Former CIA official: Iranian scientist was irreplaceable

 Norman Roule, formerly National Intelligence Manager for Iran at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in the US, spoke with Efi Triger on Galei Tzahal about the killing of senior Iranian scientist Muhsin Fahrizadeh, considered the father of Iran’s nuclear program.

Roule would not comment on whether Israel and US were behind the killing.

He emphasized, however, that Fahrizadeh was “definitely an irreplaceable individual” for Iran.

Roule noted that although Fahrizadeh played no role in Iran’s civilian program, “the memory he carried of Iran’s weaponization program would make him unique in Iran itself. He also maintained close relations with Iran's Supreme Leader, NSC leadership and its ministry of defense. He understood the bureaucratic intricacies of a weaponization program.”

Furthermore, “Much of the information on that program was taken by Israel when it uncovered a cache of secret documentation. So there may even be some things that only he would [have remembered] from the time of [Iran’s] covert weaponization program.”

Citing the recent killings of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani and the number-2 official in Al-Qaeda, as well as Israel’s acquisition of secret nuclear documents and the recent series of unattributed explosions within Iran, Roule asserted that “Iran has a significant problem in its ability to hide its most dangerous officials, as well as a number of other individuals.”

“Iran understands that there is little in the country that is secret or dangerous that cannot be addressed by foreign actors,” he added.

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Iran releases photos of suspects tied to scientist assassination

 

The Iranian defense ministry released photographs Sunday night of four suspects it claims are tied to the assassination of a top nuclear scientist last Friday.

Iranian police have distributed the photos across the country, as authorities launch searches for the four suspects wanted in connection with the killing of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fahrizadeh, who has been dubbed the "father" of the Iranian nuclear weapons program.

Earlier on Sunday, Iran’s Fars media outlet published a report which claimed that the assassination had been carried out remotely, using a machine gun control mounted on a truck which self-destructed after the attack.

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Shame on politicians who’ve fed anti-vax hysteria even amid a pandemic

 A Siena poll shows that nearly a quarter of New Yorkers say they “probably won’t” or “definitely won’t” get an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine. Blame longstanding anti-vax hysteria — but also more recent, and more disgraceful, fearmongering by the likes of Gov. Cuomo.

Modern anti-vaxers got a seeming scientific seal of approval in a 1998 article in the British medical journal Lancet, which linked the MMR vaccine to autism. The claim has been debunked repeatedly, and Lancet officially retracted it a decade ago; the researchers didn’t randomly select the kids in the “study,” and lawyers suing vaccine makers helped fund the “research.”

But the conspiracy theory has been pushed relentlessly by C-list celebrity cranks such as Jenny McCarthy and Robert Kennedy Jr., and speaks to a basic human suspicion that science can have monstrous side effects. (Plus, autism starts to show at about the age that children get some vaccines.)

Sadly, Cuomo joined the crank ranks this year, repeatedly insisting that he doesn’t trust the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control to approve a safe and effective vaccine under President Trump’s watch. Further fueling fears, he’s also denounced the plans for vaccine distribution as effectively racist — even as he has also skipped over a dozen meetings with the White House’s coronavirus task force and turned down a face-to-face with Health Secretary Alex Azar.

Worse yet, our next president and his running-mate sowed more distrust. Sen. Kamala Harris said she would refuse to get a vaccine if Trump told her to, saying that she trusts scientists but worries that Trump would stifle expert opinions to rush a vaccine. And Joe Biden has repeatedly expressed doubt in Operation Warp Speed, the successful federal effort to foster rapid vaccine development — again simply because it launched under Trump.

Lots of Americans needed no encouragement to indulge in anti-Trump hysteria: In an August survey from STAT and the Harris Poll, 78 percent of Americans reported concern that the COVID-19 vaccine would be more influenced by politics than science.

But Cuomo, Biden and Harris didn’t have to feed the baseless fears in so vital a case: The professionals in Warp Speed — and at the CDC and FDA — deserve better, as do all the people who could suffer if the pandemic is prolonged because not enough people are vaccinated.

