Israeli War on Lebanon: A Prelude to War on Iran By William Hardiker

Israeli War on Lebanon: A Prelude to War on Iran

By William Hardiker

Al-Jazeerah, July 29, 2006

It appears likely that the Israeli/Lebanon conflict will prove to be a prelude to a US/Israeli war against Iran. The objective of such a conflict will be regime change in Tehran. Plans for war against Iran have long been considered, even before the first bombs fell on Baghdad. Senior Pentagon officials and neo-conservatives have conspired to push the US into war with Iran basing their case once again on false intelligence and shady allies.

Larry Franklin, an Iran expert and career employee of the Defence Intelligence Agency, held a meeting with other likeminded Americans who were also looking for ways to push the US into a war with Iran. One was Steven Rosen, one of the most influential lobbyists in Washington and ex-Director of foreign policy issues in Israel’s powerful lobby known as AIPAC (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee) and AIPAC Iran expert, Keith Weissman. Both Weissen and Rosen have been working closely together for ten years, conspiring to put pressure on US officials and members of Congress to ‘deal with Tehran’.

Over a breakfast at the Ritz-Carlton restaurant, the two lobbyists heard of Franklin’s draft of a top secret National Security Presidential Directive that dealt with US policy on Iran. The White House had previously rejected the documents directives, but with the “appointment” of one George W Bush to the Presidency, together with his gang of neo-conservative “hawks”, such is no longer the case. The US no longer ‘plays by the rules’ as has been clearly revealed in the post September 11, 2001 period. Franklin has taken the extraordinary (and illegal) step of passing on a highly classified document to lobbyists of a foreign State, namely Israel. He has also recruited AIPAC to use its enormous influence to put pressure on the Bush Administration into adopting the documents directive.

The recent attacks on Israel by Hezbollah have given the neo-conservatives in the Administration the pretext they were seeking to address the problem of Iran and its pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability. William Kristol, arch neo-conservative and member of PNAC, (Project for a New American Century), is urging the Administration and Pentagon to counter “act of aggression” (The Hezbollah attacks on Israel, which are blamed on Iran) with a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. Clearly the neo-cons are hoping to use the Israeli/Lebanon conflict as justification to launch a pre-emptive attack against Iran.

For the past five years a war against Iran in order to facilitate regime change has been ‘on the table’. Israel has long been urged to secure its borders by attacking Iraq and Iran. With the “appointment” of George W Bush, a team of Administration neo-con “hawks” have endeavoured to push for an attack on Tehran. The present conflict between Israel and the Lebanon, claimed by Israel (and carried by the mainstream, Western media) to be the result of the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah is nonsense and but a smoke screen. Rather it is the beginning of a long planned strategy to enforce further regime changes in the Middle East.

Earth, a planet hungry for peace

Apartheid Wall


The Israeli Land-Grab Apartheid Wall built inside the Palestinian territories, here separating Abu Dis from occupied East Jerusalem. (IPC, 7/4/04).

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank, like a Python. (Alquds,10/25/03).

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