JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
DISEASES-ANIMAL TO HUMAN ( 500 million Dead )
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 billion) of (8 billion) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS)(500 million) and with hunger,(FAMINE)(500 million) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES)(500 million) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE)(500 million).
COVID 19 WORLD TOTALS AS OF MON NOV 30, 2020. CASES - 63,231,139 AND DEATHS - 1,467,928
Like ‘Mad King George’: Adviser describes Trump muttering ‘I won, I won’ Washington Post report details president’s state of mind in aftermath of election as he continues to deny defeat, surrounding himself with those who tell him what he wants to hear-By TOI staff and AP-Today, 5:29 am-nov 30,20
US President Donald Trump has reportedly spent the last few weeks since the election continuing to deny his loss, surrounded by those who only tell him what he wants to hear, with one adviser comparing him to “Mad King George.”He’s like “Mad King George, muttering, ‘I won. I won. I won,’” the Washington Post, in an in-depth look at Trump’s state of mind, quoted one close adviser as saying.The report, which was based on interviews with 32 people close to Trump, including senior administration officials, campaign aides and other advisers, describes how aides were happy to confirm Trump’s views despite his clear loss.They were “happy to scratch his itch,” the report quoted the adviser as saying. “If he thinks he won, it’s like, ‘Shh… we won’t tell him.’ ”But the report also detailed how Trump’s sycophants went too far, including lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell who alleged that there was a conspiracy to rig the election led by Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez, who died seven years ago.A press conference they held was mainly noted for Giuliani appearing to leak hair color down both sides of his face.Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani speaks to the press about various lawsuits related to the 2020 election, inside the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, November 19, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP)-Trump thought the presentation made him “look like a joke,” one campaign official who discussed it with him told the Post. Powell was dismissed soon after.The report also detailed the problems caused to Republicans who refused to confirm his allegations of election fraud.Trump continued with those attacks on Sunday, saying he was “ashamed” for endorsing the Republican governor of Georgia after he lost in the state to Democrat Joe Biden.Trump has seethed over losing the southern state, which hadn’t voted for a Democrat for president in nearly 30 years. In January, the state will decide whether the GOP retains control of the US Senate when voters decide two run-off Senate races.Trump said on Fox News that Governor Brian Kemp has “done absolutely nothing” to question the state’s results. Trump has made baseless accusations that illegal votes cost him the election in Georgia and beyond. His legal challenges have failed in several states.US President Donald Trump talks with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and his wife Marty, right, Sen. David Perdue, Republican of Georgia, center, and Sen. Kelly Loeffler, Republican of Georgia, as he arrives at Dobbins Air Reserve Base for a campaign event at the Cobb Galleria Centre, September 25, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)-Trump backed Kemp’s campaign in 2018, boasting that his “full endorsement” helped him edge rising Democrat Stacey Abrams.In this month’s presidential contest in the state, Biden beat Trump by about 12,670 votes.Democrats hope for two other upset victories in twin Senate races on January 5 against Republican office holders. That would deny Republicans their majority, keeping the GOP with 50 seats, while Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be available for tie-breaking votes.
