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Subscribe to RSSAs Israel and Gaza continue their airstrikes, the effects of the Arab Spring could affect the conflict's outcome as leaders, including Egypt's newly elected president, denounce Israel's aggression. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.
It was an unguarded comment that may have strayed close to the truth: Britain’s Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said he believes tensions over Iran were behind the Israel-Gaza violence.
That remark – made in a radio studio when he thought he was off the air – echoes a theory that Tehran’s fingerprints are all over the current escalation of violence.
Realizing that he was actually live on air, Sacks did not elaborate on his theory but Western intelligence agencies and the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) do agree that longer-range rockets being fired toward Tel Aviv are Iranian-manufactured Fajr-5 missiles.
The Fajr-5s are assembled locally after being shipped from Iran via Egypt’s Sinai region from where they are smuggled into Gaza through tunnels, the IDF says on its own public information site.
Israel believes weapons travel via Sudan – a theory underlined when it launched airstrikes on an apparent arms factory there last month, killing two people.
Digitalglobe / AFP - Getty Images, file
This combo of two satellite pictures released by DigitalGlobe shows the Yarmouk military manufacturing facility in Khartoum on October 12 (L) and on October 26, (R), two days after blasts at the factory, which the Sudanese government blamed on an Israeli airstrike.
Two Palestinian militant groups - Islamic Jihad and Hamas - have claimed to have fired Fajr-5s. Hamas calls its rockets "Palestinian made" and does not acknowledge receiving weapons from Iran, although it does refer to Iran as a "supporter of the resistance."
From Sudan to cyber, secret war with Iran heats up
A senior Iranian lawmaker has denied supplying Hamas with weapons. "We deny having delivered the Fajr-5 to the Palestinian resistance,” Allaeddine Boroujerdi, head of the Tehran parliament's foreign affairs committee said on Saturday, according to the Daily Star newspaper in Lebanon. He added that Hamas was “perfectly capable of producing the arms it needs.”
So who is telling the truth?
On Monday, the Wikileaks site reposted on Twitter a link to a 2009 diplomatic cable, first leaked last year, detailing Israeli intelligence on how Iran was supplying Hamas with long-range weapons and how such artillery was being brought into Gaza.
That viewpoint is shared by retired General Barry McCaffrey, a security consultant and NBC News analyst, who told MSNBC’s Alex Witt: “I think the Iranians have manipulated particularly [Lebanon-based] Hezbollah but also Hamas. They've equipped them with significant amounts of rocketry. One of the unclassified figures was 120,000 rockets in either southern Lebanon or Gaza in the range of Israel, so the Iranians are actively promoting trouble in Syria and Lebanon and Gaza.”
Jane Kinninmont, senior research fellow at the British think tank Chatham House, told NBC News’ U.K. partner Channel 4 News there were some indications that shifting allegiances might point to Iran’s motives.
"In the background, for more than a year, Qatar, Jordan and other Gulf states have been trying to prise Hamas away from its recent alliance with Iran in return for stronger support from the Arab world," she said. "Iran may be trying to wreck this by dragging Hamas back into a military conflict where it needs its Iranian rockets.”
Supporting that theory, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency on Sunday accused Qatar of helping in the killing of Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari by planting spy devices in Gaza. It alleged that the emir of Qatar, King Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, distributed watches and ballpoint pens among Hamas leaders when he visited the area in October, and that those items contained transmitters that emit signals to Israeli satellites.
Israel steps up targeted attacks in heavily populated Gaza; mediation efforts gather pace
But other experts believe Iran’s role in this particular outbreak of violence is overstated.
“It would not be a surprise but I think it is unlikely,” Ali Ansari, professor of modern history at St. Andrews University in Scotland and senior research fellow at Chatham House, told NBC News.
“I don’t think even Iran would be stupid enough to provide a pretext for a war with Israel, which is something neither side wants despite all the rhetoric.”
Daniel Levy, director for Middle East and North Africa for the London-based European Council on Foreign Relations, said: “Certainly Israel will be looking at the wider issues such as Iran but I think there’s a risk of reading too much into Iranian involvement.
“There’s a war of narratives going on here. Israel will tend to blame Iran for everything it can and vice versa.”
With the rise of Islamism in the wake of the Arab Spring, and the shift of its base from Damascus to Doha, Hamas has been less reliant on Iran, the main Shiite power in the region, for backing against Israel.
“Hamas is now firmly aligned with the Sunni Arab camp and can distance itself from Iran,” Levy noted.
So is the current violence really a precursor to a showdown with Iran? Unlikely, according to Ansari and Levy.
Yonatan Touval, a Tel Aviv-based analyst, told the New York Times: “If Israel’s political leadership is treating the current operation in Gaza as something of a rehearsal for a future war with Hezbollah and Iran, it is rehearsing the wrong play.”
Nevertheless, Iran-Israel tension remains high. “Tehran is getting a bit of a break at the moment because all the attention is being focused elsewhere,” Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, told NBC News. “But if there is a truce agreement and current violence tails off, Iran remains the number one issue for Israel and the wider region.”
Ayman Mohyeldin, NBC News Correspondent in Cairo, contributed to this report.
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Utter BS - the whole story. The violence started when the IDF shot a 13-year old kid playing soccer:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/08/world/meast/gaza-violence/index.html
Of course, nobody talked about that. It's like 1984. They'll rewrite history right in front of your eyes and people just lap it up.
UUUUMMMM...not true, the picture of the 13 year old was used twice, first time was in a Syrian headliner and now it's used by these manipulating turds. Hesbolah, Hamas and all the others use the media to attack and change public opinion...remember, these guys invented the art of war and deception...this is all they know, from birth to death...War. And HATRED FOR THE JEW with no real reason other than they exist. DUH!!!
@pyrate
and the US and Israel don't use the media to sway opinion to their behalf? People like you need to wake up to the fact that it is money that is driving this machine and who has the most money? The Rothschilds. And what is their religious affiliation? Jewish!!! And precisely what is their agenda? To advance Zionist interests at any and all costs by any means necessary. Quit reading the 'books' from just one side, open your eyes and your mind to all sides of the conflict to garner the real truth otherwise you're just more cannon fodder and good riddance.
For all those denouncing Israel.. we're at day 5 of missile attacks. By AP and MSNBC over 400 rockets have been shot at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Imagine, if you will, ANY country shooting 400+ missiles into the US. If tomorrow madness broke out in Mexico and they fired ONE weapon into the US, you'd have the US citizenry demanding we roll the tanks through Mexico and wipe out Mexico City. The fact that Israel hasn't rolled out the tanks yet... if you're calling them warmongers, wow.. on no day would the US tolerate 400+ missile strikes and not go apes---
Where would the tanks roll that can't be destroyed by planes? There's no need otherwise Israel would do it. Imagine what America would do if a country killed as many Americans as Israel is killing Palestinians . To make the comparison you are making so as to justify a slaughter is just heartless and ignorant. America would have settled this issue a long time ago...peacefully. Israel is an arrogant and racist country run by a bozo...Netan the Yahoo who believes the Palestinians are a sub-race. America has its problems but has the courage to face them and resolve issues. Israel is just a paranoid bully whose fear leads to over reactions. Israeli behavior and American support for that behavior is a disgrace to the greatness of America and only shows the power of special interests who have no care for the welfare of America and Americans...just an obsession to use American goodwill to allow the slaughter of Palestinians to continue.
chris. yap ,if you think people are buying your bs , you are wrong. this kind of deception deosn't work anymore. it is not 1970's it is 2012 and people have the access to the true media and news.
Obama has asked Israel to give back some of the land it took from the Palestinians, years ago, but Israel says it is to late to give the land back. If Israel did give some land back, then there would be some kind of peace. Also Israel has asked the Palestinians to stop the Hamas radicals acting on their own, and causing most of the troubles these two countries are having. So this conflict is like two school bullies fighting with each other. Nether will back down for the good of their people.
Crisis? What Crisis? The crisis is getting Twinkies back on the shelves. STAT!
Don't be fooled by this. It's just the Israeli lobby justifying the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians to the American public. This is a sick, cynical group of people using the goodwill of the American people to justify their extreme actions.
Ron-975213
So Hamas are a bunch of peace loving Terrorist Muslims shooting missiles in the sky for the enjoyment of the Palestinian children? Kinda like 4th July in November? Is that why they hide their missile launchers around schools & neighborhoods?
the Hamas would be no different than you and your community members if you were invaded by a military might that overmatched anything you had at your disposal, you would utilize guerilla warfare tactics as well, hiding your weaponry and fighting forces in places within the civilian sector and why is it always, always, always with rightwing radicals that terrorists are muslims and muslims are terrorists. Who said these people are terrorists, the Israelis?, the US media? your baptist minister? Why can't they just be people fighting to be free of their Zionist oppressors? Did you know that Israel has a system of military checkpoints in and about Palestine that rival any WWII NAZI effort to cordone off and control the Jews? How enjoyable would it be in your day to daqy life if you had to show your papers just to go from your house to work or to the corner market, or how about being detained for no reason or restricted to you household for days on end without cause, because this is how the Israelis have been treating the Palestinians for years.
