Israel releases five Lebanese prisoners

Samir Kuntar and four other Lebanese prisoners have arrived in Lebanon as part of a prisoner swap between Hezbollah and Israel. The prisoners had been waiting at an army base, several kilometers south of Israel's border with Lebanon, for most of the day, ahead of their transfer to Lebanon. The men who were brought home in International Committee for the Red Cross vehicles received a red carpet welcome at Naqura coastal border town. Hezbollah officials along with hundreds of people welcomed the men upon their arrival Wednesday afternoon. Samir Kuntar, the longest serving Arab prisoner in Israel, was detained about thirty years ago while he was only 16. Earlier, Lebanon's Hezbollah had handed over the bodies of two Israeli soldiers, in exchange for Kuntar, Khadher Zeidan, Mohammed Srour, Hussein Sulaiman and Maher Kurani. "Today we hand over Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev," Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa said at the Naqura border crossing. Israeli defense officials, meanwhile, say forensic experts have identified the remains of the two soldiers, delivered earlier in the day.

Ahmadinejad: US lies about Iran

Iran's President Ahmadinejad says the US claim that Iran poses a threat to the Persian Gulf states is nothing but a meaningless lie. “Iran's stance toward its neighboring countries is one of leniency and mutual respect,” said Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while addressing a meeting of the country's envoys to the Persian Gulf states. Ahmadinejad added that the US was pressuring the Persian Gulf countries to rethink their close ties with Iran. The Iranian president also said that the necessary preparations had to be made for 'a world after the fall of the American empire', predicting that 'the US hegemony in the Middle East' would soon come to an end. Ahmadinejad's comments come as speculations grow about a possible conflict between Israel and Iran, following an Israeli maneuver off the shores of the Mediterranean in early June, and the more recent Iranian missile tests.

Israel given amber light for Iran war

A Pentagon official says the US president has given the 'amber light' to an Israeli plan to attack Iran with long-range bombing sorties. The senior Pentagon official told The Sunday Times that despite widespread opposition in the US administration President George W. Bush had informed Israel he may be prepared to approve a military strike on Iran's nuclear sites. "Amber means get on with your preparations, stand by for immediate attack and tell us when you're ready,"
said the official. However, the Pentagon official said 'amber will never turn to green' if Israel does not present Bush with a 'solid' military proposal. Referring to the upcoming US presidential elections he suggested that Israel should not wait to act against Iran. The official also confirmed that the Bush administration would not attack Iran but added that President Bush is concerned about the nuclear threat against Israel and that he does not believe in 'anything but force to deter Iran'. "It's really all down to the Israelis. This administration will not attack Iran. This has already been decided," he stated. The source said the men in uniform are opposed to a military strike against Iran and are concerned about endangering US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tehran warned earlier that Iranian Armed Forces would target the heart of Israel and 32 US bases before the dust settles from an attack on the country. The remarks by the Pentagon official comes amid escalating speculation that Israel is preparing to launch a military strike on Iran with the help of US President George W. Bush before the end of his term in office. According to a New York Times report, Israel staged a military maneuver in early June to prepare for an airborne strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Earlier in the week, in response to rising threats from Israel and the US, the IRGC test-fired nine state-of-the-art long and medium-range missiles to demonstrate the country's defensive military capabilities.

Iran test-fires surface-to-sea missile

Iran has test-fired surface-to-sea missiles over the Persian Gulf during a military maneuver code-named the Great Prophet III. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) successfully test-fired the missiles with a range of 350 kilometers during its large-scale military maneuver on Thursday the Fars News Agency reported on Friday. On Thursday, IRGC forces also test fired the 'Hoot Torpedo', which "only two world countries are capable of building." The IRGC also fired nine long and medium range missiles on Wednesday. IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad-Ali Jafari said on Thursday that the recent military exercise was aimed at showing the nation's military might to the enemies and improving the Iranian readiness for a rapid and powerful reaction to threats. The military maneuvers are underway amid reports that the US and Israel might launch a military attack against Iran over its nuclear program.

US relocates warship after Iran warning

The Pentagon has moved an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf after Iran warned US ships would come under fire if they attack the country. A US Navy official speaking on condition of anonymity said Tuesday that the US Naval Forces Central Command moved the USS Abraham Lincoln to the Arabian Sea. "This is not a move in preparation for an attack on Iran. We're simply repositioning the capabilities to support the commanders on the ground down there," AFP quoted the unnamed official as saying. The announcement came shortly after Iran warned Tuesday that should Israel and the US attack the country, they would end up burning in the flames of the fire they ignited. "If Washington and Tel Aviv are foolish enough to even consider attacking Iran, our initial response would be to target Israel and set the US navy in the Persian Gulf ablaze," said the Leader's representative to the IRGC naval forces Ali Shirazi. This is while Washington and Tel Aviv continue to beat the drums of war against Iran over its nuclear program, accusing the country of developing a nuclear bomb. Tel Aviv has threatened Tehran with the use of force should the Islamic Republic continue uranium enrichment. According to a New York Times report, Israel staged a military maneuver in early June to prepare for a unilateral air strike on Iranian nuclear sites. Tehran insists its nuclear program is directed at generating electricity and is in line with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (IRGC ). The most recent IRGC nuclear watchdog report concluded that there is no link between the use of nuclear material and the 'alleged studies' of weaponization in Iranian nuclear facilities.

