Its time to bury the STRATFOR myth of an Israeli base in Eritrea once and for good

A response to Al Mayadeen and Richard Medhurst’s report of an alleged Israeli base in Eritrea.

If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”

― Malcolm X

For many years since late 2012, there has been a long recycling of a myth that Israel had a secret military installation in Eritrea. Though the rumors started previously, it truly came to life after STRATFOR’s 2012 report. And at least twice, two Arab media organizations investigated to verify if the rumors existed, and there was a conclusion that there was no base.

This myth has been recycled like a beach waves’ ebbs and flows. But now in light of the genocide in Gaza and the change in worldly multipolarity, this alleged alignment is dangerous. I first heard of the (recycled) myth on Garland Nixon’s YouTube livestream titled “BLEEDING OUT THE EMPIRE - THE TOP HEAVY BRUTE CANT WIN LONG SLOW CONFLICTS” on October 27th, 2023 when at the 57:30 timestamp, he commented on an article from Albawaba originally written reposted from Al Mayadeen claiming that an Israeli base was stricken.

Curiously, Richard Medhurst also commented on the same subject Israel Destroys Gaza to Control World’s Most Important Shipping Lane on March 18th, 2024,see timestamp 2:45-3:30.

He also wrote an article on Global Research on the same subject.

According to him: The Red Sea, which would feed into the “Ben Gurion Canal,” already has a huge presence of American and Israeli troops. Did you know that “Israel’s” biggest military base is located in the Red Sea, on the Island of Dahlak, in Eritrea?

This base was hit by Yemen in the last few weeks, in support of Gaza, as Yemen is an integral part of the Resistance Axis.

Interesting, because Israel does not have a base in Eritrea. The same source that originated this myth also claimed Iran also has a military presence in Eritrea. Furthermore, the alleged attack was not commented on by the U.S., Israel, UE, Eritrea, Sudan, Yemen (either Ansar Allah or their rival factions), Saudi Arabia nor the Islamic Republic of Iran. So who can the alleged attack be attributed to, if there is nobody claiming the attack took place? And as I’ll show further down, there is no terrorist incidents that took place as of 2022 and 2023, when the alleged attack took place.

So its time to get to the myth. I will address all relevant research line by line:

1. Origin of Israeli (and Iranian) military installations from STRATFOR

2. Smoking Gun: The connection between STRATFOR and Yossi Melman

3. Opposition claims

4. Arab media news investigations

5. Social media gets it wrong: Eritrea supports all opposed parties, Eritrea supports Israel, supports Iran, supports Houthis, opposes Houthis?

6. Eritrean government responses

7. Current Israeli-Eritrean relations

8. Current Iranian-Eritrean relations

9. Was there an actual attack?

10. Dissecting the STRATFOR story itself, and Al Mayadeen and PressTV

11. Richard Medhurst’s commentary of the alleged Israeli base, and preposterous role of Ethiopian Falasha or Beta Israel in maneuvering Ethiopia to support Israel

12. My closing commentary on WHY and who benefits from this spy fiction

Origin of Israeli (and Iranian) military installations from STRATFOR

Lets start with STRATFOR. Let’s start with George Friedman, the founder of STRATFOR.

According to his STRATFOR bio, George Friedman founded Stratfor in 1996. Today, Stratfor leads the field in global forecasting and consulting, providing geopolitical analysis to individuals, organizations and governments. He left the company in 2015. Dr. Friedman received his Bachelor's degree from the City College of the City University of New York and holds a Ph.D. in Government from Cornell University. 

He founded Geopolitical Futures in 2015 and is still actively providing commentary on geopolitics and security.

I will go through a number of articles and provide key details and summaries on STRATFOR.

WikiLeaks bio on STRATFOR

From WikiLeaks: On Monday February 27th, 2012, WikiLeaks began publishing The Global Intelligence Files, over five million e-mails from the Texas headquartered "global intelligence" company Stratfor. The e-mails date between July 2004 and late December 2011. They reveal the inner workings of a company that fronts as an intelligence publisher, but provides confidential intelligence services to large corporations, such as Bhopal's Dow Chemical Co., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and government agencies, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines and the US Defense Intelligence Agency.

Citing biased opposition sources

According to Eritrean opposition websites, Eritrea granted Iran total control of the Red Sea port of Assab, overlooking the Bab Al-Mendab straight. And supposedly Iranian submarines deployed troops, weapons, and long range missiles in the port of Assab, under the pretext of defending the local oil refinery. And this includes cooperating with Somali Islamist groups to support Iran against the U.S. or Israel.

The summary was then passed on for analysis.

Israelihayom cites STRATFOR but doesn’t know geography

“As a result, Eritrea and its waters in the Gulf of Aden have become another venue for Iran and Israel's rivalry”. Eritrea does not border the Gulf of Aden. How does STRATFOR not understand what a map is? Only Yemen and Somalia (including Somaliland) have a maritime border with the Gulf of Aden. Eritrea is exclusively on the Red Sea coastline.

Gulf of Aden

MOSSAD and false flags

According to Michael Collins Piper, Mossad has a long known pattern of blaming others for their actions. He cites the Lavon Affair, where British targets in Egypt were attacked by terrorists and blamed on the Muslim Brotherhood, with the goal to break the West’s confidence on the Egyptian government of President Gamal Abdul-Nasser; blaming the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) of a plot to murder King Hussein of Jordan, prompting the “Black September” purge of the PLO in Jordan; blaming Syria for a Jordanian man carrying an explosive in an Israeli civilian airline.

Might this also play into the alleged Israeli base located in Eritrea? Seems like a pattern of false flags.

Lets not forget the USS Liberty incident

Isreali Defense Force attributes STRATFOR for Israel and Iran bases in Eritrea

According to the Israeli Defense Force, they comment on the same STRATFOR article. The page was taken down a few days after my investigation, but thankfully I found an archive. I won’t get too in depth because the STRATFOR report will be addressed line by line. But here’s an interesting question. Why does the IDF report what STRATFOR alleges about Israeli military bases in Eritrea, while also reporting that Iran also has a military presence in Assab in southern Eritrea? I mean, since its “their” base, wouldn’t they confirm or deny if its factual? Instead of a positive confirmation or denial, they report the STRATFOR as if it were a confirmation without actually verifying. This seems to be done with a purpose to create an implication in the mind of the reader.

Yuri Bezmenov discusses Soviet disinformation campaigns

It reminds of me the Soviet defector Yuri Bezmenoz’s assertion that the bulk of intelligence is based in disinformation.

STRATFOR spies on Julian Assange

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9111784/Stratfor-executive-boasted-of-trusted-former-CIA-cronies.html

In February 28th, 2012 an article from the Telegraph was written that STRATFOR executive boasted of ‘trusted former CIA cronies’

Interesting points from the article:

• Fred Burton, vice president of intelligence informed members of staff that he had a copy of the confidential indictment on Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks

• STRATFOR has high level sources within the US and other governments, run “runs a network of paid informants that includes embassy staff and journalists and planned a hedge fund, Stratcap, based on its secret intelligence.”

• Operates as an employment revolving door with branches of the Washington establishment, and Mr. Burton previously served as Deputy Chief of the counter-terror division in the U.S. State Department’s diplomatic security service.

• Pay for data. One email released by WikiLeaks described as £4,000-a-month payment to a Middle East source, and another carried bits of gossip dropped by a retired spy.

• Mr Assange derided STRATFOR as a “shadow CIA”, and George Friedman also suggested it used methods redolent of spy agencies.

• In an email from Dec 6, 2011, Mr Friedman advised an analyst called Reva Bhalla to deal with an Israeli intel informant providing info on the medical condition of Hugo Chavez, former Venezuelan president.

• His words allegedly: “"You have to take control of him. Control means financial, sexual or psychological control”

• Among STRATFOR’s major corporate subscribers is Coca Cola, which had concern of animal rights supporters disrupting the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

• Dow Chemical hired the firm to spy on activists seeking redress for the 1984 gas leak at its Bhopal (India) plant that killed 15,000 people and sparked a long-running legal battle.

STRATFOR spies on PETA for Coca Cola

https://www.ecoshock.org/2012/03/private-spies-wikileaks-outs-stratfor.html

• It hires senior US intelligence agents, and draws up plans for the US Air Force and MARINES.

• It publishes a newsletter costing thousands of dollars, with 300,000 subscribers, many of them governments around the world.

• STRATFOR was hired by Coca Cola to investigate PETA (People for the Investigation of Animals) in Canada, since they were a major sponsor of the Vancouver Olympics, and feared actions against Canada’s seal hunts

• STRATFOR emails suggested the firm would use full FBI files on PETA.

• Bragged about the possession of top secret classified American documents, including information on drone strikes and materials from Osama Bin Laden’s safe house

• “WikiLeaks has found a secret email from early 2011 from Burton, saying a sealed indictment against Julian Assange has already been issued by a secret Grand Jury in the United States. In expletive laced emails, Burton plots with others to bankrupt Assange, to have his Australian citizenship revoked, to have Assange extradited to the U.S. for a lengthy prison term, if not for life.” Fred Burton was the Vice President for Counter terrorism and Corporate Security and former Deputy Chief of the Department of State’s counter terrorism division

• Former Goldman Sachs Director Shea Morenz and STRATFOR CEO George Friedman hatched a plan to spin off gathered intelligence into an investing company to be called “Stratcap”

• Morenz injected around 2 million dollars into STRATFOR, and at least 4 million more into “Stratcap”, which was to be sold as “an independent company – to draw investors – but the internal emails indicated Friedman told his staff Stratcap would be an integral part of Stratfor.”

• Department of Homeland Security had been monitoring the Occupy Movement since they wanted a report on the impact of Occupy Wall Street movement on the financial services sector.

CIA-STRATFOR revolving door

In January 5, 2016 STRATFOR announced Jon Sather, a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) joined the private intelligence and advisory firm as its Chief Intelligence Officer. Enough Said.

STRATFOR-Gulen Movement-Erdogan coup plotters

Further looking into STRATFOR, this article from Turkish online news agency Anadolu Ajansy (AA) reports on the unusual traffic from STRATFOR Twitter account reporting on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Unusual because on July 15, 2016 there was an attempted coup against President Erdogan. I recall this story due the alleged involvement of Gulen Movement that was said to be behind the coup.

STRATFOR tweets in favor the coup plotters drew widespread criticism. When Erdogan’s plane returned from the coastal resort of Marmaris, STRATFOR tweeted 3 times about its flight path in the same time period the coup-plotters were “ seeking Erdogan’s location for possible assassination.”

Now how does an alleged private company have access to track a sitting president of a sovereign nation? Even government intelligence organizations cannot openly do this, for it would have great diplomatic ramifications. Here are some important points from the article:

• For instance, an email released in 2012 by WikiLeaks written by Stratfor Vice President Fred Burton about late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also came under fire.

In the email, Burton wrote, “Back in the day, we would have been planning his (and Chavez's) helicopter 'accident',” hinting at a covert assassination

• Stratfor has hundreds or perhaps thousands of subscribers all around the world, including the U.S. State Department and Department of Homeland Security and Pentagon, along with defense giants and warplane manufacturers Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon.

• When such outlets as CNN, Bloomberg, the AP, Reuters, and the New York Times publish stories with information attributed "to credible sources," often they are referring to Stratfor.

• The credibility of Stratfor intelligence and its reasons for sharing this information have both attracted suspicion.

• The WikiLeaks posts showed that rather than being based on reliable sources, Stratfor analyses come from intelligence gathering by its "spies" all around the world.

• According to one of the leaked documents, Stratfor had paid a person with connections to the Lebanese army $6,000 a month for Middle East analyses.

• George Friedman is Stratfor’s founder and former political analyst. He is known for his neo-conservative, anti-Islamist, and pro-Israel perspective.

• Born in Hungary to Jewish parents, Friedman came to the U.S at a very early age. As an adult, he became an expert on strategic warfare and military technology.

• Stratfor's Vice President of Custom Intelligence Services Bret Boyd has raised eyebrows for his background in the U.S. Special Forces Command. As specialist on intelligence operations, developing countries, and army-state relations, Boyd took part in operations in Iraq.

• The number of former CIA staffers working for Stratfor is unknown, but indicators that Stratfor has close ties with a number of intelligence units in various countries have raised question marks.

• The night of the failed coup, the American global intelligence company publicly shared the Turkish president’s locations three times.

• Birol Akgun, a professor from Ankara’s Yildirim Beyazit University, told Anadolu Agency, “Stratfor seems transparent, but no one knows who’s behind the agency. Sharing information on that night, hour by hour, shows that the company’s shadow CIA-affiliated office was really aware of preparations for the coup plot.”

• He added, “The company played a role in guiding coup-plotters through open lines at a time when information about Erdogan’s flight was unknown to even intelligence offices in Turkey, which shows that the probable objective of this was the coup’s success.”

• He continued, “But after 2.00 a.m. [2300GMT] on the coup night, news about the failed coup was circulating. The staff at the company must have been related to coup-plotters in Turkey from the start or somehow they have contacts with U.S. intelligence, [and were] collecting intelligence info. This is not news-gathering, it is directing. By giving the location of the president’s flight they were trying to give directions to coup planes.”

He pointed out that if the U.S. president had been in a similar situation, there is no way his or her location would have been revealed by Stratfor or another institution, saying, “Even if they were aware, they would not dare share the location of the president.”

• In light of Stratfor’s involvement buying Lebanon army information for $6,000 a month, according to WikiLeaks, Akgun said, “This makes us consider the possibility of Stratfor and the coup-plotters exchanging news. The monetary source is hidden in such companies.”

• He added, “These semi-intelligence companies expend all kind of monetary resources to collect the information, they use people. In Turkey they might be linked to those who are fighting President Erdogan.”

• “There is a definite purpose here,” he added, “If it were the U.S. president, no information would be shared. The [press] blackout came later. No one could dare tell this. The Western media would consider sharing this [information] as betrayal. Unfortunately when it is Turkey, it is painted as press freedom.”

• Citing former CIA Vice Chair Graham Fuller’s public support for coup mastermind Fetullah Gulen, Uysal said, “This shows the coup plot was attempted by a lobby or an intelligence team, in which the U.S. might not be involved. The same thing happened in Egypt. If it had succeeded they would have accepted it as a fair accompli, but when it fails they say, ‘We weren’t aware of it.’ It is impossible for Western intelligence not to be aware of it.”

STRATFOR predictive analysis claims Eritrea supports Al Shabaab

“To counter the Ethiopian armed forces, SICC militia and its assortment

of warlords riding on technicals reportedly continue to receive

weapons from Ethiopia's rival Eritrea, including surface-to-air

missile systems, anti-tank recoilless rifles and rocket-propelled

grenade weapons systems, heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft

artillery cannons.”

This alleged Eritrean provision of weapons for Somali jihadists that later led to sanctions in 2009 for support of Al Shabbab, is include in an analysis of the Somali Islamic Courts Union, and while its not verified or authenticated, and yet a STRATFOR analyst named “Safi” asks to forward the two articles to neutral and mostly Eritrean opposition websites. Lets say it again. Providing analysis without actual proof or evidence, to feed into Eritrean “opposition”.

STRATFOR doubts “Izzies”

One of their analysts address an Israeli news site of Iranian military activity taking place in Assab, and is asked to check their sources.

“mark, check w/your sources but it looks like this is bogus

the izzies have been letting out a spate of things the last couple days”

George Friedman’s worldview: China will fragment, Russia will breakup, Japan will team up with Turkiye against the US, and his mentor was a student of Leo Strauss, founder of the neo-conversative thought.

I’ll just include some tentative points into the psyche of George Friedman:

• Does being Jewish affect the way you view the world, I begin(interviewer). “Being Jewish keeps things in perspective,” he says, smiling. “We lost two temples.”

• Asked on Friedman’s claim that Japan will become a great power with Turkey and go to war against the United States:  “The fragmentation of China in the 2010s and the breakup of Russia in the 2020s will create a vast vacuum from the Pacific to the Carpathians, Friedman wrote. “Because of cyclical instability in China, Japan will have to protect its assets.”

At this, I’m done-George Friedman has no business on Eritrea. As of 2024, China has not fragmented, Russia still has 6 years before we see it break up in this decade, and the only war Japan will go against is Godzilla. Japan in practice is a neo-colony and satrapy, so I have to reveal my bias by refusing to imagine that Japan is going to align with Turkiye against the US.

• Asked if moral, cultural, and spiritual factors played no role whatsover in his geopolitics, Mr Friedman responded “My advisor was Werner Dannhauser,” a student of the political philosopher Leo Strauss, “so I am keenly aware of Athens and Jerusalem. But I see the world in terms of three stages: barbarism at the beginning, decadence and decline at the end, and with luck, a brief civilized moment in the middle.”

• This is HUGE, because you can tell a lot about a person by who influenced them in their lives. For those who are missed it, Mr Friedman said his adviser was a student of Leo Strauss.

