EGYPT/ISRAEL: Is it a devilish Concussion, because I smell a rotten rat?

BLOGGER: Read posts carefully because I smell a rotten rat.

Current events shows on one hand that Israel and the USA are concocting a plan to attack Iran. The USA is supplying the rebels in Syria with weapons fight against the Assad's regime. Egypt has opened the Tunnels and border gates to Gaza and now supplies of food and materials are pouring in to Gaza and Gazans can now visit Egypt . Hamas is now in good relations with Egypt.

On the other hand, we all know that Iran supplies weapons to Syria. Syria passes the weapons over to Hezbollah.

When dots are connected, everything indicates that the operation carried out in Sinai is a Mossad and CIA a false flag operation meant to disturb the relation between Egypt and Hamas (Gaza). So when Israel and/or the USA attack Iran and in the meantime the USA and Israel increase their activities in Syria, Syria will be weakened along with Hezbollah, and then with the isolation of Gaza again, Hamas will be crippled or might suffer one more "Cast Lead" operation.

At the end of the day, the winner will be Israel. The regime in Syria will be toppled, Hezbollah weakened as well as Hamas.

Devilish! Isn't it?! But who will be the sufferers of this concussion? my answer is: Civilians in Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Gaza and Israel itself as well as the American tax payers.

Armed militants attack Egyptian army outpost, try to infiltrate Israel border

 

Sinai Global Jihad militants attacked Egyptian outpost, killed between 10 and 15, stole armored vehicles; no Israeli casualties reported; all Eshkol Regional Council residents now allowed to leave houses, expect for residents of Halutziot, Kerem Shalom.

 

By Avi Issacharoff, Gili Cohen and Yanir Yagna | Aug.05, 2012 | 10:47 PM

Armed attackers from Sinai breached Israel's border last night in an armored personnel carrier stolen in a raid on an Egyptian police station that killed around 15 Egyptian policemen.

The Fahd APC was hit in an Israeli air strike, preventing what military officials said could have been a deadly large-scale terror attack. A second personnel carrier exploded at the Kerem Shalom border terminal, which connects Israel, Gaza and Egypt, before the vehicle could enter Israeli territory.

No Israelis were hurt in the incident, the IDF said.

"IDF forces, under the command of Maj. Gen. Tal Russo, and on the orders of Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, and with the assistance of the Shin Bet, showed alertness, sharpness and purposefulness, and prevented a terror attack that could have caused many casualties," said Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

"The way the attackers operated once again raises the necessity of resolute Egyptian action to impose security and prevent terror in Sinai."

Israel Defense Forces soldiers fired on an unclear number of attackers seen escaping from the site. Israelis living in the Kerem Shalom area were ordered to stay home and lock their doors, with the army fearing that the gunmen would try to abduct Israelis up to several hours after the APC incursion. They are being asked to pay attention to directives from the Home Front Command.

"As of now, we know of no terrorists still in the area," IDF spokeswoman Avital Leibovich said last night. "There are some Israeli communities nearby, and residents have been asked to stay in their homes."

Egyptian security sources said the attackers fired live ammunition at police officers at the station during the raid.

An Egyptian security official told the state news agency that some of the militants were from Sinai and some entered through underground tunnels from the Gaza Strip.

IDF spokesman Yoav Mordechai said the attackers may have been a global jihad group, but said the army had not positively identified the group to which they belonged. Mordechai said the IDF has been in contact with the Egyptian authorities, saying they "see eye to eye with us on what happened."

Immediately after the personnel carrier came through the border terminal, security forces set up roadblocks to keep the assailants off Route 232, the main road in the region.

Police in the area were bolstered by IDF soldiers and the air force "to prevent additional incidents in the area," said a military source.

As of press time, the IDF was continuing to search the area.

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi called for an urgent meeting with the country's military council after the attack, the Muslim Brotherhood's party said on its Facebook page.

The Counter-Terrorism Bureau urged Israeli tourists in Sinai last week to return to Israel immediately because terrorists were planning to abduct Israelis from the peninsula.

The government agency said it issued the warning because it had received new intelligence indicating that Gaza-based Palestinian terror groups and organizations linked to Al-Qaida in Sinai were planning imminent attacks on Israeli tourists there. While it has issued similar warnings several times in the past, many Israelis ignore them, pressing forward with plans to enjoy a relatively cheap beach vacation.

Hamas, meanwhile, condemned the killing of Egyptian police officers.

"Hamas condemns this ugly crime that killed a number of Egyptian soldiers and extends its deep condolences to the families of the victims and to the leadership and the people of Egypt," the Islamist group said in a statement. 

Dozens of rockets hit Negev after IAF strike

Palestinian militants fired dozens of rockets and mortar shells on the southern Negev last night. No significant injuries were reported.

In an Israeli air strike earlier yesterday, a militant riding a motorcycle in the Gaza city of Rafah was killed and a second was either wounded or killed. 

