Israeli Nuclear Facility under Threat: “We Are Close to You Where You Don't Think about It”

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The website of the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post and the Twitter account of the newspaper Maariv were hacked, posing an obvious threat to "Israel". Instead of the main news page, the website displayed a graphic that appeared to commemorate senior Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated on January 3, 2020 in Iraq by a US drone attack. General Qassem Soleimani and nine others were killed in the US airstrike at Baghdad International Airport. Over the last 20 years, Soleimani survived many assassination attempts perpetrated by Western and Israeli agencies.

The image depicted a bullet-shaped object firing out of a reddish ring on a finger, which appeared to be a reference to a signature ring worn by Soleimani. Hackers replaced the website content with an image threatening Israeli nuclear reactor with the caption, ‘We are close to you where you do not think about it’ on it. A model image of "Israel's" nuclear reactor in the desert city of Dimona being destroyed by a missile was presented instead of news content.

The compound has decades-old underground facilities that reprocess spent nuclear reactor rods to produce weapons-grade plutonium for "Israel's" nuclear weapons programme. The Post acknowledged that it had been hacked in a tweet. “We are aware of an apparent hacking of our website as well as a clear threat to Israel”.

"Israel" has been stealing nuclear secrets and covertly making bombs since the 1950s.

Significantly, Qassem Soleimani was regarded as Iran's most powerful figure right after Iran's top leader. Soleimani was an architect of the Iranian strategy in the Middle East, as head of the IRGC's Al-Quds Force. Al-Quds Force Commander was a key figure in establishing the Islamic Republic's domestic narrative and political dynamics, as well as driving the Islamic Republic's power projection worldwide.

Moreover, in the views of religious folk, he was the guardian of the shrine of Sayeda Zainab and the hero who stood up to "Israel" and backed the Palestinian Resistance. For both the Iranian people and Iranian sympathizers worldwide, Soleimani had taken on legendary status. He was the brave leader who faced terrorists and international foes who were attempting to destabilize Iran. Al-Quds Force dramatically extended its capabilities under Soleimani's direction, becoming a prominent player in the intelligence, financial, and political arenas outside Iran's borders.

Notably, according to the outgoing chief of Israeli Military Intelligence, "Israel" played a role in the death of Qassem Soleimani. Former IOF intelligence Major General Tamir Hayman described the assassination as one of "two big and crucial killings" during his term, according to an interview released by the "Israel Intelligence Heritage and Commemoration Center". According to reports, "Israel" offered critical intelligence support to the US, including tracking General Soleimani's telephone.

NBC News claimed a few days after his death that Israeli intelligence assisted the US in assassinating Soleimani. According to the report, the CIA was warned off by spies at the Damascus international airport about the time Soleimani's jet took off for Baghdad, and "Israel" validated the intelligence supplied to the Americans. The now-retired military intelligence chief Maj Gen Tamir Hayman appears to be the first official to admit "Israel's" involvement.

As chief of army intelligence, he indicated there were ”two big and serious assassinations" during his tenure.” The first, as I've already mentioned, is that of Qassem Soleimani — it's rare to find someone so senior that he is the architect of the fighting force, the strategist, and the operator. The interview was released at a time when international powers and Iran were negotiating a new accord to rein down Iran's nuclear programme. The last agreement, reached in 2015, fell apart after the US withdrew unilaterally in 2018 and re-imposed severe economic sanctions on Iran.

"Israel" considers Iran a regional arch-foe and threatens to take "all actions necessary" to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons. Iran, on the other hand, maintains that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes. "Israel" has long viewed Iran's nuclear programme as a danger and has lobbied the US and the international community to take a tougher stance.

Since the US airstrike that killed Soleimani, tensions between Tehran and Washington have increased substantially. Following the assassination, the Iraqi Parliament decided to force the government to evacuate US troops from the country, and Iran said that it would no longer comply with any of the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal.