Interesting Developments in the Middle East

A couple announcements over the last few days have given me reason to believe that the possibility of things escalating are on the rise. This is not a "doom" thread where I am saying "the end is near", I just wanted to point out a couple developments that I think are somewhat related.

I AM NOT CHEERING FOR THE START OF WW3!

The first piece of news that I want to share is about Russia sending warships to the Gaza coast. They say these are for evacuation purposes but perhaps that is just an excuse. I will elaborate why in the next portion of the thread. Here is one of many articles discussing the Russian ships near Gaza. I have seen articles claim that there are as many as six.

Russia Sends Warships Off Coast Of Gaza In Response To Israel-Palestine Tensions

Russian warships have dropped anchor off the coast of Gaza in the case that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict escalates, a Russian Navy Command source told Voice of Russia.

The other interesting development that I would like to point out is an article from RT that discusses the possibility of Israel striking an Iranian ship en route to Gaza. The original report is claimed to come from the "Sunday Times".

I am not here to say who is right or wrong, and which side has the moral high ground to defend themselves over the other as this has been debated vigorously in various threads and debating which side you support will only derail the thread. I am open to discussing this in the thread but I am not taking sides in my OP as I would l ike to remain as balanced as possible as I present this information but will make sure to clarify my position on this as the thread proceeds.

Israel may strike at ship allegedly carrying Iranian rockets to Gaza – report

Israeli spy satellites spotted a cargo vessel in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas that was allegedly Gaza-bound and carrying arms, the Sunday Times reported.

“Regardless of the ceasefire agreement, we will attack and destroy any shipment of arms to Gaza once we have spotted it,” an Israeli defense official told the newspaper.

The vessel reportedly began its voyage last week just as Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire ending eight days of violence in Gaza, in which over 150 Palestinians died. The cargo is believed to include Fajr-5 rockets, similar to those used by Hamas in the conflict, and Shahab-3 ballistic missiles.

The ship is set to travel through the Red Sea, Sudan and Egypt, according to the Sunday Times report. The newspaper also cited Israeli officials speculating that Iran could be moving longer-range ballistic missiles into Sudan, which could be aimed at Israel from the African country.

If Israel were to attack an Iranian ship en route to Gaza while Russian ships are in the area who knows what might happen. Part of me believes that Russia agrees with Iran when they would like the Gazans to possess the ability to defend themselves.

From the Israeli point of view, I would not want Iran shipping missiles into Gaza as increase in Iranian hardware would be much more effective than the limited supply they currently have, and would cause some difficulty for Israel to intercept missiles if escalations were to begin once again.

I might be reaching here but these two developments are certainly worth keeping an eye on. If Israel were to attack an Iranian ship, especially in international waters, I believe that things would get ugly and spiral into a wider conflict which would involve many regional and non regional players.

As I said earlier in this post, I am not taking sides right now. I will clarify my position on certain aspects as we discuss the situation. I invite anyone to share their thoughts, including which side they support, and for which reasons but let's please keep it civil.

I am very interested to see what our fellow members think about these developments.

Let the games begin

I also recall the US sending a warship to Israel as detailed here www.abovetopsecret.com...

Washington (CNN) -- Three U.S. Navy amphibious warships are returning to the eastern Mediterranean to remain on standby in the event they are needed to assist Americans leaving Israel in the coming days, according to two U.S. officials.

I think your conclusions are fair. You put enough people in a small room and they tend to get hostile to one another very quickly. The same could be said for the coast off Gaza.

Russians, Iranians, Americans, Israeli's and whomever else seems like a situation that has a greater than normal potential for causing a problem.

reply to post by MDDoxs


Thank you for contributing the information about the American ships that are also in the area, I was aware of this but for some reason forgot to include it in my OP.

I also believe that if you put too many hostile parties in such a small area while tensions are already high, the potential for escalations is much greater.

The outcome of the situation all depends on whether or not Iran is actually delivering arms to Gaza via the ship as the "Israeli satellites" have detected. I'm not saying that it is difficult to believe that Iran is sending missiles to Gaza, in fact it is very probable, but the Israeli/American reaction to this will be what decides whether or not this escalates.