The IDF said in a statement that the casualties were members of a global jihad organization. Mordechai said there was no connection between the air strike and the attempted terror attack later in the day.

The IDF and Shin Bet said they carried out the attack in which at least one member of the Salafi wing of the Popular Resistance Committees was killed. The committees are linked to the global jihad movement operating in the Gaza Strip and Sinai.

Israeli and Palestinian sources confirmed that Eyad Nadi Okel, 19, was killed in the strike. The IDF statement said Ahmed Sayid Ismayil, 22, was also killed, but Palestinian sources said he was wounded.

The IDF said Ismayil was involved in a June attack on the Gaza-Israel border in which an Israeli citizen was killed. The statement said he was planning another attack against Israeli targets, near the border between Egypt and Israel.

The strike came during a time of tense quiet along Israel's border with Gaza, one that is periodically interrupted by short bouts of fighting. Late last month, Gaza militants fired four rockets into southern Israel, with two landing near the desert town of Sderot. No injuries or damage were reported.

The other two exploded in an open area under the jurisdiction of the Eshkol Regional Council.

Dozens of rockets, mortar shells explode near Gaza, southern Israel

 

Residents of Kibbutz Kerem Shalom told to stay in their homes; Palestinians report exchanges of fire between Israel, Palestinians; Gaza sources report at least 11 policemen killed in attack on police station in Sinai near Egypt-Israel border.

 

By Gili Cohen , Yanir Yagna, Avi Issacharoff and Reuters | Aug.05, 2012 | 8:51 PM

Dozens of rockets and mortar shells exploded in the Eshkol Regional Council in southern Israel on Sunday evening.

Residents of Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, near the meeting point of the Egypt-Israel-Gaza borders, were told to stay in their homes, for reasons of safety.

Palestinians sources in Gaza reported exchanges of fire in the area of Kerem Shalom, including shells fired from the Israeli side, and according to the report, Palestinians have been wounded. Israeli tanks reportedly fired at least 15 shells in the area near Kerem Shalom. Egyptian state television also reported that an Islamist militant group was behind the attack.

Palestinian sources reported that a group of global Jihadi operatives penetrated the Egyptian army outpost near Kerem Shalom, killing at least 11 soldiers, and kidnapped a number of other soldiers. Egyptian military sources told the Palestinian Ma'an news agency that the terror attck was carried against a central army position near the Kerem Hashalom crossing, which is known by the soldiers as Tahrir Square. 

At the time of the attack, 20 soldiers were in position. According to the report, the masked attackers, who were driving all-terrain vehicles with heavy machine guns, fired RPGs at the military outpost and killed between 11 and 15 soldiers. Afterward, they kidnapped the remaining soldiers and left the place in an armored Egyptian vehicle. This is the most severe attack of Global Jihad on the Egyptian army.

Earlier on Sunday, An Israel Air Force craft targeted a motorcycle travelling in the Gaza city of Rafah on Sunday, killing one militant and wounding another.

According to initial reports, the attack was a surgical strike against a member of the Popular Resistance Committees militant organization.

An IDF statement released after the attack said that the assault was a joint operation by the army and the Shin Bet, adding that militant squad targeted belonged to a global Jihad organization.

According to the statement, the two men targeted in the strike were 19-year-old Eyad Nadi Okel, who was killed in the attack, and 22-year-old Ahmed Sayid Ismayil, who Palestinian sources said was wounded in the attack, while the IDF claimed was killed as well.

The IDF said that Ismayil belonged to the Salafi wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, which is linked to the global Jihad movement operating in the Strip and in the Sinai, adding that he was involved in the June attack on the border with Israel that killed an Israeli citizen.

In addition, the IDF statement said that Ismayil and Hijazi were working on another attack against Israeli targets on the Egypt-Israel border.

The strike came amid a time of tense quiet along Israel's border with the coastal enclave, one that is periodically interrupted by short bouts of fighting.

Late last month, Gaza militants fired four rockets into southern Israel, with two of the projectiles landing near the desert town of Sderot. No injuries or damage were reported.

The other two exploded in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council. A 28-year-old woman injured her ankle while seeking shelter following the sound of the alarm and was evacuated to Barzilay Medical Center in Ashkelon.

Last week, the Counter-Terrorism Bureau urged Israeli tourists in Sinai to return to Israel immediately because terrorists are planning to abduct Israelis from the peninsula.

The agency said it issued the warning because it has received new intelligence indicating that Gaza-based Palestinian terror groups and organizations linked to Al-Qaida in Sinai are planning imminent attacks on Israeli tourists there. The terrorists' primary goal is to kidnap Israelis, the agency added.

While it has issued similar warnings several times in the past, many Israelis ignore them, pressing forward with plans to enjoy a relatively cheap beach vacation.

"The Counter-Terrorism Bureau once again urges all Israelis in Sinai to leave the region immediately and return to Israel," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Thursday. 

