Conflict Blotter

A nice post by Google Earth whiz and virtual life ambassador Stefan Geens on why the Kyl-Bingaman amendment, which gives Israel special protection from Google Earth and satellite pic takers, is bad law.
When it comes to Israel, there is the additional issue of needing to justify the Kyl-Bingaman Amendment to the US National Defense Authorization […]

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Al Qaeda’s Internet communications system went suddenly dark to American intelligence after the leak to ABC News of Osama bin Laden’s September 11 anniversary speech inadvertently disclosed the fact that the US had penetrated the enemy’s system, Eli Lake reports in today’s NY Sun. The Washington Post also has the story, though with somewhat less […]

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Needless to say, it’s not just Israel that is having its secrets exposed by Google Earth. The Federation of American Scientists, which is one of the premier sources for military data of all kinds, has been doing some pretty sophisticated sat photo analysis on their Strategic Security Blog. Yesterday, they published new Google Earth photos […]

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From today’s Yediot:
Sensitive installations, Air Force bases with their planes and helicopters, missile bases and even the nuclear reactor in Dimona have never been photographed better. A recent Google Earth update shows satellite pictures that make it possible to see clear, sharp pictures of military and civilian targets all across Israel.
Up until recently, the […]

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Cam Simpson and Neil King Jr. have a worthwhile read in the Wall Street Journal (subscription) about the intelligence and arms trove Hamas seized in Gaza. Hamas claims to have found documents exposing a broad Fatah spy-ring working against Arab countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, on behalf of the US. It was […]

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Here’s the declassified summary of the National Intelligence Estimate. Pretty much a waste of time and nothing we didn’t already know. The seven page document consists of five pages on how to read the NIE and just two pages rehashing what we already know: Al Qaeda is out to get us and thus “the United […]

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Just days after Gaza fell to Hamas, the Islamists’ senior most official in Beirut Osama Hamdan met with a prominent western lawmaker to lay out Hamas’ side of the story. In a candid, wide ranging conversation, Hamdan offers a fascinating and compelling narrative of the course of events that led up to the Gaza takeover. […]

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Israel’s Maariv newspaper recounts yesterday’s cabinet meeting:
Director of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin and GSS Director Yuval Diskin said Fatah could also lose control of the West Bank to Hamas. “Contrary to what you may think, Fatah is not soundly based in Judea and Samaria at all. The Fatah agencies […]

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