We are so close to beating the virus that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans and ravaged the nation for most of a year. At least three vaccines are producing safe and effective results in clinical trials, with two of them likely to begin distribution before New Year’s.

But an estimated 70 percent of the public needs to be vaccinated to slow transmission to a crawl even as life returns to normal. Basic human decency requires Cuomo, Harris and Biden to retract their fearmongering. Getting Americans to do the right thing for everyone, so a full recovery can begin, is a fundamental of leadership.

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Read The Details Of The Elimination of Iranian Nuclear Scientist

 

Sixty-two people were involved in the plan to eliminate the “father” of Iran’s nuclear program Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, according to Iranian journalist Mohamad Ahwaze, who discovered the information through leaks of senior Iranian officials, The Sun reported.

Ahwaze reported that according to the information he received, 12 team members, whom he described as “highly trained” and “assisted by security and intelligence services abroad,” were stationed in the city of Absard, 80 kilometers east of Tehran, where Fakhrizadeh had a second home.

A half-hour before Fakhrizadeh arrived at the ambush site in a convoy of three bulletproof cars, the electricity in the area was cut off. As the third car in the convoy passed through the traffic circle, the Nissan exploded with such force that debris was blown at least 300 meters away.

Twelve assassins, including two snipers, then shot at the second car, which contained Fakhrizadeh. The gunmen with the hit squad opened fire on all three cars, initiating a fierce gunfight with Fakhrizadeh’s bodyguards, who were well aware that the man they were protecting was on the Mossad hit list.

“According to Iranian leaks, the leader of the assassination team took Fakhrizadeh out of his car and shot him and made sure he was killed,” Ahwaze tweeted, adding that the hit squad then vanished, having sustained no losses to their team.

A police helicopter arrived at the area and transported Fakhrizadeh and the injured to the hospital, only to find that there was no electricity due to the power being cut. Fakhrizadeh’s body and the injured were instead transported to Tehran.

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Professor Spent 804 days in Iran’s Most Notorious Jails for Having a Jewish Boy Friend

In this frame grab from Iranian state television video aired Nov. 25, British-Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert is seen in Tehran, Iran. Iran has freed Moore-Gilbert, who has been detained in Iran for more than two years, in exchange for three Iranians held abroad, state TV reported Wednesday. 

A British-Australian professor who spent 804 days in some of Iran’s most notorious jails was originally arrested for dating an Israeli, according to a report.

Dr. Kylie Moore-Gilbert was released from custody on Thursday after the Australian government secretly arranged a complicated prisoner swap also involving Thailand, the Australian paper The Age reports.

The university lecturer was stopped at Tehran airport in 2018, purportedly on false allegations she was a spy.

Senior government and diplomatic officials now say the real reason behind Moore-Gilbert’s detention was Iranian officials found out she was romantically involved with an Israeli national.

Dr. Moore-Gilbert was originally sentenced to 10 years jail on espionage charges, which both she and the Australian government rejected.

Australian authorities including Foreign Minister Maris Payne pursued a strategy of ‘quiet diplomacy’ over a twelve month period and have not commented publicly on the case due to its sensitive nature.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison declined to discuss any details of her release, saying only he was ‘relieved’ she was safe and on her way back to Australia.

“For the reasons are protecting the safety of all other Australians who potentially can find themselves in difficult situations, the Australian governments practice has always been to do with the issues with a great deal of discretion,” Morrison said.

Australia’s ambassador to Thailand, Allan McKinnon, lobbied with Thai officials to release three Iranian terrorists who allegedly plotted the murder of Israeli diplomats as an ­exchange for the Melbourne University lecturer.

Her family said they were “relieved and ecstatic” while Moore-Gilbert expressed her “love and admiration for the great nation of Iran and its warm-­hearted, generous and brave ­people.”

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Europeans that Evicted and Murdered Jews Throughout the Centuries Condemn the Assassination Iranian Scientist

 The European Union on Saturday condemned the elimination of senior Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

“This is a criminal act and runs counter to the principle of respect for human rights the EU stands for,” an EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said in a statement.

