict affect security in the Mideast or Iraq?

Currently, Palestinian militants are launching homemade and Iranian manufactured unguided rockets into Israeli civilian areas on an ongoing basis. Meanwhile, Israel is responding to these terror attacks through intelligence research, and has since surveyed and attacked Palestinian CNC (command and control sites), weapons caches, smuggling tunnels, rocket/mortar launch sites, and clandestine activities to load-fire-conceal these rockets. Generally speaking, I believe that Israel has previously restricted their responsive attacks to the particular locations where the rockets or munitions are located or have been used as launch sites.

Please note that in spite of the Israeli turnover of Gaza to the Palestinians, Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks have continued, and are likely to increase. Complaints about "precisely targeted" Israeli air strikes ring hollow when compared with the the many unrestricted attacks that Israel and it's citizens have experienced during the seven years of Palestinian missile launches into Israel. Since 2001, Palestinian militants in Gaza have launched over 10,000 unguided missiles from the Gaza Strip into Israel! Yet, our Israeli allies are criticized when they defend themselves. This is an inexcusable double standard from the liberal apologists and radical Islamic jihadists. Even the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for restraint and a cessation of Palestinian rockets attacks! Gaza has got to be at fault if a Clinton chastises them!

My primary concern is Iran's (clandestine) support of Hamas in Gaza during this conflict. Iran is continuing to supply weapons, technology, training, and support for the Palestinian "rocket men" in spite of calls from Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria to end Palestinian attacks against non-specific Israeli targets inside Israel.

As I have reported previously during my Iraq embeds, Iran is desperately seeking to exert influence in the Mideast to increase their prestige among the Arab nations. Iran has spent huge amounts of money supplying EFP's (explosive formed penetrating devices), weapons, and Quod's training to "Al Qaeda in Iraq" insurgents during the last 5 years. Iran's radical Islamist leadership seems to be supporting Ahmadenijad's "bully" tactics to date.