March 12, 2021 | On today's Watchman Newscast, host Erick Stakelbeck breaks down reports that Israel has used mines to target at least 12 Iranian vessels at sea since 2019. The Iranian ships were reportedly in route to Syria to deliver oil and weapons. Israel believes that profits from oil sales could go to fund Iran's terror proxies around the region. Iran, likewise, recently targeted an Israeli cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman. The latest revelations show that the covert war between Israel and Iran that continues to intensify--and in a new arena, at sea.
Today, on the newscast a big story, and a new front in the "Shadow War" between Israel and Iran. As Israel reportedly strikes Iranian vessels at sea. What were these Iranian ships carrying and why did Israel feel the need to act. Get all the breaking details coming up.
Hey folks, Erick Stackelbeck here, Welcome to the "Watchman Newscast'' once again. The Behind-the-Scenes Covert War, between Israel and Iran, is coming out into the open. Last night, Thursday, March 11th, the Wall Street Journal published an explosive report detailing how Israel over the past two years has bombed at least 12 Iranian vessels at sea.
Now, some background here, these Iranian vessels were bound for both Iran and Syria. Obviously close allies and both mortal enemies of Israel. These ships were according to the Wall Street Journal, and according to U.S., and Regional Officials, that's who gave this information to the journal. These ships were reportedly carrying oil in most cases, but also weapons shipments to the Assad regime and various Iranian-aligned terror factions inside Syria.
Now, Israeli officials are not commenting on this Wall Street Journal report, and they will not comment on this report. But, folks it seems very, very likely that this did indeed go down. Israel used mines to apparently halt these ships as they were making their way to Syria in the Red Sea Region, and in other areas in the region.
These ships were targeted, Iranian vessels again, and at least 12 of them according to this explosive, no pun intended, report in the Wall Street Journal yesterday using mines, and stopping that flow of illegal oil coming from Iran to Syria, folks. Illegal in two ways, number one, the Iranian regime is looking to Skirt Sanctions. U.S. Sanctions, that were enforced by the Trump administration, and the Biden White House has yet to lift. They say, they're not going to lift, but I fear that, yes, they will lift them. We're keeping a close eye on that.
So, but, Iran has been trying to get around those U.S. Sanctions, which have really crippled the Iranian economy. They're selling oil to various Rogue Regimes around the World, and one of their destinations has been their good buddies in Syria, that's number one. Number two, Syria, is getting around International Sanctions against their Regime, so it's illegal on two levels for Iran to be bringing this oil into Syria, that's number one.
Number two, Israeli Officials believe that this "Oil Revenue" can be used to fund Terror organizations, Iran's Proxies. Look, Hezbollah, obviously chief among them, and various Radical Shia Militias in Iraq and Syria, of course Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza. What about the Houthis in Yemen, the entire Gamut of Iran's Terror Proxies can be funded through Oil profits.
Now, who knows the range of weapons that Iran has been trying to transit on the way to Syria. Obviously, Iran and Hezbollah are entrenched in Syria and they are trying to set up the base from which they can strike Israel on a regular basis. So we don't know what kind of weapons were on these ships, but folks, one thing stands out to me, "Precision Guided Munitions", PGM'S for short. We've talked about them here in the newscast many times, and what a concern they are for Israel. Precision Guided Munitions or Missiles do exactly what their name implies, they give greater accuracy to missiles, so you're going to hit your target.
Iran has been desperately, trying to equip Hezbollah, in particular, with these PGM's. So that Hezbollah is not just really without a specific destination, and that's dangerous enough, by the way, just firing them into an area. They have a pretty good chance of causing a great deal of carnage, and they have in the past. But, Precision Guided Munitions, you will hit your target with precision. So Iran has been trying to send PGM parts to Hezbollah that Hezbollah can then assemble once they arrive so Israel stopping the oil and the weapons.
None of these Iranian ships have been sunk a few of them had to turn back at least two of them had to turn back to Iran after the bombs, or the mines went off, but none of them sunk and no casualties reportedly. This has been going on for quite a while now think back to the summer of 2020, last summer, where there was a series of explosions inside Iran, targeting Iran's nuclear weapons facilities, and its Ballistic Missile Factories.