“The High Representative expresses his condolences to the family members of the individuals who were killed, while wishing a prompt recovery to any other individuals who may have been injured,” added the statement.

“In these uncertain times, it is more important than ever for all parties to remain calm and exercise maximum restraint in order to avoid escalation which cannot be in anyone’s interest,” it concluded.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said on Friday that there were “serious indications” that Israel was involved in the elimination of the top nuclear scientist and called on the international community to condemn the elimination.

Meanwhile, three intelligence officials told The New York Times that Israel was behind the attack in which Fakhrizadeh was eliminated.

Top Iranian officials have threatened to avenge the death of the scientist.

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Chareidi Responsible For Sorotzkin Fire and Other Fires

Suspect Circled in Red

A Chareidi man in his 20s was arrested on Thursday night on suspicion of being involved in four fires that broke out on Thursday in Chareidi neighborhoods of Jerusalem. The man later admitted to being responsible for the huge blaze on Sorotzkin Street earlier this week as well.

Israel Police carried out a search of the suspect’s property and discovered flammable substances in his possession as well as a communications device that is believed to belong to a rescue organization.

The suspect aroused suspicion when he showed up at the scenes of several fires on Thursday night on an electric bike and photographed the fires. Initially, the man told the police that he was taking photos of the fires in order to post them on a local news WhatsApp group. But as the police persisted in detaining him, he resisted and began attacking the police officers. Riot police were called to the scene and detained the suspect.

The suspect was transferred to investigators for interrogation, where he initially denied any connection to the fires. But when he was interrogated for a second time, he not only admitted to the fires but provided all the details of the series of fires he started.

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Why the 2020 Election Is Highly Suspect

The Spectator:

To say out-loud that you find the results of the 2020 presidential election odd is to invite derision. You must be a crank or a conspiracy theorist. 

Mark me down as a crank, then. I am a pollster and I find this election to be deeply puzzling. I also think that the Trump campaign is still well within its rights to contest the tabulations. 

Something very strange happened in America’s democracy in the early hours of Wednesday, November 4 and the days that followed. It’s reasonable for a lot of Americans to want to find out exactly what.

First, consider some facts. President Trump received more votes than any previous incumbent seeking reelection. He got 11 million more votes than in 2016, the third largest rise in support ever for an incumbent. By way of comparison, President Obama was comfortably reelected in 2012 with 3.5 million fewer votes than he received in 2008.

Trump’s vote increased so much because, according to exit polls, he performed far better with many key demographic groups. Ninety-five percent of Republicans voted for him. Catholics also supported Trump in higher numbers. He did extraordinarily well with rural male working class Whites.

He earned the highest share of all minority votes for a Republican since 1960. Trump grew his support among Black voters by 50 percent over 2016. Nationally, Joe Biden’s Black support fell well below 90 percent, the level below which Democratic presidential candidates usually lose.

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How the father of Iran's nuclear program was eliminated

 

The father of Iran's nuclear program, Muhsin Fahrizadeh, was killed by several gunmen who emerged after a booby-trapped vehicle was detonated near his car.

The explosives were buried under a cord of wood on an old commercial vehicle in the town of Absard. The blast led to the stopping of Fahirzadeh's Nissan car and at least five gunmen sprayed the vehicle with automatic fire.

He was taken to hospital by helicopter, but there doctors determined his death.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the assassins "terrorists" and wrote on Twitter that "this cowardice, along with serious indications of Israeli involvement, is indicative of desperation." He added that "Iran calls on the international community and especially the European Union to put an end to these double standards and condemn this action."

Israel is maintaining ambiguity, but Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu hinted in a video he posted on Facebook shortly after the assassination: "I did a lot of things this week, not everything can be told."

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Don’t Drink Grey Goose "Vodka is Vodka" Save Your $$$

 

I was re-watching “The Sopranos” the other day. I highly recommend it, as the series holds up, but in Season Three, I was jolted by a jarringly inauthentic moment. An alleged Russian mobster pours drinks for himself and Tony Soprano… of Grey Goose vodka.

