Iran develops homegrown ultrasonic flare
gas meter --- without reverse engineering
May 9th, 10:51am
(PressTV))
Iranian technologists have successfully designed and produced
an ultrasonic flare gas flowmeter ----- based on acoustic time-of-
flight technology without reverse engineering, an achievement
that reduces the domestic oil and gas industry's reliance on
foreign models.
In an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting
(IRIB), Mohammad Mehdi Kharidar, the technical manager of
the product at the knowledge-based company, provided
details about the device.
He stated that work on the project began in 2021 and that
the entire product has been fully designed and built.
"This product is not the result of purchasing a foreign sample
and reverse engineering; rather, it is a completely domestic
design," Kharidar said.
He added that all components of the product...... including
electronic circuits, signal processing, software, and user
interface, has been developed by the local team.
In the area of digital signal processing, Kharidar noted that the
team has succeeded in extracting acoustic time-of-flight from
sound signals. This work was defined as a doctoral thesis,
and two scientific papers have so far been published
based on it.
According to the team manager, obtaining explosion-
proof certification was another major milestone in
the product's development.
To receive this certification, a set of technical documents was
prepared and specific design requirements were met, to prove
that the device will not cause explosions or flames in refinery
environments. This process took over one year, he noted.
Regarding exports, he said the company has not yet entered
the export market, with its main focus remaining on the
domestic market. "Currently, we are in negotiations
with local customers," he noted.
Explaining the foreign models available on the market, Kharidar
said two main models were previously purchased by Iran, but
imports ...now face serious difficulties.
One of these products belongs to a German company, and the
other belongs to the US company GE Aerospace, which
markets its product under the Parametric brand,
he said.
Other models, including Chinese and Russian versions, are also
available, but the common and widely used models in Iran's
industry have been these two brands, he added.
Regarding the domestic target market, the technical manager
said that almost any refinery or petrochemical plant with a
flare system, could be a customer for this product.
Kharidar estimated that between 30 and 40 facilities, including
refineries and petrochemical plants across the country, are
potential customers for the device.
On the current status of the project, he said the product has
been tested in the laboratory and is now in the preparation
phase for a pilot installation at a refinery, with only the
installation stage remaining.
_____________________________________
Israeli settlers burn homes and cars
--------- in brutal West Bank raids
May 9th, 10:25am
(PressTV)
Israeli settlers have launched another wave of raids
in the occupied West Bank, with houses and cars
set on fire and a Palestinian child attacked.
The Palestinian WAFA news agency reported on Saturday
that a man and his child - were attacked with “sharp
instruments” in the village of Khirbet Shuweika,
south of al-Khalil, on Friday, and were taken
to hospital ...due to head injuries.
Israeli settlers torched a home in the village of al-Lubban
Asharqiya, south of Nablus, after which, members of the
Palestinian Civil Defense arrived to extinguish the blaze.
In Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, settlers “stormed the
outskirts of the village, burned a citizen’s vehicle, and
wrote racist slogans on the walls of houses.”
In the village of al-Asa’asa in Jenin, the Israeli military
forced residents to exhume a newly buried body and
take it elsewhere, claiming the first site - was ''too
close'' to an illegal Israeli settlement.
Israeli settlers also attacked a Palestinian man in the town of
Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, and stole his mobile phone.
A group of Palestinians were picnicking in the Burak Sulayman
(Solomon’s Pools) area, south of Bethlehem, but were forced
to leave - after Israeli forces fired stun grenades at them.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) treated two
people for tear gas inhalation and evacuated five others
from the scene - after the attack.
In the town of Tuqu, southeast of Bethlehem, the mayor, Taysir
Abu Mufreh, told WAFA that Israeli forces fired “tear gas and
sound bombs” at a group of worshippers who were leaving
a local mosque and locked a number of them inside.
Israeli armed forces arrested four Palestinian men in the town of
Battir, west of Bethlehem, while they were hiking near a railway
line. The following day, three more Palestinians were arrested
during a raid on the city of Nablus.
Settlers attacked the town of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah,
leading to clashes ---- when residents confronted them.
Human rights groups say the Israeli authorities have allowed
the settlers to operate with total impunity --- in their attacks
against Palestinians.