Israel-Lebanon maritime border talks postponed amid impasse-Announcement comes after Jerusalem accused Beirut of changing its stance in negotiations; both sides said to continue to meet with US mediators-By TOI staff and Agencies-NOV 30,20-Today, 12:56 pm
A source with the Lebanese military said Monday that an upcoming round of border talks with Israel due this week had been postponed.News of the postponement of the session scheduled to take place on Wednesday came after Israel accused Lebanon of changing its stance in the negotiations.“We were officially informed of the postponing of the indirect round of negotiations,” a Lebanese military source told AFP, adding that the request had been made by the US, which is brokering the talks.The announcement came as talks between representatives from the two countries on the maritime border appeared to reach a stalemate in recent days.A Lebanese source told the Reuters news agency that despite the delay, mediators from the United States would continue contacts with both sides.An unnamed Israeli official confirmed the delay to Reuters but gave no further details.The countries, which remain technically at war, opened negotiations on the border dispute under US and UN auspices last month to clear the way for offshore oil and gas exploration.Israel has since accused Lebanon of changing its position in talks on their maritime border and warned it could lead to a “dead end” that would be damaging for the whole region.Israel and Lebanon have been negotiating based on a map registered with the United Nations in 2011, which shows an 860-square-kilometer (330-square-mile) patch of sea as being disputed.But Lebanon considers that map to have been based on wrong estimates.Lebanese President Michel Aoun speaks during an address to the nation at the presidential palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, November 21, 2019. (Dalati Nohra via AP)-Last week, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz invited Lebanese President Michael Aoun to meet in Europe for direct high-level negotiations. The message came after the two exchanged barbs on Twitter over the talks.Earlier this month, Aoun set out his country’s position on the maritime border, which he said should be “based on the line that departs on land from the point of Ras Naqoura.”The demarcation should be “according to the general principle known as the median line, without taking into account any impact of the occupied Palestinian coastal islands,” Aoun tweeted, referring to the Israeli coastline.Aoun’s tweet confirmed that Lebanon is now demanding an additional 1,430 square kilometers (552 square miles) of sea further south, which includes part of Israel’s Karish gas field, said Lebanese energy expert Laury Haytayan.
UAE’s Etihad Airways joins new Israeli program to foster travel tech-$3 million accelerator called OnBoard is partnered by Booking.com and Amadeus, Arieli Capital says; tech is key to getting industry back on track, Arieli’s innovation chief says-By Shoshanna Solomon-NOV 30,20-Today, 11:34 am
Arieli Capital, a holdings and investment company, said that Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, will be a partner in a new Israeli accelerator program focused on fostering startups in the field of tourism.The NIS 10 million ($3 million) program, called OnBoard, seeks to help fledgling Israeli and international firms in the field of travel technologies link up with travel giants and develop business relationships with them, enabling travel firms to tap into the latest technologies.The program will be managed by Arieli Capital and was launched this week in partnership with tourism giants Booking.com, Spain’s travel firm Amadeus and Etihad Airways. These partners will help select the startups for the program, mentor them and link them up with strategic opportunities in the sector, Arieli Capital said.We are living in a technology world,” said Or Haviv, partner and head of innovation at Arieli Capital, in a phone interview. “Technology is not just nice to have; it is a must.”While the coronavirus is rampant and even after the pandemic, technology is what will make it safe for people to enter planes, hotels, airports and cruise ships. “It can be a matter of make or break,” he said. “The industry understands this and is paying attention.”Startups that will be selected for the accelerator program will get help in business plan development, creating connections to markets and customers, recruitment assistance, business cooperation, access to infrastructure and marketing tools.Each company will receive an assistance package of a variety of services worth $250,000. As they grow their technologies the partners in the accelerator will also mull investments in the firms, Arieli said in a statement.The first cohort of startups, both from Israel and globally, is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2021, Arieli said, and registration is now open.Each year some 10 companies will be selected for the program, Haviv said. “Travel is by definition international,” he said, and thus it was important to open the accelerator to an international group of startups. Post-pandemic, the program will be based in Israel, he said.Arieli Capital has offices in New York, China and Tel Aviv, and operates a global venture arm that manages and invests in technologies, hubs and accelerators. Arieli Capital runs a number of innovation centers, including an agricultural innovation center in Israel, together with the country’s largest regional council Ramat Negev Regional Council. The firm also runs an innovation center in Eilat that focuses on marine technologies, tourism and agriculture.