Now, I realize the French have made quite a reputation for themselves in matters of gastronomy and intoxication. Their wine, their cheese, their duck confit; far be it from me to push the people out of their well-deserved lane. To be honest, their accomplishments generally outshine my own hereditary Slavs in that department.

But vodka, vodka we know.

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Media Still Hasn’t Called Eight House Races – Republicans Lead All of Them

That the polls were wrong in 2016  presidential election is no secret. That they were even more wrong in 2020 is a fact pollsters would rather ignore.

It wasn’t just the presidential race either. Democrats were projected to take control over the Senate and increase their control in the House. While we won’t know the fate of the Senate for certain until January, Democrats now have the slimmest majority in the House since two centuries ago. Of 27 House races that the Cook Political Report listed as “toss-ups,” Republicans won every single one. Republicans also won 7 of 36 seats.

There are eight races that still haven’t been decided by the media – and the Republican has the lead in every single one of them.

The Daily Wire’s Ryan Saaverda assembled a list of those eight races that haven’t been officially called, and the margin by which the Republican is leading:

California’s 21st Congressional District; 98% reported:

• Republican David Valadao: 50.5%
• Democrat TJ Cox (incumbent): 49.5%

California’s 25th Congressional District; 98% reported:

• Republican Mike Garcia (incumbent): 50.06%
• Democrat Christy Smith: 49.94%

Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District; 89% reported:

• Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks: 196,880 votes
• Democrat Rita Hart: 196,841 votes

New York’s 1st Congressional District; 77% reported:

• Republican Lee Zeldin (incumbent): 61.3%
• Democrat Nancy Goroff: 38.7%

New York’s 2nd Congressional District; 84% reported:

• Republican Andrew Garbarino: 56.4%
• Democrat Jackie Gordon: 42.6%

New York’s 11th Congressional District; 85% reported:

• Republican Nicole Malliotakis: 57.9%
• Democrat Max Rose (incumbent): 42.1%

New York’s 22nd Congressional District; 92% reported:

• Republican Claudia Tenney: 50.4%
• Democrat Anthony Brindisi (incumbent): 47.4%

New York’s 24th Congressional District; 92% reported:

• Republican John Katko (incumbent): 57.4%
• Democrat Dana Balter: 38.9%

While these races are still undeclared by the media, Dana Balter, Jackie Gordon, and Max Rose have all conceded their races, and Mike Garcia has declared victory in his.

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Surprise exodus of Jewish Americans moving to once-hostile UAE

Elie Abadie

When Elie Abadie was in his Upper East Side home watching the signing of the historic Abraham Accords — the peace treaty between the United Arab Emirates and Israel — on TV in September, he had no idea he’d be living in the UAE some two months later. After all, the UAE had historically been so hostile to Jews that Israelis were once barred from even visiting. But last earlier this month he moved with his wife, Estie, to Dubai, where he is now the senior rabbi for the Jewish Council of the Emirates.

“I realized this is the place to be,” the Orthodox Abadie, 59, told The Post, looking out from his Dubai penthouse overlooking the Palm Jumeirah, a glitzy artificial island studded with soaring luxe skyscrapers.

The peace treaty with Israel has paved the way for the UAE’s known Jews — numbering around 300 or so, according to Abadie — to “come out of the shadows and proudly display their Jewishness.”

Now, said the former rabbi at the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue on the UES, who proudly wears kippah and traditional black rabbinical hat on the streets of Dubai, “There’s definitely curiosity and interest in Jews: who they are, what they are. Someone [recently] wanted to take a picture with a friend who had a kippah.

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Head Of Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program Assassinated

An Iranian scientist who led the Islamic Republic’s military nuclear program was assassinated Friday.

The Fars news agency said the attack happened in Absard, a small city just east of the capital, Tehran. It said witnesses heard the sound of an explosion and then machine gun fire. The attack targeted a car that Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was in, the agency said.