Leo Strauss is practically the Godfather of neo-conservatism.

His neocon views lends credence to might makes right

“Strauss shares the insights of the wise Plato (alias Thrasymachus) that justice is merely the interest of the stronger; that those in power make the rules in their own interests and call it justice. This concept derives from Plato’s Republic.

Leo Strauss repeatedly defends the political realism of Thrasymachus and Machiavelli (see, for example, his Natural Right and History, p. 106). This view of the world is clearly manifest in the foreign policy of the current administration in the United States”

Think of all the powerful special interests who dominate the US foreign policy:

• Elliot Abrams

• Jeane Kirkpatrick

• Scooter Libby

• Richard Perle

• Victoria Nuland, recent Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs

• George W Bush

• John McCain

• Mike Pompeo (We Steal We Lie We Cheat)

• Nikki Haley

• Paul Wolfowitz

• Robert Kagan (Victoria Nuland’s husband and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution)

• Irving Kristol

• Chrales, Krauthammer

• Hillary Clinton

• Michael Rubin

• Ben Shapiro

• And more https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoconservatism#Notable_people_associated_with_neoconservatism

Newsclick: STRATFOR is closely tied in with CIA and MOSSAD

According to Newsclick article “Wikileaks & Stratfor: Exposing the Murky World of Private Intelligence:

• Wikileaks itself was a target of Stratfor. There are more than 4000 emails detailing the efforts of the US agencies and Stratfor in attacking Wikileaks (collusion between private and public)

• Stratfor is closely tied up with CIA and MOSSAD.

• “Both must have found the veneer of “independent analysis” that Stratfor provided as very useful in shaping the public discourse.”

• Stratfor claims that it operates "without ideology, agenda or national bias", yet the emails reveal private intelligence staff who align themselves closely with US government policies and channel tips to the Mossad – including through an information mule in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Yossi Melman, who conspired with Guardian journalist David Leigh to secretly, and in violation of WikiLeaks’ contract with the Guardian, move WikiLeaks US diplomatic cables to Israel.

STRATFOR has a global network of informants in global politics, journalists and intelligence

Gizmodo’s article Wikileaks Reveals Privately Run CIA’s Dirty Secrets (Update 2)

• The Global Intelligence Files exposes how Stratfor has recruited a global network of informants who are paid via Swiss banks accounts and pre-paid credit cards.

• In exchange for money, government and diplomatic sources from around the world give Stratfor advance knowledge of global politics. It has a mix of covert and overt informants, including government employees, embassy staff and journalists around the world.

• Stratfor did secret deals with dozens of media organizations and journalists – from Reuters to the Kiev Post. The list of Stratfor's "Confederation Partners", whom Stratfor internally referred to as its "Confed Fuck House" are included in the release. While it is acceptable for journalists to swap information or be paid by other media organizations, because Stratfor is a private intelligence organization that services governments and private clients these relationships are corrupt or corrupting.

Benjamin Netenyahu was a STRATFOR source

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu was a source to STRATFOR Vice President for Intelligence Fred Burton since at least May of 2007, per internal STRATFOR emails published by Wikileaks

• “Bibi [i.e. Netanyahu] believes he can unseat Olmert and there is a movement underway to do so." in an email dated May 1, 2007

• BiBi (protect) has said that Olmert is "finished" Thursday. 

In looking at my notes... it looks like BiBi is the one that wants the job very badly. He said, "it's mine, I've shored up Likud [i.e. Israel's major center-right political party]. Thank you Fred for your support of Israel...

• The next month an email with the subject "Insight - Iran Nukes" discloses information about Iran already having two nuclear missiles:  

From Fred-

According to an Israeli source, Iran has two nukes on missiles ready to go.  

The Iranians are going out of their way to spread disinformation on their capabilities. They want the community to think they are not anywhere near [highly enriched uranium].  

Its a head fake. 

White House is doing everything possible to block Israels next steps.

Israel will go it alone.

Israeli subs are off Iran's coast

An analyst then asks a question to clarify and Burton replies: "my source is bb (eyes only)."

After being asked when an Israeli strike would occur, Burton replies "I've never asked him. He thinks I'm CIA, which I may be."

After being asked if he had any idea what the Israelis are waiting for, Burton says: "The Jews are crazier than the Iranians."

• In an email from March 2009 that contains a report about the British and U.S. engaging Hezbollah, Burton replies:

BiBi will kill [Hezbollah leader Hannan] Nasrallah unless the U.S. can insure [Hezbollah] is in their box.

>From my lips to your ears.

To which scott.stewart@stratfor.com replies: "Please keep your lips to yourself."

• On March 19, 2010, Burton went back to discussing the relationship between Netanyahu and Obama—Vice President Joe Biden had just visited Israel and Netanyahu was headed to the U.S. that week— as he wrote: 

BB dislikes Obama immensely. After hosting Biden, the last thing he wants to do is kiss Obama's arse. 

• Analysts working on the Middle East for the company appeared to be very poorly informed, with no more experience than a semester of studying abroad, according to journalists who have studied the documents. "They used Google translate to read al-Akbar news articles," says an incredulous Jamal Ghosn, associate editor of that newspaper in Beirut, Lebanon. "This is a guaranteed way for good intelligence to be lost in translation."

• Mike Bonnano of the Yes Men, a group of international pranksters who impersonate corporate executives and government leaders to highlight environmental and social abuses, was astonished to discover that his group was being tracked by Stratfor, which was apparently making money selling a list of his public-speaking engagements

• STRATFOR ….. “seeking to profit by disrupting journalists and activist groups”

• Julian Assange of WikiLeaks says that the emails also reveal that Stratfor has recruited a "global network of informants who are paid via Swiss banks accounts and pre-paid credit cards – which includes government employees, embassy staff and journalists around the world." This, he says, "is corrupt or corrupting because Stratfor is a private intelligence organisation that services governments and private clients."

• The claim that Stratfor buys information from insiders, while seeking to profit from their analysis, could attract the attention of regulators like the Securities and Exchange Commission, which polices Wall Street. This is something that Stratfor is already worried about. In an August 2011 memo released by WikiLeaks, Friedman wrote to his employees:

"We are retaining a law firm to create a policy for Stratfor on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. I don't plan to do the perp walk and I don't want anyone here doing it either.

• Assange slyly points out that this is in keeping with a lunchroom memo from Fred Barton, Stratfor's vice-president of intelligence, in which he states that he has an unofficial rule:

"Admit nothing, deny everything and make counter-accusations."

STRATFOR is part of an intelligence-industrial cartel

Statfor belongs to an extensive industry. In Top Secret America, a new book by Dana Priest and William Arkin of the Washington Post, the authors reveal that there are literally thousands of so-called intelligence analysts hawking equally dubious information to the federal government.

By its very nature, of course, such information is secret and often protected by government order. Nothing short of a major congressional investigation will be able to drill down into this intelligence-industrial cartel to assess not just the quality of the information and the way it was obtained, but whether or not any of it serves the public interest – or the very opposite. That is, unless Anonymous or WikiLeaks gets there and does the work first.

• Wikileaks itself was a target of Stratfor. There are more than 4,000 emails detailing the efforts of the US agencies and Stratfor in attacking Wikileaks and Julian Assange.

• The emails makes it clear that Stratfor was also closely tied up with CIA and Mossad. Both must have found the veneer of “independent analysis” that Stratfor provided as very useful in shaping the public discourse. As Stratfor also gave out free backgrounders on critical issues, a host of people (including me) find it useful as basic information. It is widely used by journalists and analysts all over the world, despite its pro-American stand. What stands out – from a preliminary analysis by Wikileaks – is how close it was to the agencies of the US Government. Wikileaks states,

• Stratfor claims that it operates "without ideology, agenda or national bias", yet the emails reveal private intelligence staff who align themselves closely with US government policies and channel tips to the Mossad – including through an information mule in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Yossi Melman, who conspired with Guardian journalist David Leigh to secretly, and in violation of WikiLeaks’ contract with the Guardian, move WikiLeaks US diplomatic cables to Israel.

• When the Anonymous break-in had occurred in December last year , Stratfor had claimed that the list of private clients that had been made public was not of clients for whom it provided intelligence services. Friedman, the Stratfor head had stated.

• Contrary to this assertion the disclosure was merely a list of some of the members that have purchased our publications and does not comprise a list of individuals or entities that have a relationship with Stratfor beyond their purchase of our subscription-based publications.

• It is now clear from the emails that this was deliberate misinformation – Stratfor did have private clients for whom they did considerably more than just supply publications. The size of the payments as visible from its invoices is to the tune of half a million in some cases, easily making these the most expensive publications in history!

STRATFOR information can be obtained with better results from Open Source Intelligence

https://www.newsclick.in/wikileaks-stratfor-exposing-murky-world-private-intelligence

• Few if any companies today represent this trend better than the Austin, Texas-based Stratfor, or Strategic Forcasting, Inc, founded in 1996. The company, a kind of intelligence analysis counterpart to Blackwater’s more “kinetic” – that is, violent – services, has received much unwanted attention as of late when the hacker collective Anonymous managed to steal millions of internal emails. These show the inner workings of the company: How it collects its intelligence, how senior officials characterise the company’s products, and what exactly its corporate and government clients are actually getting for their clearly large sums of money they pay Stratfor for supposedly inside information and insight.

• Stratfor rose to prominence in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, and was quickly cited by major media outlets as being “ahead of the news – and of the CIA” because of its analyses of al-Qaeda and bin Laden’s motives and likely goals.

• Whatever one thinks of the CIA’s prognosticatory capabilities, the idea that a private intelligence company with relatively few resources – and none of them clandestine – would have a better idea of bin Laden’s modus operandi or goals than the CIA units which had been tracking him for years is nonsensical.

• The problem is that Stratfor’s so-called intelligence is almost entirely the kind of pablum that one could get from an off day’s reporting at the Financial Times or Wall Street Journal. For a company that prides itself as a leader in “global intelligence” production, its analyses – divided into such interesting-sounding things as “Analysis”, “Geopolitical Diaries”, and “Situation Reports”, are so obvious and mundane that one wonders why anyone would read them, never mind pay for them.

• Surely, customers such as major defence contractors Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, and government agencies like the Department of Homeland Security, the Marines and the Defence Intelligence Agency, don’t need Stratfor to access the so-called “intelligence” the company provides. (In response to the Anonymous hacking, Stratfor has been offering most of its products free on its website. You can see the full range of its “intelligence” for a limited time by visiting their website).

• In fact, Stratfor’s raison d’etre would seem to be to provide a sinecure for out of work or wanna-be spies, intelligence analysts, security officials and “diplomats” who aren’t high enough up the CIA or State Department food chain or respected enough to land the more plumb positions at conservative think tanks like the Heritage Foundation or Washington Institute for Near East Policy. There are, in fact, thousands of people fitting just this description “hawking” various bits of information for a price to any corporation or arm of the US government willing to pay for it.

• A glance at one of the key documents uncovered by WikiLeaks, the so-called “The Stratfor Glossary of Useful, Baffling and Strange Intelligence Terms”, has been described by Time magazine as demonstrating the company’s unexpected talent for comedy. This might be true, but there is also serious information in the document, whose upwards of 200 terms explain how “background checks” can help “run up clients’ bill and makes it appear that you are busy”, how “briefs” for customers need to “make sh*t smell good”, and how often, “When the Briefer has obtained zero valuable intelligence from analysis, he finds something in the inside of the morning paper, powers up a view graph, and ‘Briefs the Times’. Customers are frequently impressed”.

• Because of this, while some reports have highlighted emails in which CEO George Friedman tells one of his female assets to “to take… financial, sexual or psychological control” of a supposed Israeli intelligence source who purportedly had access to inside information on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s medical condition, I would be shocked if the Israeli intelligence source didn’t hear more or less the same speech from his superior, who hopes to use the selective feeding of information to Stratfor to gain yet another entree into US intelligence networks that Israel has so successful exploited for decades.

• This is not to say that Stratfor doesn’t have actual intelligence sources; indeed, not surprisingly, some of them would seem to come from the Israeli intelligence community, which no doubt has a strong interest in developing relationships with the kinds of low and mid-level former operatives and analysts who still have access to the official intelligence bureaucracy.

• More troubling is Stratfor’s contracts with Homeland Security, which is on record as coordinating the recent police attacks on the Occupy movement across the United States, as documented by Rolling Stone.

• If so far their “craft” remains amateurish, the experience of Iraq shows that all they need to do to succeed is sow enough chaos and distrust among their adversaries to keep the customers happy and the profits rolling in. If Stratfor can do that, George Friedman and his henchmen will have the last laugh, no matter who is reading their emails.

Smoking Gun: The connection between STRATFOR and Yossi Melman

I chanced upon the name Yossi Melman previously when he wrote a critical news piece against Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki after the Brigade Nhamedu instigated riots in Israel in late 2023. After beginning this investigation, I learn a lot about the nexus between STRATFOR and Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu.

Yossi Melman: I became Number 1 Public Enemy in Azerbaijan, posted Sep 5, 2017.

Israeli writer and journalist Yossi Melman published an article in Maariv newspaper describing his experience with Azeri backlash due to an article he wrote. Azerbaijan asked Israeli engineers selling Orbiter 1K “kamikaze” drones to demonstrate the operation by attacking Armenian position in Artsakh. Two Israeli operators refused to make the assault, though Israeli Aeronautics Defense Systems (ADS) management agreed. Following an article he wrote, Ministry of Defense of Israel investigated and ADS lost export license for that weapon.

Due to the public backlash resulting from his article, he reported he would probably sue Azeri media outlets and said he would not return.

Responding to a question on Israeli arms supplies to Azerbaijan:

“I don’t think so. Israel and Azerbaijan have strategic relations. Azerbaijan is an important market for Israeli arms exports. So I think this will not affect Israel’s relations with Azerbaijan.”

Here’s a key statement on his relations to Israeli government:

 “I have been there twice, last time - with the Israeli Prime Minister about 7 months ago”. Benjamin Netenyahu was Prime Minister from 2009-2021. His travels with the PM took place during that period.

Yossi Melman had a direct pipeline to Israel’s security and intelligence. He and Fred Burton developed an affinity over the latter’s high interest in the assassination of Israeli Defense Attache' Col. Joe Alon, who was killed in July 1973. Fred relayed he had been on a personal search, and was highly impressed by Yossi’s work as a journalist in security and intelligence affairs.

Here’s a direct quote from Yossi offering his services to STRATFOR’s Fred Burton:

“Dear Fred

I shall provide information and analysis on all matters related to the strategic, foreign affairs and security issues of Israel and the Middle East which I have access to and can contribute. It covers US-Israeli relations, Israeli military thinking and actions, Iran's nuclear and missile programs, Israeli intelligence (Mossad, Shabak, military intelligence, arms sales in the region, political developments, Arab Spring developments and so on.

As for the payment I suggest one of the following

A basic monthly retainer (for at least one year) of $500 per month. In return I shall be available and at your disposal for all questions, clarifications (as you do from time to time) and facilitating meetings or phone interviews for you guys with our leaders and security officials if you would like to have them.

In addition If you ask me to write longer pieces of analysis let's say 600 words I shall be paid $250 per piece.

Between 500-1000 $400.

Special projects of longer and deeper investigations and analysis will be determined per item.

If you have some counter proposals I shall be glad to consider them.

Best

Yossi”

George Freidman was satisfied and responded to Burton:

“I think we can do this. We really need him for the first

thing. Meredith will handle with you. Contact her please.”

Yossi Melman vs Julian Assange

Yossi Melman had developed an altercation with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange due to being portrayed as a Mossad asset, calling Assange anti-Semitic. And while everyone has the right to defend themselves, traveling to Azerbaijan with the Israeli Prime Minister, offering to facilitate meetings or phone interviews with Israeli leaders and security officials...can anyone be blamed for thinking otherwise?

STRATFOR Ideology

From Newsclick, “Stratfor claims that it operates "without ideology, agenda or national bias", yet the emails reveal private intelligence staff who align themselves closely with US government policies and channel tips to the Mossad – including through an information mule in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Yossi Melman, who conspired with Guardian journalist David Leigh to secretly, and in violation of WikiLeaks’ contract with the Guardian, move WikiLeaks US diplomatic cables to Israel.”

Now lets come back to 2023, when Yossi took a shot at the President of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki.

Haaretz: Eritrea No Longer Serves Israel's Security Interests. It's Time to Cut Ties, Sep 7, 2023.

https://archive.ph/V8muF

This is Yossi Melman:

Calling him Dictator, his conclusion is that his (President Isaias Afewerki’s) ties to Iran are a sufficient reason to act against the embassy and even consider severing diplomatic relations with Asmara.

I’ll go line by line on this. Italics are his words.

There are numerous culprits in the violent clashes, without precedent, between members of the Eritrean community in south Tel Aviv on Saturday. First and foremost are the rioters themselves, from both rival groups, regime opponents and supporters.

