Capt. Assaf Ramon, son of astronaut Ilan Ramon, dies in training flight crash
September 14, 2009, 9:56 AM (GMT+02:00)
The Israeli military has been ordered to investigate the cause of the F-16 crash in which Lt. Assaf Ramon, 20, promoted posthumously to captain, lost his life on a training flight in battle formation 80,000 ft. over the Hebron hills. The pilot of the second jet taking part in the exercise reported that 30 seconds before the crash, Assaf Ramon had stopped responding to communications, suggesting that a sharp turn may have affected his faculties, perhaps causing a momentary blackout.
US Middle East envoy George Mitchell conveyed the American people's condolences to the Ramon family for the tragedy of "a young man who died in his prime and in the line of duty."
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Washington accuses Iran of attaining nuclear weapon capability
DEBKAfile Special Report
September 10, 2009, 8:57 AM (GMT+02:00)
Iranian FM Mottaki gives the West the runaround
Timed to follow on the delivery of Tehran's response to the big powers' offer of nuclear talks, US intelligence agencies informed theNew York TimesThursday, Sept. 10, that "Iran has created enough nuclear fuel to make a rapid, if risky spring for a nuclear weapon."
A few hours earlier, a US diplomat warned that Iran is close to producing its first nuclear bomb. Washington is extremely frustrated with the Iranian response which bars any discussion of its nuclear issues.
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Tehran again snubs Obama, Bin Laden calls US president "powerless" to end warDEBKAfile Special Report September 14, 2009, 11:00 AM (GMT+02:00)  More threats from Osama bin Laden In the last 24 hours, by rare coincidence, two Islamic extremist leaders have shown public contempt for US president Barack Obama: Iran stands by its opposition to nuclear dialogue and al Qaeda's Osama bin Laden in an apparently new audio tape says Obama is "powerless" to end the Afghan war. Sunday, Sept. 13, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, using the presentation of the new UK ambassador Simon Gass's credentials, threw out of court any discussion on the Iranian nuclear issue. | ||
US submission to Iran's evasions spurs international pressure against Israeli military strikeDEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis September 12, 2009, 1:46 PM (GMT+02:00)  Vladimir Putin wants Iran safe from sanctions and military force The US will join other major powers in seeking an early meeting with Iran although Tehran's refusal to discuss its nuclear program was described by Washington officials as "disappointing." They said Friday, Sept. 11, that the Obama administration wants the meeting to take place as soon as possible to assess Iran's standing on the nuclear issue before the UN General Assembly. An Israeli general warned Israel faces its most dangerous existential threat since Yom Kippur War, as Russia and France spearhead an international drive to stall military action against Iran. | ||
Prominent Iranian reformist who alleged rape in prisons faces arrest
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
September 13, 2009, 1:40 PM (GMT+02:00)
DEBKAfile's Iranian sources report: Buoyed up by its success in maneuvering the Obama administration into acceptaing dialogue with Tehran - regardless of its harsh crackdown on dissenters and refusal to discuss its nuclear program - the Islamic regime is again turning the screw on the opposition.
Those sources reveal that a warrant was signed Saturday, Sept. 11, for the arrest of the prominent Hojat-ol-Eslam Medhi Karroubi, one of the three losers in Iran's presidential election of June 12 which triggered massive street protests alleging massive vote-rigging.
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DEBKA-Net-Weekly: Iran crosses nuclear red line
DEBKA-Net-Weekly Exclusive Analysis
September 10, 2009, 12:48 PM (GMT+02:00)
The Obama administration might conceivably decide to live with a nuclear-armed Iran. Israel does not enjoy that luxury. Now that Iran has got all the components for making a nuclear device at extremely short notice, as affirmed by US intelligence, Israel can no longer delay a decision on pre-emptive action.
The last DEBKA-Net-Weekly issue dealt with this touch-and-go moment.
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