Saturday, January 1, 2011

IDF OFFICERS WARNED OF IRANIAN REVENGE.....



In detailed letter, army instructs reserve officers to take extra precautions in Israel and abroad following assassination of nuclear scientists in Tehran. Officers ordered to avoid travelling on same traffic routes, shopping for groceries at same place

Israel Defense Forces reserve officer are urged to take extra precautions following the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists: A detailed letter was sent Wednesday to a series of reserve officers, instructing them how to conduct themselves inIsrael and abroad.

The officers were asked to replace the supermarket they shop in frequently and to avoid travelling on regular routes. The procedures are aimed at thwarting an attempt by terrorist organizations to target these people, some of whom are still holding key roles in the military reserve force.

The letter, signed by Brigadier-General Kobi Barak, head of operations at the General Staff, explains that the increased fear stems from recent events, including thedeath of Iranian nuclear scientists in Tehran last month.

Barak also mentioned the February 2008 assassination of seniorHezbollah commander Imad Mugniyah in an explosion in Damascus, after which the Shiite group's Secretary-GeneralHassan Nasrallah vowed to avenge his death.


He noted that last month a pro-Palestinian organization published the personal details of some 200 officers and soldiers who took part in Operation Cast Lead, claiming that they were war criminals. Some of them even had threatening letters sent to their homes.


 
Fear rising. Scene of Tehran assassination

Brigadier-General Barak called on the officers to brief their family members on the situation and pay attention to any suspicion vehicles, unusual activity or unknown people wandering near their homes.

The officers were also asked to "disrupt their routine," which Barak defined as "our weak point".

According to the document, the officers must avoid repeating activities over time, like travelling on the same traffic routes or shopping for groceries at the same place.

The letter advises the officers to check their cars in the morning before driving them, examine their mail and avoid accepting unexpected packages. When they are abroad, the officers are urged not to stay in hotels defense officials are not familiar with and to reserve rooms which are not located next to the elevator or staircase.

Officers who received the letter on Wednesday morning told Ynet that these were the most detailed instructions they had ever received in terms of personal safety.


"Instructions have been given in the past, but they were never so detailed and extensive," one of them said. "This forces all of us to act in a wise and calculated manner in order to avoid unusual incidents."


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IN YEAR-END REPORT, ISRAEL SECURITY AGENCY SAYS TEHERAN ALSO FUNDS HAMAS TRAINING IN LEBANON AND SYRIA.

Iran smuggled into the Gaza Strip about 1,000 mortar shells, hundreds of shortrange rockets and a few dozen advanced anti-tank missiles over the past year, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) revealed on Thursday.

In a report summing up 2010, the Shin Bet said that Iran continued to serve as Hamas’s dominant supplier of weaponry throughout the past year, using smuggling routes in Sudan and Sinai. It was also instrumental in funding the training of Hamas operatives in Lebanon and Syria.

Last week, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi revealed that two weeks ago, a Russianmade Kornet anti-tank missile – one of the most sophisticated in the world – hit an Israeli Merkava tank and succeeded in penetrating its hull. As a result, the IDF has decided to deploy Battalion 9 of the 401st Armored Brigade along the Gaza border, since its tanks are equipped with the Trophy active protection antitank missile defense system.

The Shin Bet warned that Hamas was making efforts to reestablish its military infrastructure in the West Bank with an emphasis on the Hebron area. Some of these efforts were thwarted by the IDF and the Palestinian Authority security forces, the Shin Bet said.

The most dramatic statistic in the report was the significant drop in rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, down from 569 in 2009 to 150 in 2010. In 2008, in comparison, 2,048 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel.

The Shin Bet warned in its report, however, that Sinai was turning into the “backyard” for Hamas operations as well as for storage of arms that could later be smuggled into Gaza and used against Israel. While the weaponry is in Sinai it is not vulnerable to Israeli attacks. There were also two incidents over the past year of Hamas rocket attacks from the Sinai at Eilat.

The Shin Bet warned of an increase in attacks in the Jerusalem area, with an emphasis on shooting and gasoline bomb attacks.

In total, the Shin Bet recorded a drop in the number of attacks in 2010 to 798 in comparison to 1,354 a year earlier.