16min ago-Syria, Russia face pressure at meeting of chemical weapons watchdog-nov30,20-toi
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Syria and Russia face renewed pressure over allegations of chemical weapons use as member countries of the global toxic arms watchdog meet today.Moscow is urged by Western nations to “transparently” reveal the circumstances of the Novichok nerve agent poisoning of opposition figure Alexei Navalny.Damascus meanwhile faces calls for sanctions at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons after investigators accused the Syrian regime of sarin attacks in 2017.Russia and Syria have repeatedly denied the accusations, alleging that Western powers have politicized the Hague-based OPCW.Syria had failed to meet 90-day deadline set in July to declare the weapons used in the attacks on the village of Lataminah and to reveal its remaining stocks, OPCW chief Fernando Arias says.“The Syrian Arab Republic has not completed any of the measures,” Arias tells the meeting.He says “gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies” remained in Syria’s account of its progress on its 2013 agreement to give up all chemical weapons following a suspected sarin attack that killed 1,400 people in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta.France proposed that the OPCW should “suspend the rights and privileges” of Syria for failing to meet the deadline, French ambassador Luis Vassy says, adding that the proposal was backed by 43 states.These would include Syria’s voting rights in the OPCW, depriving it of a voice at a body where it has been deflecting allegations of toxic arms use for years.Russia meanwhile comes under pressure over the poisoning of Navalny, which the politician and western governments have blamed on the Kremlin.The OPCW has confirmed traces of the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok in samples taken from Navalny in hospital in Germany, where he is recovering.— AFP
13 Thou shalt not kill.(Murder)(THAT INCLUDES ABORTION)
MATTHEW 18:6
6 But whoso shall offend (HURT) one of these little ones (CHILDREN) which believe in me,(JESUS) it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.(THATS THE DEATH PENALTY FOLKS)
EXODUS 21:12
12 He that smiteth (MURDER)a man,(OR BABY) so that he die, shall be surely put to death.(THATS THE DEATH PENALTY PEOPLE)
REVELATION 9:20-21
20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils,(OCCULT) and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries,(DRUG ADDICTIONS) nor of their fornication,(SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE) nor of their thefts.(STEALING)
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
AMERICA (POLITICAL BABYLON)(NUKED BY SNEAK ATTACK FROM RUSSIA)
IN REVELATION 17 & 18 IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL BABYLONS.IF YOU CAN NOT DECERN BETWEEN THE 2 BABYLONS IN REV 17 & 18.YOU WILL JUST THINK THEIR BOTH THE SAME.BUT NO-THERES A RELIGIOUS BABYLON (THE VATICAN IN REV 17)(AND THE POLITICAL BABYLON IN REV 18 (AMERICA OR NEW YORK TO BE EXACT)
ISAIAH 34:10
10 It (AMERICA-POLITICAL BABYLON) shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
JEREMIAH 51:29-32 (CYBER ATTACK 1ST)
29 And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon,(AMERICA-NEW YORK) to make the land of Babylon (AMERICA) a desolation without an inhabitant.
30 The mighty men of Babylon (AMERICA) have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
031 One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon (NEW YORK) that his city is taken at one end,
32 And that the passages are stopped,(THE WAR COMPUTERS HACKED OR EMP'D) and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.(DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO)
COMPLETE SILENCE AFTER AN EMP GOES OFF
REVELATION 8:1
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north (RUSSIA) there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon,(AMERICA) and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK CYBER,EMP ATTACK,THEN NUKE ATTACK ON AM
Official says previous attempts to target Fakhrizadeh failed-Nuke chief killed with Israeli weapons controlled by satellite – Iranian report-State TV says weapon found at scene of Fakhrizadeh killing bore ‘logo and specifications of the Israeli military industry’; senior official confirms attack was carried out remotely-By TOI staff-NOV 30,20-Today, 11:53 am
The attack that killed the alleged architect of Iran’s nuclear weapons program on Friday was carried out using an Israeli-manufactured weapon controlled by satellite, Iranian news sites reported on Monday.Just after the burial of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, state TV’s English-language Press TV reported a weapon recovered from the scene of the attack bore “the logo and specifications of the Israeli military industry.” There were no images published of the alleged weapon in the report, which was attributed to “informed sources.”Additionally, a report on the Arabic-language Al Alam news site, which is operated by the state-owned media corporation Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, said there was proof of Israel’s involvement in the killing. The report, which was attributed to a single anonymous source, offered no evidence for its claim.Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, separately told state TV that Iran’s enemies had launched “a number of failed operations” against Fakhrizadeh in the past.“This time, the enemy applied a completely new, professional and sophisticated method,” he said, without elaborating. “No individual was present at the site.”Shamkhani also blamed the Iranian exile group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq as well for “having a role in this,” without elaborating. The MEK did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The highly public killing of Fakhrizadeh prompted widespread condemnation from Iran, which explicitly accused Israel of being responsible for the attack and threatened to exact revenge for it.The reports came a day after the semi-officials Fars news site, a leading Iranian outlet, reported that Friday’s attack was carried out from afar using a remote-controlled machine gun attached to a car with no human agents on the scene, a significantly different description of the attack than had been previously presented. The account was not attributed to official sources and was not immediately confirmed by Iran.According to the outlet, the assault took place over the course of three minutes as Fakhrizadeh — a brigadier general in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and a key figure in the country’s military research-and-development program long regarded by Israel and the US as the head of its rogue nuclear weapons program — traveled with his wife toward the resort town of Absard, east of Tehran.The operation kicked off when the lead car in Fakhrizadeh’s security detail traveled ahead to inspect his destination, the report said. At that point, a number of bullets were fired at Fakhrizadeh’s armored car, prompting him to exit the vehicle as he was apparently unaware that he was under attack, thinking that the sound was caused by an accident or some problem with the car, according to Fars news. The outlet did not specify if those shots were fired from the remote-controlled machine gun or from a different source.This photo released by the semi-official Fars News Agency shows the scene where Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed in Absard, a small city just east of the capital, Tehran, Iran, November 27, 2020. (Fars News Agency via AP)-Once Fakhrizadeh exited the vehicle, the remote-controlled machine gun opened fire from roughly 150 meters (500 feet) away, striking him three times, twice in the side and once in his back, severing his spinal cord. Fakhrizadeh’s bodyguard was also hit by the gunfire. The attacking car, a Nissan, then exploded, the report said.Fakhrizadeh was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His wife also appears to have been killed in the attack, according to Iranian media.Photos and video shared online showed a sedan with bullet holes in the windshield and back window, blood pooled on the asphalt and debris scattered along a stretch of the road.This photo released by the semi-official Fars News Agency shows the scene where Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed in Absard, a small city just east of the capital, Tehran, Iran, November 27, 2020. Parts of image are blurred for potentially disturbing imagery. (Fars News Agency via AP)-Initial reports from Iran had earlier indicated that an explosion occurred first, forcing Fakhrizadeh’s car to stop, at which point armed agents opened fire at him and his security detail, killing them, before fleeing the scene.According to Fars news, Iranian authorities tracked down the owner of the Nissan, who left the country on October 29. The name of the owner was not included in the report.A number of defense analysts cast doubts on the Fars report of remote-controlled shooting, noting that photographs of the scene showed what appeared to be precise gunfire aimed at Fakhrizadeh’s car, which better fits the initial descriptions of armed, trained operatives conducting the raid.Other news outlets have also published contradictory accounts of the killing, including claims that dozens of Israeli operatives were involved.An unnamed Western intelligence source told Channel 12 the killing of the nuclear physicist, described in the past as the “father” of Iran’s project to develop nuclear weapons, was the “pinnacle” of Israel’s long-term plans.Tehran officially denies plans to develop atomic weapons, maintaining its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, though a trove of Iranian documents stolen from Tehran by the Mossad, which where revealed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2018, showed plans by Iran to attach a nuclear warhead to a ballistic missile.Iran has suffered several devastating attacks this year, including the killing of top general Qassem Soleimani in a US drone strike in January, and a mysterious explosion and fire that crippled an advanced centrifuge assembly plant at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, which is widely believed to have been an act of sabotage.Judah Ari Gross and agencies contributed to this report.