Um no. Rioters are one sided, the predominantly Tigrayans posing as Eritreans styling themselves as Brigade Nhamedu, coopted from an old Eritrean military unit during Eritrea’s 30 year independence war, and the blue shirts are from the old 1950s Eritrean flag during its forced federation with the Ethiopian Empire, COURTESY of the U.S. and Britain. Let’s not mention how Israel trained Eritrean commandos to attack Eritrean freedom fighters, though the former eventually took their skills for their people. Or lets discuss Israel supplying napalm and cluster bombs to Ethiopia to bomb Eritrean civilians in Massawa in the last years of Eritrea’s war of independence.

In the last few years from mid 2022, in Israel, Europe and North America have seen Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front diaspora (who used false Eritrean identity to claim asylum) using violent brazen attacks against Eritrean diaspora and even Western police officers.

And since the US neocon U.S. “Tigray war” failed in Ethiopia, chiefly due to Eritrea, and also the Ethiopian federal army, Amhara and Afar forces, they can only attack the Eritrean diaspora to make an appearance of infighting to generate negative coverage of Eritrea. And try to create another regime change operation against Eritrea.

The police, who despite the intelligence in their possession, didn’t prepare properly to prevent the bloodshed, are also responsible. In addition, one could cite the cowardice of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who signed an agreement with the United Nations in 2018 that would have removed around half the Eritreans from Israel, but, under pressure from the right because it would have left the other half here, canceled it less than a day later.

You mean intelligence failure like Oct 7 when Hamas overran Israel? Or deliberate pretend not to see? Whether you admit migrants or not is an immigration policy of the government and international organs. But an intelligence failure is too convenient.

Nevertheless, there’s one other culprit that should neither be absolved or ignored. And that is Eritrea’s government.

Does that mean the Eritrean government told the TPLF (Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front) Diaspora group, Brigade Nhamedu to attack “regime supporters”? Because all of the violence has been one sided by the Tigrayan Brigade Nhamedu. Not only in Israel, but the US, Canada, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and elsewhere.

Dictator Isaias Afwerki, who has ruled the country ruthlessly for 32 years, heads one of the poorest, most backward, most repressive countries in the world. He imposed a mandatory 25 years of military service on Eritrean men so they could serve as cannon fodder in his wars against Ethiopia. The forcible conscription and the poverty, together with the repression and the human rights violations, are the main reasons for Eritreans’ flight from their country and their recognition as refugees by many other countries.

And yet Azerbaijan has been effectively ruled by the Aliyev family since 1993. And Israel also has a strategic relationship with Azerbaijan, mentioned by Yossi himself.

“I don’t think so. Israel and Azerbaijan have strategic relations. Azerbaijan is an important market for Israeli arms exports. So I think this will not affect Israel’s relations with Azerbaijan.” (https://mediamax.am/en/news/interviews/24922.

The mandatory national service was due to a catch 22 where Eritrea was attacked by U.S. backed Ethiopia/TPLF, and its sovereign land was occupied by Ethiopian soldiers in violation of the 2002 Algiers Agreement, while a strategic depopulation strategy was made in the U.S. State Department to lure Eritrean youth starting in the mid 2000s, placing greater pressure on remaining Eritrean soldiers, ergo extending service.

And while I don’t agree with permanent service, I have to look at the particulars. Notice how he says cannon fodder. If someone attacks you in your home, and you call on all family members to arm against home invaders, are they now “cannon fodder”?

The main reason for flight is sanctions, proxy war, regime change by the special interests of the West, including George Soros.

In 1993, Eritrea won independence following a lengthy military struggle against the central government in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. Afwerki, who led the revolt, was elected president of his new country and also assumed the powers of the prime minister and the army’s commander in chief. He set up a one-party regime and has prevented new elections ever since he first took power.

And Azerbaijan is ruled by the same family and yet is Israel’s strategic partner of Iran. Is this truly relevant if a nation is democratic or autocratic, or is it relevant based on who a nation is aligned with?

At first, Afwerki was considered a friend by Israel and the West. Immediately after Eritrea declared independence, he was flown to Israel for lifesaving medical treatment at Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer. Because of Eritrea’s geographic location on the Horn of Africa, its ports on the Red Sea coast and its proximity to Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, Israel saw the country as a strategic asset.

In other words, you thought he would play ball but realized he’s his own person.

According to foreign reports, Israeli intelligence ran a listening post in Eritrea, monitored ship movements and used the country as a departure point to infiltrate Mossad agents into nearby Arab countries. In addition, Eritrea controls a group of islands, the most important of which is Dahlak Kebir.

Oh you mean STRATFOR reports? And since you’re aligned with Israeli’s security services, why doesn’t the Israeli government publicly declare if they are actually in Eritrea or not?

According to the same reports, Israel maintained a marina on Dahlak Kebir that served as a fueling station for ships from the Israel Navy and its submarine fleet. Israel also supplied arms to the Eritrean army at the same time it was arming Ethiopia, so for a time it was arming both sides in the war that erupted between them following a border dispute.

Let’s get some actual reports. Release intelligence documents from AMAN, MOSSAD, or any other Israeli organs to verify and prove this Israeli marina.

About a year ago Israel decided to close its embassy in the Eritrean capital, Asmara. That followed two years during which Afwerki refused to approve the appointment of Ishmael Khaldi, who was Israel’s first Bedouin ambassador. But the more important reason for the closure of the embassy was a change in Afwerki’s policies.

I wonder what Israel was up to, to get their embassy shut down.

As a result of sanctions that many countries, particularly Western ones, imposed on his regime, he has befriended Russian President Vladimir Putin and also established close ties with Iran, which has boosted its own presence in his country. The crisis in relations with Israel is also evident in Eritrea’s statements at the United Nations and other international forums. The country is among the staunchest opponents of Israeli observer status at the African Union.

And who controls Western governments? Its special interests neocons. And lets get some actual verification of Iranian presence in Eritrea. So Eritrea is among the staunchest opponent of Israel’s observer status in the African Union? Could we get an Eritrean or Iranian observer in the Knesset?

Although it doesn’t have an ambassador in Israel, Eritrea continues to maintain its embassy in Ramat Gan, which is run by an acting ambassador along with several other staffers. On orders from Afwerki, the embassy, like other Eritrean embassies around the world, closely monitors the local Eritrean exile community. Afwerki and his envoys also monitor opponents of the regime around the world as well as social media, where they attempt to intervene in its content.

And how precisely are these embassies monitoring the local Eritrean exile? Why were they exiled? What is the constitution for exile? Did they flee before or after Eritrea became an independent nation? Are they even Eritrean at all?

That’s also the case in Israel, where the Eritrean community numbers about 25,000 people. Most are opponents of the regime but a minority of mostly older people fought on the side of Afwerki and his movement in the war to secede from Ethiopia, and still support him.

The violent incidents in Tel Aviv last Saturday are unjustifiable, but Israel needs to punish not only the rioters – whom Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering expelling – but also the Eritrean government. Its embassy in Israel certainly conducts activity that would meet the description of improper interference in the domestic affairs of another country. But perhaps the most important reason to shut down the embassy is that Eritrea is no longer important to Israel’s security and strategic interests.

And why are they opponents? Are they interested in regime change? Legitimate criticizers of the Eritrean government? Also, why are ethnic Tigrayans from Ethiopia counted as Eritreans?

If the Eritrean government is not attacking or inciting violence, they why are they culpable? One must be blamed solely for their actions, not as a scapegoat of Israel’s incompetence.

Ah, there it is. “Eritrea is no longer important to Israel’s security and strategic interests.”

Israel has refrained from selling it weapons and the Israel Navy has managed well without Eritrea’s ports and islands. And Afwerki’s close ties with the Islamic regime in Iran are a sufficient reason to act against the embassy and even consider severing diplomatic relations with Asmara. If that happens, the chances of a repeat of last Saturday’s incidents in Tel Aviv are low. (So more TPLF-Brigade NHamedu false flag attacks on Diaspora Eritreans again?)

So are there actual Israeli naval presence in Eritrea or not? And did the Eritrean government ask for weapons, publicly or privately? How is refraining to sell weapons relevant if there’s no prospective buyer? And the only way to stop violent incidents is by punishing the offenders who actually commit violence.

The Cradle-Eritrea blames Mossad for stirring unrest that led to Tel Aviv clashes

https://thecradle.co/articles/eritrea-blames-mossad-for-stirring-unrest-that-led-to-tel-aviv-clashes

“The Eritrean Information Ministry on 6 September accused Israel's Mossad spy agency of disrupting “cultural events that have been taking place for decades" and fueling unrest among the migrant community in Tel Aviv, which last week devolved into violent clashes that left at least 170 injured.”

Opposition claims

From Tesfanews, an old Wikileaks Twitter/X post reveals STRATFOR that Eritrean opposition websites are funded and backed by CIA and the Ethiopian government. While its not a surprise for me, its interesting to see confirmation from Wikileaks that a mutual enemy of Assange is also targeting Eritrea. These “opposition” are “usually characterized by divisions along regional, ethnic, religious, and ideological parameters”.

One of the constant themes of Ethiopian-backed Eritrean “opposition” is to create or insinuate alliances with parties engaged in geopolitical conflict, often times either Gulf Arab vs Iran, Israel vs Iran, America vs Islamic fundamentalists. Why? Because if Eritrea becomes caught up in these conflicts, then Eritrea becomes forced to maneuver from its preferred neutral stances to a lose lose catch-22. If it supports one, it offends the other. And since the Eritrean government does a disservice by taking a reclusive approach, it allows Ethiopia and the U.S. to fill the gap by creating a narrative that suits their interest.

For example, following Eritrean President Isayas Afwerki and Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad’s meeting and the former’s public support for an Iranian nuclear program, “opposition sites” went to work immediately to infer there was more than mere diplomatic ties.

https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/eritrea-iran-foreign-relations

“Following Iran’s warm reception for Eritrea’s new ambassador to Tehran in June 2009, President Afwerki stated his support of Iran’s nuclear program, saying, “Iran’s nuclear program is a source of pride for us and we support the country’s stand in this regard.”[4]President Afwerki went on to say that the International Atomic Energy Agency and Western nations do not have the authority to interfere with Iran’s nuclear development.[5]“

Infolive parrots opposition(site taken down)

https://search.wikileaks.org/gifiles/emailid/1803681

An Israel site named Infolive.tv claimed http://www.infolive.tv/en/infolive.tv-34598-israelnews-iran-takes-command-strategic-straits-hormuz-shipping-route-triples-r that Iranian ships and submarines deployed and undisclosed number of Iranian troops and weapons at the Eritrean port town of Assab. Among the interesting assertions, Iran would use the pretext of an accord it signed with Eritrea and revamp the old Soviet oil refinery in Assab to station troops, maintain a “ strong military presence with full command of the Straits of Hormuz”. Keep in mind, the Straits of Hormuz is in the Persian Gulf, not the Red Sea. Eritrea is at the Bab el-Mandeb, NOT the Straits of Hormuz.

The article also says the deal would guarantee a constant supply to the 2nd largest importer of oil free from international intervention. One problem. Where would the oil to refine come from? And how could it guarantee freedom from intervention when the US and various Western nations have military bases in Djibouti, literally next door?

To their credit again, STRATFOR analysts do their homework and conclude 1) the oil refinery was closed in 1997. 2) Infolive is an Israeli website, “no serious media has picked up this story”.

This is a key paragraph in the above link, which is also taken to task.

“According to local reports Iranian troops and a large number of long range ballistic missiles have also been deployed at a military base at the port and Iranian unmanned drones daily patrol the area.”

Who are the local reporters?

Cutting Edge Beltway cutout

https://search.wikileaks.org/gifiles/emailid/217185

The local reporters were an Eritrean website named asena-online.com, they are the reporters of the Iranian troop presences in Eritrea. An “opposition” website with Ethiopian backing started the charade, and it was later picked up by Cutting Edge Foreign Editor Joseph Grieboski and published under the name Iran Deploys Troops, Ballistic Missiles To Eritrea on Dec 8th, 2008.

Now why is this relevant? Because his sources are from the usual suspects, opposition groups, foreign diplomats, and NGOs in the area, including an “opposition” named “The Eritrean Democratic Party, an opposition party, pointed to trepidation within the Eritrean regime, indicating that some high-ranking members are saying that the president is playing with fire with Iran and that the consequences for Eritrea could be grave.” The article also mentions another Eritrean opposition website, selfi-democracy.com, that Eritrean “tyrant” Afewerki granted Iran complete and exclusive control over the Eritrean Oil Refinary.

By opposition, does he mean subversive? By NGOs, does he mean Soros groups, NED, USAID? By foreign diplomats, does he mean Western?

And who is Joseph Grieboski anyways? From Huffington Post:

https://www.huffpost.com/author/joseph-k-grieboski

CEO, Just Consulting; Co-Chair, State Department Task Force on Religion and International Development and Humanitarian Assistance

Joseph K. Grieboski is the Chairman and CEO of just CONSULTING (www.just-consulting.com) and Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of THE INSTITUTE on Religion and Public Policy.

In 1999 – at the age of 24 – Joe founded THE INSTITUTE on Religion and Public Policy (www.religionandpolicy.org). Twelve years and several Nobel Peace Prize nominations later, Joe has become an internally-renowned expert in security, counter-terrorism, human rights, conflict transformation, business development, and much more. As a matter of fact, in a letter to Joe in 2005, His Majesty, King Mohammed VI, of Morocco referred to Joe’s work as the “foundation of a new civilization”.

As a religious freedom, human rights, and international policy expert, Joe has testified before the United States Congress, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the United Nations Human Rights Council, the European Parliament and countless other legislative and international bodies.

His extensive travels to every corner of the globe have allowed Joe to meet, interact with, and befriend leaders of business and industry, government, entertainment, advocacy, and other arenas, giving him one of Washington’s best and most sought after rolodexes.

From confidence building programs in Darfur to post-conflict reconstruction in Kosovo, from track-three diplomacy efforts in North Korea and Iran to minority protection and reintegration in Iraq and Afghanistan, to authoring countless laws for numerous countries, Joe has been at the forefront of the some of most crucial and sensitive issues and areas in the world.

He currently serves as Co-chair of the US State Department Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society Working Group on Religion and Foreign Policy Subgroup on International Aid and Development; Founder and Secretary-General of the Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom; Founder and Chairman of the International Consortium on Religion, Culture, and Dialogue; member of the Board of Directors of the Leadership Council for Human Rights; member of the Board of Directors of Planète Citoyenne; member of the Board of Advisors of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation; member of the Board of Advisors of The Earth Organization; member of the Board of Advisors of PGSA Services; columnist for The Huffington Post; foreign news contributor for The Cutting Edge News. Joe has also served as an advisor to the US Department of State, the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Parliament, and many other national and international bodies.

In accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the Executive Office of Immigration Review of the Justice Department has cooperated with Joe to train the United States immigration judges and immigration attorneys each year. He has also lectured for the Close Up Foundation; the National Youth Leadership Forum on Defense, Intelligence, and Diplomacy; and the Washington Semester Program on Peace and Conflict Resolution at American University. Joe has also served as a lecturer in the Boston University Institute on Religion, Culture, and World Affairs (IRWA).

In April 2010 Joe was inducted into the International Board of Sponsors of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College – Martin Luther King’s alma mater. The award honors those who have made significant contributions to the civil and human rights nonviolence movement in the tradition of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King.

Joe holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree and a Master of Arts degree in National Security Studies both from Georgetown University. In 2008, Joe received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Marywood University. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in International Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

I could have sworn Dr. King said the U.S. was the greatest purveyor of violence.

“The greatest purveyor of violence in the world : My own Government, I can not be Silent.” - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

And the old Linkedin page for his organization shows to be based in Alexandria, VA. A Beltway blob. This how Ethiopian intelligence-backed Eritrean “opposition” works. They make sensational headlines, wait for a Western spook to pick up on it, and report as fact. And since many Western audiences are oblivious to critical thought, they will take as gospel and believe as they’re told.

Finally, Tesfanews reported in February 15, 2015 the closure of Radio Asena, another opposition website due to the lack of funding from the Ethiopian government following the death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Per article, it was established in February 2009 with considerable financial assistance promoted Ethiopian agenda under the banner of an Eritrean opposition. The founder and editor Amanuel Eyasu quoted “This isn’t goodbye… we’ll certainly be back” in an article posted in Assenna.com, another opposition site.

