Hezbollah retaliates for Israeli first strike- Missile hits IDF convoy

Israel has launched a ground invasion into Lebanon

A UN peacekeeper was also killed in southern Lebanon, in an incident likely related to the border flare-up.

 Briefly!

A missile fired by the Lebanese Hezbollah group struck an Israeli military convoy on Wednesday, an apparent retaliation for a deadly airstrike attributed to Israel that killed six Hezbollah fighters in Syria earlier this month.

Israel reported unspecified casualties from the attack, and its military said it responded with aerial and ground attacks into Lebanon, including at least 50 artillery shells according to Lebanese officials. A Spanish peacekeeper was killed in southern Lebanon, in what the United Nations said was an incident likely related to the border flare-up.

Lieut. Col. Peter Lerner, an Israeli military spokesman, said there were Israeli casualties in the attack, but did not elaborate. The military said it was responding with aerial and ground strikes on Hezbollah positions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would respond “forcefully.”

In a statement, Hezbollah said its fighters destroyed a number of Israeli vehicles that were carrying Israeli officers and soldiers and caused casualties among “enemy ranks.”

The Israeli military said an anti-tank missile hit an Israeli military vehicle near the Israeli-Lebanese border on Wednesday, and said residents of the area had been ordered to remain in their homes.

An hour later, mortars were fired at several Israeli military locations on Mount Dov and Mount Hermon, the Israeli military said

 Can't forget the Israeli strikes on Syria!

More on Israel's twin hits on Syria- IAF and Shelling

 

 UPDATE # 1:

Seven IDF  soldiers lightly to moderately injured -2 IDF soldiers dead

Lebanon's foreign ministry denounced the Israeli shelling and airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanese territory on Wednesday, which followed an attack on Israeli soldiers, which left at least seven injured and two dead. 

Liberman calls for disproportionate response

 UPDATE # 2:

 Or were 15 IDF soldiers killed?  IDF Vehicle Comes Under Fire on Lebanon Border, 15 Israeli Soldiers Killed

UPDATE #3:

  Israeli artillery fire killed the UN peacekeeper (I suspected as much when reading the early reporting) 

 BEIRUT // A United Nations peacekeeper was killed in southern Lebanon on Wednesday by Israeli artillery shells.

Before the  (Hezbollah) attack, Israel had deployed tanks and drones along the frontier at several points

 So, here is my question:  Did Israel strike the area the UN peacekeeper was stationed to kick this whole thing off ? What is the timeline?

More on Israel's twin hits on Syria- IAF and Shelling

Israeli war planes striking Syria- Presently!- Right now! Second strike in 24 hours 

The overall focus of the warmongering media is 'retaliation by Israel'- This is a  non credible meme. It can not, should not,  be believed- Period. The attack launched by Israel yesterday against Syria was planned and executed by Israel- not retaliatory. (Read yesterday's post- linked above for the explanation of the fact!)

McClatchy News

• Israeli aircraft struck Syrian government artillery positions early Wednesday as tensions mounted along the Israeli-held Golan Heights a week and a half after an Israeli airstrike killed an Iranian general and six members of the militant group Hezbollah.

Abundant Israeli aggression in a short period of time
 

Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said the early morning airstrikes were in response to the firing from Syria of at least two rockets that struck the Golan Heights on Tuesday. The rockets landed in open areas and caused no damage, but Israeli forces have been on high alert for retaliation since the deaths of the Iranian and Hezbollah members.

“The IDF holds the Syrian government accountable for all attacks emanating from its territory and will operate by any means necessary to defend Israeli civilians,” Lerner said. “Such blatant breaches of Israeli sovereignty will not be tolerated.”