State television on its website later published a photograph of security forces blocking off the road. Photos and video shared online showed a Nissan sedan with bullet holes through windshield and blood pooled on the road.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Iranian media all noted the interest that Netanyahu had previously shown in Fakhrizadeh.

Israel declined to immediately comment on the killing of Fakhrizadeh, who Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once called out in a news conference saying:

 “Remember that name, Fakhrizadeh”.

Israel has long been suspected of carrying out a series of targeted killings of Iranian nuclear scientists nearly a decade ago.

Hossein Salami, chief commander of the paramilitary Guard, appeared to acknowledge the attack on Fakhrizadeh.

“Assassinating nuclear scientists is the most violent confrontation to prevent us from reaching modern science,” Salami tweeted.

Hossein Dehghan, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader and a presidential candidate in Iran’s 2021 election, issued a warning on Twitter.

“In the last days of their gambling ally’s political life, the Zionists seek to intensify and increase pressure on Iran to wage a full-blown war,” Dehghan wrote, appearing to refer to U.S. President Donald Trump. “We will descend like lightning on the killers of this oppressed martyr and we will make them regret their actions!”

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Harav Elyair Sorotzkin Niftar at 62

 

Hagaon HaRav Elya Meir Sorotzkin ZATZAL, the Rosh Yeshiva of Springfield Yeshiva in NJ, was nifter and he was approximately 62.

Rav Sorotzkin took ill a number of years ago, and despite his illness kept delivering Shiurim with great Mesiras Nefesh. Unfortunately he contracted COVID-19 a few weeks ago, and his condition deteriorated until his Petira on Erev Shabbos.

The Rosh Yeshiva was a son of Hagaon HaRav Boruch Sorotzkin ZATZAL, the late Telzer Rosh Yeshiva, and a son-in-law of Hagaon HaRav Shmuel Berenbaum ZATZAL, the late Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva.

Rav Sorotzkin founded Yeshiva Tiferes Boruch in Springfield around 30 years ago. It relocated to North Plainfield NJ a number of years ago.

Together with his incredible Rebbitzen, they devoted their lives to the Yeshiva, being Mechanech thousands of Bochrim over the years.

His Shiurum were legendary, and his Hasmadah another level as he would learn for hours on end.

His brother is Hagaon HaRav Yitzchak Sorotzkin of Lakewood Mesivta, and Hagaon HaRav Binyomin Sorotzkin, a Rosh Kollel in Yerushalayim.

He leaves behind a family of Bnei Torah and Talmidei Chachomim.

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Obama’s Filthy Lies About Israel in His New Book

by DOV LIPMAN

I have never criticized former U.S. President Barack Obama publicly—neither during my time in the Knesset nor anywhere else—despite my having disagreed with many of his policies. I am of the strong opinion that Israelis should not engage in or interfere with American politics, and I regularly offer a blanket thank you to all American presidents, including Obama, for their economic and military support for Israel.

However, his memoir, A Promised Land, is filled with historical inaccuracies that I feel the need to address. His telling of Israel’s story (at the beginning of Chapter 25) not only exhibits a flawed understanding of the region—which clearly impacted his policies as president—but misleads readers in a way that will forever shape their negative perspective of the Jewish state.

Obama relates, for example, how the British were “occupying Palestine” when they issued the Balfour Declaration calling for a Jewish state. But labeling Great Britain as an “occupier” clearly casts doubt on its legitimacy to determine anything about the future of the Holy Land, and that wasn’t the situation.

While it is true that England had no legal rights in Palestine when the Balfour Declaration was issued in 1917, that changed just five years later. The League of Nations, the precursor to the United Nations, gave the British legal rights over Palestine in its 1922 “Mandate for Palestine,” which specifically mentions “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.”

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Halachos of Thanksgiving .....

 

Sorry that I didn't post this on Wednesday, and from what I hear most of you were probably not "yoitzeh" with the Thanksgiving Seudah and may have to eat it all over again....

We in Israel do not celebrate Thanksgiving so its not "nogeah" to us..

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