In my opinion this is a rather bold move by Iran, but I believe they have the right to support the Gazans, just like the Americans support Israel...I mean the governments of course, not the actual citizens, for the most part.

I agree that these are interesting developments to keep an eye on. Not surprised Russia is dropping anchor in the region, after all everyone else seems to be. I know of 3 (I think) US ships headed to the area and I'm sure there are plenty more close by. The US may even decide to re position some of it's fleet with this news. Not for fear of conflict - more of flexing their muscles.

An Israeli attack on an Iranian ship in international waters is a very dicey situation. Everyone knows of the Israeli blockade of Gaza so Iran would be knowingly crossing a 'red line' that Israel takes very seriously. Considering the Israeli-Iranian relationship any interference such as boarding the ship (much less blowing it out of the water) would be considered a hostile act by many. I would think that would be an end to any fragile cease-fire agreements currently in place. If that did happen, Russia getting involved would drastically raise the stakes, turning a regional conflict into a much broader one. For that reason, I'm sure Russia won't be itching to pull any triggers unless they are provoked directly.

reply to post by Corruption Exposed

In my opinion this is a rather bold move by Iran, but I believe they have the right to support the Gazans, just like the Americans support Israel...I mean the governments of course, not the actual citizens, for the most part.

I would agree.

However, Iran is once again playing a game of chicken with other countries, similar to the position it has taken on its nuclear program with the IAEA and western blocs.

Right or wrong, justified or not, one of these times the opposition to Iran's policies is not going to swerve on the proverbial road, and a collision and potential wide spread conflict will result.

Iran has played the geo-political game masterfully, though I fear they will reach a tipping point where no more tolerance is allowed.

Also,

What about Egypt’s Morsi trying to consolidate more dictatorial powers under himself and his government?

We know Russia has backed Egypt in its resolve with respect to the Gaza-Israel situation, could this add more to the already tenuous environment if something was to spark in Egypt…It certainly couldn’t help.

So many fingers in the pot creates such a convoluted situation, it does not take much to imagine enough smaller issues to build into a larger one.

reply to post by fenceSitter


I also believe that the Russian and American presence off the coast of Gaza is nothing more than muscle flexing but if Israel were to harm the Iranian ship or it's crew there is no telling what could happen from all parties involved.

Israel is very protective of the red line you mentioned (the blockade) but I am wondering if they are willing to attack an Iranian ship. I am also curious if Iran has the balls to cross the blockade. Doing so would be a slap in the face of Israel and they would have no choice but to react, in which way I am not sure.

The thing is, I do not think Israel would even allow this ship to even come close to the actual blockade perimiter. And people are going to flame me for this, but I could see Israel pulling a "false flag" of sorts to justify a strike on the Iranian ship. Maybe they would say that they were fired upon first...I personally don't think Iran would do this as they have shown restraint over the last few years among ongoing threats and hostilities.

Does anyone know where this Iranian ship is at the moment?

I am going to try and find out some information on this.

Originally posted by Corruption Exposed

The ship is set to travel through the Red Sea, Sudan and Egypt, according to the Sunday Times report. The newspaper also cited Israeli officials speculating that Iran could be moving longer-range ballistic missiles into Sudan, which could be aimed at Israel from the African country.

This part here is interesting and I think Israel have only got themselves to blame if Iran were planning on beefing up Sudan. Remember, only a couple of weeks ago, Israel bombed Sudan and Sudan let the world know what they thought about it also. I love how Israel continuously point fingers yet the fingers should be pointed right back at them in some cases.

As for the movement, you would think that with a ceasefire in place right now, nothing would happen. But with that, it only takes one Palestinian to fire another rocket into Israel and we have the situation worsening again. I don't know what Russias stance is when it comes to Gaza but you would think they are most likely observing more than anything else.. Iran are the ones who would most likely be influencing anything when it comes to Gaza and Israel.

reply to post by fenceSitter


Israel surely wouldn't attack an Iranian ship in international waters. I think you would find an all out response from Iran and then we would have some major problems. After seeing the Iron dome go to work on Gaza rockets, I think Israel would be in a lot of strive also. That defence system is overrated to me.

reply to post by MDDoxs


I would have imagined that Iran would have worked out a deal to dock up in Egypt and then transport the weapons to Gaza via that crossing as it would be a less provocative move. One thing that may stop that is the fact that Egypt is working as the middle man to hold the cease fire so if Egypt were to allow this it would certainly anger Israel.

