Iranian missiles could reach U.S. by 2015, report says
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Iran could develop and test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the United States by 2015, a U.S. intelligence report released on Friday revealed.
The Foreign Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat Assessment, prepared by the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, states that since 2008, Iran has conducted multiple successful launches of the two-stage Safir space launch vehicle and has also revealed the larger two-stage Simorgh SLV, which could serve as a test bed for developing ICBM technologies.
Since 2010, Iran has revealed the Qiam-1 SRBM, the fourth generation Fateh-110 SRBM, and claims to be mass-producing anti-ship ballistic missiles. Iran has modified its Shahab 3 medium-range ballistic missile to extend its range and effectiveness and also claims to have deployed the two-stage solid-propellant Sejjil MRBM.
Iranian ballistic missile forces continue to train extensively in highly publicized exercises. These exercises enable Iranian ballistic missile forces to hone wartime operational skills and evolve new tactics. Iran is fielding increased numbers of theater ballistic missiles, improving its existing inventory, and developing the technical capability to produce an ICBM.
*
Congressional letter asks Qater to address ties with Hamas
(JNS.org) U.S. Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL) and John Barrow (D-GA) are recruiting their fellow members of Congress to sign a letter asking Qatar’s ambassador to the U.S., Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Rumaihi, to address “serious allegations” regarding the oil-rich Middle East country’s relationship with Hamas.
Qatar reportedly pledged more than $400 million to the Palestinian terrorist organization in October 2012 during a visit to Gaza by Qatar’s ruling emir at the time, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.
“As you know, longstanding, strategic bilateral relations between the United States and Qatar, including a strong defense pact, are of critical importance to both countries. However, we believe that Qatar’s relationship with Hamas empowers, legitimizes, and bolsters an organization committed to violence and hatred,” a draft of the letter to Al-Rumaihi states, according to a copy obtained by JNS.org.
The Emiri Court of Qatar in March 2012 funded a mass wedding for Palestinian terrorists who deported to the country as part of the exchange of Hamas captive Gilad Shalit for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners.
“Failure [by Qatar] to condemn such brazen incitement undermines our shared interest of regional stability and prospects for a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty,” the congressional letter says.
*
StandWithUs sponsors pro-Israel ads in Montana
(JNS.org) Amid its pro-Israel advertising campaign to counter anti-Israel ads in San Francisco’s Muni bus system this month, the pro-Israel education group StandWithUs announced July 10 that it would place similar billboards in Montana.
The StandWithUs ads in Montana’s capital of Helena will counter recent billboards in the city that questioned U.S. support for Israel. The ads, one to go up July 15 and the other July 22, each for a four-week period, will promote “the decades-long Israel-US relationship” as well as “Israel’s diversity and religious freedoms,” StandWithUs said in a press release.
StandWithUs also countered anti-Israel ads in Montana this March, in Missoula. Its June 27-July 27 ad campaign on San Francisco buses marks the sixth time it has countered anti-Israel ads in that city.
“StandWithUs has countered anti-Israel ads placed throughout the United States since 2007 and will continue to do so. We cannot let hostile messages, with their deceptive, velvet-gloved rhetoric, influence unsuspecting commuters. We will continue to stress Israel’s contributions to the world and the advantages of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship,” StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein said.
*
Coptic Christian man found decapitated in the Sinai
(JNS.org) In the latest round of violence directed against Christians in Egypt, a Coptic Christian man was found decapitated in the northern Sinai Peninsula.
According to AFP, the Christian man was found with his hands and feed bound and his head severed. A security official said that “extremist groups,” likely referring to Islamic extremists, had captured the man on Saturday, the same day another Coptic priest was killed.
That Coptic priest, Mina Aboud Sharween, was shot while walking in the early afternoon in the Sinai coastal city of El Arish. The Egypt Independent reported that the gunman was believed to belong to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Since the ouster of Islamist Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi last week, Coptic Christians have grown more fearful of reprisal attacks from Islamic extremists. Several prominent Coptic Christians played significant role in the calls for the removal of Morsi. Pope Tawadros II was part of the military’s announcement of Morsi’s removal last week, and has pledged his support for the transition government.
Lawlessness in the Sinai Peninsula has also been a major concern for Egyptian security forces and Israel. Several Islamic terrorist groups roam freely in the region that has been neglected for several years. Former Israeli officials have called on the government to consider amending the Military Annex of the Camp David peace accords to allow more Egyptian military assets into the region.
More than 5,500 attacks on Jews in Israel in first half of 2013
(JNS.org) Figures released by Hatzalah Yehudah and Shomron, a volunteer emergency medical response organization in Israel, show that there were 5,635 attacks in the first half of 2013 against Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, Jerusalem, and the greater Jerusalem region.
Among these attacks, 611 involved molotov cocktails and 5,144 were rock attacks. Eight attacks involved guns and knives. One death and 171 injuries resulted from the attacks.
Hatzalah spokeswoman Yehudit Tayar said, “If there is spray painting on the side of a mosque or an Arab’s tires are slashed it is on the news, but violence against us is ignored… Can you imagine being attacked on a consistent basis and it not even being reported?”
“We have to get the truth out,” she said, according to the Algemeiner.
Syria candidacy for U.N. Human Rights Council questioned
(JNS.org) Syria, a country whose regime has often been scrutinized for its human rights abuses, is among the seven nations in the Asia group vying for seats in the United Nations Human Rights Council, Reuters reported. Fourteen seats for three-year terms on the council will become available this year.
Another controversial candidate for the council, Iran, withdrew from consideration, a spokesman from Iran’s U.N. mission said Thursday.
Hillel Neuer, the head of U.N. Watch, a Geneva-based group monitoring the U.N., said countries that “murder and torture their own people” should “not be allowed to become the world’s judges on human rights.” According to U.N. figures, as many as 100,000 people have died in the Syrian civil war between rebels and the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Philippe Bolopion of Human Rights Watch called Syria’s candidacy a “cruel joke.”
*
Preceding provided by JNS.org