Turkish Parliament in close session to decide on Sirya mortar attack

The Turkish Parliament is voting on an abrupt motion that will allow the government to undertake necessary military retaliation against Syria after a mortar strike killed five Turkish civilians in Turkey's Akçakale town on the Syria border.

Speaking to reporters after holding a meeting with Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ and other officials, Justice and Development Party (AK Party) parliamentary group Deputy Chairman Nurettin Canikli said the motion would not be discussed in an open session.
A dispute followed this announcement as Republican People's Party (CHP) parliamentary group Deputy Chairman Muharrem İnce and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) parliamentary group Deputy Chairman Oktay Vural said they objected to the closed-door session.
İnce also objected to the motion, which he said is a clear declaration of war against Syria.
Meanwhile, İbrahim Kalın, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said on his Twitter account that Turkey had no interest in a war with Syria but would protect its borders. He said political and diplomatic initiatives would continue.
The opposition's objections were overridden and the closed-door meeting began.
The motion, which bears the signature of Prime Minister Erdoğan, says: “The ongoing crisis in Syria affects the stability and security in the region and now the escalating animosity affects our national security. Syrian armed forces have been conducting assaults as part of military operations into Turkish land despite our several warnings and diplomatic overtures since Sept. 20, 2012. This situation risks and threatens our national security. In this respect, the need for taking precautions and acting quickly against any threats to Turkey has arisen. In the framework of the situation, under Article 92 of the Turkish Constitution, we kindly ask the Turkish Parliament to discuss a motion that authorizes the government for a year to send Turkish troops to foreign countries."
MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli said his party will vote for the motion while the CHP is expected to vote against it.
The decision to propose the motion regarding Syria came at a late Wednesday meeting between Erdoğan and several ministers after the deadly Syrian mortar strike.

Iran military effort in Syria on the rise

IDF Chief of Staff observes big Golan drill

Iran continues to fly military personnel and quantities of weapons into Syria by civilian aircraft which cut through Iraqi airspace, American intelligence sources disclosed early Thursday, Sept. 20. UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon also said that, "Unfortunately, both [Syrian] sides, government and opposition forces, seem to be determined to see the end by military means."

Clearly, Iran is augmenting its military involvement in the constantly escalating Syrian civil war, broadening it into a multinational conflict which threatens to drag Lebanon in, by means of the Iranian-Syrian ally, Hizballah.

The UN Secretary General's statement implying that the two Syrian sides are determined to fight to the bitter end is echoed in Iran’s resolve to fight to the bitter end for Assad, on Syrian soil.

Tehran is not hiding its actions. Sunday, Sept. 16, Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Commander Gen. Ali Jafari said openly that Al Qods Brigades units were present and operational in both Syria and Lebanon.

No comment on this revelation has come from the US, Israel or Israel’s military (IDF) chiefs - notwithstanding its menacing import, namely, that Tehran is no longer hanging about and waiting for its nuclear program to be attacked in order to punish Israel, but is getting ready for a pre-emptive operation.

Still, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have chosen silence in the face of what any other nation would regard as a casus belli: the open deployment of enemy forces on its northern and eastern borders.
This must have been the catalyst for the IDF’s surprise two-division strength drill Wednesday on Israel’s Golan border with Syria. But the IDF spokesman sounded almost apologetic when he explained that the exercise had nothing to do with the events in Syria or with Hizballah, and that it was no more than a routine drill for testing preparedness.

Military sources say that, in the current climate, no military operation by any army on the Syrian border – especially one of this magnitude – may be regarded as “routine.” Only a week ago, the Golani Brigade concluded a large military exercise in northern Israel including the Golan. That sort of frequency must have operational connotations: The IDF is evidently keeping the army on the move and in a constant state of readiness to fight a real war without delay on terrain made familiar by repeated war games.
IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz has a penchant for expressing himself through symbols, his method of overcoming the restrictions placed on his tongue by military and other constraints.

On New Year’s Eve last week, the general handed military correspondents a small gift: The Hebrew edition of the American writer Richard David Bach's "There's No Such Place as Far Away."

