Israel tracking Russian troop movements in Syrian port?
This one is surreal. A report in the Sunday Times of London (where else?) claims that IDF's Shayetet 13 planted listening devices in rocks in the Syrian port of Tartus to track the movements of Russian troops.
According to the report, the materials were
planted under cover of darkness by the IDF’s Shayetet 13 naval
commandos, who spent several hours on the island installing the
equipment and ensuring that it worked. The commandos had allegedly
visited the island previously to collect information on the local rocks,
so that the equipment could be properly camouflaged.
“Any unusual activity by the Russians in
Tartus, such as a sudden evacuation of families and non-essential
personnel, would be good indicators for the Israelis that something big
was happening,” The Times quoted a defense source as saying.
...
Earlier this month, Syrian state-run TV
released pictures of the devices Damascus said were designed to
photograph, register and transfer data.
The television footage aired on Syrian TV
showed what looked like a camera and a satellite dish, and other objects
that resembled rocks. Plastic boxes resembling batteries and cables
were also displayed.
I wonder if we've also sent the vulture and the shark. Heh.
But after the vulture had been captured in Saudi Arabia, Prince Bandar bin Saud al Saud, the Saudi nature authority, told Arabic-language news dailies that the bird was not a spy and that there had been been a mixup concerning a tracking device that had been placed on the bird. He also said the bird was a bald eagle.
Prince Bandar scolded local media outlets for what he said was irresponsible reporting, Emirates 24-7 reported.
"Some of the Saudi journalists rushed in carrying the news of this bird for the sake of getting a scoop without checking the information. ... I am not defending Israel, but we need to be clear. ... They [newspapers] should have asked the competent authorities about the bird before publishing such news."
He's not defending Israel? From what? Does he think the bird IS a spy?
First, it was Egypt, which accused the Mossad of sending sharks to harass swimmers off Sharm-el-Sheikh on the Sinai coast. Now, 'our friends the Saudis' are accusing the 'Zionist entity' of sending vultures to spy on them.
Saudi Arabian security forces have captured a vulture that was carrying a global positioning satellite (GPS) transmitter and a ring etched with the words "Tel Aviv University." They suspect the bird of spying for Israel, Maariv-NRG reported Tuesday. The GPS and ring were connected to the bird as part of an long-term project by Israeli scientists that follows vultures' location and altitude for research purposes.
...
Maariv said that the R65 was caught near the home of a sheikh in the community of Hayel in Saudi Arabia. The words "Tel Aviv University" etched in English on a ring clasped to its leg, and especially the transmitter, caused the finders to suspect espionage and alert the security forces.
Ohad Hatzofe, bird ecologist for the Nature and Parks Authority, said that the vulture story has been making the rounds in Arabic internet sites, including Al-Jazeera forums and Arabic military forums. "The subject is receiving great publicity and it is important that Saudi authorities understand that it is not true. There is also an international treaty of nature protection professionals, that forbids doing things like this," he added.
The researchers said that seven vultures that were marked in Israel in the last few years reached Saudi Arabia. Transmissions from four of them have ceased and they are presumed dead. One vulture - beside R65 - is still alive and flying around Saudi Arabia, after spending the winter in Sudan.
Hopefully, no one will tell 'our friends the Saudis' that the vultures were forced to swallow cameras from Given Imaging before they were sent on their way.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