Defense head threatens states that haven't condemned killing-At nuke chief’s funeral, Iran defense minister vows response to killing-Hatami says ‘the enemy made a mistake’ with assassination and nuclear program will continue; ceremony attended by Revolutionary Guards, Quds Force chiefs-By TOI staff-NOV 30,20-Today, 10:54 am
Speaking at the funeral of a top Iranian nuclear scientist who was killed in an assassination widely blamed on Israel, Iran’s defense minister warned on Monday that Tehran would not leave the killing unavenged.“The enemy knows full well that he cannot commit a crime without getting a response from the Iranian people. The martyr’s blood will be remembered forever and the enemy made a mistake with this assassination,” said Defense Minister Gen. Amir Hatami, according to Hebrew-language reports, after kissing Mohsen Fakhrizadeh’s casket and putting his forehead against it.“The assassination of the scientist will not stop the progress of Iran’s nuclear program but will only accelerate it. The response will come with certainty.” Hatami said.e said Fakhrizadeh’s killing would make Iranians “more united, more determined.”“For the continuation of your path, we will continue with more speed and more power,” Hatami said at the funeral in an outdoor area of the Defense Ministry in Iran’s capital, Tehran.Hatami also criticized countries that hadn’t condemned Fakhrizadeh’s killing, warning: “This will catch up with you someday.”Among the countries that have denounced the killing is the United Arab Emirates, which recently established diplomatic relations with Israel in a deal touted as having been accelerated by the countries’ shared concerns over Iran.The funeral got underway with a religious singer praising Fakhrizadeh and alluding to the martyrdom of Imam Hossein, a revered 7th century holy figure from whom Shiite Muslims draw inspiration.A large display showed a picture of Fakhrizadeh next to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as the late top general Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a January airstrike by the US in Baghdad.The funeral was closed to the public in order to maintain health protocols over the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to the defense ministry.In this photo released by the official website of the Iranian Defense Ministry, military personnel stand near the flag-draped coffin of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a scientist who was killed on Friday, during a funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 30, 2020 (Iranian Defense Ministry via AP)-As well as Hatami, the funeral was also attended by Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami and the Guard’s Quds Force leader Gen. Esmail Ghaani, along with civilian nuclear program chief Ali Akbar Sahei and Intelligence Minister Mamoud Alavi.The Quds Force is the Guards’ foreign operations unit, named for the Arabic word for Jerusalem, and supports forces allied with Iran around the region, such as Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime and Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group. Reports on Saturday said Israel had raised alertness in its embassies around the world in the wake of the assassination, and that Jewish communities were also taking precautions.As part of the procession before the funeral, Fakhrizadeh’s remains were taken to holy Shiite shrines in the northeastern city of Mashhad and Qom in central Iran, as well as the shrine of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ruhollah Khomeini, in Tehran.In this picture released by the Iranian Defense Ministry and taken on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020, caretakers from the Imam Reza holy shrine, carry the flag draped coffin of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian scientist linked to the country’s disbanded military nuclear program, who was killed on Friday, during a funeral ceremony in the northeastern city of Mashhad, Iran. (Iranian Defense Ministry via AP)-Fakhrizadeh, the scientist said by Israel and the US to head Iran’s rogue nuclear weapons program, was killed in a military-style ambush Friday on the outskirts of Tehran, which reportedly saw a truck bomb explode and gunmen open fire on the scientist.A report on Sunday by the semi-official Fars agency said the assassination was carried out from afar using a remote-controlled machine gun attached to a car. According to the news site, the entire operation was conducted with no human agents whatsoever, a significantly different description of the attack than had been previously presented. The account was not attributed to official sources and was not immediately confirmed by Iran. A number of defense analysts cast doubts on the Fars report.A London-based Iranian journalist claimed late Sunday that Iran had distributed pictures of four suspects in the killing and was asking hotel owners to immediately inform intelligence agents if they had seen them.Iran has blamed Israel for the attack. Israel, long suspected of killing Iranian nuclear scientists over the last decade, has declined to comment on the killing.The United Nations and European Union criticized the operation — without naming Israel — saying it inflamed tensions in the region. Some American Democrats also spoke out against the raid, saying it appeared to be an effort to hobble efforts by US President-elect Joe Biden to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal, a move that Jerusalem staunchly opposes along with several Sunni Arab states.Iran has already suffered several devastating attacks this year, including the killing of Soleimani in a US drone strike in January, and a mysterious explosion and fire that crippled an advanced centrifuge assembly plant at the Natanz facility, which is widely believed to have been an act of sabotage.In response to the assassination, the Iranian parliament on Sunday passed a number of emergency motions including a bill requiring the Atomic Energy Organization to increase the monthly output of enriched uranium for “various peaceful purposes,” the Iranian Tasnim News Agency reported.The bill demands that the atomic agency stockpile at least 120 kilograms of uranium enriched to 20 percent at the Fordo nuclear facility, and increase enrichment at Natanz as well. The move, which must still be ratified, would be the latest violation of enrichment curbs set out by the 2015 nuclear deal.Lawmakers, who kicked off the Sunday session with chants of “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” also issued a statement demanding that Iran restrict access to UN inspectors at nuclear sites, according to Iranian media.This photo released by the semi-official Fars News Agency shows the scene where Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed in Absard, a small city just east of the capital, Tehran, Iran, Friday, Nov. 27, 2020. (Fars News Agency via AP)-Analysts have said Fakhrizadeh was on par with Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist who led America’s Manhattan Project in World War II that created the atom bomb.Fakhrizadeh was named by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2018 as the director of Iran’s nuclear weapons project. When Netanyahu revealed then that Israel had removed from a warehouse in Tehran a vast archive of Iran’s own material detailing its nuclear weapons program, he said: “Remember that name, Fakhrizadeh.”Israel has long been suspected of carrying out a series of targeted killings of Iranian nuclear scientists nearly a decade ago, in a bid to curtail Iran’s nuclear program. It has made no official comment on the matter. Israeli TV coverage noted that Friday’s attack was far more complex than any of those previous incidentsAgencies contributed to this report.