For the Golan drill Wednesday, he decided to attach Maj. Gen. (res.) Nati Sharoni, chief artillery officer in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, to his party of advisers and observers.
The book was a clear message to Tehran and doubting Thomases at home that the IDF is fully capable of an operation against Iran’s nuclear program and of successfully accomplishing any mission far from its shores.

Gen. Sharoni’s presence at the Golan exercise, and the exercise itself, was a warning to Iran, Hizballah and Syria that they will be disappointed if they hope to catch Israel unready, as it was by the surprise attack which almost overcame the IDF 39 years ago before the tide of war was turned back against Egypt.

Death toll rises as Muslim protest goes global over blasphem film.

The revulsion in the Muslim world for a controversial film about Mohammed has now gone global, with demonstrations that began in Egypt and Libya now spread through the Middle East and into Africa and Asia.

Fanned by the internet the flames of indignation exploded after Friday prayers to engulf mainly American targets as tens of thousands took to the streets. In all six people died in clashes in Tunisia, Sudan, Lebanon, and Egypt.

In Tunisia the outer walls of the US embassy were breached and Islamist black flags raised over the building. The nearby American school was destroyed by fire. Tunisia’s president said the violence was “totally unacceptable”. Two people died and forty were injured, twenty of them police officers.

The American embassy in the Sudanese capital Khartoum was also penetrated by protesters. The US immediately dispatched a platoon of marines following similar deployments to their Yemen and Libyan embassies. The German embassy was set on fire.

In Lebanon, where the Pope is currently on a visit, 25 people were injured and one killed in clashes in Tripoli, where reportedly islamists went on the rampage against American fast-food outlets.

Elsewhere Bangladeshi police prevented a crowd of 10,000 from marching on the embassy in Dhaka, thousands protested in Iran, the West Bank and Gaza, and there were also rallies in Malasia, Nigeria, Jordan, Kenya, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, and Iraq.

To report also an attack to the UK/US base "Camp Bastion" in Helmand province in Southern Afghanistan.

Taliban claimed the attack that killed 2 US soldiers.

More on this at  BBC Website

Protests spread in the arab world over film mocking Islam

A protester was shot dead in Sanaa by police outside US embassy, according to a security official.

Yemeni protesters on Thursday stormed the American embassy complex before being dispersed by police, as angry Muslim protests grew over a film mocking Islam.

All protesters who breached the fence of the US mission in Sanaa have been ejected, the correspondent reported, as security forces used water cannon and fired warning shots.

Police also fired warning shots earlier to disperse thousands of protesters as they approached the main gate of the mission.

"O, messenger of Allah... O, Mohammed!" demonstrators chanted.

The attack comes two days after four Americans including the ambassador were killed when a Libyan mob attacked the US consulate in Benghazi, and protesters in Cairo tore down the Stars and Stripes and replaced it with a black Islamic flag.

Protest in Tehran over anti-Islam film 

Up to 500 people also protested in Tehran on Thursday, chanting "Death to America!" and death to the movie's director, an AFP photographer at the scene said.

The rally, near the Swiss embassy that handles US interests in the absence of US-Iran diplomatic ties, ended peacefully two hours later.

Hundreds of police and security personnel had prevented the crowd from approaching the Swiss compound, which had been evacuated by diplomats as a precaution.

An American flag was seen burned during the demonstration.

Several protesters carried Egyptian and Libyan flags in support of Muslims in those countries where violent protests against the film occurred on Tuesday.

Iranian news agencies said the demonstration was called by the Student Islamic Society, a hardline university group loyal to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that has held anti-Western rallies in the past.

In the Libya protest on Tuesday at the US consulate in the city of Benghazi, a US ambassador and three other US officials were killed.

"The killing of the American ambassador in Libya in protest over insults against the prophet of Islam is an example of Muslim hatred against the repulsive policies (of the United States), which are aligned with Islamophobia," foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.

