Israel fires warning shots at Syria over Golan Heights mortar strike

 

An Israeli Merkava tank crew sit on the Israeli annexed Golan Heights overlooking the Syrian village of Breqa on November, 06, 2012. (AFP Photo / Menahem Kahana)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/syria-israel-warning-fire-455/

Israel has fired warning shots into Syria after mortars launched from Syrian territory hit an Israeli base in the Golan Heights. It is the first time Israel has fired within Syrian territory since the 1973 war.

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) said the missile was fired as a warning short after the errant mortal fired from Syria hit the military post.

"In the midst of Syrian infighting, a mortar shell fired by the Syrian army struck near an outpost at Tel Hazeka," The Jerusalem post cites IDF spokesman Brig.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai as saying.

"In light of the policy instituted by IDF Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz, a warning round was fired back into Syria. We don't believe it caused injuries or damages," he continued.

The IDF fired a single Tamuz anti-tank missile, a weapon known for its high degree of accuracy, military sources told AFP.

Just hours before the strike, Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned Syria that Israel would “respond” if stray shells landed inside the Golan Heights.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had also said Israel was “closely monitoring what is happening on our border with Syria and there too we are ready for any development."

Israel worries the Syrian insurgency could engulf the Golan, turning the region into an ideal base for Islamic militants to launch attacks, as they do from Egypt’s Sinai desert.

Israeli officials fear the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government could further lead to an Islamist power grab in Syria, fueling sectarian war and destabilizing the region.

There are also concerns that the security breakdown in Syria might lead the Lebanese movement Hezbollah – which is allied to Damascus and staunchly opposed to Israel– to acquire control of chemical weapons stockpiles.

Several mortar shells have struck the Golan Heights since the Syrian civil war erupted 19 months ago. Israel has recognized the fire as unintentional, but still holds Damascus responsible.

On Thursday a mortar launched from within Syrian territory hit an Israeli settlement on the territory but did not explode.

 

Israeli Merkava tanks maneuver on the Israeli annexed Golan Heights overlooking the Syrian village of Breqa on November, 06, 2012. (AFP Photo / Menahem Kahana)

Israel recently filed a complaint with the United Nations Security Council after Syrian three tanks entered the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights earlier this month. The IDF also filed a complaint with UN peacekeeping forces operating in the area.

The tanks were reportedly engaged in a battle with Syrian rebels in the village of Beer Ajam, which is located in the Syrian controlled portion of the Golan Heights.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 war, though they agreed to return the land to Syria in return for a peace agreement which was rejected by the Arab world.

During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Syrian forces crossed the ceasefire line into the Golan Heights to retake the territory. The Syrian troops were ultimately ejected by Israel forces.

Israel annexed the Golan in 1981, though they returned about five percent of the territory to Syrian control. The land was merged into a demilitarized zone that is currently patrolled by UN peacekeeping forces.

Egypt’s president selects new defense minister, retires top commander

Former Egyptian Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi (file photo)

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/08/12/255890/morsi-appoints-new-defense-minister/

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has appointed a new defense minister and vice president, cancelling a constitutional declaration issued by the military restricting presidential powers.

On Sunday, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi was replaced as defense minister with Major General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Morsi also ordered the retirement of military chief of staff Sami Anan, replacing him with Sedqi Sobhi Sayyid Ahmed.

Mahmoud Makki, a former judge, was also appointed vice president.

Last week, Morsi sacked the country’s intelligence chief, the Republican Guard commander and the head of the military police days after gunmen killed 16 Egyptian border guards at a checkpoint near Egypt’s border with Israel.

The Egyptian president also fired Abdel Wahab Mabrouk, the governor of North Sinai, where the deadly attack took place.

The moves seem to be in response to the deadly violence at Egypt's border with Israel.

Under a constitutional declaration issued on June 17, the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), which assumed power following the ouster of the Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, took control of the state budget and gave itself veto power over a new constitution, diminishing president’s powers.

Morsi was elected president on June 24 in a runoff against Ahmed Shafiq, who had served as Mubarak's last prime minister.

Iran fires satellite carrier into space

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=117739§ionid=3510208



Iran on Tuesday test-fired the Kavoshgar 3 satellite carrier, sending its third explorer — with living organisms onboard — into space.

The Kavoshgar 3 (Explorer) rocket, carrying an experimental capsule, transfers telemetric data, live pictures and flight and environmental analysis data.

The Iranian Aerospace Organization (IAO) says live video transmission and the mini-environmental lab will enable further studies on the biological capsule — carrying a rat, two turtles and worms — as it leaves earth's atmosphere and enters space.

In February 2008, Iran became the 11th country to have acquired space-related technology by blasting Kavoshgar 1 into space.

The second Kavoshgar, which carried a space-lab and a restoration system, was launched in November 2008. The Kavoshgar 3 rocket is an updated version of the previous models.

Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi on Wednesday hailed the successful launch and insisted on the "peaceful" nature of Iran's space program.

"Iran will not tolerate any un-peaceful use [of space] by any country," General Vahid was quoted as saying by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).


Iran on Wednesday unveiled three new satellites and a satellite carrier, a year after it placed its first domestic research satellite into orbit.

The three satellites — Tolou, Mesbah 2 and Navid — are telecommunication satellites and have been designed and produced domestically.

Mesbah 2 is a low-orbit communications satellite, which will be eased in orbit 400 to 1600 miles above the earth.

It is designed to make the trip around the globe every couple of hours.

According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting News (IRIB News), no date has been set for the test-flight of a Mesbah 2 prototype, currently under manufacture.

In the inauguration ceremony attended by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian Aerospace Organization (IAO) also unveiled the country's first domestic satellite carrier engine, called Simorgh.

Simorgh, which weighs 87 tons, is equipped to carry a 220-pound satellite 310 miles into orbit.

On February 3, 2009, Iran placed a research satellite, Omid, into orbit, which carried experimental satellite control devices, communications equipment and power supply systems to a distance of 250 to 350 kilometers above the earth's atmosphere.