RCI SELECTED NEWS BRIEFS

The war in Lebanon is just the beginning.

Toronto Star reported that an already fragile ceasefire in the Middle East now appears in greater danger of unraveling, threatened by Hezbollah's refusal to disarm and Israeli charges that Iran and Syria are already rearming its enemy. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said: "This war is not over yet."

TurkishPress reported that Turkey has grounded two Syria-bound Iranian planes over the past month to search for weapons following Israeli intelligence that Iran is supplying rockets to Hezbollah.

Iran Press News reported that the regime-run Fars news agency reported: “The minister of housing and urban development of the Islamic regime announced that he is ready to rebuild Lebanon."

Alan note: meanwhile the $150 million already advanced to Hezbollah to achieve this could be better used - from the point of view of the Iranian populace - to provide essential infrastructure - like clean drinking water. Or any water at all in some areas of the country.

Fox News reported that Iran has been attempting to rearm the Lebanon-based terror network Hezbollah since the U.N.-backed cease-fire.

YNet News reported that Abu Nasser, commander of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in Nablus, encouraged by war results said 'Our brothers demonstrated what we have felt in recent years: Israel falling apart. Next time Iran will be in picture with missiles on Tel Aviv and it will be easier'.

The nuclear crisis with Iran is about to enter center stage.

Reuters reported that the United States expects the United Nations to act swiftly next month and consider sanctions against Iran if it does not drop its nuclear program.

Forbes reported that the United States intends to act next month to have the United Nations impose penalties on Iran for refusing to suspend its enrichment of uranium.

Bronwen Maddox, The Times Online reported that the Lebanon crisis has turned up the heat with Iran over its nuclear ambitions. This week has brought new signs that Tehran won’t back down. But Iran has stirred in, too, some mollifying gestures and clearly hopes to play a clever game, one step back from the brink of outright provocation.

Henry Sokolski, National Review Online argued that the nuclear deal Washington is currently dangling before Iran to entice it to halt its declared uranium-enrichment program is a cure nearly as awful as the disease.

Why the West is running out of time in dealing with Ahmadinejad.

Patrick Poole, FrontPageMagazine.com examined Ahmadinejad’s apocalyptic faith. A must read.

Roger Scruton, The Wall Street Journal examined the term "Islamofascism" and that the word provides a convenient way of announcing that you are not against Islam but only against its perversion by the terrorists. But this prompts the question whether terrorism is really as alien to Islam.

Iran is preparing its children for war.

Kenneth R. Timmerman, FrontPageMagazine.com reported that a new study of 115 Iranian school textbooks concludes that Iran is preparing its children for war, and is willing to risk massive casualties for the opportunity to defeat America in a world-wide cataclysmic confrontation.

Forbes reported that Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad's popular support comes from his appeals to social justice and Iranian nationalism. It also reflects working-class anger at the corruption of the past governments. However, the economic news since his election has largely been bad and is likely to cause his support to drop dramatically.

With a contract equal to two years of total oil revenue of Iran being given to the family of the Vice-President and chief advisor of Ahmadi-Nejad, it's not clear how long the "clean" reputation of the current regime will prevail.

Iran Press News reported that the regime-run site Aref News wrote: "Some of the diplomats stationed in the German embassy in Tehran with inauguration of their German language training institute were plotting to exploit possible opportunities."

Cox & Forkum published another cartoon: Undeniable.