Also, I have not seen an official Iranian announcement that there is an actual ship on the way to Gaza with weaponry. It may have been announced but I haven't seen it. All I have is heard is RT quoting an Israeli source which claims Israeli satellites have uncovered this plan. I always take what comes out of the Israeli media with a grain of salt, as I do with most media outlets.

This could all be a psy-op on Israel's behalf but it could also be completely true.

I just don't know at this point.

reply to post by DarknStormy

Israel surely wouldn't attack an Iranian ship in international waters.

I would like to believe that this statement is true but I fear that Israel would not hesitate to attack this ship regardless if they were within the blockade zone, or international waters.

In Israel's defense, it would look much better for them in the public eye if they were to wait until it crossed the blockade before they took action. The thing is, Israel has taken action in international waters previously so I would not doubt for a second that they would do it again if they felt the need to.

reply to post by Corruption Exposed


If they really wanted to they would. But because it is Iran, I think a move like that would push Israel into a very tough situation. Not only would you have Iran to deal with but the rockets will continue to come from Gaza, Southern Lebanon and possibly also some shelling from Syria. I don't think attacking Iran is a smart move unless they are pushing for all out war.. That wouldn't surprise me either btw.. What would worry me more is the Iranian response.. They really sound as though any military action towards them from Israel may aswell be the end game for the Middle East.

reply to post by Corruption Exposed

This could all be a psy-op on Israel's behalf but it could also be completely true.

True, though this does align with Irans current foreign policy.

In my opinion Egypt will be the country to watch right now.

Currently they are acting as the mediator, but could very quickly take a position, or seen to be, that facilitates Iran’s supposed shipment of Arms, further escalating the situation.

However, this is all predicated on the result of the power struggle currently being undertaken in the Egyptian government.

Who knows, a lot of speculation, but what we can conclude from the information presented thus far, is that there is going to be a lot of players in a relatively small geographical area that could increase current tensions.

reply to post by Corruption Exposed


It's a funny old world isn't it. While this is going on Iran and Israel are co-operating and sharing the funding of a new scientific project to be based in Jordan. The project is headed by a UK scientist who hopes that the common language of science can build the bridges that politicians seem unable to.

Sesame: Project Bring Together Middle East Scientists

Amid rising tensions in one of the world's most volatile regions, an audacious project to use science for diplomacy is taking shape in the heart of the Middle East.

In this land of ancient hatreds, a highly sophisticated scientific installation is being built in Jordan.

It has support from countries that are usually openly hostile to each other.

The plan is for a multi-million-pound synchrotron particle accelerator, known as Sesame.

It has backing from several Arab nations, together with Turkey, Pakistan, Cyprus, Iran and - astonishingly - Israel as well..

BBC

reply to post by christina-66


If only they could find a similar solution on the political side of things. Its funny though, when it comes to nuclear scientists, Israel will put bullets into every Iranian, when it comes to a atom smasher, no worries guys, we can work with you on that one

reply to post by Corruption Exposed
nowadays no superpower is after any large scale war even USA. wars are expensive and contrary to improvement. moreover public opinion of nations is against wars.
and Iran never sends a ship when there is a threat of large scale war. it never makes such a big excuse for a large scale war. however Fajr 5 is over 3 meters long and it weighs around 1000 kg so it can not be smuggled !!! the only solution is that they make it in Gaza themselves. and we all saw that it was possible. Iran's atmosphere is really religious and in their arrival view they believe that they should not involve in any war directly till the arrival occurs, of course unless to defend themselves.
moreover if muslim brotherhood was really muslim brotherhood, and there were improved popular arab governments, Israeli leaders would not dare even thinking about Gaza let alone attacking that !!!
this is why elites will not tolerate popular governments in the middle east let alone Islamic not in Syria not in Egypt !!!!!!!!!

