world news
Israel forgot about Iran’s nuclear threat – will it pay the price?
Israel is very ready to defend against a massive Iranian conventional missile and drone strike, against a massive rocket and drone strike from Hezbollah, it has for now mostly neutered Hamas in Gaza, has terrorists on the run in the West Bank, and is ready for attacks from Syria, Yemen, or Iraq.
But sources have given the Jerusalem Post mixed signals about how ready Israel is to stop an Iranian nuclear weapons breakout.
In several high level briefings the Post has been part of where discussion of Iran’s nuclear weapons threat used to take up a significant amount of the time, the issue is often not mentioned at all or only discussed briefly as a response if the issue is pushed.
The last significant briefing on the IDF’s capabilities in this area was given before the war. For several months, the Post has sought to consult on the issue with a special Iran desk within military intelligence which was revealed to the public in mid-2023, but has been denied access.Is it because the division is so busy (almost every part of the IDF’s normally classified units have been repeatedly shown off to reporters during the current war), because the IDF does not think its work is important enough to be covered, or to avoid drawing attention to the unit being distracted by other threats?
The fact is that when your attention is diverted to seven fronts, there is no way you can focus as much on the eighth front – the nuclear front.
Also, all of those seven fronts are actually threatening right now.
The nuclear weapons threat from Iran has hovered over Israel on different levels for around 25-30 years, but there has never been a point where the Jewish state felt that the sword might come down on it within a period of months, let alone weeks or days.
Threats from every direction
There is another major distraction.
Usually, Israel’s lead in combating Iran’s nuclear threat is the Mossad.
Israeli military intelligence and the air force also play important roles, but it is a given that their attention is always divided elsewhere even during peacetime, which is why the Mossad has been the “point-person” on Iran for so long.
But Iran has not been Mossad Director’s main job now for 10 months.
He has been distracted by being the lead Israeli negotiator to recover the Israeli hostages from Hamas.
This is not a guess or a brilliant scoop.
There have been literally dozens of Barnea’s trips abroad, once hidden in veils of secrecy, which have been publicly announced.
No matter how hooked in we can be to foreign areas using modern communications, there is no way Barnea can focus as much on some hidden nuclear move in Iran when he is off globe trotting to Doha, Cairo, Paris, and elsewhere.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who used to be “the” harbinger of doom on Iran – almost never talks about the nuclear threat, other than with a generic line drop.
No one in Israel has publicly campaigned globally about Iran’s recent progress in installing huge numbers of advanced centrifuges at its underground Fordow facility. This change is the first time that Iran could enrich enough uranium for a nuclear weapon entirely underground without even using other nuclear sites like Natanz.
If before, Iran’s nuclear breakout would be easier to watch because many components would need to be moved around more from site to site above ground, now that is less true.
Further, the Post reported from Institute for Science and International Security President David Albright on Wednesday along with an Iran International report, that Iran is making real progress in the nuclear detention arena.
If at one point, worries about an Iranian breakout could be assuaged by saying that all of their uranium enrichment progress still left them two years away from addressing “weapons group” issues – that time may now have shrunken to less than six months and may be shrinking even more.
The IAEA is the most blind it has been in around a decade, freely publicly admitting that it may not even be able to restore what it has missed over the last few years since the Islamic Republic shut off or removed various surveillance cameras and kicked out some key inspectors.
Israel’s domestic political arena is mostly focused on being pro or anti a hostage deal and ceasefire with Hamas, with some temporary headspace for Iran’s and Hezbollah’s conventional threats, but none of the government’s critics attacking the government for its silence on the nuclear issue.
The Post has heard from some sources that Israel is always acting on this issue behind the scenes, but when so much progress has been made by Tehran, one worries if these activities are enough especially compared to the 2020-2022 period when numerous Iranian nuclear facilities publicly went up in smoke.
The US has not had any policy on Iran’s nuclear program since fall 2023 when its unofficial deal with Tehran of a partial nuclear progress freeze for partial sanctions relief fell apart.
There has been zero new public US campaigning to put the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program “back in a box” even as the US intelligence community in July made strong implied warnings of Iran’s progress with its nuclear weapons group.
And why would America spend time or energy on a nuclear Iran when it is so distracted by Russia’s war on Ukraine, competition with China, and the multi-front Middle East war.
The current presidential candidates are not talking about it at all. If they did, what would they say? Neither the Trump nor the Biden-Harris administrations succeeded in blocking Iranian nuclear progress.
The Trump administration certainly tried harder using coercive means and the Biden administration using diplomatic means, but at best each of them sometimes temporarily slowed the nuclear progress, and some of their actions may have led to that progress speeding up.
All of this means that Iran may be closer for real to a nuclear bomb than at any prior time at the exact moment that Israel is most distracted – about as dangerous a recipe as there could be.
On Tuesday, February 11, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael – Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) will dedicate the Swords of Iron Forest together with bereaved families who have lost their loved ones during the war, since October 7, 2023. This forest will serve as a living tribute to fallen civilians and IDF personnel. The dedication will take place two days before Tu Bishvat, the Jewish “New Year” for Trees.
A Forest of Memory and Renewal
“We are planting the future, renewing the forest, and breathing fresh air into the region,” says Daniel Ben-David, KKL-JNF‘s Western Negev Director. “In a place where life was cut short, we will plant new roots and create a forest of memory and renewal.”