Washington is investigating to see whether the Libya assault was organised by militant groups to coincide with the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

However, much attention is focused on the anti-Islam film said to have prompted the protests in Libya and Egypt.

The low-budget amateur film ridicules the Prophet Mohammed by associating him with sex and themes of paedophilia and homosexuality.

It is an offence under Islam to depict Mohammed in any way, and Danish cartoons of the prophet in 2005 sparked violent protests in several countries.

US media initially cited someone claiming to be an American-Israeli calling himself Sam Bacile as saying he made the film on a $5 million budget with the help of 100 Jews, but no record of such a person has been found.

US President Barack Obama, in a telephone call to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Wednesday, said he "rejects efforts to denigrate Islam, but underscored that there is never any justification for violence against innocents and acts that endanger American personnel and facilities." Iranian parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani responded by saying: "Obama's comments that he respects the Muslim culture is a big and bold lie. The Americans and the Zionists do not tolerate other religions and cultures." Western embassies in Iran maintain a high level of vigilance over any protests.

Canada last week closed its mission, citing concern over the safety of its diplomats.

In November last year, the British embassy was stormed and ransacked during a state-organised demonstration, prompting London to close that mission and order Iran's diplomats out of Britain.

In 1979, in the wake of Iran's Islamic revolution, protesters overran the US embassy in Tehran, taking 52 diplomats and other Americans hostage for 444 days. That incident led to the rupture of Iran-US ties.

Netanyahu: Israel can't wait until a red line is set

The international community cannot ask Israel to keep waiting before acting against Iran  if it has not laid down red lines to Tehran over its nuclear programme, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

"The world tells Israel: Wait, there's still time. And I say: wait for what? Wait until when?," said the Israeli premier.

 "Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran, don't have a moral right to place a red light before Israel," he said in English at a joint meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov.

Walid Jumblatt: Syria crises may have repercussions on Israeli Arabs.

Most prominent Druze leader Walid Jumblatt warns about the repercussions of the 18-month Syrian violence beyond its borders.

The war in Syria directly affects Lebanon. The two countries have a long-standing relationship, throughout which Syria has been eager to exercise control over Lebanon. In particular, the Syrian Baath regime sees Lebanon as a small city of its own nation, and the internal conflicts in Tripoli are linked to the developments in Syria.

Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, head of Lebanon’s Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), is seen as key in the delicate political balance between the two nations; his actions in relation to the subject have triggered serious discussion.

He believes that Lebanon is in a state of despair, and that the ongoing Syrian crisis will lead to the emergence of new political entities in the region. But he dismisses any possibility that the tiny country could be divided. Detailing Druze support for the uprising against the 12-year rule of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, he says Druze members of the Syrian regime are slowly abandoning the sinking ship.

On Israel, he claims, it will receive the greatest benefit from the crisis. He believes the violence in Syria could be a golden opportunity for Israel to expel Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan, clearing Israel of Arabs while strengthening the foothold of Palestinians in Jordan.

Based on the clashes in Tripoli, we could say that Lebanon is moving back towards the old days. Why is that?

The Syrian regime has its partners in the north of Lebanon. One of them is Ali Eid, leader of the Alawites. He has Sunni and Shiite partners as well. The people, on the other hand, extend support to the resistance and uprising in Syria. Some people and parties want to make the north of Lebanon involved in the ongoing controversy. We have to be alert to make sure that we do not give them this pretext. By the clashes in the north of Lebanon, we would justify an intervention by the [Bashar al] Assad regime in the domestic affairs of Lebanon on the grounds of protecting his Alawite supporters -- it is wise to refer to “some” of the Alawites, because the majority of the Alawites do not support him. Lebanon has to be careful about this.

Do you think the Assad regime will successfully protect its supporters?

The regime interferes with internal affairs, arguing that its supporters in Lebanon are in great danger. Everybody is now aware how insane Assad is. We all see what he has done in Aleppo, Hama and other parts of Syria. There are 1.5 million homeless people in the country. The neighboring countries host 500,000 Syrian refugees. Why should we give him a reason for intervention in the domestic affairs of Lebanon?

