Note: In an E-mail I received yesterday, an Israeli friend commented on last week's "leaks" to the media and then, Obama's relationship with Turkey vs. betraying Israel, according to last week's news reports (keep in mind that this is a translation from Hebrew):
"I really want to say that Obama and the U.S. government realize the dangers of Iran and yet, from last weeks news reports, there is much said about the USA and Obama wishing to impede the ability of Israel to make a military strike against Iran, by exposing the secrets of Israel in communication to the media. The discovery of secrets last week, causing considerable damage - very heavy, to the IDF's operation. Why it was leaked to U.S. media, it is difficult to guess, but it was on purpose to thwart the IDF's attack."
He then noted the following about Obama's "good" friends:
Obama and Erdogan good friends
Erdogan friend of Ahmadinejad
Erdogan friend of Hamas
Ahmadinejad friend of Hamas
Ahmadinejad Hezbollah's close friend
"Does anyone think about these relationships between Turkey and Iran? Between Iran and its links to terrorism i.e. Hezibollah and Hamas? Many times I have written in USAT, Turkey is not your friend - they are enemies. Erdogan is close friend to terrorism and he is anti-Israel. The pictures speak and I ask you, why is Obama closer to Erdogan, while ignoring PM Netanyahu? I try to be for everyone, but the pictures speak the truth and it is not good to look at, for us."He ended his letter by including the latest news article from Israel Hayom:
| ‘Iranian terror cell planning attacks on Jewish, Israeli targets in Turkey’ |
Sky News: Intelligence sources believe Unit 400, a secret special-ops unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force, has been instructed to attack Israeli, Jewish, and Western targets in Turkey.
Israel Hayom Staff
Revolutionary Guard soldiers. [Archive] Unit 400 reportedly ordered to stage "more frequent and more daring attacks."
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Photo credit: AP |
Intelligence agencies are searching for members of an Iranian network of assassins that have been ordered to attack Jewish, Israeli and Western targets in Turkey, Sky News reported on Sunday.Granted, this is just one Israeli's observations of Obama's foreign policies and the friendships between the Obama administration and world leaders: leaders who are not truly friends of the U.S. or Israel. Sure, we've noticed this downward trend since Obama took office, but I wanted to share my friend's letter with you, to demonstrated that our allies also notice and ask one simple question - "Why?" Perhaps our illustrious State Department, or Congress can explain "Why" this administration has been allowed to undermine and disrespect our friendships with U.S. allies, while continuing to hug and shake hands with the enemy. Daily, Obama sticks needles in the eyes of Americans, while playing the fool among those who wish nothing better than to watch America's funeral, as Obama buries all this country stood for since the birth of our nation.
Sources told the news network that Unit 400, a secret Iranian special-ops division of the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force, is believed to be preparing an attack that is already in its advanced stages and is meant to be carried out in the near future.
Intelligence sources told Sky News that in recent months Unit 400 has been developing “a standing operating procedure for carrying out an attack in Turkey against Western targets as well as Israeli and Jewish [ones].” The source added that intelligence assessments have shown “these procedures are in a very advanced stage, and that the intention is to act on the plans very soon.”
The sources also told Sky News that in the wake of growing threats of possible military action against Iran’s nuclear program, Unit 400 has been instructed to carry out “more frequent and more daring terror attacks around the world as a demonstration of ‘Iran’s asymmetric power.’”
Unit 400 falls under the direct command of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who reportedly controls the Quds Force through his close associate Qassem Suleiman.
“He runs the whole thing - directly,” a source told Sky News, adding that President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad “makes all the noise and gets the attention” but that Khamenei “is in charge of what is going on especially when it comes to international operations.”
The report also quoted an unnamed study by a foreign intelligence agency, which said Unit 400 “plans and carries out terror attacks on external targets, and provides material support to foreign militia groups, at the direct behest of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.”
The intelligence sources who spoke to Sky News said a senior officer in Unit 400 is a key Iranian agent who “has been working up plans for potential attacks in European countries.”
Earlier this month, Turkish media reported that the Mossad had warned Ankara that Israeli diplomatic missions in Turkey could face imminent bomb attacks.
Turkish newspaper Hurriyet quoted a story aired on NTV news, which said that four individuals had already “entered Turkey from Iran” with weapons and the materials to carry out alleged attacks on Israeli diplomats.
Following the report, Israel urged its citizens not to travel to Turkey. The prime minister’s counterterrorism bureau issued the warning, saying, “terror groups are planning to carry out attacks against Jewish and Israeli sites inside Turkey in the coming days.”
Israeli diplomats abroad have been targeted in several attacks in recent months. Tal Koren-Yehoshua, the wife of an Israeli diplomat, was wounded when a car bomb exploded outside of Israel’s embassy in the Indian capital of New Delhi in February. That same day there was also an attempted attack on Israel’s embassy in Georgia, but that plot was foiled.
The next day, three Iranians accidentally blew up a house in Thailand, and Israeli authorities said the similarity between their explosives and the two earlier plots linked Iran to all three incidents. Israel has accused Iran of waging a covert campaign of state terrorism and has threatened military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Following the attacks, the U.N. Security Council in February strongly condemned terrorist attacks aimed at Israel.
Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who met with Iranian President Ahmadinejad last week, said an Israeli air strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities would be “disastrous,” according to the Turkish daily Hurriyet.
“The entire region would be devastated if Israel strikes Iran,” Erdogan said Saturday, adding that he had shared his views with U.S. President Barack Obama.
A regional conflict triggered by a possible Israeli strike “would not end up like the war between U.S. and Iraq. Israel should not attack Iran,” Erdogan said. “Israel has between 250 to 300 nuclear warheads. Nobody is discussing that,” the Turkish leader said.
Translations from Hebrew to English are not 100% accurate, but I believe I understood my friend's disappointment, as he (and we Americans) are helpless to understand the reasoning behind some very troubling policies of this administration.
See: White House claims they're not Perry's source, says they want to find 'real leakers', posted on Israel Matzav,