He was right. Assenna.com is now asenatv.com, and they even have an English language article titled Unsolicited Advice to Brighed N’Hamedu (BNH) from Dec 28, 2023 where they give advise to the US backed TPLF disguised as Eritrean opposition. Their main drive is to reorganize Tigrayan (“Eritrean”) opposition and use riots to attack Eritrean communal festivals and gatherings, to give Western governments a pretext to dismantle the Eritrean Diaspora festivals. They aim to isolate the Diaspora from their homeland, while posing as the next Eritrean government and producing regime change schemes against Eritrea.

https://asenatv.com/unsolicited-advice-to-brighed-nhamedu-bnh/

You may be familiar with Brigade N’Hamedu, the “Eritreans” rioting and attacking police and Eritrean Diaspora in various Western nations in blue shirts. The TPLF (Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front) is still attacking Eritrean Diaspora with Western backing via media disinformation and a false narrative of Eritrean Diaspora infighting to create a bad light on Eritrea, culminating on regime change plans.

Behind every terrorist is a White handler. But I digress, back to the investigation.

Arab media news investigations

Lets look into 2 independent investigations to verify the alleged Israeli and Iranian military bases, Ahram Online and Gulf News.

According to the Jamestown Foundation post “Russia in the Red Sea: Port Options in Eritrea (Part Two)”. Though it has many luminaries affiliated to powerful Western interests, this quote alone encapsulates the truth against STRATFOR.

“Both the Yemeni government-in-exile and Eritrean dissidents have claimed Asmara gave permission to Iran and Israel to operate military and intelligence facilities in the archipelago, though the Eritrean government has denied such allegations. An investigation of the islands in 2010 failed to find any trace of foreign troops or facilities on the larger islands of the archipelago (Gulf News, April 21, 2010). These allegations resurfaced in 2015 but suffered from a similar lack of evidence (Ahram Online, June 15, 2015).”

https://jamestown.org/program/russia-in-the-red-sea-port-options-in-eritrea-part-two/

So lets explore two articles debunking the narrative.

The first article published in April 21st, 2010 by Gulf News titled “Eritrea:
In pursuit of the Truth” is the very first foreign newspaper to actually visit Eritrea and investigate the validity to the Iranian and Israeli presence fabrication.

https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/eritrea-in-pursuit-of-the-truth-1.615302

An alleged alliance of Eritrea and Iran was assumed upon Western intelligence agencies reaction to President Isaias Afewerki’s visit to Iran in May 2009 and his talks with Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Per Gulf News report on an Iranian presence in Assab oil refinery:

“What we had seen inside the facility was only an old, abandoned oil refinery. There were neither any foreign soldiers nor even Eritrean troops, except two security guards at the gate.”

Regarding an alleged Israeli presence in Dahlak island, Dahlak archipelago has been in the midst of controversy over the past 20 years ever since Eritrea's independence. Sometimes it was said that it was used by Israel as its missile launch pad. Another allegation was that Eritrea allows Iran to assemble its military hardware there. Here’s another quote relevant to the claim of Israeli presence.

“These included Dahlak, Norah, Dahl and Dissei. I cannot say definitely whether there are any missile launch pads or foreign military presence in any one of the overwhelming majority of uninhabited islands in the archipelago.”

The article was well done and includes an itinerary of the author’s travels through out Eritrea investigating foreign military presence.

The second article by Ahram Online, “Iranian support to Houthis via Eritrea: Reality or myth?” published in Jun 15, 2015 does not include a personal visit but still illuminates Eritrea’s careful approach to West Asian politics.

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/132655/World/Region/Iranian-support-to-Houthis-via-Eritrea-Reality-or-.aspx

The article noted “while African countries Djibouti, Mauritania and Senegal issued statements in support of the Saudi-led military campaign, and Egypt, Morocco and Sudan joined it, Eritrea did not condemn the "Houthi coup", he said, preferring instead to adopt a position of "neutrality" on the issue.”

To summarize the article, the Yemeni exiled government accused Eritrea of supporting the Houthi, or Ansar Allah faction. Iran and Saudi took different sides. The accusations entail opening its land and islands of Dahlak archipelago for Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Iranian missile bases near the port of Assab, and training and provisioning of Houthi forces.

The Eritrean foreign ministry denied the accusations. And smartly points to the obvious bulwark, “stressing the impossibility of such movements under the heavy deployment of the US and Western fleets present in the strategic Bab El-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea”. If there were Iranian and Houthi presence in southern Eritrea near the Bab El-Mandeb chokepoint, Eritrea would be culpable and most probably be attacked by U.S. coalition forces based in Djibouti.

The Eritrean government attributes the accusations due to propaganda by Ethiopian intelligence services in cooperation with “other sides” to distort Eritrea’s image in Arab public opinion. Keep in mind that Ethiopia under the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) had a 20+ year hostile relationship with Eritrea, and there is a pattern of Ethiopian intelligence to work on isolation of Eritrea in the geographical area, with unsubstantiated claims.

While Eritrea has made relations with Israel and Iran,

“It has however strongly denied any presence of Israeli or Iranian military bases or forces on its territory, especially in the Dahlak archipelago, saying that the Eritrean islands are not for sale or rent.”

And while diplomatic relations are the right and interest of all nation states, close military alliances may be and are carefully scrutinized by other nations. And again, there is no Israeli or Iranian military bases.

Social media gets it wrong: Eritrea supports all opposed parties, Eritrea supports Israel, supports Iran, supports Houthis, opposes Houthis?

Mint Press News (Alternative media, Arab world focused)

https://www.mintpressnews.com/houthis-preparing-planned-israel-attack-yemen/262730/

Ahmed Abdulkareem writing for MintPressNews reports: “Any attack by the Yemen army would likely come in retaliation to an Israeli attack and would hit Israeli military bases in Eritrea, Israeli ships in the Red Sea as well as hit vital targets deep inside of Israel, according to Yemeni military sources.”

Arab News

https://www.arabnews.com/node/288615

Arab News cites Sanaa-based Yemeni daily Al-Thawra claims that Israel transferred three Israeli warships from Eritrea’s Dakhal to support their military operations against Lebanon. I wonder if there are ship logs of these ships going against Lebanon?

Official sources noted that Israel is creating the biggest naval base outside Israel on the Dahlak Island.

Again, “official sources”.

Israel has some clear motives for establishing and improving ties with Eritrea. They wanted Eritrea to become the most important strategic ally to the Zionist entity in every corner of the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.

Is that why the US and EU have been a major antagonist to Eritrea? After all, why would the servants oppose a strategic partner of its master?

Another advantage is the importance of Eritrea’s location in serving the Israeli strategies in motoring and spying on Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Sudan. The three countries are not Israel’s allies.

In 1998, the British “Foreign Report” bulletin, specializing in intelligence affairs, reported that Israel maintains close intelligence relations with Ethiopia and Eritrea

According to the British weekly, Eritrea permits Israel to carry out vast activities on Dahlak Island on the Red Sea. Because of the presence of the Israelis on this island, the Mossad can carry out monitoring operations and collect important information about Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Without analysis or critical thought, they take as gospel what British “Foreign Report” reports. And who does British Foreign Report report to?

Now to their other cited source “How Israel Casts Its Dark Shadow Over Horn Of Africa” published August 31, 2006 by the Center for Political and Strategic Studies and published by Al-Ahram

I was unable to find archived articles in their Commentaries dated from June 2006, but I found an article titled “American anomaly” by Amr Elchoubaki, June 15 - 21 2006 in their Weekly Articles.

https://web.archive.org/web/20120124211410/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/799/op12.htm

No mention of Eritrea.

Eritrea has both Israeli and Iranian military presences

LBC Group (Lebanese media)

https://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/news-bulletin-reports/731047/unveiling-eritreas-role-a-geopolitical-chessboard-for-iran-and-israel/en

On Thursday night, pro-Iran media outlets reported, citing military sources in Eritrea, an attack on the Israeli Dahalk airbase located atop the summit of Mount Amba Soira, where Israeli forces are stationed in its largest overseas airbase in the Dahlak Archipelago, housing dozens of fighter aircraft of various models.

Despite these reports, none of Iran's allies have claimed responsibility for this strike, and neither Israel nor Eritrean authorities have announced it. Until this strike is confirmed, an important question arises.

In parallel with Israel's presence, Iran also maintains a military presence in the southern port of Eritrea.

This presence dates back to 2008 when Asmara welcomed the establishment of an Iranian military base in the Assab port, overlooking the Bab el Mandeb Strait as well.

This presence allows Iran to secure the routes for its caravans, transporting support to its allies.

So,

Mount Amba Soira is located in the Eritrean highlands, not an island. And who are these military sources cited by LBC?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahlak_Archipelago

At its highest point, Dahlak Kebir island is roughly 174 ft from sea level.

https://en-us.topographic-map.com/map/?center=15.76252%2C40.12001&zoom=11&popup=15.71098%2C40.05075

Now at 174 ft, lets translate it to meters.

1 foot = 0.3048 meters

174 * 0.3048 = 53.0352, or estimated 53 meters

National Geographic says most geologists classify a mountain as a landform that rises at least 1,000 feet (300 meters) or more above its surrounding area.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/mountains

The UK Ordnance Survey defines a mountain as having a minimum height of 2,000 feet, or 610 meters.

https://www.geographyrealm.com/mountain/

So do the Lebanese pro-Iranian news sources want to figure out where in Dahlak there’s a mountain?

Or…

Algemeiner (NYC area Jewish and Israeli focused news)

https://www.algemeiner.com/2012/12/12/report-israel-monitoring-iran-from-eritrea/

Ynet News (Israeli)

https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4318720,00.html

"Eritrea's decision to accommodate Israel and Iran is not an ideological choice. It is a way for a small and insecure nation to meet its economic and security needs," the report concluded. The conclusion from STRATFOR report.

The Aviationist (blog ran by David Cenciotti concerning military aviation)

https://theaviationist.com/2012/12/18/eritrea

The small East African nation of Eritrea is hosting two middle Eastern rivals in the form of Iran and Israel.

Iran is wanting to expand its influence in the Red Sea area and has expanded its presence in the country.

2008 saw Iran and Eritrea strike a deal to maintain a military presence in Assab which was officially to protect the Iranian state owned oil refinery near the town. In return Iran supplied Eritrea with cash and military support in an attempt to support the countries fragile economy.

Yamanyoon (Yemeni media)

https://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=77998

Quoting the “informed diplomatic sources”, the Stratfor noted that Tel Aviv is trying to have limited but efficient presence in the island all to make sure that its activity in the African country is not revealed.

Diplomatic sources. I see why Israel has a run of the Arab world.

Fair Observer

https://www.fairobserver.com/region/africa/corrado-cok-horn-of-africa-isreal-normalization-sudan-ethiopia-eritrea-somaliland-security-news-12388/#

Eritrea is another country set to move closer to Tel Aviv. Eritreans received crucial military assistance from Israel during the liberation war against Ethiopia.

Again, what crucial Israeli assistance helped Eritreans turn the tide against US, Israel & USSR backed Ethiopia?

Author CORRADO COK cites Haaretz, which cites STRATFOR

https://www.haaretz.com/2012-12-12/ty-article/.premium/israel-iran-have-bases-in-eritrea/0000017f-efe8-d497-a1ff-efe863340000

AA(Anadolu Ajansı, Turkiye media news)

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/analysis-eritrea-may-play-role-in-anti-houthi-campaign/49029

However, relations improved again. Israel established a military base in Eritrea and provided military and financial aid to the Horn of Africa country.

Eritrea's relations with Iran also raised concern in Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh criticizing a visit by Afewerki to Tehran in 2008.

The Yemeni government also accused Eritrea of providing military support and weapons to the Houthis.

US Military West Point Academy

From the US Army’s West Point Academy’s Combating Terrorism Center:

Iran’s interest in Yemen seems to have been piqued when Riyadh entered the sixth war in late 2009, at which time an Iranian intelligence-gathering ship took up station in the Red Sea near Eritrea’s Dahlak Islands, on the same latitude as the Saudi-Yemeni border and the Yemeni port of Midi.g Two arms shipments were intercepted on their way to the Houthis in October 2009 between Eritrea and Houthi agents in Midi and Hodeida ports,41 with the Yemeni government claiming that five “Iranian trainers” were aboard one ship.42 The Houthis gained full control of Midi port in November 2011.h

Here’s a problem with the West Point article. I went to the sources listed (41) and (42)

[41]

Tribes and politics in Yemen: A history of the Houthi conflict

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180216-tribes-and-politics-in-yemen-a-history-of-the-houthi-conflict/

[42]

Yemenis intercept 'Iranian ship'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8327892.stm

Iranian support for Yemen's Houthis goes back years

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/04/20/iran-support-for-yemen-houthis-goes-back-years/26095101/

Not a single mention of Eritrea in the BBC and USA Today articles.

So why is Eritrea mentioned as collaborating with Houthi agents?

Eritrea supports Israel, Houthis and Iran

Geeska Afrika Online (Horn of African media)

https://www.geeskaafrika.com/eritrea-iranian-arms-ship-was-heading-to-the-houthis-in-yemen/

The source ended the statement saying: “There is close cooperation between Israel and the government in Asmara and the Israelis have been present in the Eritrean islands in the Red Sea, where the Iranian weapons are stored, for a long time.”

Eritrea supports Iranian weapons import for Houthis, AND Eritrea has close cooperation with Israel.

Sheba Intelligence(UK based Yemen media)

Iran wants Russia to Include Houthis in Russia-Eritrea Working Group

Sheba Intelligence obtained information about communications exchanged between Houthi military leaders and Eritrean intelligence agencies over the past few months.  

Article came out Sept 13, 2023 just a month before alleged attack on Israeli base

https://shebaintelligence.uk/iran-seeks-to-persuade-moscow-to-include-houthis-in-russia-eritrea-working-group

Yemen’s Houthis Consider Launching an Attack on a Military Base in Eritrea

Now the same Sheba Intelligence now reports as of Apr 25, 2024 the Houthis are considering launching an attack on a military base in Eritrea. From Iran wanting Russia to include Houthis in working group with Eritrea and Russia, to now launching an American and UK weapons supply base in Eritrea.

https://shebaintelligence.uk/yemens-houthis-consider-launching-an-attack-on-a-military-base-in-eritrea

The sources said that the meeting, which was held in Faj Attan in Sanaa, was attended by the Houthi Minister of Defense, Major General Muhammad al-Atifi, the Chief of Staff of the Houthi group’s forces, Muhammad al-Ghamari, the director of procurement for the Houthi forces, and Muhammad al-Talbi, a senior Houthi leader.

According to the sources, the meeting agreed to direct the first strike on a military base in Eritrea, which is described as the main warehouse from which American and British forces are supplied with weapons in the Red Sea battle against the Houthis.

Always the sources.

Jpost (Jerusalem Post)

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/rebel-spokesman-houthi-missiles-can-hit-covert-israeli-bases-in-eriteria-506376

Houthis say they Israeli military bases in Africa are withing range. Which bases, and which African nations?

Israel established diplomatic relations with Eritrea in early 1993 and assisted in the Eritrean war of independence.

Israel and Eritrea did indeed establish diplomatic relations, but did NOT assist in the Eritrean War of Independence. In fact they were critical to allowing Ethiopia to survive. It is a whole article to discuss Israeli hands in Ethiopia against Eritrea. Furthermore, they provided napalm and cluster bombs to Ethiopia/Derg that was utilized in bombing Massawa upon their strategic loss of the war. Nice try Israel.

It was previously reported that the Israeli bases were used by submarines and ships taking part in the ongoing covert war against Iranian networks smuggling weapons to Hamas and Hezbollah through the Red Sea and then to Sudan and Egypt. Iran, which arms the Houthis, was also reported by Stratfor to have a military installation in Assab, Eritrea.

See, that 2 for 1 special STRATFOR report again. Implication of Israeli + Iranian bases without confirmation.

Al Manar (Pro-Hezbollah Lebanese News)

Houthis say they can reach western Red Sea

Rashed referred to the latest speech by the leader of Ansrullah revolutionary movement, Sayyed Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houth, who said that the Yemeni missile can reach everywhere in Saudi Arabia, UAE and areas which lie to the west of the Red Sea.

And where did the source come again. STRATFOR? Ethiopia? Eritrean opposition?

They source Al-Massirah, a Yemeni TV channel founded and owned by Ansar Allah but is headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon. But again, what is the bases of their statement?

DD Geopolitics (Donbass Devushka)

RT correspondent Saskia Taylor:

https://theduran.com/rfk-jr-is-a-neocon-after-all-how-he-justifies-bidens-israel-policy/

“In recent weeks, Tel Aviv has handed out 12 new licenses to 6 companies, on top of the plan to tap more of the Gaza marine resources. This area is a strategic gold mine. The Israelis have their largest foreign base down the Red Sea, just off of Eritrea. And here, a bit further down, Beijing has a naval base in Djibouti, a key piece in its global infrastructure project, the Belt and Road [Initiative], hated by London, Brussels, and Washington, alike. Always ask yourself, who benefits? Because war is horror and war is hell, but never forget that war, above all else, is big business.”

At this point, I fail to see how alternative media is necessarily better than mainstream media outlets. I would argue they’re even more dangerous since “mainstream media” have an open agenda for influence and conquest of minds. Much of alternative media tends to be copy and paste mind hive. Watch video 5:35 to 5:45.

