Fox in the Hen House

Iran to chair U.N. arms control forum
Iranian rockets / AP

Iran will preside over the United Nations arms control forum this month, despite the fact that it is under U.N. sanctions for illicit nuclear activities and routinely supplies arms to the terrorist organization Hezbollah in violation of international law.

The Iranian Plan for Post-Assad Syria

Mullahs preparing for aftermath if Syrian dictator falls
Syrian President Bahsar Assad shakes hands with one of the Iran's parliamentary committee on national interest and foreign policy / AP

Iran is quietly working with the terror group Hezbollah to devise a contingency plan aimed at ensuring Syria remains aligned with Tehran should Syrian President Bashar al-Assad be deposed by rebel forces, according to an Israeli research organization.

Cyber Propaganda

Iran-funded Hezbollah building a media empire
Hezbollah supporters wave the party's flags in 2011 / AP

The Lebanese terror group Hezbollah has positioned itself as the most influential extremist group on the Internet in recent years and operates more than 20 websites in seven different languages across the globe, according to an Israeli intelligence organization.

The Cyber Front

Anonymous-linked groups hack Israeli websites, release personal data
Anonymous members wearing Guy Fawke's masks / AP

An anti-Israel hacking collective affiliated with Anonymous has initiated a widespread cyber attack against the Jewish state, penetrating websites affiliated with the Mossad security service and a slew of related entities.

The Iran, Hezbollah, Venezuela Axis

Iran laundering billions through Venezuela, former senior official says
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Nicolas Maduro / AP

Iran has illegally laundered billions of dollars through the Venezuelan financial sector and is currently stashing “hundreds of millions” of dollars in “virtually every Venezuelan bank today,” according to a former senior State Department official.

The Dominant Dome

Israeli scientist verifies success rate of Iron Dome missile defense system on eve of Obama visit
Israeli Iron Dome missile launched to intercept a rocket fired from Gaza, Nov. 2012 / AP

JERUSALEM – Claims made by an American scientist that Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile defense system downed only five to 10 percent of rockets fired from Gaza during Operation Pillar of Defense last November, and not more than 80 percent as Israel claims, were refuted yesterday by the former head of Israel’s anti-missile development program.

Treasury to Pressure EU on Hezbollah

Official to push for EU designation of Hezbollah as terrorist group, halt transactions with Iran
ECB / Flickr

A top U.S. Treasury Department official promised Congress his department would pressure the European Union to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and to force European banks to stop ongoing transactions with Iran.