Hezbollah says it is backing the Assad regime. Does this lead to any problems in your relations with them?

We are not political partners; we are in the same government. This was a necessary coalition due to the conditions in 2011. Back then, there was no uprising in Syria. This is the subject matter that we cannot agree on with Hezbollah. They support the Assad regime, but we are opposed to it. That we are in the same government does not necessarily mean that we have political agreement. We were forced to make a coalition government to address potential internal problems in Lebanon.

Some claim that the West aims at dividing Lebanon into cantons. Do you think that this is possible?

Lebanon will not be divided; it is not like Bosnia or other similar countries. It is a tiny country. Religions and sects live together in this country. Some right-wing groups sought to divide Lebanon in 1975 and 1976, but they failed. The war lasted 17 years, but in the end there was no partition.

What will happen to the Druze in Syria?

Things were bad for them at the beginning, but it is better now. The Druze support the popular uprising in Syria. Nearly 10 high-level military officers have left the army so far -- I cannot give any names due to security concerns. The Druze are also active in Jordan, Paris and the Syrian National Council [SNC]. Of course, more should be done, but we are trying to do our best. Recently, a predominantly Druze city near Damascus was bombed. This is tough, but the future of the Druze in Syria will be shared with the Muslims and Arabs. There are 400,000 Druze in Syria and 170,000 in Lebanon. We are a minority; there are 23 million people in Syria.

Do you support the Druze rebels in Syria?

I do not see the developments from a sectarian perspective. We are in dialogue with all parties that are opposed to the Assad regime. We supported the military officers in their decisions to leave the army. Some of them are now in Turkey and some others will travel there.

Some reports claim that partition of Syria was discussed in a summit in Shanghai chaired by Russia, which the US also attended. Can you confirm this?

It is true. Under the Sykes-Picot agreement of 1916, France wanted to partition Syria to create an Alawite state in İskenderun, a Damascus state, a Druze state and an Aleppo state. The Druze people opposed this project and they prevented partition of the country. Now we are in 2012 and it is like we are back in 1916. The same scenario is being repeated; it is like they have taken us back 100 years.

Today, Russia is playing increasingly big role in the region amid escalating tensions in the region. What’s your take on that?

Russia is trying to recapture the glory of the Russia of the tsar era. Russia, the US and Israel are making plans for the partition of Syria, and maybe Turkey is included in this dangerous game. In addition to Russia, Iran is also a rising power in the region. It tries to protect the Assad regime, but once it realizes Assad will be gone it will be part of the partition of Syria. Iran is supplying material aid and arms to the Assad regime. It appears that Iran is in favor of the creation of an Alawite state. And there is also an oil pipeline project between Basra and Tartus. In addition, there are arms deals between Russia, Iran and [Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al] Maliki. All these plans and games are against the Syrian people.

How to you assess a possible Russia, Iran, Syria and maybe China axis?

True. This is happening because of the power vacuum after the American withdrawal from the region. The US has withdrawn from Afghanistan and Iraq. For this reason, Russia and Iran are trying to fill the void.

Some argue that Russia and China will replace traditional major powers in the upcoming decade. Do you agree with this prediction?

I do not want to think this big. What I know is what is happening right now. Getting back to history, the Ottoman state made a lot of war with Iran. Back then, the Turks were in Basra. Today, the Persian Empire [Iran] is on the shores of Lebanon and within Lebanon; it is also in Syria. This is the difference today.

It appears that the incidents in Syria will have reflections and repercussions in Lebanon as well.

We are making efforts to ensure that the developments do not affect Lebanon. We tell all the parties that we are all against the Syrian regime and Assad, but that the fall of Assad cannot be performed in Tripoli. We should not give him reason to interfere with the domestic affairs of our country.

But how will you prevent this?

Who will fight against whom? Hezbollah is the greatest military power in Lebanon. Nobody could fight against it. We wish for this power to be acquired by the state someday. Lebanon is in a state of despair on this matter right now.