Now this went on for weeks in June and July of 2020, a "Sabotage Campaign", and you could say, that this what's happening at Sea has been an extension of that "Sabotage Campaign" beyond Iran's borders. Again, it's been going on since 2019, so it's been happening for a while. But, that Sabotage Campaign was serious last summer, and then Natanz Nuclear Facility was also hit and severely damaged.
That's a key facility for Iran's nuclear program now obviously Israel never claimed responsibility for any of this sabotage nor will they claim responsibility for the Iranian ships that have been hit at sea over the past two years. But, you can bet, that Israel was heavily involved in this sabotage campaign against Iran's Nuclear and Ballistic Missile Programs last summer. And of course the assassination the takeout of Iran's nuclear weapons mastermind, the Iranian scientist, Mohsin Proxlisaty, back in late November. So folks, this has been going on for a while now. So, this report in the Wall Street Journal, while a big deal, was really no surprise, we've seen this, Covert War, happening for some time on both sides.
That brings me to the second point to remember here, hey, in the past few weeks we've talked about it here on the Watchman Newscast. Of two instances in particular that I'm thinking of. Number one, a few weeks back, late February, actually, two weeks ago today, the MV Helios Ray. It's an Israeli-owned Cargo Ship which was struck with a mine in the Gulf of Oman, as it traveled it was leaving the Middle East, going from Saudi Arabia to Singapore.
Again, it's a Cargo Ship it was carrying cars apparently bound for Singapore, and it has not stopped, because an explosion occurred on this Israeli Cargo Ship forming four large holes in the ship. The Israelis say, Look, Iran was behind this, so this is not a one-sided type thing. Don't get that idea please, Iran has been carrying out plenty of Covert Activities against Israel as well.
And that's not even mentioning Iran's Proxies how they've employed Hamas, Palestinian, Islamic, Jihad, Hezbollah, Shia Militias against Israel for years in what hasn't been too shadowy at all it's been very out front when these Terror Organizations with prodding from the Iranian regime are firing rockets at Israel on a regular basis, so this has two sides to it. Some of our commentators sometimes say. Look at the big bully Israel picking on Iran folks, it couldn't be further from the truth. Israel is preemptively and defensively acting to protect its Citizens.
So we had the Helios Ray incident, and then we reported on the newscast last week about, this very strange incident to say the least of tons, and tons, hundreds of tons, of sticky black tar washing up a massive oil spill washing up on Israel's Mediterranean Shore. Israel had to shut all of its Beaches for a time and now a massive cleanup effort even involving the Israel Defense Forces. Israel was trying to locate, and pinpoint, the source of this Oil Spill and they did. Guess what? It was a ship that had docked in Iran, off the coast of Iran, traveled from Iran to Syria, and then from Syria on its way back to Iran. But, it made a Pit Stop off the Coast of Israel and for two days reportedly dumped oil off the coast of Israel.
An Iranian Ship Dumping Oil Off the Coast of Israel, doesn't seem like a coincidence to me. Israel's Environmental Minister said, "This was Iranian Environmental Terror", but on the other hand, there's been a lot of back and forth, and there's been no definitive conclusion. Here the key point to make Israel's Defense Minister says, Hey, We don't know if this was Intentional. So, there's been some back and forth, was it an Intentional Act, was it not? And now that we have this report emerging in the, Wall Street Journal, perhaps Israel was mum about this Oil Spill at Sea for a good reason. But, we at the "Watchman News Cast" are keeping a very close eye on this for you folks.
Again, the Middle East is a "Tinderbox" and any incident seemingly small, or large could set off a Broader Regional War. I hate to say that, but I do not exaggerate, it is a fact. We will continue to lift Israel up in our prayers and we know that the God of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps, and that He is still on the Throne. So we will continue to be encouraged, and have peace about this situation.
But , here at the "Watchman Newscast", this is why we do what we do. We want to bring you "Frontline Reports" of what's really going on in the World's most Pivotal and Chaotic Region and how it affects you no matter where you live. So, thanks so much for joining us here every day, Monday through Friday, and until next time, God Bless You, and remember, "Never Hold Your Peace".
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