In February..... Israel approved a plan to claim large areas of the
occupied West Bank as “state property” as more than 700,000
Israelis live in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
These attacks come -------- amid continued Israeli violence in the
occupied West Bank, where Israeli military and settler attacks
have killed at least 1,155 Palestinians ..since October 2023,
injured around 11,750 others, and led to the abduction of
approximately 22,000, according to official figures.
____________________________________________
Christians face harassment and
violence - from Israeli settlers
May 9th, 10:10am
(PressTV)
On Capitol Hill, a protest was held to denounce the
mainstream media's silence --- about the growing
wave of persecution of Christians by Israelis.
From a brutal attack on a nun in Jerusalem - to the
desecration of a cross in Lebanon, the increasing
number of high-profile incidents - is drawing
attention to Israel's worsening violent
intolerance of many groups.
Israel’s persecution of non-Jews in the occupied
territories is becoming steadily more blatant
and shocking.
In the West Bank and in Gaza, Christians
are being persecuted. Christians are
being harassed.
Israeli settlers have attacked people in the Christian
village of Taybeh - and it's not just because they're
Christian, but Palestinians don't have equal rights.
Protestor 01, Priest
Organized Israeli settler violence
against Christians hits new high
Israeli settler attacks targeting Christians and non-
Jewish communities in occupied al-Quds --- have
significantly increased, according to a report.
Getting spat on, disparaging graffiti, insults, intimidation; all
things which would receive huge amounts of attention if
done towards Jews have reportedly become a daily
experience for Palestinian Christians.
Almost 200,000 Christians live in Israel. However, polls
indicate --- that half of them under the age of 30 are
considering leaving due to the constant violence,
harassment and insults as Israeli society.......
continues to drift even further to the right.
The conditions that the Israeli [regime] has created have
made it impossible for the Palestinian Christian
community to continue to exist, because of
the checkpoints, the apartheid wall, and
more importantly, all of these Arab
Palestinian Christians, depend
on tourism.
Khader El-Yateem, Palestinian-US
Community Organiser
Israel's decades of land grabs and murder of Palestinians
of all faiths have escalated into an attempt to foment an
all-out regional war since October 7, 2023.
This -- has allowed Israel's most racist and ultra nationalist
groups, who have been incorporated into the government,
to feel that they can operate with impunity.
I serve in Jordan with a church that has people largely of
Palestinian descent from the West Bank, so they have
relatives there, and they tell me stories about things
going on.
I've been there a couple times myself, and it's
just really hard for them to live their lives.
Their movements are restricted; many times people have
a hard time getting to work. Many people have suffered
severely, economically, because of inability to work.
They sometimes have trouble getting to medical
appointments and doctors, schools, all kinds of
difficulties that we hear about.
And ---- not only that, but settler violence has
increased to really a point that is intolerable.
Protestor 02, Priest
The protesters made their way to Congress - to push
lawmakers into action because it's often said that
unless Israel's anti-Christian hate crimes get
attention in Washington..... there is little
chance that they can be prevented
in the future.
Condemnations... poured in following an assault by an
extremist Israeli settler on a French nun, as attacks
on Christian and Muslim clergy and holy sites - are
on the rise across the occupied territories.
_________________________________________
Revolution that Western pundits ignore:
68 nights and counting – of epic
rallies across Iran
by Dr. Shahab Esfandiary
May 9th, 10:05am
When I first identified signs of “a new revolutionary momentum”
in Iran during the initial week of the third imposed war, I could
not have anticipated that evening rallies – held in defiance of
US and Israeli aggression – would persist across thousands
of locations in Tehran and the provinces, for more than 68
consecutive nights.
Attending these rallies across Tehran, one experiences a
palpable shift in the historical era. Yet the so-called Iran
experts and pundits who appear in Western media
consistently overlook the significance of these
gatherings, reducing them simplistically to
“state-organized events.”
In doing so, they mislead Western public opinion and foreign
policy concerning Iran. It can be argued that the disastrous
decision to wage an unprovoked war against Iran is largely
attributable to such disinformation propagated by self-
styled Iran experts.
“This -- is a regime on the verge of collapse,” these experts
repeatedly asserted. “It stands at its weakest point since
the revolution, crumbling under economic sanctions.”
How then, one might ask, have millions of people been pouring
into the streets across the country, every single night, for
nearly 70 nights? They have not been forced by the
“regime,” and they don’t even receive any perks
for it, as some have wrongly assumed.
