Solution to Iran crisis is regime change, ousting Khamenei, Saudi royal family source tells N12

Solution to Iran crisis is regime change, ousting Khamenei, Saudi royal family source tells N12

JAMES GENN

The solution for Iran is no longer a limited military move, but a large, fundamental change, including the ousting of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a Saudi royal family source told N12 News on Sunday.

Khamenei and the regime "must be eliminated one by one," and "the only solution is to change the regime in Iran in one way or another," the source said.

"If the regime in Iran is overthrown, a strong government must rise that knows how to concentrate power in a strong and secure way, and not repeat the model of a weak technocratic government such as exists in Iraq," the source added.

"After the [anti-regime Iranian] protesters lost faith in [US President Donald] Trump, the solution is to eliminate the top leadership one by one, starting with Khamenei, so that there will be no leaders left, and then hold elections," they continued.

Crown Prince Reza "Pahlavi is apparently not acceptable to the majority of the public inside Iran," the source said.

There is a feeling of missed opportunity on the streets of Iran, which has stemmed from not only the intense repression by the Islamic Regime, but also the lack of external support, according to the source.

"Trump missed the opportunity to eliminate the heads of the regime's security apparatus who suppressed the past protests, and by doing so, he lost the trust of the protesters," the source said.

This was "the strategic mistake of the US and Israel - the lack of understanding of the social dimension inside Iran and the failure to build an alternative to the regime," the source added.

"If Trump wants to fulfil his promise to protect the protesters - how will he do that if he doesn't eliminate those who killed them? A surgical action is required to hit essential infrastructure, alongside the security commanders who acted against protesters," the source stated.

"The protests currently happening in Iran are economic in motivation and limited in nature. If pressure increases, they will grow, but will also be suppressed. They are not as large as the media presents," the source believes.

"We see the regime as a regional threat. If Iran does not produce nuclear weapons within five years, it will do so afterwards," they continued.

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A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake shakes parts of Malaysia

A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake shakes parts of Malaysia, USGS

The Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 7.1 earthquake has shaken parts of Malaysia.

The USGS on Sunday said the quake occurred shortly before 5 p.m. GMT, or early morning local time. It had a depth of 620 kilometers and its epicenter was located 55 kilometers (34 miles) north-northwest of Kota Belud, Malaysia. 

There was no tsunami warning issued, and there were no immediate reports of damage.

IDF escalates strikes on Hezbollah as fears grow of Iran-directed assault on Israel

IDF escalates strikes on Hezbollah as fears grow of Iran-directed assault on Israel

Emanuel Fabian

The Israeli military in recent weeks has stepped up airstrikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, with assessments indicating that the Iran-backed terror group may join Tehran in a new conflict against Israel.

Strikes carried out by the Israeli Air Force on Friday night targeted three Hezbollah command centers belonging to the terror group’s missile force in eastern Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, killing eight terror operatives, including a top commander.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that Hezbollah’s missile force had recently been working to improve its ability to launch rockets at Israel.

The strikes, according to military sources, were intended to degrade Hezbollah’s rocket and missile capabilities in case the group should try to resume hostilities.

With tensions between Washington and Tehran threatening to bring war back to the region, the military has identified preparations by Hezbollah — particularly by its rocket and missile forces — to strike Israel if the US military attacks Iran, the sources said.

According to Israeli assessments, Iran has recently been pressuring Hezbollah to fight alongside it in the event of a war with Israel. During the 12-day war with Iran in June, Hezbollah secretary general Naim Qassem received several requests — not orders — from Iran to join the conflict, but declined, according to IDF officials.

In the event of a conflict between the US and Iran, Tehran can be expected to activate its proxy forces arrayed around the region against Israel, including Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and militias in Iraq, according to the recent Israeli assessments. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would also launch attacks.

Hezbollah is widely considered to be Iran’s most prized proxy, built up over decades as a strategic deterrent for Tehran situated on Israel’s northern border, and ties between the terror group and the Islamic Republic are thought to go deeper than the handsome funding Iran provides.

There are also signs that Tehran is now exerting greater control over its proxy. On Saturday, Saudi outlet Al-Arabiya reported that IRGC officers have effectively taken charge of Hezbollah in anticipation of a war with the US and Israel.

The IRGC officers, some of whom recently arrived in Lebanon from Iran, were tasked with rebuilding Hezbollah’s military capabilities, Al-Arabiya said, citing sources close to Hezbollah.

The Iranian officers have also been personally briefing Hezbollah operatives across Lebanon, said the unnamed sources cited by Al-Arabiya.

They added that IRGC officers were meeting with members of Hezbollah’s missile unit at a site in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley that was bombed by Israel on Friday.