Ben-David emphasized that the Swords of Iron Forest is not just another project; it is a testament to resilience, renewal, and the unwavering spirit of the Gaza Envelope’s residents, who have endured unimaginable hardship. This forest will symbolize hope, remembrance, and the promise of new beginnings.
>> Honor Their Memory – Plant a Tree of Remembrance
The site of the Nova Music Festival massacre, recently restored and upgraded by KKL-JNF, now welcomes 5,000 visitors daily. Given the overwhelming response, KKL-JNF expects even greater numbers to visit the new Swords of Iron Forest each year.
Last Tu Bishvat, KKL-JNF held a moving tree-planting ceremony at the Nova Festival site, where families of victims and survivors planted new life in the soil. Now, just a short distance away, the Swords of Iron Forest will take root as part of the vast 11,000-dunam Be’eri Forest, originally planted in the 1950s and 1960s. For over 12 years, and especially on October 7, this region has suffered severe destruction from ongoing rocket fire, incendiary balloons, and terror attacks from Gaza.
“For years, we have been restoring scorched land, rehabilitating wounded trees, and developing nature sites to improve the quality of life for residents,” says Ben-David. “We have built bike paths, hiking trails, and recreation areas.The Swords of Iron Forest is not just about trees – it is about resilience, remembrance, and looking ahead to the future.”
In addition to the tree-planting activities in memory of those who fell during the war, KKL-JNF is also engaged in restoration efforts in Israel’s northern forests. This week, it will hold a large and unique planting event in Biriya Forest, with the participation of hundreds of people, including local municipality leaders from the border communities, senior commanders of the IDF Northern Command, soldiers, local school students, and pre-military academy cadets.
A Living Tribute: The Tree-Planting Ceremony
Over 10,000 participants are expected to attend the unique and meaningful event on February 11, planting 2,000 trees in memory of their loved ones – creating a lasting tribute and legacy for those they have lost.
The dedication of the Swords of Iron Forest is led by KKL-JNF under the leadership of its Chairwoman, Ifat Ovadia-Luski, with the participation of Bituach Leumi and the Defense Ministry.
>> Forever Growing, Forever Remembered. Plant a Tree.
This article was written in cooperation with KKL-JNF.
After Trump took office as US President, reports were published that the new administration is demanding the deportation of the terrorist Ahlam Tamimi, who was responsible for the attack of the Sbarro restaurant, from Jordanian territory. Tamimi was released in the Gilad Shalit deal in 2011 after being sentenced to 16 life sentences.
In 2017, the US Department of Justice published a criminal complaint and issued an arrest warrant against al-Tamimi. The FBI added her to the top of its most wanted list and offered a cash reward for her extradition and prosecution.
Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, who represents the family of Channa Nachenberg, an American citizen who was critically injured in the attack at the Sbarro restaurant, is now revealing the actions taken behind the scenes, and that she was even called to an emergency meeting with the US Department of Justice’s counterterrorism task force.
The meeting was at the King David Hotel and attended by U.S. federal prosecutors and the FBI. At the meeting the American officials revealed that they were making public an indictment of Hamas terrorist Ahlam al-Tamimi who had assisted in the bombing of Sbarros.Al-Tamimi had been released from an Israeli prison during a prisoner release in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and was living in Jordan. Al-Tamimi hosted a popular radio talk show where she regularly boasted about her membership in Hamas and the bombing she was involved in in Jerusalem.
Although the U.S. had demanded that Jordan extradite the freed terrorist responsible for the murder of 2 U.S. citizens and the maiming of many others such as Nachenberg, the Hashemite Kingdom refused. Jordan claimed there was no extradition treaty between Amaan and Washington.
Now as a prerequisite to meeting with President Trump the U.S. has demanded that King Hussein either deport the terrorist to a third country or extradite her to the U.S.
According to attorney Darshan-Leitner: “We have been waiting since the terrorist’s release in 2011 for the Americans to really demand her extradition. We were hopeful that this unrepentant terrorist murderer who has much Israeli and American blood on her hands, will finally be locked up, but this time with no chance of freedom. It’s outrageous that she was released by Israel and was allowed to live a life of comfort and freedom in Jordan. God willing she’ll finally face a real punishment for her Jew hatred and the lives she destroyed.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Egypt’s foreign minister on Tuesday it was important to ensure Hamas terrorists can never govern Gaza again, the State Department said, with their call coming after President Donald Trump suggested Egypt and Jordan should take more Palestinians.
Trump on Saturday floated a plan to “clean out” Gaza, where Israel’s war has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis, in comments that echoed long-standing Palestinian fears of being permanently driven from their homes.
The suggestion by Trump was not mentioned in the US State Department statement released on Tuesday after the call between Rubio and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
Jordan and Egypt had pushed back over the weekend after Trump’s comments that they should take in Palestinians from Gaza. Asked if this was a temporary or long-term solution, Trump had said: “Could be either.”“He (Rubio) also reinforced the importance of holding Hamas accountable,” the State Department said after Tuesday’s call.
“The Secretary reiterated the importance of close cooperation to advance post-conflict planning to ensure Hamas can never govern Gaza or threaten Israel again.”
Context
Rubio held a call a day earlier with Jordan’s King Abdullah, and the US statement after that call, too, did not mention Trump’s remarks on Palestinian displacement.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct. 7, 2023, when Palestinian Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
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