Almost every single conflict between Israel and her enemies has been a response to her enemy's aggression. The Palestinians wouldn't be "oppressed" and blockaded regularly if they weren't constantly trying to kill Israelis. I agree they have legitimate arguments about Israeli occupation. No one else in the world is going to take them seriously when you align you politics with the likes of Hamas and continue attacks and killings. The only thing you're going to get is more killing back. And yes! If someone started to rain down missiles on our country, it would be dealt with immediately and would be decisive and bloody!
Jews aren't donning bomb vests and boarding buses and entering schools to blow them up! Jews aren't firing hundreds of missiles a day into neighborhoods to try and kill innocent civilians!
Ron, few Americans seem to have the ability to be independent thinkers. They have bought into the zionist propaganda hook, line, and sinker!
"Jews aren't donning bomb vests and boarding buses and entering schools to blow them up! Jews aren't firing hundreds of missiles a day into neighborhoods to try and kill innocent civilians!"
How convenient of you to criminalize those who use any means at their disposal to gain their freedom from oppression and yes, I would consider having to show my papers and purpose everytime i stepped out the front door of my house, in my homeland that my father's father's father and his forebearers down through antiquitity purchased with their blood and perseverance, as oppression. And if you're going to pull a quote make sure you don't pull it out of context because that just makes you a propagandist. This most recent conflict is based on a hellfire missle strike from a predator drone against an Hamas leader who Israel claims murdered hundreds of Israelis. Funny how it's murder when it happens to the Israelis but when they do it to the Palestinians it is just casualties of war. I didn't say anything about missles raining down on the US, what I spoke of was occupiers being given the keys to your community by a group of 'allied' forces and then you are subject to their rule of your day to day life. You may want to slow down and give some thought to what you are reading before trying to respond next time and really, Airborne Dad, is that supposed to make your opinion up in here mean more or be anymore valid than anyone else. I am not dealing in my own opinion here, i present realistic hypotheticals and fact. My opinion is pay some ragheads, like Bush did those that crashed the planes on 9/11, to walk into downtown jerusalem and detonate some nukes and step back and let both sides turn the Middle East into a glass covered parking lot, that's just my opinion though and i understand calmer, saner heads must prevail.
Let's make a change in the way we perceive this Israeli-Palestinian relationship. Go to Facebook and join the group "Arab Jewish Dialog" to encourage new lines of thought.
Oh yes, never mind that it was actually Israel's assassination of a political leader that sparked this recent wave of violence... it MUST be Iran behind this.
From what I have read. they didn't knock out the leader until they had already lobbed over 150 missiles into Israel. I don't think a terrorist leader is really considered a Political leader.
Israel has been like a Hamas punching, bag taking shot after shot. When they finally decide to strike back and kill a TERRORIST the whole world goes nuts. If Mexico did to the U.S. what Hamas has done to Israel we wouldn't stand for it.
The head of the terror network that is trying to wipe out all Jews gets killed by the Israeles, a bad guy...and you say "Assasination of a Political Leader"? Are you okay? Are you feeling alright? Could be gas on the brain.
oh yes, let's be sure and link Iran to Israel's latest aggressions over territory that isn't even theirs, the same way Bush tried to link Saddam to 9/11 and WMDs and failed miserably. The form of warfare that the Palestinian fighting forces utilize is called guerilla warfare, secreting their fighting forces and weaponry amongst their civilian population because they are overmatched by the combined might and technology of Israel and its ally, the US. It would be no different if the roles were reversed, the Zionists would hide in amongst their civilian sector just as they did in WWII and the civilian sector would welcome them as their one and only hope for freedom and safety just as the Palestinians in Gaza welcome their's. I sincerely doubt Iran has a single thing to do with what is happening in Gaza and who or what Hamas is. H3ll, 87% of you on here only know what the media tells you and of that 87%, 65% of you believe every word you're told by the media. Sad, sad sheeple running over the cliff headlong into the abyss.
Fox where are you coming from? You live in a cave and just me out for some sun or been in the sun to long.
typical, attack with antagonism and flippancy what you cannot resolve with intelligence and reason.
Fox, I have read books written by people who have lived in Gaza/Israel and Iran. Iran's government was taken over by radical Islamists that promised a westernized government to the Iranian people and then went back on their word. Hamas is a radical group that with Iran hates Israel and has been needling them with rocket attack for a while. Israel is not blame here.
and have you read the books by the people who claim just the opposite because there are always 2 sides to each story.