Israel is fully aware the rocket firings, if true at all, have ZERO to do with the Syrian state or governemnt- If the rocket firings took place, and that is a big IF, they originated with Israel's islamists. The ones Israel has been supporting for years now

The airstrikes were the second Israeli response to the rockets. (No response- planned attacks) Lerner had said earlier that the army had reacted to the rockets “with artillery towards the positions that launched the attack” and had ordered the evacuation of Israel’s Mount Hermon ski resort on the Golan Heights. Israeli media said a Syrian position was shelled.

Lerner said that in contrast to previous incidents, in which errant fire from Syria’s civil war has hit the Golan, the rockets launched Tuesday appeared to have been fired deliberately.

Israel has taken every opportunity to strike Syria whether from "errant" or "appearing" deliberate.

“I don’t think it will end with that, and it’s likely there will be a more aggressive response while trying to avoid a full-scale war,” said Omer Einav, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University.

I suspected as much myself- Israel will likely become more aggressive still

Israel has reinforced troops along the frontiers with Lebanon and Syria and stationed an Iron Dome missile defense battery in the area.

Israel reinforced troops and moved Iron dome to Syrian and Lebanese frontiers better then a week prior to their most recent attack on Syria- I mentioned that in yesterday's post. You can also find the original coverage of Israel's prepping for war, again, in this post from January 20/2015- Israel Prepping for more strikes on Syria? "Israel steps up security for possible Syria airstrike"

Love this because it is sooooo true!!

Assad: Israel is Al-Qaeda's Air Force in Syria

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on Sunday accused the Israel of conspiring with the Al-Qaeda terrorist group.

“It’s very clear. Because whenever we make advances in some place, they attack in order to undermine the army. It’s very clear,” Assad told the American Foreign Affairs magazine.

“That’s why some in Syria joke, how can you say that Al-Qaeda doesn’t have an air force? They have the Israeli air force,” he added.

Israel is Al-Qaeda's airforce- Love it!!!

Check out the ever updating post regarding Israel/Lebanon

Hezbollah retaliates for Israeli first strike- Missile hits IDF convoy

Israeli war planes striking Syria- Presently!- Right now! Second strike in 24 hours

Here is the latest: IDF strikes targets in Syria after 2nd red alert in a day 

Right now, present time, it is being reported that IDF warplanes are targeting Syria

"Israeli Air Force warplanes attacked Syrian military targets shortly after midnight on Wednesday (Israeli/Syria time)

 Residents in the northern Golan Heights reported hearing air raid sirens at 12:33 am. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit announced the IAF strikes moments later.

 Arab media outlets reported that artillery positions of the Syrian military's 90th brigade were attacked"

IDF tanks in the Golan Heights earlier in the day

This is the second time in 24 hours that Israel has attacked Syria!
Earlier today Israel shelled Syrian military positions, allegedly, in response to 'rocket fire'

"Israeli forces Tuesday shelled Syrian positions in the southern province of Qunaitera near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a monitoring group reported"

The rocket fire claim is bogus. What proof is there that any rocket fire, if it happened at all, originated with Syrian military or had a single thing to do with the legitimate, elected, government of Syria! As my hubby suggests "If a Syrian farted in the wind, Israel would claim it as a chemical attack"! Israel's claim of rocket fire originating with Syria, is so ridiculous, it cannot be taken seriously. Israel was looking for any justification, anything they could spin, anything at all, to attack Syria. An attack Israel has been wanting, has prepped for, has planned for, has desired, for as long as I have been blogging on the Syrian situation.

FLASHBACK!: To my post from January 20/2015- Just one week ago!

Israel Prepping for more strikes on Syria? "Israel steps up security for possible Syria airstrike"

Quoting from that previous post.......

 This reads to me as if Israel is going to up their airstrikes in support of their Islamist terrorist/fighters aka NATO's mercs

 I actually don't see this as prepping for 'retaliation' for Israel's most recent strike on Syria, or any of the previous strikes. The moves to me are way more suggestive that Israel is about to make one or more strikes on Syria, Lebanon or on both nations simultaneously

Israel is undertaking the attacks, it has planned for, while the world is distracted by the Auschwitz memorial- Not a coincidence.