What kind of map could be made of this region?

Due to the Russian and Iranian policies, as well as failure to supply heavy weaponry to the rebels, the unity of Syria is in danger. We are against direct intervention of the West in Syria, but we want arms supplied to the rebels. Sadly, no step has been taken on this matter. Meetings of the Friends of Syria have been held in Tunisia, Istanbul and Paris, but none of them was successful. It is like the West is doing nothing in regards to the ongoing massacre in Syria. They criticize Turkey, arguing that it is not taking action to intervene. Turkey will not be able to do so unless a decision is taken in the West. So far, the decision of the US has been in favor of reluctance and indifference.

Why do you think the US has not been active on the Syrian issue, considering that it tends to be active in every other matter?

There is only one reason: to make sure that subsequent developments do not pose any danger vis-à-vis Israel. The only concern is to protect Israel and its security. I am not sure of the Iranian policy on this matter; there are some question marks. But Putin paid a visit to Israel. The second most influential Jewish lobby is in Moscow. Putin must have assured Israel that the recent developments in the region would not affect its interests.

Will a greater Israeli state emerge out of this turmoil?

It seems remote for now. The only concern of the world now is to protect Israel from chemical attacks and missiles. For this reason, there are CIA officers in Jordan and special teams of Russia in Tartous. But this will inevitably happen. Israel may tell its Arab citizens to go to their other homeland, namely Jordan.

So you are saying that a Palestinian state will be established in place of Jordan?

We are not in a position to make a decision on this matter. Today, there is an extreme right party in power in Israel. And the attempts to create two separate states have so far failed. For this reason, we should not ignore the potential insane acts of the Israeli extremists. They may want to send the Palestinians to Jordan. The population of the Palestinians has been on the rise and this is creating a lot of pressure among the Jews in Israel. For this reason, they may try this move.

A huge number of Palestinian refugees migrated from Syria to Jordan, and 60 percent of the Jordanian population is of Palestinian origin. Does this not automatically ‘Palestinize’ Jordan?

You are right. But it is necessary that all this happens now. Israel may take lessons from what happens in Syria. What is happening in Syria now? 1.5 million people are homeless in Syria and 500,000 Syrians are refugees. Israel may learn lessons from this and send the Palestinians in Gaza to Jordan. This is consistent with the old and new projects of Israel anyway. And that project is creation of a non-Arab Israeli state.

How do you see the power struggle between Turkey and Iran?

Turkey needs to be careful about this. The foreign policy of Russia and Iran poses danger for Syria and Turkey. The greatest issue in Turkey is the Kurdish problem. This problem should be addressed within the unity of Turkey. Otherwise, it will remain a bleeding wound.

Could Turkey stand against Iran, if it resolves its Kurdish issue?

I do not think a conventional war will break out between the two countries. If you are referring to a cold war, I have no idea about it. I believe that there is a cold war in economic interests. In fact, the only issue that needs to be resolved is the Kurdish issue, because Syria and Iran use the Kurdish card against Turkey. I do not want to say that they are using the Kurds; but Turkey needs to resolve its Kurdish issue.

The relations between Turkey and President of the Iraqi Kurdistan region Massoud Barzani are firm; could this be influential?

This is a positive development and it will help. But one problem remains, and this is the PKK issue. This needs to be resolved. I believe that Turkey should take measures to recognize the social, cultural and ethnic rights of the Kurds in Turkey. Some still approach the Kurdish issue from a Kemalist perspective. And this is wrong because there is plurality in Turkey and it is an asset for the country.

What is the size of the Druze population in the Middle East? Do you have contact with all of them?

I am an Arab, and I told you I support the Syrian people. There are Druze people who support the Syrian regime; on the other hand, there are Druze people in Israel, but we have no connection with them. At the same time, there are Druze people against the Jews in Israel. We are in touch with them and we support them. This is not about the Druze people; it is about homeland.

Syrian rebels brigades under Turkish command, reports say.