Best way to take the eyes off you is to divert attention to someone else. You know Iran is doing this with great efficiency.
nice conspiracy theory, got any proof other than the spoon-feeding you're getting from the media?
It makes perfect sense Fox. And if the IDF is willing to name the type and make of the weapon being fired on them, It's a pretty good guess they've been doing their homework on it.
so you accept the Israeli Defense Forces' word on the brand of missle being fired on them? Talk about being spoon-fed. Tell me, how does propaganda taste because i refuse to eat any of the bu!!$h!t the Zionists are trying to feed us?
Oh now there's another big surprise! NOT! Yesterdays announcement of internet hacking and today's Iran's fingerprint on the weapons Hamas is using. Iran has been a royal in the arse for a long time in that area. It sits on the side lines rattling as many sabers as possible in everyone elses backyard all the while pointing fingers. Iran has everything to win and little to lose should this become an all out war (the enemy of my enemy is my friend). Manipulation on a grand scale but that is how they have survived all this time. I wish there were a way to put their government out of every elses misery without all the "collateral damage" they have no problem creating.
"in everyone else's backyard"? Really? Have you taken a look at a map of the US military installations which completely surround Iran, not to mention the 150+ naval vessels from 21 different allied nations cruising around in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf and, of course, the hundreds of drone over-flights that Iran suffers from the US military on a daily basis. So who is in whose backyard again rattling sabres? Nice rhetorical gum bumping on your part anyway, sounded kinda pretty even if senseless and somewhat paranoid, but you keep buying every last word of what the media sells you.
All over the globe, politicians use semantics and innocent civilians die. When will the citizens of warring nations make their leaders pick up arms and fight their own fight.
Hundreds of Hamas missiles have been launched and hundreds and hundreds more have been destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. The estimated number will be interesting to hear once this action is complete. Hamas rockets made in Hamas rocket factories!! I don't think so. Iran will have to replenish those missiles/rockets. They lost their assembly plant in the Sudan. So they will have to find another. Will Eqypt let the rockets pass through? Hezbollah will soon lose their their "secret" route for Iranian rockets once Syria/Assad goes down. The rockets that Hamas have been firing into Israel, which started this most recent action, has been blessed by Iran and is is an Iranian attempt to deflect attention from Syria.
Can someone please explain to me how Israel is "the Aggressor" in this dispute? I honestly want to hear a rational point of view.
Uhhh, gee, let's see, they just blasted a Hamas leader driving through Gaza minding his own business, with a hellfire missle on a predator drone all because Israel claims he was responsible for hundreds of murdered Israelis. Funny how when Israelis are killed in military conflict the Zionists say they were murdered but when Israel kills hundreds of innocent Palestinians they are just casualties of war, gotta love how they play those semantics.
Do you honestly believe there was no provocation whatsoever?
oh no of course there was provocation, so say the Israelis, the masters of the pre-emptive strike but no, the Israelis have never attacked first in their entire history (pre-emptive strike) and it is only murder when Hamas or Palestinians do it to Israelis but it is simply casualties of war when Israel does it to Palestinians or Hamas, funny how those word games can make a hero out of a mass murderer
Please, somebody tell me one good thing about Iran! Otherwise I'll have to keep hating them.
No surprise here.
do your own homework, but maybe you could start with 1953, US of A, Britain and coup. Then maybe you will begin to see why the Iranian people distrust and dislike the US, Britain and Israel, oh and if you want to understand why Iran dislikes Israel so much trying doing some homework on the Balfour Resolution and work your way forward from there. You might want to open your mind to the possibility that your hatred of a people who have never done a single wrong to you might be wholly unfounded and a product of being a media sheeple.
I knew there had to be something.
hasn't all this been going on for years....pre-Israel even? trashland
Whatever the details of the Iranian connection: Israel's goal is to dismantle the rockets and prevent re-supply. Why accept anything less--it won't be secure, just more words.
I pray for the Iranians and Palestinians to stop this suicidal folly. The Israelis have nukes aboard airbourne F-16's ready to be armed and deployed. We know how they respond tenfold.
I am in agreement with the Rabbi. A ground attach into Gaza would be the only justification Iran would need to expand the war to include the entire region. This would take the heat off of Iran globally, and give them justification for having developed a nuclear capability. Possibly even using it in defense of brother Muslims.
Iran will stop at nothing to destroy Israel and the U.S. Read books from people who have come the the U.S. from that region Son of Hamas and A Time to Betray.
Israel has been getting shelled non-stop and the media is making them look like the bad guy. Iran, Egypt and the muslim brotherhood are really the ones we should be skeptically watching. Israel is defending itself, and I wish Obama would stand up to other countries like Netanyahu does for Israel.
