TO DRONE, OR NOT TO DRONE: ISIS, ISRAEL, AND THE (OUT)HOUSE OF SAUD
This is already shaping up to be one of the strangest periods for news in recent memory, for consider only the recent revelations from Israel's Ha Aretz that it had at one time hired SS Colonel Otto Skorzeny as a contract hitman. It's the timing that is odd, especially given the recent "summit" of Presidents Macri and Obama in San Carlos di Bariloche in Argentina's souther Rio Negro Province. For anyone paying attention to the history of the area, it's a well-known "Nazi haven".
But now there's even stranger news, and it concerns the fact that in sponsoring Isis terrorism, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia may be experiencing the mere beginning of that classic covert operations phenomenon called "blow back":
In a certain sense, this was inevitable and to be expected, for the stories abound that refer to the hypocrisy of the (out)house of Saud, maintaining Wahhabism at home for everyone else, and smoking cigars and flying in copious booze for parties in the west.
But there's another aspect to this story that indicates that perhaps the internal situation is decaying inside the desert kingdom faster than perhaps even the Saudis are willing to admit. It's this:
Are Saudis buying Israeli drones through South Africa?
Consider especially these revelations:
Saudi Arabia announced that it is building a drone plant in cooperation with South Africa, but a well-known Saudi defense analyst claimed this is a guise to hide the clandestine purchases of aircraft from Israel.The analyst, who calls himself "Mujtahid" has been leaking exclusive information about the royal family of Saudi Arabia on Twitter since the early 2000s. He challenged the official report released by the Saudi Defense Ministry this week, which stated the kingdom would build a drone factory in collaboration with South Africa.
"The report aims to hide the fact that Saudi Arabia intends to purchase drones from Israel via South Africa," he said.
"Saudi Arabia buys Israeli drones through South Africa. These drones later arrive from South Africa, dismantled, to Saudi Arabia, where they are assembled," Mujtahid added, describing the mechanism developed to carry out the Israeli-Saudi deal.
He went on to accuse Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who is Saudi Defense Minister and, according to some experts, the country’s second most powerful person, of serving Israel’s interest by purchasing drones from the Jewish state.
Saudi Arabia has been trying for years to strengthen its armed forces with drone capabilities. In 2010, General Atomics, the US producer of the Predator drone family, announced it had acquired export licenses for a number of Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia. Export to Saudi Arabia has so far failed to materialize, even though a similar deal with the United Arab Emirates was approved by the US Congress in 2015.
What all of this taken together portends is, I suggest, that the regime in Riyadh is more fragile than has hitherto been thought. There have been a raft of revelations in recent weeks, from its purchase of atomic bombs from Pakistan, to its financial difficulties and willingess to issue sovereign bonds and (now) even to sell shares of Saudi Aramco, to its military intervantions.
But drones are a different story: they can be used fo surveillance, and for the remote assassination of the unwanted Shia or ISIS terrorist. And as the article also notes, while Saudi Arabia obtained lisences for American drones, so far - and I would suggest, suspiciously- those have not been obtained. Israel, once again, in connection with South Africa, appears to be filling the bill.
And that's two thirds of an old and familiar pattern.
See you on the flip side...
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Not surprising all of these folks are crazy, they will do a deal with anyone if it suits their purposes
My first thought on this topic (outside of the House of Saud and the Rothschilds being in bed together) was wondering when the first drones will be armed with Sidewinder missiles. (Or mini-versions.) With drones becoming ubiquitous (always wanted to use that word in a conversation), encounters of opposing drones will soon happen.
The situation is almost at a point similar to where WWI pilots would take pot-shots at each other while passing. I might expect DARPA to roll-out a General Atomics ‘Predator’ with an air-to-air missile underwing, any time now…
Historical footnote: (more than just being in bed together)
An Unauthorised History of the House of Saud
http://ragingbullshit.com/2014/02/06/the-enemy-of-our-enemies-saudi-arabias-role-as-anglo-american-pawn-in-middle-east/
Yes we do live in interesting times. Welcome all to it’s a madhouse strange bedfellows indeed who would image Israel and Saudi Arabia twins. I hope the Saudis can control their new terminators before they’re absorbed by the Borg collective as we all know resistance is futile.
I prefer Worf’s exclamation in ‘Star Trek: First Contact’ of “Assimilate This!” (When I first saw the movie in a theater, the audience literally clapped and shouted at this phrase.) Resistance is NOT futile…
By the way my local news spoke about Iran being the cause of almost all terrorism in the world. Yes this is what they boldly claimed while talking about seizing an arms shipment and claiming Iran broke its deal. Perhaps the real reason they evacuated US personel from Turkey might because they are getting ready to invade Syria and possibly Iran hoping Russia is all bluff. Last week they blamed the existence of ISIS on Assad. I have a feeling Saudi Arabia’s money along with Isreal’s dirt on Western leaders finally got them back in line.
The reality is though that TPTB don’t actually care a hoot what happens to US personnel in Turkey (think Benghazi) if it all kicks off. This is an overt statement because they want it to be.
What a stellar group! Throw North Korea into the mix and you’ve got the international equivalent of a leper colony.
As always cheerful news and hartwarming for the soul!!
Must be why regular news rarely produces news and alternative media is stuck in circular mumbling like problem, reaktion, solution and follow the money mantra.
Dot connection seems to have become the provenance of obscure professors with spooky online sites (lol).
The world in turmoil, daubt the Russion Bear will be getting any hibernation by fall this year or the next for that matter.