Private Central Banks Working Together to assist US Federal Reserve

 Gazing into my crystal ball................

As you read this article below it should be quite clear that the ECB stimulus, Canada’s Central Bank rate cut and the Swiss decoupling from the Euro were ALL moves undertaken to enable the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates down and the US dollar high! 

Swiss shocker!? Swiss National Bank moves to Ditch Euro Cap- Sending Shockwaves?

Swiss Business Leaders & Politicos at White House PROMISING US Job Creation??!

In plain words, through the cooperative/conniving acts of global central banksters, working together, the US will not have to raise interest rates. And the stock market should get a nice boost too!

* The ECB massively increased stimulus, pushing the EURO down against the US dollar
+ The Swiss decoupling increased the US dollar
+ Canada’s interest rate cut, caused the Canadian dollar to decrease against the US dollar
+ Standard and Poors downgrades Ruble to junk (ht Anthony for reminding me of that!)
= The Fed will not raise interest rates, because there is simply no need to do so, thanks to the Swiss, Canadian & Europeans central banks working together along with the S&P Credit Ratings- Ruble downgrade

Of course, I could be mistaken, but as of today, right now, based on the info at hand. Global collusion to prop up the US dollar is exactly as I see it!

Highlighting the interesting bits

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve could be key for Wall Street next week as investors get to hear from the U.S. central bank for the first time since a series of moves by its global peers, including the European Central Bank's massive stimulus plan.

Thursday's larger-than-expected stimulus package from the ECB lifted U.S. stocks, helping indexes post gains for the week after three straight weeks of losses.

But the increased stimulus measures from the ECB and elsewhere globally, including the Bank of Canada, may make it tougher for the Fed to move ahead with its own plan to start raising interest rates by mid-year, lest U.S. economic policy move out of sync with the rest of the world.

"Global central policy is not one of their mandates, but I think they have to acknowledge it, because this is not just global economic headwinds, this is actually the moves of other central banks. They've got to take that into account," said Erik Davidson, chief investment officer for Well Fargo Private Bank in San Francisco.

Should the United States raise rates when other major developed economies are being more expansive, that could boost the dollar, putting further pressure on commodity prices - which because they are denominated in dollars become more expensive for non-U.S. investors - and adding to the threat of deflation.

The only way the US will raise is if they are attempting to increase commodity prices, which I just don't see at this time- So I am still sticking with my prognostication- no interest rate increase in the US.

The Fed is expected to reiterate that those global risks have not yet put the U.S. recovery or the Fed's rate plans off track when it issues its policy statement at the close of its two-day meeting on Wednesday.

The timing of the Fed's eventual rate move has been a top concern for investors. Stocks rallied when the Fed said after its December meeting that it would take a patient approach toward raising interest rates and gave an upbeat assessment of the U.S. economy.

The sharp decline in oil prices that began last June and worries about deflation could keep the Fed on hold for longer, analysts said.

"It bodes well for the Fed to be patient," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital in New York. "There's no inflation here; the problem is deflation. If oil prices were to go lower, that could create more of a problem."

From the last 24 hours-

• From Persian Spring (Iran) to Today’s Drone Strikes etc., in Yemen

• Is it Time for a "Persian Spring"? Destabilizing Iran

 

From Persian Spring (Iran) to Today’s Drone Strikes etc., in Yemen

Updated!- scroll down

Persian Spring refers to today's earlier post- Is it Time for a "Persian Spring"? Destabilizing Iran
I am connecting Yemen and Iran, because, they are connected. The western powers aka NATO/Israel connect them- Whether they really are, matters not. We are looking at the fact that, as stated, NATO/Israel connects Iran and Yemen- So, it is not coincidence that a Persian Spring is being touted as Yemen is being destabilized.
Just to be straight up front and clear- There was NO Houthi coup in Yemen.
It is very obvious that the western backed transitional government stepped down.
(See here and here and here and finally- HERE)

First- the Yemen government did not want to keep the power sharing agreement they had made with the Houthi populations

Second- Saudi Arabia had cut the funding last September 2014. And appear to have cut the remaining funding quite  recently.

Saudi Arabia cuts of funding, again, to Yemen government

“Another lawmaker, Mohamed Saleh Ali, offered a different explanation. According to Mr. Ali, the meeting was canceled (Sunday January 25/15) partly because the president of Parliament was traveling to Saudi Arabia, which sees the Houthis as an extension of Iranian influence and has cut off nearly all aid to the Yemeni government.”

So Saudi Arabia has now cut off nearly all aid to Yemen! When was this done? Was this funding cut the impetus for the mass government resignation? We know that on Thursday the President resigned after the Prime Minister and Cabinet stepped down. Did Saudi Arabia cut funding in order to take down the government?

Digression- It seems that the death of the 'Wily King', Thursday January 22nd,  didn't change a thing! (Was he in charge, really?) Saudi King Abdullah- Dead- A Wily King?

 Saudi Arabia reduces funding to Yemen 2014

Last September (2014) ,when the Houthis had originally worked out a power sharing arrangement with the western backed government, Saudi Arabia had also reduced funding to the government

“The Houthis are also believed to get financing from Iran, and concern about that led Saudi Arabia last year to cut off $4 billion in funding to the Yemeni government when the Houthis became part of it’

It is often suggested the Houthis get funding from Iran? Though I have yet to see any real connectivity via war mongering media reporting. What is abundantly clear is that Saudi Arabia had been propping up the Yemen government.- Similarly Saudi Arabia props up Egypt.

Houthis are quite moderate:

 Houthis may be a lot more moderate than it suggests, according to many diplomats and analysts who have followed them closely.

“The Houthis are not Hezbollah,” said Charles Schmitz, an expert on the group and a professor at Towson University, referring to the Iranian-supported group that dominates Lebanon and is actively fighting on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. “They are domestic, homegrown, and have very deep roots in Yemen, going back thousands of years.

April Alley, a senior analyst for the International Crisis Group in Sana, said: “Theoretically there is quite a bit of common ground in Yemen between the Houthis and the U.S., particularly when it comes to security issues and Al Qaeda. But so far it’s not been enough to overcome the obstacles. The Houthis have their own limits in which they can engage the Americans given the political narrative they have propagated.”

Israel's concerns

Israeli analysts have viewed the rise of the Houthis with concern, worrying that a pro-Iranian government in Sana could disrupt shipping lanes through the Red Sea, a vital passageway for Israel. “The fact that an ally of Iran basically now controls another Arab capital is of great concern to Israel,” said Jonathan Spyer, an Israeli international affairs analyst.

  
Drone Strikes: US Drone war survives Yemen government resignation.

The attack in Marib province was the first apparent drone strike since the departure of Hadi, and signals Washington's campaign against AQAP is continuing, at least in its use of drones, despite his absence.
A suspected U.S. drone strike on a car in eastern Yemen killed three men believed to be al Qaeda militants on Monday, officials said, suggesting Washington's remotely-piloted air war has survived the overthrow of the country's U.S.-backed leader.

The US has NOT evacuated the embassy. Only closing it to the public

The U.S. embassy said on Monday that it was closing to the public until further notice.

Destabilization!: Some, but not all, Southern provinces announce independence from central Yemeni government

A number of southern provinces (2) such as Ibb and Taiz have “declared independence” from Sana’a, while other provinces such as Ma’rib said they would no longer accept any instructions from the capital.

Wanna bet the US and company are totally OK with this declaration of independence?