Hamas is backed by Iran and is the agressor. Israel drops pamphlets to the civilians to let them know what targets are going to be hit. Hamas uses the civilian popolation as their human sheild so innocent people are going to get hurt.
Israel has human rights including womens rights. If Hamas, Iran or the muslim brohterhood take over you can forget about human rights. There are none in their book women are treated terribly and so is anyone with a differing opinion.
Israel is the land of Moses, of God and for the Jews. Israel is protecting herself, Israel is surrounded by her enemies and lives in constant fear, watching their backs against people who want them ALL DEAD!!!. The land of the Gaza strip was Israels also, but under strong pressure from World leaders, they had to reluctantly give up that space...but it is still theirs according to the Bible and GODS WORD. What people in their right mind would want a people next to them that want them all dead...not just one or two bad people...but every damned one of them regardless of what kind of person they are.
Then we get some of you that drink the kool aid of propaganda and can't see the manipulation of these rebels in the media of World Opinion. Why would you, how could you and what gives you the right to completely annihilate a people? If this was your family, your home and your land...would you not fight to protect it? Wouldn't you feel the pressure of being surrounded by your enemies, never knowing when they might attack?
All of you that are on the rebels side (Palestinians, Hamas...ect.) and are putting Israel down for protecting themselves and for having enough of these damned people killing their families...your fools, because what comes around, goes around and maybe you might be put in the same circumstances (hope not) but think about how you would react.
If I was in charge of Israel...if it was my family being killed, I would warn all the people living in the Gaza that they have 1 week to get Hamas and the others out...take care of this yourself or we will consider that this is what you want and your on their side...so be it...BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!.....Big Crater! Enough is enough and sometimes you have to take drastic measures to stop years of killing and hundreds of thousands of more lives. While I was at it, I would send a few Nukes into Iran and point a couple at the rest and tell them that if they screw with my people any more...I will fight all of you to the death until you leave me and mine alone. Better to die one death, than see the deaths of Grand Children, loved ones, friends thru out years more conflict. Sometimes you just have to stand up to the Bullies and do your best to stop it all NOW.
I do know that Israel attacking these turds and stopping them, will allow them to attack Iran without having to look over their backs so much.
"So who is telling the truth?" Good question. It's hard to tell this day and age - we know it isn't the media - it doesn't know how.
Our finger prints are all over weapons in that area so we don't have any room to talk or point fingers. We all need to stay out and let the chips fall where they may. If Israel is God's chosen nation let him defend them.
That's the problem with Iran. Hypothetically, they could develop a nuclear weapon, and train Hamas on how to make one and call it the Hamas nuke.
Iran has to be stopped.
I guess if Iran does carry out it's PUBLICLY ANNOUNCED threats against Israel and any Israeli friendly bases in that area when it's all over we can apologize to them for offending them. Obama needs to grow some balls and decide if the US is supporting Israel ( our sworn allies during former Presidencies) or Iran (not exactly an ally of the US but not exactly an enemy....yet). At that point I guess we can figure out that Iran was "exactly" our enemy after all.........while we're cleaning up the carnage and explaining to the families of soldiers that will die that we really didn't think that those FANATICS would actually follow through with their threats......wake up!!!!....Most of them don't care if they live or die as long as they are doing the will of Allah, which is doing everything they can to destroy the Great Satan (the US in their mindset)........last time I checked we were supposed to be One Nation under God.....Not One Nation that was formerly under God and had a leader that decided we needed a "change" to become One Nation under Allah so that we can at last respect the Muslims.........at what point do we stand up for our Forefather's beliefs and what they had in mind for the People of the United States and the countries that choose democracy (our allies) along with us and our support.
We may not think they will use weapons against Israel but the odds of betting against that are not very good! If they do will "These Colors Finally Run" ????
Our Forefathers would be so hurt over what this Country has become and I don't think anybody that has read anything about Our Founding Fathers would disagree.
We shall reap what others have sowed for us because we were not strong enough to overcome the evil that has come upon us all.
The Persians are just using and willing to sacrifice the Palestinian’s to do their dirty work. They are testing the waters and patience of the US. If Iran directly attacked Israel or the US the other Nations of the world would condemn it, but if small Palestine attacks, the world will condemn Israel or the US if it helps. Persians really know how to work the media.
wizza --- you got it right there. the Iranians (Persians) as they would prefer are some smart people. i had the opportunity to to work with some persian americans in the past. i also must say that some of the persian women are very beautiful.