This whole charade is a ruse to setup world war 3 and depopulate more than half the world's population. I really do not understand why everyone likes to pick sides between jews and arabs. IT IS A RELIGIOUS WAR and primarily right wing politics.

Right wingers through ignorance and/or malice are dragging the world decades behind in manufactured hate that goes both ways. Some are saying israel is only for jews, some are saying palestine is primarily for arabs. There is no middle ground. The people with power to change things do not want to change anything. They do not want to sit down and negotiate.

I am amazed that other equally serious territorial conflicts do not gather even half the attention that israel-palestine does. Why does everyone care so much about that area? What is in it for you? Why do americans spend so much money on foreign aid at a time when 1/3 are on welfare payments? Our infrastructure is decaying as we speak because of lack of funds and lack of interest in fixing anything.

reply to post by EarthCitizen07

This whole charade is a ruse to setup world war 3 and depopulate more than half the world's population.

Who exactly is the target of this depopulation? Within the context of the OP, are you infering the ME is subject to this goal?

International politics is all about balance. The super powers always have to counter balance one another’s position. My concern, as some may share, is that in an attempt to counter the influence of other countries we could unintentionally preparing the scene for conflict.

I think the big story this week is Morsi in Egypt. It just goes to show you that the muslim brotherhood are behind and organising the uprisings in the middle east. Dear i say it. Rise of a antichrist.

reply to post by MDDoxs


The people are the target. Who else?

"The First World War must be brought about in order to permit the Illuminati to overthrow the power of the Czars in Russia and of making that country a fortress of atheistic Communism. The divergences caused by the "agentur" (agents) of the Illuminati between the British and Germanic Empires will be used to foment this war. At the end of the war, Communism will be built and used in order to destroy the other governments and in order to weaken the religions." 2

"The Second World War must be fomented by taking advantage of the differences between the Fascists and the political Zionists. This war must be brought about so that Nazism is destroyed and that the political Zionism be strong enough to institute a sovereign state of Israel in Palestine. During the Second World War, International Communism must become strong enough in order to balance Christendom, which would be then restrained and held in check until the time when we would need it for the final social cataclysm." 3

"The Third World War must be fomented by taking advantage of the differences caused by the "agentur" of the "Illuminati" between the political Zionists and the leaders of Islamic World. The war must be conducted in such a way that Islam (the Moslem Arabic World) and political Zionism (the State of Israel) mutually destroy each other. Meanwhile the other nations, once more divided on this issue will be constrained to fight to the point of complete physical, moral, spiritual and economical exhaustion…We shall unleash the Nihilists and the atheists, and we shall provoke a formidable social cataclysm which in all its horror will show clearly to the nations the effect of absolute atheism, origin of savagery and of the most bloody turmoil. Then everywhere, the citizens, obliged to defend themselves against the world minority of revolutionaries, will exterminate those destroyers of civilization, and the multitude, disillusioned with Christianity, whose deistic spirits will from that moment be without compass or direction, anxious for an ideal, but without knowing where to render its adoration, will receive the true light through the universal manifestation of the pure doctrine of Lucifer, brought finally out in the public view. This manifestation will result from the general reactionary movement which will follow the destruction of Christianity and atheism, both conquered and exterminated at the same time." 4

Source of the above quoted material: www.threeworldwars.com...

Some people with trillions of dollars have incredible malice hidden within them. Occasionaly we see people actually cheering for the system to crash and burn, for a major war to depopulate and start over, people claiming aliens are not real.

As a side show maybe you should read the protocols of the elders of zion and the secret covenant. Both prove cosnpiracy beyond reasonable apprehension. Of course some insist everything is a hoax out of interest in finishing the master plan. Masonry is closely tied in to all the conspiracies as well, but these people are actually used as tools rather than masterminds. The illuminati, babylonian brotherhood, zionist bankers, brotherhood of the serpant mean the same thing and/or are intertwinned.

I can't do everyones research here. People need to do more on their own. I am here to provide clues!