Now I will post a number of rebuttals from the Eritrean government.

Eritrean government responses

Now lets move on to Eritrean government responses in chronological order

Allegations that there exist foreign military camps in Eritrea are totally baseless: The Gulf News Apri 21, 2010

https://shabait.com/2010/04/21/allegations-that-there-exist-foreign-military-camps-in-eritrea-are-totally-baseless-the-gulf-news/

No foreign military presence in Dahlak Island: Aljazeera TV Nov 18, 2010

https://shabait.com/2010/11/18/no-foreign-military-presence-in-dahlak-island-aljazeera-tv/

Phantom Israeli and Iranian Military Bases in Eritrea Dec 27, 2012

https://tesfanews.com/phantom-israeli-and-iranian-military-bases-in-eritrea/

Eritrea: Phantom Israeli and Iranian Military Bases Dec 27, 2012

https://www.ecss-online.com/eritrea-phantom-israeli-and-iranian-military-bases/

Eritrea: Phantom Israeli and Iranian Military Bases Dec 27, 2012

https://shabait.com/2012/12/27/eritrea-phantom-israeli-and-iranian-military-bases/

Houthi Envoy? Deliberate Disinformation On Eritrea Mar 25, 2015

https://tesfanews.com/deliberate-disinformation-on-eritrea/

Houthi Envoy? Iranian Base? Deliberate Disinformation on Eritrea Mar 27, 2015

https://shabait.com/2015/03/27/houthi-envoy-iranian-base-deliberate-disinformation-on-eritrea/

Foreign Ministry dismisses as baseless and fabricated report alleging Iranian support to Houthi through Eritrea Mar 31, 2015

https://shabait.com/2015/03/31/foreign-ministry-dismisses-as-baseless-and-fabricated-report-alleging-iranian-support-to-houthi-through-eritrea/

Anatomy Of The Lie: Eritrea, Saudi Arabia And The Gulf States Nov 26, 2015

https://tesfanews.com/eritrea-anatomy-of-the-lie/

This was during the TPLF’s rule of Ethiopia

Press Release Feb 7, 2017

https://shabait.com/2017/02/07/press-release-61/

AlHadath: Ramping up Fabricated Accusations Sep 3, 2023

https://shabait.com/2023/09/03/62454/

There is 1 article I must dissect for your eyes. This is a blatant disinformation that reveals anti-Eritrean bias from some Arab news source

Eritrea: Worn-Out Disinformation On Phantom Israeli Bases June 21, 2016

https://tesfanews.com/eritrea-worn-disinformation-phantom-israeli-bases/

Al-Mayadeen falsely claimed in its Al-Zehira programm that Israel completed its largest post at Emba-Soira, Eritrea to monitor maritime movements in the Bab-el Mendeb and eavesdrop on Iran.

After the Eritrean government requested the source of this claim, it declined to provide a response. Now in a copy and paste atypical of many alternative media, the same story was previously published by MEM, or Middle East Monitor. They attributed their information to the Palestinian Information Centre, and a certain Usama al-Ashqar, their “expert on East African Affairs” claimed the post was confirmed by “Eritrean opposition”.

So I went to the MEM aritcle, and their source of the construction of largest Israeli listening post in the Red Sea Basin, is AlKhaleejonline.com.

Their other source is the Palestinian Information Centre, who said the post is in Emba Souira.

Here’s the problem. Al Khaleej is a UAE steel supplier. One of the commentators rebutted the lie from MEM and sure enough, it is a steel supplier. This is what passes for news. A simple 3 second browser search on Google will relay the findings. How does one attribute geopolitical news to a steel supplier?

Yup, a steel supplier.

https://alkhaleejonline.com/

As for the Palestinian Information Centre, the page was taken down. And there were no archived URLs to validate, but its safe to say MEM & Palestinian Information Centre didn’t do their research.

A year later on Sep 29, 2017 the same Middle East Monitor ran the same theme, again.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170929-yemens-houthis-threaten-israels-basis/

The Houthi armed group has threatened Israeli bases in Eritrea if it considers joining the Yemen civil war, Al Masirah reported. (Al Masirah domain was seized by the US Government).

Colonel Aziz Rashid, military spokesman for the Houthi armed group, warned ballistic missiles could be used to strike Israeli military bases in Eritrea if Tel Aviv enters the Yemen civil war.

The Houthi armed group deems Israel as an enemy, including anti-Israeli rhetoric on its flag “Death to Israel, Curse upon the Jews…” Abdul Malik Badreddin Al-Houthi in a speech in July said his fighters are ready to support a confrontation with Israel.

It is not clear why the threats have been made at this time.

Israel established diplomatic relations with Eritrea in early 1993 and assisted in the Eritrean war of independence which made way for an Israeli military presence. Iran, which arms the Houthis, also has a base in Eritrea.

Read that again.

• Israel assisted in the Eritrean War of Independence and has a military presence.

• Houthis make a threat towards Eritrea for having Israeli bases.

• Iran arms Houthis and also has a base in Eritrea.

UAE steel suppliers have more credibility than the Middle East Monitor.

To do research of Eritrea means wading through blatant disinformation from certain Western, Israeli, pro-Iran and Arab news.

Current Eritrean-Israeli relations

Current Eritrean-Israeli relations can best be described as frosty. While both nations created diplomatic relations since 1993, its had its ups and downs.

For one, the Israeli embassy has been effectively shut down since 2020 during the Covid era. Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who also served as Foreign Minister, approved the closure of its embassy in Asmara, Eritrea in July 9, 2020. This move was incumbent upon Eritrea’s refusal to recognize Israel’s ambassador for 2 years and it has remained empty.

PressTV also covered the closure of the Israeli embassy, following the 2 year refusal by Asmara’s delaying of Israel’s ambassador Ishmael Khaldi. Citing Israeli media outlets, the embassy remained empty in the aftermath of Covid-19 plandemic, and many of its staffers were currently in their homes without performing any particular tasks. Tens of thousands of dollars per monthly rent and other fees were spent by Tel Aviv. Until April 2020, only the head of embassy security served as the Israeli representative, while his wife handled administration work.

Interestingly, Palestine’s official Wafa news agency, quoting the “London-based online newspaper Rai al-Youm and other sources reported on August 1, 2021” that at least 14 nations agreed to expel Israel from the 55-member African Union.

One of them was Eritrea.

https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/07/10/685366/PM-Lapid-approves-closure-of-Israeli-embassy-in-Eritrea-after-ambassador-blocked

For those unfamiliar, Israel had once had an observer status in the African Union. Algeria took up diplomatic arms to expel Israel from the AU in support of Palestine and sought to oust Israel from its observer status. The other mentioned African nations include:

• South Africa

• Tunisia

• Eritrea

• Senegal

• Tanzania

• Niger

• Comoros

• Gabon

• Nigeria

• Zimbabwe

• Liberia

• Mali

• Seychelles

While not one of the listed nations, Namibia’s Foreign Ministry sent a strongly worded protest against Israel’s observer status in the AU.

Ynet News reports the relationship is strained. Upon many complaints is that Eritrea consistently votes against Israel in international forums, including the United Nations, and was a “vocal opponent against Israel's reinstatement as an observer in the African Union.”

Again to their old trick of unconfirmed implication, the article states that Israel’s reason for engagement is Eritrea’s strategic location in the Red Sea; and reporting “foreign sources”, Israel maintains intelligence bases and a Navy submarines in the vicinity. Again, no actual confirmation, just suggestive innuendo for lazy readers take as is facts.

The article also says Eritrea and Ethiopia conducted armed guerrilla warfare, and finally announced its independence, “thus becoming a dictatorship”, as if independence movements literally transform to dictatorships from day 1.

Ynet also says the vast majority of Eritreans in Israel are fierce opponents of the theocratic regime. Interesting, because to be a theocratic regime, you have to have a central religion in the government. Like Shia in Iran, Catholicism in the Vatican, etc. What is the Eritrean theocracy based on? Islam? Orthodox Christianity? Lutheranism? Taoism? Yorubu Orishas?

Brigade N’Hamedu

Again claiming that Eritrean refugees are automatically anti-Eritrean, they refer to what I call the boys in blue, or Tigrayan Brigade Nhamedu.

Those who object to the regime, who have escaped Eritrea, decided to protest against opening such a festival, culminating in the intense violent clashes seen in Tel Aviv on Saturday. Rioters used clubs, hurled stones and used knives to inflict serious injuries on at least 135 people, including police officers, leading to at least 39 of them being placed under arrest.

If Eritrea has a regime, Israel is the last nation that can make these sorts of accusations. Its not even an indigenous nation, but a Western transplant courtesy of guilty Europeans and American policymakers. Rioters using blunt and edged weapons is a feature of TPLF Diaspora agents following their defeat in the “Tigray War” when Eritrea and its regional allies defeated the US proxy force. But the US brokered Pretoria Agreement in 2022 stopped the war without a permanent resolution. In other words, the Biden regime salvaged its local proxy for a rainy day.

It appears Israeli authorities severely misjudged the tensions running between the opposing camps, and were ill-equipped to handle these violent clashes. Police separated the sides and worked to halt the violent uprising that spun completely out of control. People who assist Eritreans living in Israel say that, with all due respect to those who object to the regime back home, their behavior was abhorrent and completely disrespectful to the country that gave them shelter.

An Israeli official that works with the Eritrean community said that the violence is unacceptable and completely inappropriate, and added that he finds the issue very disconcerting.

Israel is not alone, however. These sort of cultural festivals, held to praise the regime of President Isaias Afwerki, have been held in several other countries that have large Eritrean communities, resulting in similar violent clashes and confrontations between those who object to the regime and those who support it.

Why would Eritreans praise “the regime”? Celebrating your homeland is contrary to praising a government and indeed an oxymoron. This smacks of a psyop to create an illusion of a transplanted internal African tribal conflict where misinformed Westerners would not care of the circumstances but scream the Great Replacement.

Canada, Germany and Sweden have witnessed similar clashes. In Toronto, for example, authorities canceled the festival due to fear of rioting. Afwerki's detractors here in Israel claim his supporters are regime spies that keep him apprised of every step protesters make. They claim the Eritrean regime persecutes their families, conducts a policy of intimidation and keeps them hostage.

Again, one side dressed in uniform of light blue and green shirts attacking the other side, and the media narrative of infighting among Eritrean rivals is created. But when you control the Western media, you can do that. The purpose of these one sided clashes is to create an excuse to shut down Eritrean cultural events and gatherings, to silence Eritrean Diaspora in a state of fear and submission so the Eritrean people and government lose an invaluable ally, while largely Tigrayans posing as Eritreans sell their services for the Western special interests agenda to do a regime change against Eritrea.

But the World is Moving on.

It's complicated: Israeli-Eritrean relations have seen plenty ups and downs

The Eritrean government accused MOSSAD of generating the brazen attack against Eritrean Diaspora.

After all, if Palestinians were walking around with melee weapons, its safe to say they would be killed or tortured immediately. So how do “Eritrean” protesters get away with violent brazen attacks in broad daylight? Well, how does Hamas succeed in escaping the eyes of MOSSAD and Shin Bet to start their offensive of Oct 7th? Makes one wonder.

Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel lets the cat out the bag, when commenting on Brigade Nhamedu’s attack on Eritrean Diaspora in Germany:

“Complicity in attempts to disrupt decades-old Eritrean festivals using foreign thugs reflects abject failure of asylum scum,” Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said last month after rioting in Germany.

Does this ring a bell?

The same pattern where pro-Palestine college students get attacked on campus with police complicity?

Canadian Trucker Convoys attacked by police?

January 6 pro-Trump MAGA?

Khalistan supporters attacking Indian consulates in Canada?

Hong Kong “activists” attacking anyone presumed to be mainland Chinese in Hong Kong a few years back?

Finally, the Jerusalem Center made a video with an “Eritrean” researcher named Habtom Mehari on why Eritrea is silent on Houthi Attacks, video posted on Jan 8, 2024.

Eritrea's Silence on Houthi Attacks on Shipping within Its Maritime Territory

Interestingly, his Jerusalem Post bio shows his true background.

https://www.jpost.com/author/habtom-mehari

Agazian is an ethno-nationalist outfit that claims Tigrinya speaking highland Kebessa from Eritrea and Tigrayans from northern Ethiopia are the same people with a Tigrinya language, Orthodox faith and should be one nation. Advocates of Agazian often have an anti-Islam orientation, and do not perceive non-Tigrinya speaking nations/tribes of Eritrea as material to their ideology.

And yet, its not a popular theme with Eritreans. For one, Tigrinya speaking Eritreans do not see themselves as related to Tigrayans of northern Ethiopia, and historically the Mereb river served as a natural boundary between Eritrea and Abyssinia (Tigray and Amhara regions).

And any nation divided will fall. Concentrating on one ethnic/tribe and maligning the rest can only bring chaos and implosion. So who benefits from destroying the unity of Eritrea? The special interests and their hosts.

I’ll show you.

https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/greater-tigray-and-the-mysterious-magnetism-of-ethiopia/

The Tigrayans, though a minority, have had their periods of domination, the last ending in 2018. In between these eras, Tigrayans have been marginalised and weakened, including as the victims of their own internal rivalries, which culminated in the deep and bitter split between ‘core’ Tigrayans and Tigrayan Eritreans. 

An Israeli professor from Tel Aviv University named Haggai Erlich thinks he can tell Eritreans what their identity and history is. And two of his reviewers are known anti-Eritrean agents: Alex de Waal and David H. Shinn. All are supporters of Tigray and TPLF.

‘Erlich, one of the world’s leading authorities on the Horn of Africa, has masterfully captured the history of the Tigrinya-speaking peoples in Ethiopia and Eritrea.’ — David H. Shinn, former US Ambassador to Ethiopia

‘A unique, engaging and wonderful book by a one-of-a-kind scholar. With a vast amount of fascinating detail about the history of Tigray, Eritrea and Ethiopia, Erlich offers insight that cannot be found elsewhere.’ — Alex de Waal, Executive Director, World Peace Foundation

Furthermore, Eritrea is one of the prominent lands of Islam, where the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) sent his Sahaba, or Companions, for refuge in the old Axumite Empire from the Meccans. Islam is an ingrained pillar in Eritrea as is Orthodox Christianity. So how could there be an Eritrea without Islam?

The Al Sahaba masjid in Massawa, Eritrea was created by the Prophet’s very own companions. Some of the local people converted, or reverted if preferred and intermarried with some of the Sahaba. The masjid points towards Jerusalem or Yerusalem, also known as Al Aqsa in Arabic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque_of_the_Companions

Current Eritrean-Iranian relations

The current relationship between Eritrea and the Islamic Republic of Iran is in good standing, though some of my own sources imply there’s more behind the scenes. Both are nations under US sanctions, and are members of the Group of Friends of the UN Charter.

In June 12, 2023, PressTV did a great review of US illegal sanctions on Eritrea, where they discussed Eritrea’s role in the Horn of Africa with Amanuel Biedemariam and its challenges with US Empire agents.

https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/06/12/705124/US-Illegal-Sanctions-on-Eritrea

In Sep 24, 2023 before the alleged attack on the “Israeli” base, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with various other foreign ministers in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

https://en.mehrnews.com/news/206406/Amir-Abdollahian-continues-to-meet-with-counterparts-in-NYC

Continuing his diplomatic meetings on the sidelines of the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met at his residence with his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh Mohammed.

In the meeting, issues of mutual interest in the domain of bilateral ties were discussed.

Amir-Abdollahian touched upon the Iranian government’s due regard for Africa and the importance of Africa in Iran’s foreign relations and cooperation, saying, “There is a memorandum of understanding between the two sides on some development issues, and I hope we will be able to implement already reached agreements together.”

The Iranian foreign minister described Africa as a wealthy continent in terms of material and spiritual resources as well as manpower, adding Iran stands ready to work with Eritrea in different areas of mutual interest.

Amir-Abdollahinan invited his counterpart to travel to Iran, which was welcomed by the top Eritrean diplomat.

Directly from the Iranian Republic of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two Foreign Ministers discussed mutual interests, namely the latest status of bilateral relations and regional developments, and noted that the administration of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi attaches special significance to the African continent, namely Eritrea’s active role in the Horn of Africa.

https://en.mfa.ir/portal/newsview/694491/Iran-Eritrea-FMs-discuss-expansion-of-reciprocal-ties-in-New-York

This is all a month before the alleged attack.

https://kenya.mfa.gov.ir/en/NewsView/737224/The-Meeting-of-the-Ali-Gholampour-Ambassador-with-Beyene-Russom-the-Ambassador-of-Eritrea

Now 2 months after the “attack”, on Dec 28, 2023, Dr Ali Gholampour, Ambassador of I.R. of Iran in the Republic of Kenya, met his counterpart, Eritrean ambassador to the Republic of Kenya Mr Beyene Russom to discuss the latest meeting of the two ambassadors need to tighten bilateral relations between the two nations.

