You can tell that Iran is feeling a little beleaguered these days
when there are reports that Tehran may be under attack from
rodents!
That is what the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported
this week, that police had, ahem, "arrested" 14 squirrels on
charges of espionage.
The rodents were found near the Iranian border, allegedly
equipped with eavesdropping devices, according to IRNA.
When asked to confirm the story, Esmaeel Ahmadi Moghadam, the
national police chief, said, "I have heard about it, but I do not
have precise information." He declined to give any more details.
IRNA said that the squirrels were discovered by intelligence
services – --------------------------------but were captured by
police officers several weeks ago.
'Are you serious?'
The reaction to the report on Tehran's streets was varied – from
disbelief to assigning guilt for the alleged infraction.
"No, I had not heard about this, but it does not surprise me,
foreign countries are always meddling in Iran," said Hassan
Mohmmadi, a fast-food vendor.
Mohammadi asked me if I knew where the squirrels were from, and I
told him that I didn't know. Then he came to his own conclusions.
"I bet they were British squirrels, they are the most cunning," he
replied.
Meantime, an independent journalist, Sepher Sopli, was not
surprised by the idea that another country would spy on Iran, so
much as he was dumbfounded by their methods.
"I read this story in the papers and though it was very bizarre;
what struck me as odd was that in this age of modern technology,
people were relying on squirrels to do their spying," Sopli said.
But, the report was still strange enough to surprise. "That's
very funny, but you're not serious are you?" said Soraya Jafari, a
student in Tehran.
Maybe not a first
Espionage not entirely foreign to animals. If true, this would not
be the first time animals have been used for military endeavors.
During World War II, Allied forces used pigeons to fly vital
intelligence out of occupied France.
More recently, U.S. Marines stationed in Kuwait trained chickens
for a low-tech chemical detection system. It's also well
documented that dolphins have been used to seek out underwater
mines.
VIDEO: Were Iranian captives forced to confess?<
Spying is something that is taken seriously in any country,
especially in a place like Iran, where numerous people are
currently being held on charges of espionage.
Still, the squirrels that breached the Iranian border carrying
sensitive spying equipment must have been nuts.
Move over sharks, vultures and squirrels. The “blame it on Israel’ crowd exposes a secret Mossad weapon: the menacing and death-defying rodent.
Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu , 20March2011 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/142997
Move over sharks, vultures and squirrels. The “blame it on Israel’ crowd exposes the latest secret Mossad weapon: the menacing and death-defying rodent.
Israeli Sharks Attack
Yom Hazikaron (Hebrew: יום הזכרון לחללי מערכות ישראל ולנפגעי פעולות האיבה, lit. Israeli Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance Day) is Israel's official Memorial Day. Yom Hazikron is the day on which Israel honors its fallen servicemen and women. National memorial services are held in the presence of Israel's top leadership and military personnel. The day opens the preceding evening at 20:00 (8:00 pm), given that in the Hebrew calendar system days begin at sunset, with a siren. The siren is heard all over the country and lasts for one minute, during which Israelis stop everything (including driving, which stops highways) and stand in silence, commemorating the fallen and showing respect. Many national-religious Jews say prayers for the souls of the fallen soldiers at this time as well. The official ceremony to mark the opening of the day takes place at the Western Wall, at which time the flag of Israel is lowered to half staff.
We have nothing to do with the Port of Beirut explosion on the evening of 4 August 2020
Two-minute compilation video providing different angles #BeirutExplosion
The expected protests and riots have broken out in Beirut at the end of a week in which families mourned the over 150 killed in Tuesday's blast centered on the port, which it's now been revealed was the result of years of negligence by authorities who allowed 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate to be unsafely stored right alongside a large stash of impounded fireworks.