Analysis-Nuke chief’s killing dealt Iran a major blow, but the price may be high-Brazen daytime raid may hobble Biden’s plans to rejoin the nuclear deal and draw retaliation from Tehran as it smarts from losing the architect of its atomic weapons program-By Judah Ari Gross-NOV 30,20-Today, 8:50 am
The killing of Iran’s military nuclear architect outside of Tehran on Friday struck a major blow to the Islamic Republic, both in practical and symbolic terms, for which it will almost undoubtedly seek revenge — though perhaps not immediately. It will also not likely be the last such blow to Iran.The killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh — a brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as a top military scientist and academic — closes out a year of high-profile losses for Tehran: the killing of IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in an American airstrike in Iraq in January; a cyberattack that brought down a major Iranian port; the destruction of a nuclear facility in Natanz, along with several smaller sites, in a series of explosions throughout the summer; and, somewhat indirectly, Abu Muhammad al-Masri, a top al-Qaeda leader shot dead in Tehran in August, shedding light on Iran’s close relationship with the terrorist group. The Islamic Republic was also particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and remains under crushing American financial sanctions that have hobbled its economy.Tehran has attributed all of these — save the pandemic — to Israel or the United States directly. Jerusalem has been officially mum on the matter, as is its wont.The daytime raid that targeted Fakhrizadeh, who had been singled out by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2018 as the main force behind Tehran’s military nuclear program, was carefully coordinated, requiring exceedingly strong intelligence in order to track him, coupled with advanced operational capabilities to carry out the assault itself — though specific details of the attack remain hazy two days later.The attack occurred while Fakhrizadeh, his wife and their security detail were traveling down a highway toward Absard, a resort town east of Tehran, at roughly 2:30 p.m. Iranian time.According to some Iranian outlets, a vehicle traveling near their car exploded, forcing the military scientist to stop. Gunmen then emerged from an SUV and killed Fakhrizadeh’s bodyguards and shot him, fatally wounding him, then fled the scene.One Iranian outlet, the semi-official Fars news agency, reported that the entire attack had been carried out by a remote-controlled machine gun. According to Fars, Fakhrizadeh exited his car after shots were fired at it. When he did so, the remote-controlled machine gun opened fire at him and his bodyguards, then the car carrying the weapon exploded, presumably to keep evidence from falling into the hands of Iranian authorities.According to every account, however, Fakhrizadeh was airlifted in critical condition to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His wife survived the raid.This type of highly public killing is deeply embarrassing for Iran, demonstrating both internationally and domestically that it cannot provide adequate security to a high-profile official like the head of its constantly-under-fire nuclear weapons program, which has already been targeted in the past with assassinations by foreign governments.Iran quickly accused Israel of responsibility for the assault. Israel has not publicly confirmed its role in the operation, though at least one senior Israeli official indicated to the New York Times that Jerusalem was behind the hit, saying the world should “thank Israel” for killing Fakhrizadeh, whom he described as a menace.Publicly, Israeli officials have been gleefully ambiguous, with Minister of Settlement Affairs Tzachi Hanegbi telling Channel 12 on Saturday he had “no idea” who killed Fakhrizadeh. Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told the Kan broadcaster on Sunday that “whoever did it” contributed to the security of “not only Israel, but the whole region and the world.”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to nod at Israel’s involvement in the hit in a video he released on Friday, in which he recited achievements of his government over the previous week and added that it was only a partial list as there were some other things he “can’t tell you.” Netanyahu knew the statement could also be taken as a reference to a reported trip he took to Saudi Arabia, which has not been officially confirmed.The Iranian Oppenheimer-Fakhrizadeh has been accused of leading Iran’s nuclear weapons program for decades, first as the head of Tehran’s AMAD program, which was nominally dissolved in 2003 but was later replaced in all but name by the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, known by the abbreviation SPND.Iran denies having plans to develop atomic weapons, maintaining that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, but a trove of Iranian documents stolen from Tehran by the Mossad, which were revealed by Netanyahu in a 2018 press conference, showed plans by Iran to attach a nuclear warhead to a ballistic missile among other things indicating a weapons program.