Israeli military source says that after studying IAF's performance during Second Lebanon War, Damacus has purchased most advanced ground-to-air missiles from Russia. IDF fears Assad's arms race may be sign of possible conflict with Israel
Alex Fishman
Syria possesses the most crowded antiaircraft system in the world following its continued purchase of Russian weapon systems, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday, quoting a senior Israeli military source.  
According to one estimate, the Syrians hold more than 200 antiaircraft batteries of different types.      
In a bid to respond to the Israel Air Force's supremacy, Damascus has been exerting great efforts in the past few years to improve its ability in terms of ground-to-ground and ground-to-air missiles.  
According to the military source, as part of these efforts the Syrians have purchased the most advanced ground-to-air missiles from the Russians, considered the cutting edge in aircraft interception technology.  
Some of these missiles were snatched from the production lines even before being introduced into Russian operation service.  
Damascus' race to purchase antiaircraft weapons is one of the prominent characteristics in the Syrians' preparations for a possible conflict with Israel.  
According to the military source, Syria studied the IAF's performance during ...   more »

Diplomats say head of Syrian military intelligence has convinced Assad that only war will bring Israel to negotiation table
Smadar Peri
In Damascus, it is forbidden to photograph him and diffuse pictures that can identify him. He has tight security around him at all times and avoids attending public events. General Asef Shawkat, the head of Syrian military intelligence, has good reasons to be in hiding.
"If military confrontations break out between Syria and Israel, that would be the fulfillment of the general's plan," a Lebanese official told Yedioth Ahronoth.   
Syrian rockets aimed at Tel Aviv / Ron Ben Yishai  
Long-range rockets already in place on Golan; is Syria preparing for war?    
Having opened the doors of the Syrian Army to Iranian experts, now he is seeking to relocate hundreds of young Syrians eligible for army service to the Golan Heights.  
"In any case," he recently told President Bashar Assad, "there is no chance of a political channel to return the Golan Heights."
That was Shawkat's pretext to sideline the old guard within the ruling Baath Party, most of whom are well-versed in peace negotiations with Israel.  
Former foreign minister and Vice President Farouk al-Shara ...   more »

By Kristin Roberts
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (Reuters) - Russian bombers are flying more missions than normal near U.S. territory, including Alaska, demonstrating their long-range strike capability, U.S. and Canadian officials said on Monday.
Russian aircraft carrying cruise missiles ran an aviation exercise near Alaska two weeks ago, according to Canadian Col. Andre Dupuis, an officer at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a U.S.-Canadian operation responsible for protecting both countries' airspace.
"They didn't do it to practice alone. They're making a point, doing it outside of their normal training cycle," he told Reuters. "They maintain capability."
Russian bombers were also tracked last week flying a course toward Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific.
Some analysts and defense officials say the flights likely reflect Moscow's desire to display its military muscle to remind Washington of Russia's capabilities and express dismay over U.S. plans to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe.
One defense official called the Russian flights "a little bit of chest pounding, trying to let people know Russia's back in the game."
"Over the last probably three months or so the Russians have been flying their bomber force maybe a little bit more than we've ...   more »

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. - The story of the public school in Brooklyn that is poised to become a taxpayer-underwritten, Islamist recruitment and indoctrination center took a dramatic turn last week. The principal-designate of the so-called Khalil Gibran International Academy (KGIA), Dhabah "Debbie" Almontaser, was forced to resign after she defended a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Intifada NYC" — making clear her radical ideology and proclivity for dissembling.
The question is no longer whether Ms. Almontaser was, as her critics in a group of parents, teachers and concerned citizens called the Stop the Madrassa Community Coalition have insisted, determined to use the KGIA to advance her theo-political agenda. Her claim that "intifada" actually meant nothing more than a "shaking off" and that its use in connection with New York City was unobjectionable was so preposterous — not to say alarming — that her supporters, notably Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Public Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, found it impossible to ignore the outcry.
Even before Ms. Almontaser was obliged to resign, however, she ran into problems with respect to another part of her agenda: Last week, the city's Department of Education felt constrained to reject her effort to make the school's ...   more »

Chuck Baldwin
Christians throughout church history have debated the nuances of Eschatology. These debates will doubtless last until Jesus Himself decides to end them. Until then, the theological battles extolling or condemning premillennialism or postmillennialism, pre-tribulation Rapture or post-tribulation Rapture, etc., will continue. To be sure, this column is not an attempt to resolve or even argue these interpretations of Scripture. Let every man be persuaded in his own heart. Personally, I don't think it's worth arguing about.
Whether a Christian is premillennial or postmillennial, whether he or she believes in the pre-tribulation Rapture or not is immaterial to our responsibilities. We Christians have a duty to be the "salt" and "light" of society until Jesus returns — whenever that is. And, frankly, the time of His return is His business, not ours. If we would concentrate on those matters that truly belong to us, we would be much more effective. Arguing and battling between Christians over the nuances of Eschatology only serves to advance the cause of the Enemy. It is counterproductive and fruitless to anything worthwhile.
That being said, a brief reference to the belief that a literal antichrist is yet to come is in order. Accepting this ...   more »

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By Jeremy Grant in Washington
The US government is on a "burning platform" of unsustainable policies and practices with fiscal deficits, chronic healthcare underfunding, immigration and overseas military commitments threatening a crisis if action is not taken soon, the country's top government inspector has warned.
David Walker, comptroller general of the US, issued the unusually downbeat assessment of his country's future in a report that lays out what he called "chilling long-term simulations".
These include "dramatic" tax rises, slashed government services and the large-scale dumping by foreign governments of holdings of US debt.
Drawing parallels with the end of the Roman empire, Mr Walker warned there were "striking similarities" between America's current situation and the factors that brought down Rome, including "declining moral values and political civility at home, an over-confident and over-extended military in foreign lands and fiscal irresponsibility by the central government".
"Sound familiar?" Mr Walker said. "In my view, it's time to learn from history and take steps to ensure the American Republic is the first to stand the test of time."
Mr Walker's views carry weight because he is a non-partisan figure in charge of the Government Accountability Office, often described as the investigative arm ...   more »

HILO, Hawaii (AP) -- An earthquake on Monday jolted the Big Island of Hawaii, which is already under a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning. 
A video from the International Space Station shows Hurricane Flossie swirling in the Pacific Ocean.
 1 of 3  The magnitude 5.3 temblor struck at 7:38 p.m. local time, about 25 miles south of Hilo, according to a preliminary report from the U.S. Geological Survey.
There were no reports of injuries, structural damage or a tsunami, though the quake caused a small landslide, according to Tom Brown, a spokesman for Hawaii County Civil Defense.
Earlier Monday, the weather service placed the Big Island under a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning, as Hurricane Flossie approached. A flash flood watch was also issued for the island through Wednesday.
The Big Island is largely rural, with about 150,000 people, and most live in the west or northeast, not the southern portion expected to be hit hardest by the hurricane. Other islands are expected to get less of the storm's wind and rain.  Watch nervous Hawaii residents empty store shelves »
Public schools were closed and Hawaiians were warned to have plenty of food and water on ...   more »