Israel Hits Military Research Facility in Damascus Suburb

The Syrian military command said in a statement that Israeli warplanes had carried out an airstrike inside its territory on Wednesday, hitting a military research facility in the Damascus suburbs. The military’s statement, carried by state television, said an unidentified number of Israeli jets flying below radar had hit the research facility, killing two people and causing “huge material damage.” (The New York Times, 30 January)

“Israeli warplanes violated our airspace at dawn, bombing directly one of the research scientific centers in the Jimraya district in rural Damascus,” the Syrian statement said, calling it a “breach of Syrian sovereignty.”

The Syrian military statement identified the research center as a defense and resistance site in the outskirts of Damascus (top photo).

Israel’s Ynetnews reports that Jamraya area contains many military facilities as well as what is likely a chemical weapons production and storage site. The area also houses training camps for Hezbollah combatants who are learning to operate advanced Russian weapons systems.

Earlier today, the Israelis targeted a truck convoy inside Syria that was reportedly carrying sophisticated Russian-made SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles (above photo).

Amnon Sofrin, a retired brigadier general and former Israeli intelligence officer, told reporters in Jerusalem on Wednesday that Hezbollah, which is known to have been storing some of its more advanced weapons in Syria, was now eager to remove everything it could to Lebanon. He said Israel was carefully watching for convoys transferring weapons systems from Syria to Lebanon. (NYT, 30 January)

Photos:
Top: Area of Israeli attack on Syrian military research center (Ynetnews)
Bottom: SA-17 missiles (Ynetnews)

Satellite Photos Show No Damage to Iran’s Fordo Nuclear Site

Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) today released Astrium commercial satellite imagery of Iran’s Fordo Fuel Enrichment Plant taken on 22 January, a day after the website WND had claimed that the site was the target of a major explosion. The imagery (top photo) shows no exterior signs of an explosion or major damage. As ISIS experts have observed, there are no “intensified activity in the form of emergency or cleanup vehicles that one would expect to see around the site in the wake of an incident of this magnitude.”  (ISIS, 30 January)

During the last few days, Iranian, Israeli, and U.S. officials denied that sabotage or a major incident occurred and IAEA concurred.

Top photo: Satellite imagery of the Fordo fuel enrichment site from January 22nd, one day after the reported explosion that caused major damage to the site. The imagery shows no damage to the outside and no discernible signs of emergency vehicles or activity at the tunnel entrances. (ISIS)

Bottom photo: GeoEye imagery from Google Earth of the Fordo site two months before the alleged underground explosion at the site. (ISIS)

Window Closing on Iran and Possibility of Diplomacy – Hagel

President Obama's nominee for defense secretary says Iran needs to show that it is prepared to negotiate seriously, and should face “severe and growing consequences” if it continues to flout world demands. (AP, 30 January)

Hagel added that the “window is closing” on Iran and the possibility of diplomacy. He made the comments in a 112-page questionnaire for the Senate Armed Services Committee. The panel submitted the extensive questions to Hagel in advance of his confirmation hearing on Thursday.

Photo credit: Secretary of Defense-designate Chuck Hagel (AP)

Israel Hits Convoy in Syria Border Area

Israeli forces attacked a convoy on the Syrian-Lebanese border overnight, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing Western diplomatic and regional security sources.

Al-Arabiya reports that the target of the airstrike was a convoy of trucks carrying advanced anti-aircraft missiles. Sky News also reports that the attack was carried out against trucks carrying anti-aircraft missiles capable of limiting the freedom of action of Israeli Air Force jets over Lebanon. Aljazeera reports that the truck was carrying sophisticated Russian-made SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles.

The Israel Defense Forces refused to confirm or deny the report. “We do not comment on reports of this kind,” an Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman said. (Haaretz)

The commander of the Israel Air Force, Major General Amir Eshel, on Tuesday issued warning over the volatility of Syria and its weapons. Eshel described Syria as a “country falling apart.”

“Nobody has any idea right now what is going to happen in Syria on the day after, and how the country is going to look. This [crisis] is happening in a place with a huge weapons arsenal, some of which are new and advanced, and some of which are not conventional,” said Gen. Eshel. (Haaretz, 30 January)

Image credit: The map of area where Israeli air force attacked a convoy reportedly carrying anti-aircraft missiles. (Haaretz)

Iranian Journalists in Fear After Arrests

The arrest of at least 14 journalists in Tehran over the course of three days this week, just a few months before the June presidential election has come as a shock to members of the Iranian press, reports Tehran Bureau.

“We have to stay up all night tonight,” said a journalist based in Tehran. “They could raid our homes.”  (Tehran Bureau, 30 January)

The current crackdown began Saturday with the arrests of Milad Fadayi-Asl, political affairs editor of the Iranian Labour New Agency (ILNA), and Soleyman Mohammadi, a reporter for the Bahar daily.

Late Sunday afternoon, eight security agents entered the offices of the pro-reform Etemad daily. They detained social affairs editor Nasrin Takhayori, political affairs editor Javad Dalirei, and Saturday supplement editor Sassan Aghaei, who were taken to an unknown location. Eight other agents went to the offices of Bahar around the same time looking for Reyhaneh Tabatabaei, but the young journalist was not there.

That evening, agents raided the offices of two more dailies, Arman - where they arrested Motahhareh Shafiee and Nargess Jodaki - and Sharq - where they arrested Pejman Mousavi, Pouria Alemei, and Sadra Mohaghegh. Akbar Montadji was arrested at the offices of the weekly Aseman, and two more journalists, Emily Amraei and Sabba Azarpeyk, were arrested in their homes.

To read the full Tehran Bureau report in today's edition of the Guardian, please click here. 

Photo: Faces of detained journalists (EA)