From X,

https://twitter.com/Shahr2ad/status/1750026496226328927

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Eritrea, Osman Saleh Mohammed announced that “Eritrea is ready to expand its relations with Iran even to the strategic level.

https://twitter.com/PatrickHeinisc1/status/1750663783226241151

Eritrea’s Foreign Minister and Iran’s Vice President M. Mokhber discussed expanding bilateral political, trade and economic relations at Non-Aligned States Meeting. Mokhber said that it was necessary to "exchange high-level delegations.

Mokhber: Maintaining the security of international waterways is Iran’s principled strategy

English Site Language Translate:

On the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement Summit, Eritrean Foreign Minister met Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Mokhber while presenting the president’s (Isaias Afewerki) written message to Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of Iran, emphasizing Eritrea’s interest in developing political and economic interactions with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

[Non-Aligned Movement Summit took place recently in Kampala, Uganda from Jan 15-Jan 20th, 2024]

While expressing dissatisfaction with the lack of development of relations despite the very good fields and capacities in Iran and Eritrea, he emphasized the need to increase efforts to strengthen and improve the level of relations between the two.

Honoring Eritrea’s firm stance and support for the oppressed Palestinian people in the shadow of the silence and inaction of the international community، He called for the active participation of all free and conscientious countries and nations to stop war crimes and genocide in Gaza.

Eritrea's foreign minister went on to say that his country strongly supports the Palestinian people's right to self-determination: We not only support the Palestinian people, but we stand with them in their fight against the Zionist regime’s crime and genocide ،Because we consider the Zionist regime to be a dependent regime of the United States, which has suffered our country and our people for years with unilateral and cruel sanctions and has set foot on all human rights standards is.

Osman Saleh Mohammed also condemned the US and British aggression in the Red Sea and emphasized the need to maintain the security of international shipping routes and waterway.

Again, this is an auto translate, so it may be partially incorrect. What is correct is that there are cordial relations between Eritrea and Iran, so the question that must be answered:

Why would Iran hold discussions with an African nation holding Israeli bases? And if Eritrea was attacked for having an Israeli base, would that not also put pressure of attack on the alleged Iranian military facilities in Eritrea?

At the very least, the positive relations between the two is clear. Now its time to look at the alleged attack.

Was there an actual attack?

Since there was no response from the governments of US, EU, UK, Eritrea, Yemen, Israel or Iran, I decided to look at outside sources on terrorist attacks.

The first source I looked into is The Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium (TRAC): TRAC provides in-depth analysis and tracking of terrorist activities worldwide, including bombings and attacks. Their index can be filtered by country, groups, categories and dates.

From a date range of Oct 1, 2023 to Dec 1, 2023, not a single entry shows up.

https://trackingterrorism.org/chatter/?search=eritrea&terms.country%5B0%5D=2785

My second source is Vision of Humanity, an outfit that utilizes analysis, data, and editorial through a goal of “destination for peace” and backed by the Institute for Economics & Peace.

https://www.visionofhumanity.org/maps/global-terrorism-index/#/

Green is great. No Terrorism in Eritrea

For the year of 2023, Eritrea has a perfect score of 0 in terrorism index. Quite remarkable in volatile region of the Horn of Africa and West Asia.

A third source, also maintained by the Institute for Economics & Piece showed for year of 2023 and 2024, Eritrea had 0 incidents.

2023 Global Terrorism Index page 9

https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GTI-2023-web.pdf

2024 Global Terrorism Index page 7

https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GTI-2024-web-290224.pdf

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED): This project collects real-time data on a wide range of political violence and protest events, including bombings and attacks.

https://acleddata.com/africa/analysis/?_sft_post_tag=eritrea&post_date=05062023+01052024

From a filter analysis of Eritrea from May 6, 2023 to Jan 1, 2024:

“No results found”

The Global Incident Map: This website provides real-time data on a variety of incidents, including bombings, attacks, and other security events.

Dissecting the STRATFOR story itself, and Al Mayadeen and PressTV

Now we dissect the origin story of STRATFOR line by line and its previous story on Eritrea’s connection to “Israel” and Iran, and address the reposts by Al Mayadeen and PressTV.

Eritrea: Another Venue for the Iran-Israel Rivalry

By STRATFOR, originally published Dec 11, 2012

https://archive.ph/DYuvq#selection-855.0-855.50

The tiny country of Eritrea has been accommodating two Middle Eastern rivals in order to face its geopolitical challenges — mainly its fear of invasion by Ethiopia. Iran wants to expand its presence in Eritrea and other East African nations in order to gain influence along the Red Sea, an important route for seaborne international trade. Israel, meanwhile, wants to monitor Iranian activities in the region. By allowing foreign security operations in its territory, Eritrea has become another venue for Israel and Iran's ongoing rivalry.

Already the jig is up. Tiny country of Eritrea, though it is ranked 100 out of 195 among nations. 117,600 in km₂ (45,410 mi₂). Compared to Israel which ranks 148 out of 195 countries, 21,937 in km₂ (8,470 mi₂)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_area

Math aside, does it make logical sense for any nation to have arch rivals like Iran and Israel in the same nation for their war? And by what estimation has it been verified that Eritrea has allowed foreign security operations? Eritrea is one of 2 nations in Africa that does not have a relationship with AFRICOM, the other being Zimbabwe as of this time. And speaking of Ethiopia, even with direct US and USSR support during the Cold War, Ethiopia could not hold on to Eritrea. And 30 years of American Unipolar reign, could not help their ally Ethiopia/TPLF conquer Eritrea. If you remove the umbilical cord of foreign support, how potent would the Ethiopian war machine be towards Eritrea?

Eritrea operates under two key geopolitical constraints: multiple security concerns and a weak economy caused by the country's small size and population (5.2 million in 2011, according to the United Nations) and lack of natural resources. The war-torn country has few options for satisfying its economic needs.

Natural resources aside, we can look at the Congo which is bountiful with natural resources, and yet its a nation rocked with violence and instability precisely because of its resources’ mismanagement by foreign nations. How can a heavily sanctioned nation like Eritrea afford a strong economy? That’s the purpose of sanctions, to economically implode a nation and choke the people of a decent existence.

Since gaining independence from Ethiopia in 1991, Eritrea has fought wars against Yemen, Djibouti and Ethiopia. The war with Yemen was sparked by territorial claims over Greater Hanish Island in the Red Sea. In its conflict with Djibouti, Eritrea claimed ownership of the Ras Doumeira mountains along the coast. 

The war with Yemen, the Hanish War was due to both nations having a historic claim. Eritrea was under occupation by several nations, and Yemen was also under occupation by foreign powers. The two nations only recently asserted their national sovereignty in the early 1990s when Eritrea became independent, and Yemen became united from North and South Yemen. Unfortunately, they never had much time to review all colonial and historic archives to determine ownership of the Hanish Islands. After the war, both nations went to arbitration and the case was settled. As for the conflict with Djibouti, Ras Doumeira was already owned and occupied by Eritrean troops. Perhaps the fact that it overlooks foreign bases like Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti influenced the US to nudge Djibouti to attack Eritrea?

Eritrea has faced an existential security threat since independence: invasion by Ethiopia. This concern grew after the United States allied with Ethiopia and diplomatic quarreling froze relations between Washington and Asmara in 2001. The overwhelming fear that Ethiopia would invade to recover its lost territory has led to high levels of conscription into the Eritrean military. More than 10 percent of the country's population, including older citizens, now serves in the military or in a reserve force. The constant possibility of an Ethiopian invasion has put Eritrea in a seemingly endless state of emergency.

I’m quite aware that the US always favored Ethiopia as a client state since WW2.

"From the point of view of justice, the opinion of the Eritrean people must receive consideration. Nevertheless, the strategic interests of the United States in the Red Sea Basin and world peace make it necessary that the country be linked with our ally Ethiopia." (U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, 1952)

Specific Threats from Ethiopia

For Eritrea, the most pertinent security concern is Ethiopia's strategic interest in regaining a port on the Red Sea. Following independence, Eritrea held the ports of Assab and Massawa, while Ethiopia, a country of nearly 90 million people, became landlocked. Assab is located in Eritrea's far south, roughly 161 kilometers (100 miles) from the Ethiopian border, near the home of numerous Afar tribes (indeed, most Afars live in northeastern Ethiopia). Ethiopia-backed Afar rebels make up Eritrea's main armed opposition group and demand independence. The goal of retaking Assab is popular goal among Ethiopia's political elite and a common issue in the country's political discourse.

Ethiopia or Abyssinia has always been historically a landlocked nation, and I’ll point out it was with the US that Ethiopia was able to acquire Eritrea against the latter’s will. So of course Ethiopian political elite favor taking Eritrean land. They got the Ogaden from Somalia with British help. Nothing new. And speaking of the Afar, why would Ethiopia support an Afar nation that would not be answerable to them?

Moreover, Eritrea and Ethiopia fought a bloody war from 1998 to 2000, and tensions along the border remain. Eritrea lost the war, in which 70,000 people were killed, but it repelled the Ethiopians and safeguarded its independence from Addis Ababa. Both countries have troops stationed along the border, and Ethiopia launched three attacks in southern Eritrea in March.

If Eritrea lost, define loss. If the goal of Eritrea in the war is to safeguard its independence from Addis Ababa, then that’s a win.

As for the casualty number, there is an article from Times Online that says over 70000 died, and disputes between the two nations on official and unofficial deaths. But STRATFOR does not link any sources on deaths and casualties, nor list how many Ethiopian deaths occurred.

https://web.archive.org/web/20111012194857/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article754553.ece

Even Human Rights Watch, no friend of Eritrea estimated 20000 Eritrean’s died.

And a paper from University of Richmond says about 70000 on both sides died.

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/232767004.pdf

What matters is a much larger nation, using WW1 wave tactics and supported by the US, lost badly.

But I digress.

Turning to the Middle East

Eritrea's imperative is to maintain its significance and acquire defensive measures from willing Middle East countries to maintain its independence from Ethiopia. Facing years of continuous isolation from its African neighbors and from the United States due to its alleged support for Somali Islamist groups, Eritrea has turned to the Middle East for alliances and assistance. After withholding its participation in the African Union from 2004 to 2011, Eritrea became an observer member of the Arab League.

If Eritrea’s imperative is to gain measures from willing Middle Eastern nations, could that play a key role in the allegation of Eritrea hosting an Israeli base? After all, what Middle Eastern nation would work with a host of an Israeli base? And isolation from African neighbors and the US for alleged support for Islamist groups has failed to produce actual evidence of financial, training, diplomatic support for Al Shabaab. I’ll also mention that the Islamic Court Union briefly brought peace to Somalia until the US directed Ethiopia to invade Somalia. Al Shabaab was part of the ICU, but not the Al Shabaab we know today. Only after the ICU was destroyed by US-directed Ethiopia/TPLF did Al Shabaab become the modern terrorist network that ravages Somalia, Kenya, eastern Ethiopia even. And the African nations who isolated Eritrea was at the behest of the US and its anchor state ally Ethiopia. (Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria and Ethiopia were envisioned by the US as anchor states to influence African regions North, South, West and East).

For more on the US and Ethiopia/TPLF role in creating Al Shabaab, see here
WIKILEAKS REVEALS U.S. TWISTED ETHIOPIA’S ARM TO INVADE SOMALIA

Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are becoming close allies of the small African country. Iran has supplied arms and training to Yemeni al-Houthi rebels located along the Eritrean territory coast. This piqued Saudi Arabia's interest in Eritrea, since Riyadh wants to deter the rebels. Qatar, which wants to exercise influence in East Africa, mediated the Eritrea-Djibouti border dispute.

In exchange for resources, possibly including modest amounts of cash and weapons, Eritrea has exhibited a willingness to become a base of support for Middle Eastern powers that want to exert greater influence in the Horn of Africa. As a result, Eritrea and its waters in the Gulf of Aden have become another venue for Iran and Israel's rivalry. Israel and Iran's engagement with Eritrea is an extension of their rivalry over the Red Sea, which allegedly led to the bombing of the Yarmouk weapons factory in Sudan.

Stop right there. Eritrea and its waters in the Gulf of Aden? Eritrea does not border the Gulf of Aden; Yemen and Somalia alone border the Gulf of Aden. As in Aden, Yemen. A basic geography class is in order for STRATFOR analysts.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Gulf-of-Aden

Israeli and Iranian Operations

In 2008, Tehran struck a deal with Asmara to maintain a military presence in Assab — officially to protect the state-owned renovated Soviet-era oil refinery there. In return, Asmara received cash and other military support from Tehran through official and unofficial channels. In 2009, the same year in which Eritrea openly supported Iran's nuclear program, the Export Development Bank of Iran transferred $35 million to support the Eritrean economy.

Why would Iran need to protect an old Soviet-era oil refinery? And doesn’t common sense dictate that an Iranian military installation next to Djibouti, where NATO and CTF-HOA naval, air and special ops soldiers are based is a bad recipe for war and conflict?

Iran's operations in Eritrea are relevant to Tehran's larger goal of controlling the Bab el Mandeb strait and the water route to the Suez Canal. Moreover, naval ships from a dozen Western and other countries are stationed just miles from Assab to fight piracy in the Indian Ocean and conduct other security operations in the region. The United States and France have large bases in Djibouti, near Assab. Thus, Iran's presence in Eritrea could be more significant in terms of intelligence gathering than tactical defense.

Again, even an unofficial intelligence gathering would place Iran and Eritrea in harms way. How could Iran protect their forces in event of a war with the US, surrounded by hostile adversaries? And how could Eritrea survive an official, even unofficial military partnership with Iran, when its already under heavy sanctions and proxy warfare by the US and its client state Ethiopia?

Israel also operates inside Eritrea. According to Stratfor diplomatic and media sources, Israel has small naval teams in the Dahlak archipelago and Massawa and a listening post in Amba Soira. Israel's presence in Eritrea is very focused and precise, involving intelligence gathering in the Red Sea and monitoring Iran's activities. Various Stratfor diplomatic sources have said that Israel's presence in Eritrea is small but significant.

So Israel operates inside Eritrea and monitor Iran’s activities? By diplomatic and media, is this referring to Prime Ministers and state connected journalists? Why would Iran have a partnership with a nation that allows Israel to spy on them?

Asmara wants Israel's friendship for numerous security and political reasons. Eritrea wants to use Israel to influence the United States — an ally of both Israel and Ethiopia — in decisions regarding Eritrea on the international stage. The country also wants to acquire better air defense capabilities to defend against a possible attack from Ethiopia. Moreover, cooperating with Israel is a way for Asmara to balance its controversial relationship with Tehran.

If Israel is said to have naval and intelligence bases in Eritrea, why would they not reciprocate by influencing the United States? At this point its a well known fact that the Israel lobby controls America. If you can’t even tell your bulldog to stop biting your friend, then your not a friend, are you? And here’s a better way to balance its controversial relationship with Tehran. Be neutral.

However, Israel has good relations with both Eritrea and Ethiopia and is less interested in expanding its presence in Eritrea than Iran. Israel would not want to harm its relations with Ethiopia and other regional countries, as it has a wider interest in East Africa — mainly containing Sudan's Islamist government, which allegedly supports Hamas and other anti-Israeli elements in the Middle East. As Israel has expanded its security cooperation with South Sudan and Kenya in recent years, Eritrea has responded by strengthening its ties with Iran.

So Israel doesn’t want to offend Ethiopia with its mutual friendship with Eritrea, and less interested in expanding its presence in Eritrea, but it has a presence. I suppose Eritrea bordering Sudan and possibly helping the latter as retaliation doesn’t occur to Israel. So what does Eritrea receive from this mythical Israeli bases on its soil?

Eritrea's decision to accommodate Israel and Iran is not an ideological choice. It is a way for a small and insecure nation to meet its economic and security needs.

End of STRATFOR report.

You’re right: its not an ideological choice. Its straight lunacy to have both Israel and Iran playing spy games in Eritrea. And the only insecure nation in 2024 is Israel as its waging war against Palestinians, Lebanon, Syria, Hamas, Houthis, Hezbollah, Iran, South Africa, and American college students.

“The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses.”

-Malcolm X

Al Mayadeen

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-surveillance-post-in-eritrea-attacked:-sources-to-al Oct 27, 2023

Al Mayadeen first broke the allege story of the Israeli surveillance post in Eritrea in Oct 27, 2023 against the backdrop of the Gaza invasion. Their sources?

Eritrean military sources reported to al Al Mayadeen on Thursday that an attack occurred on Israeli soldiers stationed at a military outpost in the Dahlak Archipelago in Eritrea.

According to the sources, the attack specifically targeted the summit of a mountain housing an Israeli surveillance post to monitor the Red Sea, facing Yemen.

Sources told Al Mayadeen that a senior Israeli military officer was killed in the course of this attack.

