A FRIEND IN NEED . . .

A friend in need is a friend indeed.
~ English proverb.

Well, well, well. . . Whaddya know? Has Turkey been helping supply arms and munitions to Hezballah? From the Khaleej Times:

JERUSALEM - Israel wants the Turkish military to impose an air and ground embargo to prevent Iran using Turkish territory to send arms to resupply Hezbollah, a senior Israeli security source said on Thursday.

Israeli intelligence believes that nearly all of the heavy weapons that Iran has provided to Hezbollah passed through Turkish ground or airspace en route to Syria and then Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, security sources said.

[ . . . ]

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev declined to comment specifically on the role that might be played by Turkey, a NATO member, which maintains good ties with both Israel and Arab states.

[ . . . ]

Israel believes arms, including long-range rockets, have travelled across Turkish territory to Syria, before being shipped by land, sea or air to Lebanon, the sources said.

“We are urging Turkey to take all possible steps to prevent the transfer of arms from Iran to Syria to resupply Hezbollah,” a senior Israeli security source said. “The very future of the embargo rests on their (Turkey’s) shoulders.”

Amman has already barred Iranian shipments from passing through Jordanian airspace, Israeli security sources said. Western diplomats said US forces are preventing Iranian shipments from passing through Iraq.

What a friendly gesture on the part of the Ankara regime.

The route through Iranian- and Turkish-occupied Kurdistan is the only way into Syria, and this route is heavily guarded by an Iranian and Turkish military presence. Since the two have been conducting coordinated military operations against Kurdistan, there is even more reason to believe that the Turks are assisting with the transfers of arms and munitions for Iran. This was first mentioned on Rastî back in July:

On the other hand, Iran could move armaments through Turkish-occupied Kurdistan with the connivance of Iran's good ally, Turkey. Wouldn't it be really great if those transport convoys became fat little targets for a few of PKK's remote-controlled bombs? Imagine the secondary explosions from that!

According to Khaleej Times, "Turkish officials had no immediate comment." Of course they had no comment; they're too busy running to the pashas to find out what to say. It's definitely a situation that bears watching.

Another item of note is on the destruction of satellite dishes in Teheran by by more of Ahmedinejad's Flying Monkeys, which can be found at Vital Perspective. Included there is a link to an article by ADKNI and a link to a page of photos of the Flying Monkeys destroying and then carting away the offensive satellite dishes.

We know that it's normal for fascist states to restrict access to all news that isn't their own. Think of Turkey's attempts to close Roj TV or its destruction of satellite dishes in Turkish-occupied Kurdistan. However, this recent crackdown on information is being linked by Western bloggers to 22 August. Check the trackbacks at the Vital Perspectives blog for more on that.

Professor Bernard Lewis recently wrote an opinon piece about 22 August for the Wall Street Journal. Altogether, it's a pretty good read, but here's the part that specifically addresses 22 August:

What is the significance of Aug. 22? This year, Aug. 22 corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to "the farthest mosque," usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (c.f., Koran XVII.1). This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind.

A passage from the Ayatollah Khomeini, quoted in an 11th-grade Iranian schoolbook, is revealing. "I am decisively announcing to the whole world that if the world-devourers [i.e., the infidel powers] wish to stand against our religion, we will stand against their whole world and will not cease until the annihilation of all them. Either we all become free, or we will go to the greater freedom which is martyrdom. Either we shake one another's hands in joy at the victory of Islam in the world, or all of us will turn to eternal life and martyrdom. In both cases, victory and success are ours."

In this context, mutual assured destruction, the deterrent that worked so well during the Cold War, would have no meaning. At the end of time, there will be general destruction anyway. What will matter will be the final destination of the dead--hell for the infidels, and heaven for the believers. For people with this mindset, MAD is not a constraint; it is an inducement.

If the destruction of satellite dishes is really geared toward 22 August, haven't they started a little late, especially when trying to imagine the sheer number of dishes that must be in Teheran? Given the fact that Ahmedinejad is barking mad, I don't think the satellite dishes must necessarily be linked to 22 August, because he won't feel any shame in using a nuclear weapon, not this August and not farther down the road.

The way Ahmedinejad sees it, he'll be doing everyone a favor.