UPDATE! One tiny news item- more details have emerged
 Yemen rivals sign deal to form salvation government

Yemen rivals sign deal to form salvation government

Yemen rivals signs deal to form salvation government

 U.N. envoy Jamel Benomar had earlier met with leaders of Shiite Houthi militia

The meeting was among a series of talks that the Moroccan diplomat was holding in Sanaa to try to broker an agreement after Western-backed President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi resigned, (NO COUP, as I had mentioned) U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

 Benomar said Hadi and his cabinet were effectively under house arrest (so the quitter says, but, I don't believe him) and that violence could erupt at any time, (this western backed leader is a real drama queen) but he added that a power-sharing deal "was possible," the diplomats said.

 The envoy was also in touch with Gulf countries which have come out in strong support of Hadi, whose resignation on Thursday has yet to be endorsed by the parliament.

There was NO coup, this guy quit. The plan the US/Israel etc had for framing the Shiite militias failed.  Likely the US pressured Hadi to quite and he did! The cutting off of funding from the Saudi's sealed the deal- No coup!

Is it Time for a "Persian Spring"? Destabilizing Iran

I see this article as total admission /acknowledgement of the complete falseness of all the Arab springs- Every last one of them created by the Western "democracies". Through front companies, charities, proxies etc., with the help of privatized military contractors, mercenaries and worse. All done under the cover of the NATO global tyranny umbrella. Killing, destroying, maiming, harming is big business!!!

Oh, sorry, did I say killing, destroying maiming, harming is big business? I actually meant human rights upholding and building democracy is simply the right thing to do....;-)

Relevant excerpts from this article-Is it time for a Persian Spring

As the debate heats up between Congress and the Administration over new Iran sanctions and Houthi rebels take over Yemen’s government (LIE- See here and here and here and finally- HERE) while the U.S. continues to battle the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria – there needs to be a different focus for a solution in the war against terrorism; and that could be a “Persian Spring.”

The global war against terrorism should include ‘degrading’ the Iranian Regime, and not only focus on the war against the Islamic State.

Dr. Majid Sadeghpour is the political director of the Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIACUS). The OIACUS is one of several organizations that want to see the future of Iran be democratic. The National Council of Resistance of Iran is another organization that represents multiple groups who want see a democratic Iran.

Keep in mind that name and that organization!

An ‘Egyptian style’ revolution where millions of people took a stand against terrorism (against terrorism?)could be possible in Iran, but the people need the political support of the United States and international community.

An outright admission the US was behind the Egyptian spring- Part 1 and 2

A Peshmerga ( Unnamed Sunni Muslim- Kurd/ISIS) soldier spoke to Breitbart News about the influence of Iran in the Baghdad government, stating that “you see pictures of Khomeini in the government buildings.” (Is he scared of photos?)  He said that “soon you will see Iranians as pilots in the jets that you [U.S.] are providing them” and “the equipment and weapons that the U.S. gives to Baghdad will go the Iranians, and help Iran.”

Sounds like this unnamed ‘peshmerga’ sunni/muslim/kurd probable ISIS fighter, is creating the narrative- fixing the intelligence?

Iran is an underlying problem in the global war against terrorism. As the world witnessed in Egypt, miracles can happen. The people of Iran can stand up against the terrorist theocracy of the Iranian Regime, but they will need the support of the international community.

Which means the US and company will have to get busy fomenting destabilization and terror- to create “miracles”

There are several different ways that the United States could support Iranian opposition groups. One example lies in how the U.S. funds multiple “democracy programs” through USAID and other State Department initiatives in various places throughout the world. The United States should start focusing on increasing democracy programs for Iranian opposition groups. There are Iranian opposition groups are all over the world, including the United States and Europe.

The United States is also training opposition forces to remove Assad, but another idea is to start training opposition forces for the removal of the Iranian Regime, which would then remove a pillar holding up the Assad Regime.

The United States spends millions on programs under the Broadcasting Board of Governors, such as “Voice of America” and “Alhurra,” which were created to support freedom and democratic values to people all over the world. These are programs that should be utilized to bring about democratic reform in Iran

 President Obama will host a summit on February 18th to fight “violent extremism” where a global strategy to defeat terrorism will take shape. Part of this strategy should include supporting opposition groups against the Iranian Regime. Egypt should be the model to follow on how a nation can stand against a terrorist regime.