Turkish army officers have taken direct command of the first two Syrian rebel brigades fighting Bashar Assad’s government forces, according to sources. This step has sent military tensions rocketing on Israel’s northern borders with Syria and Lebanon in case of a backlash.
The rebel North Liberators Brigade in the Idlib region of northern Syria and the Tawhid Brigade fighting in the Al-Bab area northeast of Aleppo are now taking their operational orders from Turkish military representatives, who exercise their authority from headquarters outside Syria in the Turkish city of Gaziantep. Nonetheless, Turkey is believed to have stepped directly into the Syrian conflict marking the onset of foreign intervention.
Western and Arab military circles in the Middle East expect Turkey to extend its command to additional rebel units – not all of them part of the Free Syrian Army.
This first step has already caused waves.

1.  The consequences of Turkish military action in Syria were urgently aired with CIA Director David Petraeus during his visit  in Ankara Monday, Sept. 3.  After hearing how and when Ankara proposed to expand its role in the Syrian conflict, Petraeus discussed with Turkish military and intelligence chiefs the likely Syrian, Iranian and Hizballah reactions.

2.  By then, US, Turkish and Israeli intelligence watchers were reporting unusual military movements in Syria and on Hizballah turf in southern Lebanon – suspected of being preparations for a blowback from the Turkish intervention in Syria.

3. The IDF countered by placing its units guarding the Syrian and Lebanese borders on a state of alert. Wednesday, Sept. 5, an Iron Dome battery was installed in Gush Dan to head off a potential Hizballah missile barrage on central Israel and its hub, Tel Aviv.

4.  Later that day, Turkish PM Erdogan commented: "The regime in Syria has now become a terrorist state."

Only a few of Erdogan's listeners caught the message that he was indeed preparing international legal grounding for expanding Turkish military intervention in Syria.

Iran behind possible actions in support to PKK

Following claims that many Iranian operatives are active in Turkey and that they are in contact with members of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) appeared in the Turkish press, an Iranian operative has been captured in an operation in Diyarbakır.

Ferhat Ariaei, who is claimed to be working for the Iranian intelligence organization Savama, was arrested  at a rally organized by the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in Diyarbakır on Sept. 1. Police discovered Ariaei had frequently travelled to Turkey in the recent past, getting in touch with PKK militants and high-level members of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), an umbrella organization that includes the terrorist PKK.

When stopped by the police, Ariaei presented himself as a businessman working in the marble trade and said he couldn't speak Turkish. However it turned out that he could speak both Turkish and Kurdish fluently. 

Maintaining that his grandfather was from Diyarbakır, he told the police he frequently came to the city. When taken into custody, Ariaei had on his person a military identity card of the Revolutionary Guard, eight SIM cards, two cell phones and a USB stick.

Iran seems recently to have increased efforts to gather intelligence in Turkey through its operatives and members of the terrorist PKK. In a recent news piece in the Turkish press, Iran, which harshly criticizes Turkey's policy towards the Syrian regime, was claimed to have sent to Turkey nearly 100 operatives in an effort to obtain confidential military information, information about the Syrian dissidents in Turkey and information against the Turkish government.

 Iranians have also been videotaped talking to PKK terrorists. In an operation conducted recently, Turkish security forces, following up on an investigation in which two Iranian operatives were arrested last year, detained nine Turkish citizens on Tuesday in the province of Iğdır who were accused of providing information to Iranian intelligence officers. Seven of these people have been arrested. 

Having managed to retrieve a deleted video on a camera used by the two Iranian agents, the police also came upon footage in which Iranian agents are seen trying to get detailed information from two female PKK terrorists about the PKK and various state institutions in Turkey. During the meeting, the terrorists are also seen telling Iranian secret agents that they took eight Turkish soldiers captive at their attack against the Dağlıca military post. 

Police discovered that Iranian secret agents wanted to get, in exchange for money, information about some state institutions and important persons in Çaldıran, a town in Van province, from Turkish informants. Timur A, one of those arrested, has told police that intelligence units of both Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian military have been collecting information in Turkey's eastern region. Iranian secret agents also wanted to get information on military units, the governorate and some private companies in the province of Iğdır.