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands in front of a picture of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, whom he named as the head of Iran’s nuclear weapons program, April 30, 2018 (YouTube screenshot)-It was during that press conference that Netanyahu identified Fakhrizadeh by name as the architect of Iran’s nuclear weapons program.“If Iran ever chose to weaponize (enrichment), Fakhrizadeh would be known as the father of the Iranian bomb,” a Western diplomat told the Reuters news agency four years prior.The killing of Fakhrizadeh — often referred to as Iran’s J. Robert Oppenheimer, who led America’s development of the first atomic bombs — will also have a direct impact on Tehran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons.“The is no doubt that he was the core source of authority, knowledge and organization of this program,” Amos Yadlin, a former Military Intelligence chief and current head of the influential Institute for National Security Studies think tank, told reporters Sunday in a briefing organized by the Media Central group.“They are people you can [nominally] replace, but there’s really no replacement for their capabilities, knowledge, leadership and the ways they knew how to lead a strategic effort,” he said.Though Fakhrizadeh’s death will probably not affect Iran’s ability to produce fissile material — he had no real role in that — Tehran will likely find it more difficult to turn that into a deliverable nuclear bomb. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Fakhrizadeh was believed to be behind the effort to miniaturize an atomic weapon and make it rugged enough to be used in an intercontinental ballistic missile — two key steps needed to create a functional atomic weapon.“The damage to the covert weaponization program is huge, but cannot be measured since nobody knows exactly the scope and the depth and what the Iranians are doing covertly,” Yadlin said.Fakhrizadeh has reportedly been in Israel’s crosshairs in the past, at least since 2009. According to Ronen Bergman, a well-connected journalist on Israeli intelligence and security, plans were submitted to kill the Iranian military scientist at some point during Ehud Olmert’s tenure as prime minister from 2006 to 2009, but the plot was scuttled at the last minute.“Apparently, there were those who came to Olmert… and said, listen, there is a danger that the operation will fail; there is a danger that the forces on the ground will be discovered,” Bergman told Channel 10 news in 2018, after Netanyahu identified Fakhrizadeh by name.Since then, Fakhrizadeh has remained on Israel’s radar, being closely monitored and tracked by Israeli intelligence.So why now? The recent uptick in alleged Israeli actions against Iran and its nuclear program can largely be traced to the window of opportunity of an outgoing US administration that supports offensive military action against Tehran. Indeed, US President Donald Trump, who abandoned the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 in favor of a so-called “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions, tweeted about the raid repeatedly over the weekend, even retweeting an Israeli military correspondent’s description of it .Mohsen Fakhrizadeh has been assassinated in Damavand, east of Tehran according to reports in Iran. He was head of Iran’s secret military program and wanted for many years by Mossad. His death is a major psychological and professional blow for Iran. — Yossi Melman (@yossi_melman) November 27, 2020-US President-elect Joe Biden, on the other hand, plans to rejoin the 2015 Iran nuclear deal — formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — and to advance further negotiations with Tehran. Proponents of this strategy see these alleged Israeli actions as unhelpful toward that goal, making talks less likely to succeed as Iran could harden its positions and be less amenable to Western diplomacy.