Posted on 03/16/2015 10:17:55 PM PDT by piasa
BEIRUT: The U.S. has omitted Iran and Hezbollah from its list of terror threats, according to an annual security assessment published by the Times of Israel Monday.
The unclassified report, titled ‘Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community’ was presented to the U.S. Senate by James Clapper, the director of National Intelligence on February 26.
The report has excluded Iran and Hezbollah from its list of terror threats to U.S. interests, after both had been included as threats in previous years.
In a 2014 report the National Intelligence director said that Iran and Hezbollah continue to directly threaten the interests of U.S. allies. The report claimed that Hezbollah had increased its “global terrorist activity.”
In the latest report, the terrorism section focuses exclusively on the rise of militant groups like ISIS and The Nusra Front.
“Sunni violent extremists are gaining momentum and the number of Sunni violent extremist groups, members, and safe havens is greater than at any other point in history,” read the report. “These groups challenge local and regional governance and threaten US allies, partners, and interests.”
Hezbollah, labeled as a terrorist organization by both the U.S. and the European Union, was mentioned once.
“Sunni extremists are trying to establish networks in Lebanon and have increased attacks against Lebanese army and Hezbollah positions along the Lebanese-Syrian border,” the report said. Hezbollah and the U.S. have become de-facto allies in Syria, with the common objective of combating ISIS and preventing its spread into Lebanon.
In a rare interview with the New York Times Last September, Hezbollah’s newly appointed public relations chief, Mohammed Afif, implicitly acknowledged the rise of an indirect coordination in the fight against terror between the party and Washington, though their broader goals and views sharply diverge.
“All have an interest to keep the peace” in Lebanon, Afifi told the NYT, but added that each had its own ways to combat their common enemy.
The U.S. paper suggested that American intelligence had indirectly shared information with Hezbollah that helped the party stop suicide attacks in its stronghold in the southern suburb of Beirut.
Meanwhile, The United States and Iran are getting closer to a political deal that would set the stage for a landmark nuclear agreement.
The sides have twice extended the talks on a long-term accord. They signed an interim deal in November 2013 that gave Iran limited sanctions relief in exchange for some limitations on sensitive nuclear work.
Obama also doesn’t see Russia or China as threats.
snip
In a rare interview with the New York Times Last September, Hezbollah’s newly appointed public relations chief, Mohammed Afif, implicitly acknowledged the rise of an indirect coordination in the fight against terror between the party and Washington, though their broader goals and views sharply diverge.
“All have an interest to keep the peace” in Lebanon, Afifi told the NYT, but added that each had its own ways to combat their common enemy.
The U.S. paper suggested that American intelligence had indirectly shared information with Hezbollah that helped the party stop suicide attacks in its stronghold in the southern suburb of Beirut.
/snip
****************
Why would we care about Hezbollah getting back what it usually dishes out? We’re not getting anything in return for this but Obama is - cover for Obama’s mistake of pulling out of Iraq and his unwillingness to put up a fight.
BTTT
Pray for America and prepare.
The only real threats are Americans who believe in freedom and the US Constitution.
Obama needs to be on that list.
Did Freeper’s make the list?
He needs to add his own name to the list.
Right! Only threat Obamaba sees is right of center republicans.
Looking at the report ; Iran is mention on page 14 of the report ( page 18 in the PDF) and very brief mention of Hasan Nasrallah and Hezbollah a bit down for that .
Not entirely unmentioned
Now if that isn’t telling...
read page 5
I still see them there
http://www.dni.gov/files/documents/Intelligence%20Reports/2014%20WWTA%20%20SFR_SSCI_29_Jan.pdf
James Clapper, now there’s a guy with an apt name.
That’s the first report issued in January. The change reportedly took place in February. Apparently there was another report.
Notice that this report from January does include ISIL in a listing of nations supporting terrorism, which looks out of place since it is not a nation. [I’d have to look at it again but it might even omit al Qaeda.]
I think in February the Obama admin was when chatter started they were going to remove Cuba, too.
It’s not the first time countries have been removed from the list when the nation in question’s behavior has not in fact improved... [it was done with N Korea in the Bush admin to try to induce the norks to come to the table] but I know of no case where this easing has been a success, certainly not when extended unconditionally.
Another report said the Obama admin tried “cleaning up” Iran’s record by claiming Hezbollah was Lebanon’s baby instead of Iran’s, but that probably did not sit well with Lebanon... so the Obama admin may have simply decided to dupe the American people by playing up Hezbollah and the IRG as “heroes” fighting ISIL and “saving Iraq”, as if it would not have been better not to present Iraq, on a silver platter, to the terrorists and Iran in the first place.
Not yet, but as soon as they disarm us they will put us on it.
That’s the January report. This change apparently took place in February.
Of course there are also different lists... the CIA and the State Department keep separate lists, but I am not sure of the implications or weight each has on sanctions, etc.
Easily determined by accessing Hillary’s email.
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