Israel concerned over Egypt's negotiation with Sinai's terror network.

To maintain the truce with the Islamist terrorist networks in Sinai in place, while avoiding a large-scale military operation to suppress them, Egypt is now releasing dozens of jailed Salafist gunmen in batches every few days. Cairo is also negotiating with Bedouin tribal elders to grant a body of 6,000 Al-Qaeda-linked Salafi members the status of an approved, independent militia. Armed with up-to-date Egyptian weapons, this militia is to be charged with responsibility for maintaining security in the Sinai peninsula.
This may be a neat way out for Egypt and let the Morsi government off the hook of grappling with the violent Islamist networks infesting Sinai. But it leaves Israel squarely face to face with a whole new terrorist outfit which has the freedom to choose between operating in the service of Al Qaeda or Cairo – or playing both sides.
Israeli security circles on the southern front familiar with the Sinai security situation explain that the Egyptian army’s claim Monday, Sept. 3 that it pulled “another 20 tanks” out of the peninsula, marking the tail end of its putative counter-terror military offensive, was therefore the reverse of welcome news for Israel.
All the same, out of certain diplomatic considerations, Israelis officials are collaborating with the US and Egypt in drawing a veil over this dangerous downturn in security along its southwestern border.

Thursday, Aug. 30 Defense Minister Ehud Barak said: ”The Egyptians must combat terror and if they need to bring extra military strength into Sinai [for this purpose], we should let them.”
As he spoke, Egyptian spokesmen claimed the tanks, illegally deployed in breach of the peace treaty with Israel, were being withdrawn at the end of a “successful military offensive” to root out the terrorists.
This statement, contains at least two untruths: The tanks were falsely presented as backing a fictitious Egyptian operation, just as the Cairo communiqué pretended that large numbers of terrorists were killed and wounded “in action” or detained.
There were no terrorist casualties because the entire operation was made of whole cloth, a Sinai desert mirage.
That the Netanyahu government and defense chiefs went along with this fiction is the real issue.
They have committed Israel to accepting the entry of Egyptian military forces into Sinai for the stated purpose of combating terror – a stipulation the Cairo government under the Muslim Brotherhood has demonstrated it has no intention of upholding. Just the reverse: The Egyptian troops positioned in Sinai are ordered to keep their powder dry and stand by as the terrorist cells of the “Mujaheddin Brigades in the Jerusalem Vicinity” - which is closely allied to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula - goes from strength to strength.

Yet some Israeli media have suggested sympathetically that the Egyptian army was forced to slow down its counter-terror operations for lack of intelligence on the armed cells’ whereabouts.

An Israel officer serving in the sector retorted angrily that every Egyptian and Israeli officer serving anywhere in or near Sinai knows exactly where the gunmen are skulking and their training facilities located. “The trouble is that Egyptian officers who go past those places look the other way,” he said.
The only action the Morsi government has taken on the quiet is to place a security buffer strip along the Egyptian-Israeli border off-limits to civilian traffic.
Our military sources report this strip has been dubbed “The American Highway” of Sinai, because its 260 kilometers were paved in secret by US military engineers. It runs from the MFO peacekeepers' Mediterranean base at Sheikh Zuweid in northern Sinai down to Taba, providing a safe route for the peacekeepers, most of them members of the US 82nd Airborne Division, between their northern base and their headquarters at Sharm el-Sheikh.
Large sections of the American Highway run parallel to Israel’s Route 12 from Nitzana to Eilat, Israel’s southernmost town.
Egypt no doubt intended this buffer strip to serve additionally for keeping terrorists at a distance from its border with Israel. But IDF observers in that area see very little Egyptian military activity for keeping it sterile and closed to hostile movements.
Once the Salafis are organized in a militia and formally recognized as such by Cairo, it will be that much harder to keep them from breaching the buffer strip abutting the Israeli border. 