“If the primary purpose of the killing of Mr. Fakhrizadeh was to make it harder to restart the Iran nuclear agreement, then this assassination does not make America, Israel or the world safer,” US Senator Chris Murphy, a leading voice of the Democratic party’s foreign policy, wrote in a tweet on Friday.US Vice President Joseph Biden, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, talk before a dinner at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem, March 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner, Pool)-The left-leaning J Street organization, an advocate of the JCPOA, described the raid as an “attempt to sabotage diplomacy.”However, those who are more hawkish on Iran and generally warier of rapidly returning to the JCPOA see these types of operations as leverage — meaning the incoming administration could use the threat of further Israeli actions to negotiate a stronger deal.This was an argument presented by Mark Dubowitz, head of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank and lobbying firm, which generally takes a hardline approach on Iran.“Still almost two months before Joe Biden takes office. Plenty of time for US and Israel to inflict severe damage on the regime in Iran — and build leverage for the Biden administration,” Dubowitz said Saturday.The price is terror-In addition to accusing Israel of being responsible for the killing of Fakhrizadeh, several Iranian officials threatened the Jewish state with retaliation. A conservative Iranian newspaper, Kayhan, called for an attack on Israel’s northern port city of Haifa, which has routinely been threatened by the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon.A close military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a candidate for Iran’s 2021 presidential election, Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqan, vowed to avenge the killing.“We will come down hard on those who killed martyr Mohsen Fakhrizadeh like thunder and make them regret their deed,” he said, according to Iranian media.But while Israel expects some type of retaliation for the operation, it is unlikely to come directly from Tehran, which hopes to hold negotiations with Biden’s incoming administration. Such an attack on a close US ally like Israel would make talks far more difficult for the Islamic Republic, a point of leverage that Jerusalem appears acutely aware of and willing to exploit.However, Tehran need not directly implicate itself by openly attacking the Jewish state. Over the past 40 years the Islamic Republic has built up networks of proxies around the world to do its bidding while giving it deniability — plausible or otherwise.Such was the case in the aftermath of previous alleged Israeli assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists — at least four of them — between 2010 and 2012.sraeli embassy, after Monday's attack wounded one person. (photo credit: AP Photo/Mustafa Quraishi)-Throughout 2012, a series of attacks targeted Israeli officials and civilians across the globe in attacks tied to Tehran, apparently in response to the Mossad spy agency’s clandestine activities in Iran. On February 13 of that year, bombings took place in New Delhi, India and Tbilisi, Georgia — all apparently targeting Israeli officials or locations. The New Delhi bombing was directed against Israel’s defense attaché to India, injuring his wife, their driver and two bystanders, while the Georgian attack was thwarted after an Israeli embassy driver found the bomb under his car before it could be detonated. A day later, several bombs exploded in Bangkok, Thailand, injuring five people, which were suspected of being botched efforts to attack Israeli targets.Later that year, a Hezbollah operative was arrested in Cyprus, where he admitted he had been conducting surveillance on Israeli tourists, apparently in preparation for attacks against them.n July 18, 2012, a suicide bomber attacked a bus of Israeli tourists in the Bulgarian city of Burgas, killing five of them and their driver and injuring dozens more. Hezbollah is widely believed to have carried out the attack, likely at Tehran’s behest.An Israeli emergency rescue team examines the remains of a bus bombed in Bulgaria in July, 2012, allegedly by Hezbollah (Dano Monkotovic/Flash90/JTA)-The Argentine Israelite Mutual Association bombing in 1994, which killed 85 people and injured hundreds more, has also been traced back to Iran’s nuclear program. According to Argentine prosecutors Alberto Nisman and Marcelo Martínez Burgos, the bombing was ordered by Iran in response to a decision by then-Argentinian president Carlos Menem to call off an agreement to supply Tehran with nuclear material and knowhow.In light of the current threat of retaliation, Israeli embassies and Jewish sites around the world have gone on high alert. At the same time, the Israel Defense Forces has not changed its official level of alertness or significantly changed its deployments, an apparent indication that it does not anticipate an Iranian retaliation in the form of an immediate military strike.Raphael Ahren contributed to this report.