Iran: Israel no match for our defenses

Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar says the Israeli regime is no match for the organized and skilled armed forces of Iran. "Modern weapons are not the only defense criteria… The willpower and support of Iranians is very important," said Brigadier General Mohammad-Najjar on Sunday. Israel will not be able to match Iran's defensive capabilities and has therefore launched psyops against Tehran, Najjar suggested. He was referring to recent reports indicating that Israel has launched a military maneuver over the Mediterranean to rehearse for an aerial strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Najjar added that Tel Aviv is a 'mass producer of weapons of mass destruction' and such reports only signal its 'weakness and desperation'. Israel accuses Iran of pursuing a military nuclear program and demands the country abandon its uranium enrichment. Tehran, however, insists its nuclear activities are aimed at providing fuel for its under-construction power plants. A former senior Israeli general, Isaac Ben-Israel, claimed on Saturday that Tel Aviv is capable of carrying out a 'successful' aerial strike on Iranian nuclear sites at any time. Brig. Gen. Najjar, however, warned that Iran is fully prepared to counter any act of aggression.

Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Major General Mohammad-Ali Jafari said on Saturday that Israel is within 'the range of Iran's missiles', warning that Tehran would use all possible means to repel any attack on its soil.

Israel: Air strike on Iran will succeed

An Israeli plane refueling an F-16
A former senior Israeli general claims the regime is capable of carrying out a 'successful' air strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. "We could do it today," said Isaac Ben-Israel, a former air force general, in an interview with Der Spiegel published Saturday. Ben-Israel added that the only factor stopping Tel Aviv from launching the strike was the prospect of stopping Iran's nuclear program through other means. Washington, Tel Aviv and their European allies accuse Iran of pursuing a military nuclear program and demand the country abandon its uranium enrichment. Iran, however, insists its nuclear activities are aimed at providing fuel for its under-construction power plants. Meanwhile, the latest International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iran concluded after some 240 inspections of the country's nuclear sites that there is no link between the use of nuclear material and the alleged studies of weaponization.

"Only once the critical point has been reached will we choose the final option," continued the former general, who is currently a member of the Israeli parliament from prime minister Ehud Olmert's Kadima Party. Ben-Israel, who reportedly helped plan the 1981 air raid on Iraq's 'nuclear reactor, said that hitting Iran's scattered nuclear facilities would be 'more difficult'. He also acknowledged that the Israeli air force had recently conducted a maneuver over the Mediterranean to simulate a raid on Iran. "It was not the first such exercise, and it won't be the last," Ben-Israel said.
A recent New York Times report quoted Pentagon officials as saying that Israel orchestrated a military maneuver in early June as a rehearsal for a potential strike on Iran's nuclear sites. Pundits believe the military charade to have been less a dry run for an attack on Iran than a message that Tehran must curb its nuclear plans. Iran rejected the report as 'psychological warfare' but warned that any attack on the country would trigger a 'devastating response'.

IRGC commander Major General Mohammad-Ali Jafari warned Saturday that Israel is within 'the range of Iran's missiles' and that the regime despite all its abilities would not be able to confront the Islamic Republic.

President Ahmadinejad: US, Israel not dare attack Iran

The US and Israel would not dare attack Iran, said President Ahmadinejad of Iran in an interview to Malaysian media on Monday.

The Iranian president arrived in Kuala Lumpur earlier in the day to attend the sixth Summit of the Eight Islamic Developing Countries (D8) where he is expected to deliver a speech on Tuesday.

President Ahmadinejad made the remarks while responding a question on the US and Zionist regime's threats against Iran in an interview with the Malaysian official news agency (BERNAMA) and its state television.
The interview is expected to be broadcast on Monday night at Malaysia's local time.
"Not only the US and Israel, but a hundred others like them cannot attack Iran and they know it themselves," President Ahmadinejad stressed. He added that US President George W. Bush "has had and still has many satanic and inhuman wishes including confrontation with Iran but none of his wishes have come true.

"They know the Iranian nation and are aware that they cannot talk to us with the language of force and threats. They must give in to the will of the Iranian nation."