Is Washington's Iranian Trigger Finger Getting Itchy Again?

Is the U.S. ramping-up to hit Iran? Follow the timeline and come to your own conclusion!

February '08

• The U.S. started purchasing oil for its Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The reserve of crude oil which is stored in underground salt domes stood at 96.2% capacity. But the government is topping it right up.
• Imad Mughniyah, a leader of Hezbollah, was assassinated by a car bomb in Syria.

March '08

• Washington dispatched the USS Cole to Lebanese coastal waters. Shortly after that, it was replaced with two escorts from the Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG). They are still there.
• The Israeli's announced that they would be carrying out a military exercise in April ... Code Name - Turning Point 2.
• After the announcement the Syrian's deployed 3 divisions (two armored, one mechanized) to the Lebanese-Syrian border in the Bakaa Valley, the western part of which is Hezbollah's stronghold.
• Dick Cheney visits Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Turkey, all whose co-operation the U.S. will need if they were to attack Iran.
• German news service DPA is reporting, that according to reliable sources, after Dick Cheney's visit to Oman the Saudi Shira Council is preparing "national plans to deal with any sudden nuclear and radioactive hazards that may affect the kingdom."
• Jerusalem was notified at the last minute by the White House that they were to prepare themselves for lengthy and exhaustive discussions on Iran with Cheney and his aides.
• Israel's defense cabinet was convened to decide which of Israel's military plans of action were to be presented to Cheney.
• Admiral William Fallon who was quoted as saying that "there will be no attack on Iran on my watch" resigned (was removed) as U.S. Chief of Central Command
• U.S. nuclear submarines along with another aircraft carrier attack group have been dispatched to the Persian Gulf.
• The U.S. is deploying anti-missle defenses to protect U.S. bases and Saudi oil fields.
• According to Novosti, the Russian News & Information Agency, Russian Colonel General Leonid Tivashov said "the latest military intelligence data point to heightened U.S. military preparations for both an air and ground operation against Iran." "The Pentagon is planning to deliver a massive air strike on Iran's military infrastructure in the near future."
• General David Patraeus declares that Iran is responsible for a major attack on Baghdad's Green Zone and the main driver of violence in Iraq.
• U.S Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) set in motion a process that could make any bank or financial institution in the world that does business with Iran subject to complete exclusion from the U.S. financial system.

April '08

• Israel commences Turning Point 2 which is the largest exercise in Israeli history and includes the calling-up of reserves. The official explanation is that the exercise is designed to test civil defenses and the ability of the national command to continue functioning in the event of an attack with "unconventional weapons."
• Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak canceled a scheduled visit to Germany at the last minute.
• Damascus has deployed the 10th Armed Corps. at the Massaneh crossing of Mount Herman. Syrian troops are now strung along a continuous crescent shaped line from the central Lebanese mountains up to southeastern Lebanon.
• The Lebanese government has started to evacuate some civilians from the south.
• Hezbollah has apparently gone on alert and mobilized its forces and is buying-up weapons and rockets.
• The U.S. Navy claims that it turned away Iranian speed boats in the Persian Gulf. Iran denies reports of the confrontation.
• General Patraeus tells Congress that Iran is the cause of the Iraqi insurgency. Blames Iran for the outbreak of fighting in Basra and Baghdad and charges that they were providing funds, training, arms, ammunition to so-called "special groups."

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, sounds like a duck ... chances are it's a duck.

If it looks like war, feels like war, sounds like war ......... chances are .................................

There's Kind of a Hush all over the Middle East

On September 6, 2007 five Israeli fighters struck Syria.

Moderate Arab states were unusually quiet in the aftermath as were international players who are usually quick to condemn any act of Israel which they view as aggressive.

Israeli officials are neither confirming nor denying the target or the purpose for the strike and apparently there's a state imposed "silence" on the matter.

International observers see several key messages:

• Israel was able to strike at Syria without suffering any military or diplomatic consequences.
• Israel will take steps to prevent other countries in the Middle East from obtaining nuclear capability.
• If a Syrian nuclear installation can be targeted by Israel without any international outcry what does that say for Iran?
• The London Telegraph is suggesting that the strike was carried out with Washington's blessing, in part as a test of the new Russian-made Pantsyr air defense missle systems recently purchased from Moscow by Damascus. Since Iran is also equipping itself with the Pantsyr air defense system, the Telegraph speculated that the U.S. was extremely interested in seeing a live-fire demonstration.
• The New York Times speculated that the real reason for the raid was to get intelligence on a number of suspected nuclear facilities Israel believes have been sponsored by North Korea.
• The Kuwaiti daily, al-Jareeda is reporting that Israel's target were unnamed Syrian missle batteries that were brought to Syria from Iran.
• Haaretz reported that U.S. government and military sources said they were "happy to have Israel convey to both Syria and Iran the message that they can get in and out and strike when necessary."

It's time to start connecting the Middle East dots because the current hush in the Middle East is about to become a roar.