Friday night’s strike against the Hezbollah missile force operatives was among the deadliest since the start of the ceasefire.

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Preparation For Martial Law?

Preparation For Martial Law?

TYLER DURDEN

Europe's lack of military readiness has become painfully obvious in recent years, due largely to the war in Ukraine as well as the Trump Administration's efforts to force NATO members to fulfill their basic obligations. 

Specifically, Russia's successful use of attrition tactics against NATO supported forces in Ukraine has exposed a significant weakness in western military doctrine.

New and cheap technologies (including drone technologies) are making large scale maneuver warfare obsolete.  The era of super-weapons dominating the battlefield with minimal manpower is over.  As was the case in WWI and WWII, troop strength and boots on the ground are once again the key to victory.  

A Washington DC-based defense think-tank, Center For A New American Century (CNAS), has come to the same realization and suggests a novel (as well as predictable) solution:  Exploit mass immigration from Ukraine and third world countries to the west as a resource to fill the persistent void in military recruitment numbers.  

Writing for Foreign Policy, the CNAS notes:

"Closing manpower gaps may prove harder than writing bigger checks. The continent’s demographic crisis compounds the problem: Births in the European Union fell below 4 million in 2022 for the first time since 1960, shrinking the pool of potential recruits as geopolitical threats—chief among them, Russian aggression—demand larger, more capable forces..."

The argument, of course, presupposes that Russia has any intention of invading greater Europe.  There is no evidence that this is Vladimir Putin's goal.  However, the Russian bogeyman does make for a useful excuse to justify the development of a unified EU military force.  

The threat of war can also be exploited by European officials as a way to justify open borders and mass immigration from the third world.  Immigration from Ukraine makes some sense - It is a legitimate war torn country and Ukrainians are close to the rest of Europeans in terms of cultural attitude.  But, EU elites need a rationale for flooding the region with third worlders and war with Russia seems to be their ticket.  The CNAS uses the "demographic collapse" claim as a catalyst.

A number of European countries have already begun the groundwork for recruiting migrants for national defense. 

Ireland just recently announced that their are reviewing a possible program to give fast-track citizenship to immigrants who volunteer to join the military.  Irish leaders assert that this is necessary to boost defense capabilities, but they also argue that it is need to increase Ireland's "diversity."    

Several other European governments are looking at similar programs, including Germany, France and Spain. 

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Houthi mobilize troops in Yemen with unclear target, as possible strike on Iran looms

Houthi mobilize troops in Yemen with unclear target, as possible strike on Iran looms

SETH J. FRANTZMAN

The Houthis may be mobilizing forces for an offensive, a report at Al-Ain media in the UAE said on February 21. The Houthis' objectives are unclear. However, the report of mobilization is important because it comes amid heightened tensions with Iran.

It also comes after the UAE and Saudi Arabia almost clashed over differing policies in Yemen.

 The Saudis have supported the government of Yemen, while the UAE has supported a group in southern Yemen called the Southern Transitional Council.

What does the Al-Ain report say? According to the report, the Houthis have mobilized on various fronts within Yemen. It may be an attempt to “ignite a new round of war.” What sources told Al-Ain is that “the Houthi militias have sent military reinforcements to Marib Governorate, where oil fields are located, and to the Hodeidah fronts on the Red Sea, in addition to reinforcements to the northern border fronts.”

This could indicate a Houthi move against the Riyadh-backed government forces in Yemen. It could also be part of a Houthi plan to take advantage of Saudi-UAE tensions or to pounce as US-Iran tensions grow. It’s also possible that Al-Ain is being fed misinformation designed to create tensions. Because there are so many possibilities, it is worth being skeptical about the reports.

The report goes on to say that the “sources explained that large Houthi military groups moved on Saturday from the city of Amran, located 50 kilometers north of Sana'a, led by the Houthi leader Mohammed Zaid Yahya Al-Makhdhi, nicknamed Abu Ali, to the northern border fronts of the country.”

In addition, “the sources indicated that the military force that the militias deployed to the Saada and Al-Jawf fronts on the northern borders of the country comes as part of the group’s military mobilization to all fronts,” while adding that the Houthis have also sent commanders to the Hodeidah governorate. This is an area near a port that shares the same name. This port was targeted numerous times by Israel last year when the Houthis were targeting Israel with ballistic missiles.

The report goes on to say that "the Houthis force had received intensive training at a Houthis ' training camp in Sana’a, before being deployed through Naqil Manakhah to Hodeidah. On February 18, the Houthi militias sent unprecedented reinforcements from Sana'a to the fronts of Marib Governorate, under the leadership of commander Khaled Mohammed Al-Nadhari, nicknamed Abu Ayman.”