Sinai attack proves Islamist terrorists are targeting Egyptians as well as Israelis

 

How will the attack affect the ties between Egypt and Israel, in light of the already weak relations with the new Egyptian government.

 

By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff | Aug.06, 2012 | 1:04 AM

Sunday night's attack of the Egyptian military post and cross-border incursion was the largest attack carried out in Sinai by Global Jihad operatives against both an Egyptian target and an Israeli target.

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi called for a meeting of the Supreme Military Council to discuss steps to be taken, following the killing of the Egyptian soldiers.

The attack took place while the Egyptians were breaking the daily Ramadan fast. Two armed groups whose members are identified with Al-Qaida raided the post, a few kilometers from Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, in two off-road vehicles.

They fired RPG rockets and machine guns at the position, one of the Egyptian army's key posts on the border. There were an estimated 20 soldiers at the post at the time of the attack. It is believed th attackers killed approximately 15 soldiers and abducted the others.

On Sunday morning an Israeli aircraft fired on a motorcycle carrying two activists from one of the terror groups active in Gaza. A 22-year-old member of the extremist Salafi sect, Eyad Nadi Okel, was killed in the attack. Another man, Ahmed Sayid Ismayil, identified with Global Jihad, was injured.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the attack had taken place and said Ismayil had been involved in the attack on the Israel-Egypt border about six weeks ago, which killed an Israeli Defense Ministry contractor, Saeed Fashafshe, 35, from Haifa.

According to the IDF, Okel and Ismayil were planning to carry out an attack on the Israel-Egypt border, together with other Global Jihad operatives in the Gaza Strip and Sinai.

Despite the fact that the attack on the motorcycle and the attack in Sinai were close in terms of time, and that Global Jihad operatives were involved in both, sources in the IDF denied any connection between the two incidents.

Only a few days ago, the Counter-Terrorism Bureau in the Prime Minister's Office issued a warning that terrorists were planning to kidnap Israelis traveling in Sinai. But Sunday's attack illustrates the motivation of these Jihadist terror groups to strike not only Israelis, but also Egyptian security forces.

In recent months there have been almost daily incidents between the Egyptian army and armed members of Jihadist groups, and there have been repeated reports of Egyptian soldiers shot by these extremists, who belong to cells identified with Al-Qaida coming from all over the Middle East.

The two terrorists responsible for the attack that killed Fashafshe came from Saudi Arabia and Egypt. There are reportedly Al-Qaida forces in Sinai from Yemen, Iraq, Syria and other Arab and Muslim countries. These groups are supported by the local Bedouin and it cannot be ruled out that Sinai Bedouin took part in planning and executing Sunday's attack. Meanwhile, various other terror groups in the Gaza Strip are assisting them and smuggling arms and goods into the Strip.

About 1,000 soldiers belonging to the Egyptian Border Police are currently stationed in Sinai, as are other Egyptian soldiers, but their focus is on guarding the strip of coast and the roads leading to the main northern Sinai cities of El Arish and Rafah. They do not belong to elite units and are not trained to face terrorists. Their posts are poorly protected and they face Sinai, rather than Israel, out of fear of attack from Bedouin gangs or Islamicists. In many ways the neglect of the Egyptian government, which began back in the time of Mubarak, has helped turn Sinai into a no-man's land controled by Global Jihad groups and armed Bedouin.

Sunday's attack was unusual in its daring. It is clear that the group that carried it out wanted first and foremost to cause mass casualties among Egyptian soldiers, and apparently, to deter soldiers from serving in the area. Striking Israel was apparently a secondary goal.

The challenge facing Israeli and Egyptian security forces is that such attacks may continue because of the security situation in Sinai, and the almost complete lack of real obstacles.

The presence of the Egyptian army is meager, and perhaps because of the fear that the Egyptian army will be accused of collaborating with Israel, its commanders are not eager to take aggressive action against Global Jihad groups in Sinai.

The question that remains after Sunday night's attack is how ties between Egypt and Israel will be affected by the incident, in light of the already weak relations with the new Egyptian government.

Morsi recently said he did not want there to be an impression of cooperation with Israel; nor did he want to strengthen security ties, due to the fear that Egyptian public opinion would be against both those moves.

Morsi, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, may have no choice but to join forces with the Egyptian military leadership, in order to take on the terror groups in Sinai, which have become a real threat to Egypt.

It is unclear how the Egyptian army will respond, and whether it will continue to avoid engagement with the terrorists. But it seems that Egyptian public opinion will demand action following the attack in Sinai.

It also remains to be seen how the attack will impact the security situation between Gaza and Israel. For now, it does not seem that Hamas or any other group in the Strip is interested in an escalation with Israel.

Sunday's incident ended successfully as far as Israel was concerned, without injuries or the terrorists crossing the border. Yet it is a painful reminder of the complicated situation Israel has on its southern border, as well as its northern border, while Israeli public opinion is preoccupied with Iran.