David Petraeus meets Turkish officials over Syria

American spy chief David Petraeus' visit to Turkey comes at critical time amid the huge influx into Turkey in recent days of Syrian refugees fleeing Bashar al-Assad's forces' deadly onslaught and increasing chatter over covert Iranian operations that are targeting Turkish and Western interests.
The plane carrying Petraeus, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director, was expected to land in İstanbul on Sunday, and he was scheduled to meet with top Turkish officials including Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Undersecretary Hakan Fidan.
Alarmed at the more than 80,000 Syrians who have fled across its borders, with thousands more waiting to enter, Turkey dispatched Davutoğlu to New York to secure a safe haven inside Syria so that the violence and terror could be contained from spilling over onto the Turkish side. Turkey's appeal did not gain strong backing at the council, and the meeting ended without even a nonbinding statement of support.
The US's position was somewhat of a surprise to Turkey, which expected that the traditional backers of the Syrian regime, Russia and China who had already vetoed three Western-backed council resolutions, would have opposed the move while the US would have sided with its NATO ally, Turkey, on the safe haven issue. But that did not happen.
“Though the US said ‘no' to the safe haven proposal for the moment, the leaking of Petraeus' visit to the media shows that Washington is with Turkey in general when it comes to confronting challenges from the Syrian crisis,” the same analyst said, declining to be named.
Others say that the US spymaster's visit is also a strong message to Iran, a country that is increasingly taking a belligerent position against its western neighbor over its Syrian policy.
A Turkish court in ordered the detention of seven suspects who were detained in an investigation into an Iranian spy ring found to be operating in the eastern province of Iğdır,near Iranian border.
The arrest came after a year-long investigation into an Iranian spy network that Turkish officials described as secret plot to identify sensitive targets in Turkey for possible attacks and feed the classified information to the PKK terror organization. The Iğdır Governor's Office announced in a written statement last week that the police detained eight Turkish suspects in simultaneous operations on charges of spying for Iranian intelligence. The arrests stem from the expansion of an investigation by police after the arrest of two Iranian citizens and one Turkish citizen on Aug. 19, 2011, all of whom were found in possession of digital recorders with information on state security.
The exposé over the Iranian spy network in Turkey followed harsh statements from Iranian officials in recent months threatening Turkey over Ankara's Syrian policy. Recent comments made by the Iranian chief of General Staff indicating that “it will be Turkey's turn” if it continues to “help advance the warmongering policies of the United States in Syria,” triggered an unusually harsh rebuke from Ankara.
In remarks that are likely to further increase tensions, an Iranian lawmaker also said Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan's government's interference in Syria would be a blow to his political future. “I advise Mr. Erdoğan and his friends not to engage in this issue; undoubtedly, in Turkey's future elections, Erdoğan's party will be the victim of such matters,” said Ebrahim Aqa-Mohammadi, a member of Iran's Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, according to Press TV.
Coupled with these statements, a growing body of intelligence evidence indicating that Iran has lent support to PKK terrorists, giving them shelter and ammunition, created a string of resentments against Tehran in the Turkish capital. The killing of six Turkish soldiers and two village guards by PKK militants near the Iranian border early in August increased the level of criticism against Theran.
The belief that the terrorists carried out the attack after sneaking over from Iran has drawn even stronger reactions.
Retired  judge Faik Tarımcıoğlu told  in an interview  that the CIA director's visit this time appears different than all of Petraeus' previous trips to Turkey. “I think he will be discussing detailed proposals on how to deal with Syria and Iran at this juncture, while promising further support to contain the PKK terror,” he stated, adding that the US has a lot at its disposal to counter the PKK terror threat targeting Turkey.
Stressing that Iran is no foreigner to supporting terror groups in the Middle East, Tarımcıoğlu said Tehran had supported the PKK against Turkey in the past. “This is not new. The mullahs' regime is trying to expand its influence in the Middle East and the PKK terror is just a means of trying to break Sunni-majority Turkey's resolve on many issues, most specifically on Syria,” he explained.