Free Republic

“The supersonic and long-range anti-ship Yakhont missiles of the Syrian army and the Lebanese Hezbollah (resistance movement) are serious deterrents to a US naval attack by its warships in the Mediterranean Sea,” Dr. Mostafa Zahra, a military analyst and strategic studies expert, told FNA on Monday. He said that Syria’s Iskandar high-precision ballistic missiles and its anti-ship Scud missiles will also target the US warships in case of a US naval invasion of Syria, reminding that the American military vessels are not equipped with any weapons system to intercept or divert the Syrian anti-ship missiles. The P-800 Oniks, also known...

WASHINGTON – Nearly all non-Mexican illegal immigrants caught sneaking into the United States are being held until they can be returned to their home countries, the Bush administration said Wednesday. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said this marks the end of the “catch-and-release” practice that for years helped many illegal immigrants stay in the United States unhindered. “There is a real deterrent effect to this policy,” Chertoff told reporters in Washington, pointing to a 20,000 drop in the number of illegal immigrants caught crossing the southwest border between this summer and the same period last year. “Although we're not ready...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2006 – Reinforced defenses within the United States, coupled with extensive antiterrorism operations overseas, have hampered terrorists' ambitions to launch a follow-up attack against the country since Sept. 11, 2001, according to the Pentagon's homeland defense chief. Paul McHale, the Defense Department's first assistant secretary for homeland security, acknowledged to civilian leaders visiting the Pentagon recently that he's surprised terrorists haven't attempted such an attack. But luck has nothing to do with it, he said. "Our power projection overseas to attack and degrade the capabilities of al Qaeda, combined with domestic security measures we have put in...