 And so it goes..... The plotters continue plotting. The destabilzers continue to destroy nations and displace people. The war profiteers continue to rake in the profits. The bankster scum continue to make money from indebting people. And Israel? Becomes stronger through the weakening of all other nations in the area.

In the last 24 hours there has also been two other postings-

• Greece: Exit Polls Indicate Big Win for Syriza

• Foreigners in Ukraine- Swedes with Azov battalion & American Mercs. Indeed!

Foreigners in Ukraine- Swedes with Azov battalion & American Mercs. Indeed!

We are always getting so called news about Russian troops in Ukraine. Unfounded of course. I can't see any reason for Russia to send troops into Ukraine, myself.

So let us speak and read of the foreigners in Ukraine, fighting alongside the Ukie fighters.
Some of you may have seen the American masquerading as a Ukrainian soldier at Saker's blog?
I will embed that video at the bottom of this post. However, let's take a look at one recently deceased, Swede, obviously a neo nazi or skin head of some sort- "volunteering" in Ukraine- Yah, I laugh. This guy was no 'volunteer'. He is clearly part of the NATO irregulars.
Check him out, readers, check him out!
Swedish volunteer with Azov Battalion dies in car accident
Dies in car accident? Two links to source- First and Second
(the second link is necessary because it provides us with the full text of the original Kyiv Post article)

Leo Sjöholm, 31, served in the Azov Battalion during the war between Ukraine and Russia in the Donbas.

Yup, that's your kind hearted volunteer, do gooder. Just wanting to help and all that drivel!
Scary!

Leo Sjöholm, a 31-year-old Swedish volunteer with the Azov Battalion, was killed in a car accident near the city of Berdyansk in Zaporizhya Oblast while on military duty on Jan. 8.

 This guy is no volunteer- He has been in Ukraine since Maidan! Recall the brutal thugs present at Maidan? Our 'volunteer' was one of them.

 Leo Sjöholm, a 31-year-old Swedish volunteer with the Azov Battalion, was killed in a car accident near the city of Berdyansk in Zaporizhya Oblast while on military duty on Jan. 8.

Azov has a special subdivision of 15 foreign volunteers, Sweden’s Sjöholm and Mikael Skillt were among them. Skillt still serves there. Having come to Ukraine during the latest stage of the EuroMaidan Revolution

Prior to joining Azov, Sjöholm went through studies at Volunteer Military Organization in Sweden and served at French Foreign Legion. In Azov, he was teaching military courses, while also was studying Ukrainian.

The French Foreign Legion- chock full of sickos and psychos

The world contains more misfits, sadists, masochists, and people who enjoy fighting than we sometimes like to suppose. How else can one explain the fact that the French Foreign Legion is heavily overrecruited?

 Many legionnaires took a masochistic pleasure in an unhappy life.

 Most men who enlist in their own national armies are no more and no less mercenaries than legionnaires.

Leo's mother was none the less very proud of her son?!

In case you have doubts about Swedish Neo-nazis in Ukraine? :Swedish Neo-Nazis fighting in Ukraine

"They are not fighting for a democratic Ukraine," Anton Shekhotsov, a Ukrainian political scientist who researches right extremist movements in Europe, told Sveriges Radio (SR).  "Their vision of Urkaine is a fascist dictatorship."

A Fascist Dictatorship?
How strange that the so called democratic west stands behind these terrible individuals as they inflict unimaginable suffering on civilians- Of course, it's not really strange at all.

Now, about that very American sounding Ukrainian soldier?


From the Vineyard


 

 Speaking of foreigners in  the Ukraine..........................

Can't forget about Greece

Greece: Exit Polls Indicate Big Win for Syriza