This is not the first time Al Mayadeen has reported an alleged Israeli presence in Eritrea. By now, you should have a background that Eritrean sources are either Ethiopian, or “opposition” sponsored by hostile powers to misinform on Eritrea.

Al Mayadeen has not confirmed their sources or corroborated with other sources and material. And if Eritrea is indeed hosting an Israeli presence, why would its “military sources” break protocol?

What was their motive?

Why contact Al Mayadeen of all other media?

What was the rank of the Israeli military officer?

Are there any recent Israeli military officers who’s obituary read around the date of Oct 27, 2023 to confirm? For example, when US special operators die, its conventional wisdom that the death will be attributed to training accidents or illness to cover their possible presence in sensitive areas.

Did Al Mayadeen ask The Grayzone to translate in Hebrew, if need be? They are good about Israeli media and intelligence investigation.

Did they ask Israeli media to confirm or deny their presence in Eritrea?

Did the Houthis attack Eritrea?

When Al Mayadeen supposedly received word from “Eritrean military sources”, how does the lay reader know if they were Eritrean? Supposedly they’re on active military service, why would they betray and harm their nation’s image and position by “confirming” an Israeli presence following the sensitive post-Oct 7 2023 era concerning Palestine and Israel?

Or is there a possible connection to Ethiopian intelligence services or “Eritrean opposition”?

Perhaps the TPLF or even Oromo-dominated Prosperity Party of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who’s spooks made the report? I’ll recall Ethiopia made headway in recent years for seeking a port in the Red Sea, by peace or other means.

And this is not the first time Al Mayadeen has been called out either.

FYI, this above statement is in reference to the article Al Mayadeen reposted from Middle East Monitor citing AlKhaleej.

You know. The UAE steel supplier.

And here is Eritrean Information Minister reposting Jan 15, 2018 rebuttal with Oct 27, 2023 rebuttal.

At this point can Al Mayadeen be taken as a source of credibility?

PressTV

This is a one and done. PressTV reposted the Al Mayadeen hit piece.

https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/10/27/713498/Israeli-forces-missile-attacks-al-Mayadeen-television-news-network-Eritrea

Israeli forces have come under attack in Eritrea with reports saying the armed offensive led to the killing of a senior officer amid an ongoing war between Palestinian resistance groups in the besieged Gaza Strip and the Israeli regime. 

Lebanon's Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network, citing military sources, reported the development on Thursday and said two missile attacks were carried out against Israeli forces stationed in Eritrea.

“The first attack took place at an Israeli base in the Dahlak Archipelago, and another attack targeted the highest peak of Mount Amba Suir, where Israeli forces use as an observation post in the Red Sea,” the news network said.

The source said the Dahlak Archipelago is the Israeli forces’ largest base abroad and hosts the regime’s air fleet which includes dozens of fighter jets.

The sources also confirmed the killing of a senior Israeli military officer during the raid.

No group or individual has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, and Israeli authorities have yet to comment on the reports.

Over the past 21 days, the Israeli war machine has been actively operating against Palestinian civilians across the besieged Gaza Strip.

On October 7, Hamas-led Palestinian resistance groups launched their biggest operation against Israel in years in a surprise offensive, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, in response to the occupying regime’s intensified crimes against the Palestinian people.

Since then, Israel has pressed ahead with a relentless bombardment of Gaza. The death toll in Gaza since the start of Israeli aggression has reached over 7,000 with more than 18,000 wounded.

Tel Aviv has also blocked water, food, and electricity to Gaza, plunging the besieged territory into a humanitarian crisis.

Building upon Al Mayadeen’s article that Israeli forces were killed in Eritrea, we get extra details.

Al Mayadeen cited military sources that said 2 missile attacks were carried out, one in the Israeli base in Dahlak Archipelago, and another at Mount Amba Suir, used as an observation post.

The source claims Dahlak Archipelago is Israeli’s largest base abroad and hosts their air fleet, including dozens of fighter jets.

A senior Israeli military officer killed during the raid.

No group or individual has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, and Israeli authorities have yet to comment on the reports.

So what kind of missiles were used?

And if no group or individual claims responsibility, why would these sources (“Eritrean”) bother to inform Al Mayadeen?

If there are dozens of warplanes in Dahlak, are there visuals or evidence of their sorties ever occurring?

There is ONE glaring problem with PressTV.

Here’s their leading photo of the alleged attack:

Now here’s the real one:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-anti-tank-missile-fired-at-northern-israel-from-lebanon/

You can’t make this up.

PressTV reposted the Al Mayadeen hit piece, and used an image from the Times of Israel that took place in Sep 1, 2019 in the border between Israel/occupied Palestine and Lebanon.

It makes one wonder why they went here. Either way, PressTV has been debunked on this story.

Richard Medhurst’s commentary of the alleged Israeli base, and preposterous role of Ethiopian Falasha or Beta Israel in maneuvering Ethiopia to support Israel

Richard Medhurst also goes in on Eritrea in his article “The Ben Gurion Canal to Replace the Suez Canal: ‘Israel’ Destroys Gaza to Control World’s Most Important Shipping Lane” posted in Global Research.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/israel-destroys-gaza-control-world-most-important-shipping-lane/5842081

The Red Sea, which would feed into the “Ben Gurion Canal,” already has a huge presence of American and Israeli troops. Did you know that “Israel’s” biggest military base is located in the Red Sea, on the Island of Dahlak, in Eritrea?

This base was hit by Yemen in the last few weeks, in support of Gaza, as Yemen is an integral part of the Resistance Axis.

Even PressTV acknowledge that no group or individual took responsibility for the attacks, because there were none. And if the pro Axis of Resistance media have to resort to reusing an image from the Times of Israel and old rehashed STRATFOR lies of Israel AND Iranian military installations, then what are they resisting?

So why don’t you prove that Israel’s biggest military base is in Dahlak?

He also claimed that the Ethiopian Jews somehow have a leverage that can be used to control Ethiopia for Israel’s benefit.

Ethiopia has a significant Jewish population. The United States and “Israel” could theoretically lean on Ethiopia, as they have done before, and pressure it not to fill up its reservoirs, which would be detrimental to Egypt and incentivize el-Sisi to take in Palestinians from Gaza.

The Falasha, or Beta Israel are a non-sequester in Ethiopian power. For one, the dominant groups of Abyssinia/Ethiopia historically are the Amhara and Tigrayans, and very recently the Oromo. Falasha have never held power due to their maligned status in Ethiopian society, minuscule numbers and lack of military power.

Per Jewish News Syndicate, the remaining Jewish population is an estimated 12,000, and the Times of Israel report “the bulk of Ethiopia’s Jewish community moved to Israel in the 1980s and early 1990s”, and the estimated Ethiopian-Jewish population in Israel is an estimated 140,000.

To say that Ethiopian Jews have power over Ethiopia is like saying the First Nations (Native Americans) are potential internal enemies in the US that can be leveraged over the United States for China or Russia because their ancient ancestors crossed the Bering Straits tens of thousands of years ago from Asia.

Or Aborigines in Australia are a threat that can steer Australian foreign policy towards Africa at Australia’s expense because they’re Black.

You get my point. What can a 12,000-25,000 people LEAN on a nation state who’s population ranges from 110-120 million? Most of their population are in Israel, courtesy of Operation Moses, Solomon and Joshua at the expense of napalm and cluster bombs used against Eritreans in Massawa in 1990-1991

And Ethiopia does not need the 12,000-25,000 give or take remaining Jewish Ethiopians to use their “leverage” over Ethiopia. If it serves its national interests, Ethiopia will do so anyways. Its extensively worked with Israel in the past. But false maligning of Ethiopian Jews is unacceptable. And copying and pasting the Israeli linked STRATFOR that Eritrea has an Israeli base will not fly.

Like the phantom jets in Dahlak.

After all, if Eritrea also has an Iranian base per STRATFOR, doesn’t that make Eritrea an honorary member of the Axis of Resistance as well? Why would Yemen bomb a fellow Axis of Resistance member that supposedly has Iranian military facilities in Assab near the Bab el-Mandeb? Wouldn’t that also incur a shooting war between Israel and Iran on Eritrean soil?

And do you know the price Eritrea paid for Ethiopian-Israeli collusion for Operation Moses, ie Aliyet of Ethiopian Jews?

THIS

Ethiopia bombed Massawa Old Town in Eritrea to smithereens in 1990

My closing commentary on WHY and Who benefits from this spy fiction

WHY: It seems conclusive that Israel, and possibly pro-Iran linked media wish to draw Eritrea to their side in their conflict. After the voluminous data and facts I have provided, it is clear they use innuendo, suggestions, and false implication to create a narrative that Eritrea supports Israel, supports Iran, supports Houthis, & against Houthis.

SO WHO ULTIMATELY BENEFITS? The historic enemies of Eritrea: The special interests who dominate the U.S., Britain, Israel; and Ethiopia.

Europe doesn't count as they are beholden to the special interests who control the United States. Its the Anglo nations and special interests plus their Man Friday Ethiopia who benefits from isolating Eritrea with the Islamic World, which has been Eritrea's support from the time of Gamal Abdal Nassar who allowed Eritrean college students in Cairo to use Egyptian airwaves to speak on the Eritrean cause, the Palestinian PLO, who provided military training to Eritreans and in turn Eritrean fighters later helped Palestinians fight against Israel. They want to isolate Eritrea from the Africa, and the Islamic and Arab world, and what better way then proclaiming that Eritrea has an Israeli base.

Israel has long supported Ethiopia with its peripheral strategy out of fear that Eritrea would join Arab nations and make the Red Sea inhospitable for them. But Eritrea and its people just wish to mind their own affairs and practice mutual non-interference. So these media games from either sides will not work.

Eritrea and its predecessor states from the Land of Punt, Dmt Kingdom, Adulis, Kingdom of Axum, Beja Kingdoms and Medri Bahri (Kingdom of the Sea) have always been an ancient civilization state that once flourished as a key node of the ancient Maritime Silk Road in its center of Adulis; The ancient Persian prophet Mani said in the third century AD:

There are four great kingdoms on earth: the first is the Kingdom of Babylon and Persia; the second is the Kingdom of Rome; the third is the Kingdom of the Aksumites: the fourth is the kingdom of the Chinese.

And now Eritrea now has strategic alliances with two of the successor states of those great civilization states: The People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation is the 3rd Rome, following the decline of the 2nd Rome or Byzantine Empire and the 1st Rome; and the People’s Republic of China is the successor of the old Han Dynasty. And Eritrea has cordial relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is the successor state of the old great Persian Empire.

The Old World of Manu is making a comeback.

Eritrea has gained ascendancy from 500 years of decline and various imperial occupation (Ottoman Turks, Modern Egyptian state, Kingdom of Italy, British Military Administration, and Empire of Ethiopia/Communist DERG Ethiopia) but like the Phoenix dies and revives after 500 years, Eritrea is finally rising.

"The city of Adulis, located in present day Eritrea, was a crucial port along the Red Sea, serving as a gateway between Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Indian sub-continent" See below 4:55-5:10

Silk Road: The African Chapter of the Silk Road Trade Routes

And Washington special interests don't like that. Perhaps that explains why Eritrea is the only African nation booted out of SWIFT, and one of 4 nations excluded from SWIFT along with the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Eritrea is also an active participant and member of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations.

https://www.un.org/en/ga/sixth/77/pdfs/statements/charter_committee/33mtg_charter_defence_e.pdf

Eritrea has a Strategic Partnership with China

Eritrea has a Strategic Partnership with Russia

Russian Pacific Fleet naval exercises with Eritrea

https://www.rt.com/africa/595071-eritrea-russia-navy-exercises/

I covered this topic previously
https://etenewsandviews.substack.com/p/russia-to-hold-joint-naval-exercises

225th Pushkin Anniversary Eritrea and Russia

Alexander Pushkin’s African ancestor was from Eritrea

https://tesfanews.com/225th-anniversary-of-russian-poet-alexander-pushkin/

The Russian embassy in Asmara is making preparations to commemorate the 225^th anniversary of the birth of the renowned Russian poet Alexander Pushkin.

The connection between the Russian poet and Eritrea can be traced through Pushkin’s great-grandfather, Abraham Hannibal who was born in 1696 in a village near Debarwa town, Eritrea.

Abraham Hannibal was kidnapped and brought to Russia as a child, where he was eventually adopted by Peter the Great and became a prominent military engineer and Genera.

In 2009, Moscow erected a life-size bronze statue of Pushkin in front of the Asmara Public Library to honor his heritage and to symbolize cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Author’s note. Debarwa was the old capital of Medri Bahri (Kingdom of the Sea), and Abraham Hannibal was captured by Turkish forces who were at war with Medri Bahri. A then common custom of European nobility was to have Black boys as pages. A Russian nobleman visiting Constantinople (now Istanbul) saw young Abraham, purchased him and presented him to the Czar Peter the Great, who developed a great fondness for the young African youth.

Why China and Russia have interest in Eritrea

https://africainterest.org/what-lies-behind-china-and-russias-interest-in-the-eritrean-leader/

Excluded from SWIFT

https://www.blackagendareport.com/us-still-imposing-illegal-unilateral-economic-sanctions-eritrea

Eritrea’s Growing Ties with China and Russia Highlight America’s Inadequate Approach in East Africa

https://www.hudson.org/foreign-policy/eritreas-growing-ties-china-russia-highlight-americas-inadequate-approach-east-joshua-meservey

And finally, President Isaias Afwerki's rebuttal against Al Jazeera and British (intelligence?) stenographer Jane Dutton claims that Iran and Israel are playing power games in Eritrea.

"Eritrea is not for sale. Eritrea is not for sale. Not for Iran. Not for Israel. Not for the United States. Not for nobody." - President Isaias Afewerki

So in conclusion, the next time someone talks about Iran or Israel having power games and spy bases in Eritrea, leave the copy and pasters from the alternate media.

And user your mind to think.

References

1 Garland Nixon “BLEEDING OUT THE EMPIRE - THE TOP HEAVY BRUTE CANT WIN LONG SLOW CONFLICTS,

2 Armed attack on Israeli military base in Eritrea, https://www.albawaba.com/news/armed-attack-israeli-military-base-eritrea-1539284

3 Richard Medhurst "Israel Destroys Gaza to Control World’s Most Important Shipping Lane",

4 The Ben Gurion Canal to Replace the Suez Canal: ‘Israel’ Destroys Gaza to Control World’s Most Important Shipping Lane, https://www.globalresearch.ca/israel-destroys-gaza-control-world-most-important-shipping-lane/5842081

5 Chicago Council of Global Affairs-George Friedman Bio, https://globalaffairs.org/research/experts/george-friedman

6 STRATFOR George Friedman Bio, https://worldview.stratfor.com/people/189113

7 https://wikileaks.org/gifiles/docs/22/221251_from-sudan-tribune-iran-eritrea-weirdness-.html

8 Report: Israel operating spy bases in Eritrea, https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/article/14111872

9 Britannica, Gulf of Adenhttps://www.britannica.com/place/Gulf-of-Aden

10 Israel’s Use of False Flags in Global Terrorism, https://americanfreepress.net/web-exclusive-israels-use-of-false-flags-in-global-terrorism/

11 USS Liberty Veterans, https://www.usslibertyveterans.org/

12 Isreal Defense, Bases in Africa, https://web.archive.org/web/20230703170621/https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/content/bases-africa

13 Yuri Bezmenov discusses Soviet disinformation campaigns,

14 Stratfor: executive boasted of 'trusted former CIA cronies', https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9111784/Stratfor-executive-boasted-of-trusted-former-CIA-cronies.html

15 Radio Ecoshock, Private Spies: WikiLeaks Outs Stratfor, https://www.ecoshock.org/2012/03/private-spies-wikileaks-outs-stratfor.html

16 Global News Wire: "Stratfor Appoints CIA Veteran as Chief Intelligence Officer", https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2016/01/05/1039231/0/en/Stratfor-Appoints-CIA-Veteran-as-Chief-Intelligence-Officer.html

17 Anadolu Ajansi: "July 15 tweets pose questions on 'shadow CIA' Stratfor", Ahttps://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/july-15-tweets-pose-questions-on-shadow-cia-stratfor/620283

18 https://search.wikileaks.org/gifiles/?viewemailid=5033033

19 https://wikileaks.org/gifiles/docs/18/1803681_re-g2-s2-iran-eritrea-iran-takes-command-of-strategic.html

20 Tablet: "McStrategy", https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/mcstrategy

21 Open Democracy: "Noble lies and perpetual war: Leo Strauss, the neocons, and Iraq", https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/article_1542jsp/

22 News Click: "WikiLeaks & Stratfor: Exposing the Murky World of Private Intelligence", https://archive.ph/n6Qqo

23 Gizmodo: "Wikileaks Reveals Privately Run CIA's Dirty Secrets (Update 2)", https://gizmodo.com/wikileaks-reveals-privately-run-cias-dirty-secrets-upd-5888440

24 Business Insider: "HACKED STRATFOR EMAILS: Benjamin Netanyahu Was A Stratfor Source From 2007 To 2010", https://www.businessinsider.com/leaked-stratfor-emails-benjamin-nentanyahu-was-a-stratfor-source-from-2007-to-2010-2012-3

25 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/feb/28/wikileaks-intelligence-industrial-complex

26 https://www.newsclick.in/wikileaks-stratfor-exposing-murky-world-private-intelligence

27 https://mediamax.am/en/news/interviews/24922

28 https://search.wikileaks.org/gifiles/emailid/405711

29 https://search.wikileaks.org/gifiles/emailid/411840

30 Tablet: "Assange's Chutzpah", https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/assanges-chutzpah

31 https://www.newsclick.in/wikileaks-stratfor-exposing-murky-world-private-intelligence

32 Haaretz: "Eritrea No Longer Serves Israel's Security Interests. It's Time to Cut Ties", https://archive.ph/V8muF

33 Media Max: "Yossi Melman: I became Number 1 Public Enemy in Azerbaijan", https://mediamax.am/en/news/interviews/24922

34 The Cradle: "Eritrea blames Mossad for stirring unrest that led to Tel Aviv clashes", https://thecradle.co/articles/eritrea-blames-mossad-for-stirring-unrest-that-led-to-tel-aviv-clashes

35 "Tesfanew; Eritrea Opposition Sites Funded And Backed BY CIA": WikiLeaks, https://tesfanews.com/eritrea-opposition-sites-funded-and-backed-by-cia-wikileaks/

36 Critical Threats: "Eritrea-Iran Foreign Relations", https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/eritrea-iran-foreign-relations

37 https://search.wikileaks.org/gifiles/emailid/1803681

38 https://search.wikileaks.org/gifiles/emailid/217185

39 Huffington Post, "Joseph Grieboski", https://www.huffpost.com/author/joseph-k-grieboski

40 Asena TV, "Unsolicited Advice to Brighed N’Hamedu (BNH)", https://asenatv.com/unsolicited-advice-to-brighed-nhamedu-bnh/

41 Jamestown Foundation, "Russia in the Red Sea: Port Options in Eritrea (Part Two)", https://jamestown.org/program/russia-in-the-red-sea-port-options-in-eritrea-part-two/

42 Gulf News, "Eritrea: In pursuit of the truth", https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/eritrea-in-pursuit-of-the-truth-1.615302

43 Ahram Online: "Iranian support to Houthis via Eritrea: Reality or myth?", https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/132655/World/Region/Iranian-support-to-Houthis-via-Eritrea-Reality-or-.aspx

44 Mint Press News: "THE HOUTHIS ARE PREPARING FOR A PLANNED ISRAELI ATTACK ON YEMEN", https://www.mintpressnews.com/houthis-preparing-planned-israel-attack-yemen/262730/

45 Arab News: "How Israel Casts Its Dark Shadow Over Horn Of Africa", https://www.arabnews.com/node/288615

46 Al Ahram: "American anomaly", https://web.archive.org/web/20120124211410/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/799/op12.htm

47 LBC Group: "Unveiling Eritrea's Role: A Geopolitical Chessboard for Iran and Israel", https://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/news-bulletin-reports/731047/unveiling-eritreas-role-a-geopolitical-chessboard-for-iran-and-israel/en

48 Wikipedia: "Dahlak Islands", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahlak_Archipelago

49 World Topographic map, https://en-us.topographic-map.com/map/?center=15.76252%2C40.12001&zoom=11&popup=15.71098%2C40.05075

50 National Geographic, "Mountains", https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/mountains

51 Geography Realm: "What is a Mountain", https://www.geographyrealm.com/mountain/

52 The Algemeiner: "Report: Israel Monitoring Iran from Eritrea", https://www.algemeiner.com/2012/12/12/report-israel-monitoring-iran-from-eritrea/

53 Ynet News: "Israel using Eritrean bases to spy on Iran", https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4318720,00.html

54 The Aviationist:"Eritrea: an important Intel gathering place for both Iran and Israel", https://theaviationist.com/2012/12/18/eritrea

55 Yamanyoon: "Israel Uses A Spy Base Right Next To Yemen’s Strategic Strait Bab-El-Mandeb: US Website", https://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=77998

56 Fair Observer: "Israel’s Comeback in the Horn of Africa", https://www.fairobserver.com/region/africa/corrado-cok-horn-of-africa-isreal-normalization-sudan-ethiopia-eritrea-somaliland-security-news-12388/

57 Haaretz: "Both Iran and Israel Have Military Bases in Eritrea, Global Intel Reports", https://www.haaretz.com/2012-12-12/ty-article/.premium/israel-iran-have-bases-in-eritrea/0000017f-efe8-d497-a1ff-efe863340000

58 Anadolu Ajansi: "ANALYSIS: Eritrea may play role in anti-Houthi campaign", https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/analysis-eritrea-may-play-role-in-anti-houthi-campaign/49029

59 West Point Academy, Combatting Terrorism Center: "The Houthi War Machine: From Guerrilla War to State Capture", https://ctc.westpoint.edu/houthi-war-machine-guerrilla-war-state-capture/

60 Middle East Monitor: "Tribes and politics in Yemen: A history of the Houthi conflict", https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180216-tribes-and-politics-in-yemen-a-history-of-the-houthi-conflict/

61 BBC News: "Yemenis intercept 'Iranian ship'", http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8327892.stm

62 USA Today: "Iranian support for Yemen's Houthis goes back years", https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/04/20/iran-support-for-yemen-houthis-goes-back-years/26095101/

63 Geeska Afrika Online: "Eritrea: Iranian Arms ship was heading to the Houthis in Yemen", https://www.geeskaafrika.com/eritrea-iranian-arms-ship-was-heading-to-the-houthis-in-yemen/

64 Sheba Intelligence: "Iran Seeks to Persuade Moscow to Include Houthis in Russia-Eritrea Working Group", https://shebaintelligence.uk/iran-seeks-to-persuade-moscow-to-include-houthis-in-russia-eritrea-working-group

65 Sheba Intelligence: "Yemen’s Houthis Consider Launching an Attack on a Military Base in Eritrea", https://shebaintelligence.uk/yemens-houthis-consider-launching-an-attack-on-a-military-base-in-eritrea

66 Jerusalem Post: "Rebel spokesman: Houthi missiles can hit covert Israeli bases in Eritrea", https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/rebel-spokesman-houthi-missiles-can-hit-covert-israeli-bases-in-eriteria-506376

67 Al Manar: "Yemeni Army: Israeli Stations in Eritrea Islands within Our Reach", https://english.almanar.com.lb/357443

68 The Duran: "RFK Jr. Is a Neocon, After All. (How he justifies Biden’s Israel-policy:)", https://theduran.com/rfk-jr-is-a-neocon-after-all-how-he-justifies-bidens-israel-policy/

70 Shabait: "Allegations that there exist foreign military camps in Eritrea are totally baseless: The Gulf News", https://shabait.com/2010/04/21/allegations-that-there-exist-foreign-military-camps-in-eritrea-are-totally-baseless-the-gulf-news/

71 Shabait: "No foreign military presence in Dahlak Island: Aljazeera TV" https://shabait.com/2010/11/18/no-foreign-military-presence-in-dahlak-island-aljazeera-tv/

72 Tesfanews: "Phantom Israeli And Iranian Military Bases In Eritrea", https://tesfanews.com/phantom-israeli-and-iranian-military-bases-in-eritrea/

73 Eritrean Center For Strategic Studies: "Eritrea: Phantom Israeli and Iranian Military Bases", https://www.ecss-online.com/eritrea-phantom-israeli-and-iranian-military-bases/

74 Shabait: Eritrea: "Phantom Israeli and Iranian Military Bases", https://shabait.com/2012/12/27/eritrea-phantom-israeli-and-iranian-military-bases/

75 Tesfanews: "Houthi Envoy? Deliberate Disinformation On Eritrea", https://tesfanews.com/deliberate-disinformation-on-eritrea/

76 Shabait: "Houthi Envoy? Iranian Base? Deliberate Disinformation on Eritrea", https://shabait.com/2015/03/27/houthi-envoy-iranian-base-deliberate-disinformation-on-eritrea/

77 Shabait: "Foreign Ministry dismisses as baseless and fabricated report alleging Iranian support to Houthi through Eritrea", https://shabait.com/2015/03/31/foreign-ministry-dismisses-as-baseless-and-fabricated-report-alleging-iranian-support-to-houthi-through-eritrea/

78 Tesfanews: "Anatomy of the Lie: Eritrea, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States", https://tesfanews.com/eritrea-anatomy-of-the-lie/

79 Shabait: "Press Release", https://shabait.com/2017/02/07/press-release-61/

80 Shabait: "AlHadath: Ramping up Fabricated Accusations", https://shabait.com/2023/09/03/62454/

81 Tesfanews: "Eritrea: Worn-Out Disinformation On Phantom Israeli Bases", https://tesfanews.com/eritrea-worn-disinformation-phantom-israeli-bases/

82 Al Khaleej: UAE steel supplier, https://alkhaleejonline.com/

83 The Palestinian Information Center: "Largest Israeli base established in Eritrea", https://english.palinfo.com/o_post/Largest-Israeli-base-established-in-Eritrea-/

84 Middle East Monitor, "Yemen’s Houthis threaten Israel’s bases", https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170929-yemens-houthis-threaten-israels-basis/

85 Times of Israel: "Lapid approves shuttering Eritrean embassy after ambassador blocked — report" https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/lapid-approves-shuttering-eritrean-embassy-after-ambassador-blocked-report/

86 PressTV: "PM Lapid approves closure of Israeli embassy in Eritrea after ambassador blocked", https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/07/10/685366/PM-Lapid-approves-closure-of-Israeli-embassy-in-Eritrea-after-ambassador-blocked

87 Middle Eastern Monitor: "Report: 14 countries to form block against Israel’s membership of African Union "https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210802-report-14-countries-to-form-block-against-israels-membership-of-african-union/

88 Ynet News: "It's complicated: Israeli-Eritrean relations have seen plenty ups and downs", https://www.ynetnews.com/article/skltrbmc2

89 Times of Israel: "Eritrea accuses Mossad of stirring up Tel Aviv mob violence between expat groups", https://www.timesofisrael.com/eritrea-accuses-mossad-of-stirring-up-tel-aviv-mob-violence-between-expat-groups/

90 The Jerusalem Center: "Eritrea's Silence on Houthi Attacks on Shipping within Its Maritime Territory",

91 Jerusalem Post: "Habtom Mehari", https://www.jpost.com/author/habtom-mehari

92 Hurst Publishers: "Greater Tigray and the Mysterious Magnetism of Ethiopia" by Haggai Erlich, https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/greater-tigray-and-the-mysterious-magnetism-of-ethiopia/

93 Wikipedia: "Mosque of the Companions", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque_of_the_Companions

94 PressTV: "US illegal sanctions on Eritrea", https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/06/12/705124/US-Illegal-Sanctions-on-Eritrea

95 MEHR News Agency: "Amir-Abdollahian continues to meet with counterparts in NYC", https://en.mehrnews.com/news/206406/Amir-Abdollahian-continues-to-meet-with-counterparts-in-NYC

96 Islamic Republic of Iran, Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "Iran, Eritrea FMs discuss expansion of reciprocal ties in New York", https://en.mfa.ir/portal/newsview/694491/Iran-Eritrea-FMs-discuss-expansion-of-reciprocal-ties-in-New-York

97 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Iran in Kenya: "The Meeting of the Ali Gholampour Ambassador with Beyene Russom the Ambassador of Eritrea", https://kenya.mfa.gov.ir/en/NewsView/737224/The-Meeting-of-the-Ali-Gholampour-Ambassador-with-Beyene-Russom-the-Ambassador-of-Eritrea

98 X, @Shar2ad:

https://twitter.com/Shahr2ad/status/1750026496226328927

99 X, @PatrickHeinisc1

https://twitter.com/PatrickHeinisc1/status/1750663783226241151

100 Iranian Students' News Agency: "Mokhber: Maintaining the security of international waterways is Iran’s principled strategy", https://www.isna.ir/news/1402103021507/%D9%85%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D8%AD%D9%81%D8%B8-%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D8%A2%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%87%D9%87-%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%B5%D9%88%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA

101 Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium, https://trackingterrorism.org/chatter/?search=eritrea&terms.country%5B0%5D=2785

102 Vision of Humanity, maps, global terrorism, https://www.visionofhumanity.org/maps/global-terrorism-index/#/

103 Institute for Economics & Peace: "Abouts Us", https://www.economicsandpeace.org/about/

104 Institute for Economics & Peace: "Global Terrorism Index: 2023", page 9 https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GTI-2023-web.pdf

105 Institute for Economics & Peace, "Global Terrorism Index: 2024", page 7 https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GTI-2024-web-290224.pdf

106 ACLED: Africa Analysis, https://acleddata.com/africa/analysis/?_sft_post_tag=eritrea&post_date=05062023+01052024

107 Stratfor: Eritrea: "Another Venue for the Iran-Israel Rivalry:, https://archive.ph/DYuvq#selection-855.0-855.50

108 Wikipedia: "List of countries and dependencies by area", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_area

109 The Times: "After 70,000 deaths, Eritrea and Ethiopia prepare for war again", https://web.archive.org/web/20111012194857/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article754553.ece

110 Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Development, Eritrea", https://www.hrw.org/legacy/wr2k2/africa4.html

111 University of Richmond: "Ethiopia and Eritrea: Border War", https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/232767004.pdf

112 Brittanica: "Gulf of Aden", https://www.britannica.com/place/Gulf-of-Aden

113 Al Mayadeen: "Israeli surveillance post in Eritrea attacked: Sources to Al Mayadeen", https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-surveillance-post-in-eritrea-attacked:-sources-to-al

114 PressTv: "Israeli forces come under two missile attacks in Eritrea, senior officer killed", https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/10/27/713498/Israeli-forces-missile-attacks-al-Mayadeen-television-news-network-Eritrea

115 Times of Israel: "Hezbollah fires anti-tank missiles at military jeep, IDF base; none hurt", https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-anti-tank-missile-fired-at-northern-israel-from-lebanon/

116 Global Research: Richard Medhurst "The Ben Gurion Canal to Replace the Suez Canal: ‘Israel’ Destroys Gaza to Control World’s Most Important Shipping Lane", https://www.globalresearch.ca/israel-destroys-gaza-control-world-most-important-shipping-lane/5842081

117 Jewish News Syndicate: "Work goes on: Efforts to bring last of Ethiopian Jews to Israel", https://www.jns.org/work-goes-on-efforts-to-bring-last-of-ethiopian-jews-to-israel/

118 Times of Israel: "Jews in Ethiopia yearn for life in Israel, as cemeteries fill and family beckons", https://www.timesofisrael.com/jews-in-ethiopia-yearn-for-life-in-israel-as-cemeteries-fill-and-family-beckons/

119 The East news: "#Ethiopia bombed #Massawa Old Town in #Eritrea to smithereens in 1990",

120 "Springer Link: The Aksumite Empire", https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-137-11786-1_2

121 African History Series: "Silk Road: The African Chapter of the Silk Road Trade Routes",

122 Black Agenda Report: "US Still Imposing Illegal, Unilateral Economic Sanctions on Eritrea", https://www.blackagendareport.com/us-still-imposing-illegal-unilateral-economic-sanctions-eritrea

123 Group of Friends In Defense Of The Charter Of The United Nations, https://www.un.org/en/ga/sixth/77/pdfs/statements/charter_committee/33mtg_charter_defence_e.pdf

124 CCTV Video News Agency: "Xi Calls for Strengthening Bilateral Relations in Meeting with Eritrean President",

125 Eritrea: "Eritrean & Russian Strategic Partnership to Boost Mutual Benefits in Mining, Technology & Security."

126 Russia Today: "Russia to hold joint naval exercises with East African nation – envoy", https://www.rt.com/africa/595071-eritrea-russia-navy-exercises/

127 Tesfanews: "225th Anniversary of Russian Poet Alexander Pushkin". https://tesfanews.com/225th-anniversary-of-russian-poet-alexander-pushkin/

128 African Interest: "What lies behind China and Russia’s interest in the Eritrean leader?", https://africainterest.org/what-lies-behind-china-and-russias-interest-in-the-eritrean-leader/

129 Black Agenda Report: "US Still Imposing Illegal, Unilateral Economic Sanctions on Eritrea", https://www.blackagendareport.com/us-still-imposing-illegal-unilateral-economic-sanctions-eritrea

130 Hudson: "Eritrea’s Growing Ties with China and Russia Highlight America’s Inadequate Approach in East Africa", https://www.hudson.org/foreign-policy/eritreas-growing-ties-china-russia-highlight-americas-inadequate-approach-east-joshua-meservey

121 Drar4Africa: "How Eritrean President IA destroyed a Biased journalist",