According to findings of a national poll by the Islamic Republic
of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) Research Centre, 59 percent of
Iranians said they attended these rallies at least once,
while 33 percent said they have attended most
nights - or every night.
A whopping 69 percent said they support the idea that the
rallies should continue, irrespective of the state of war.
Even the more nuanced voices within Western academia and
think tanks largely refrain from acknowledging the social
and political significance of these remarkable and
diverse displays of support for the Islamic
Republic – perhaps out of fear of the
virulently pro-Israel and pro-
Pahlavi cyber army.
For any anthropologist or sociologist interested in the
cultural politics of modern Iran, these rallies
constitute rich repositories of social and
cultural data. One might even interpret
these unprecedented mobilizations
as signs of a “third republic” in
the post-revolution era.
The robust presence and active participation of women from all
walks of life and across generations – in rallies held, while US
and Israeli jets indiscriminately bombed Iranian cities – have
been conspicuously ignored by the feminist scholars and
proponents of the so-called “Woman, Life,
Freedom” movement.
These rallies are not merely political events. They are sites of
civic debate, cultural production, and even religious worship.
The dynamism and innovation, of artistic and cultural outputs
arising from this new revolutionary momentum remain largely
neglected by those self-styled Iran experts.
While some attention has been paid ------ to Iranian artificial
intelligence productions – such as the path-breaking Lego
videos aimed at international audiences – little has been
said about the considerable number of widely popular
epic eulogies produced and disseminated, typically
in the form of music videos.
These eulogies are performed by celebrated Iranian eulogists,
who function as popular stars of Shiite religious culture.... in
major squares where the rallies convene every evening. The
video clips are displayed on video walls, and the tracks are
broadcast through loudspeakers ....as crowds sing along.
A new pattern has emerged in the eulogies produced since the
twelve-day war in June last year, a pattern further developed
during the recent 40-day war.
Unlike traditional eulogies, which focus predominantly on
religious themes and figures from Islamic and Shiite
history, the new eulogies, incorporate intertextual
references to characters from Persian mythology
and epic literature - such as Rostam, Tahmineh,
and Siavash.
They also resurrect patriotic themes and memorable
songs and melodies ---- in praise of the homeland.
Contrary to what pro-Western pundits – including sociologists –
may claim about Iranian society.. these eulogies demonstrate
that in the context of national defense, there is no perceived
contradiction between religion and nation, between Islam
and Iran, or between mellat (nation) and ummat (global
Islamic community).
Perhaps the de facto national anthem of these rallies – and
arguably the most popular eulogy – is Mahdi Rasouli’s
‘bizen ki khoob mizani’ (Strike them! You are striking
them hard.) This work masterfully combines Islamic,
Shiite, and Persian iconography and mythology ---
within a powerful epic rhythm and melody.
The popularity of this eulogy and the massive demand for it were
so pronounced that barely a single rally could be found in which
the track was not played. Its widespread appeal also served as
a clear indicator of substantial support for the aerospace force
of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), which launched
missiles and drones at enemy targets.
Even at rallies held in Europe, the eulogy was played
and sung collectively, by Iranians in the diaspora.
When the Grand Ḥosayniyyah of Zanjan – a major site of Shiite
religious ceremonies – was bombed by US and Israeli aircraft,
many believed it had been targeted precisely because it
served as the venue for Mahdi Rasouli’s
religious observances.
Overall, it may be argued that this war has reaffirmed the
enduring strength of Islam and Shi'ite religious culture
within Iranian society, despite decades of media and
cultural imperialist projects directed against it.
Even Iranians whose lifestyles or appearances are not in sync
with conventional religious norms, have not necessarily
distanced themselves from religious beliefs.
Conversely, those who hold strong Islamic and Shi'ite
convictions are not opposed to Persian heritage
and popular national culture.
The broad support for the Islamic Republic, evident in
thousands of rallies across the country over the past
68 days and nights..... suggests that for millions of
Iranians, defending their country against foreign
aggression constitutes both a divine religious
duty .......and an act of patriotism and
national service.
Dr. Shahab Esfandiary -- is an Associate
Professor at the University of Arts, Iran.
(The views expressed in this article ---- do
not necessarily reflect those of Press TV)
_________________________________________________
Five strategic shifts: How Hezbollah
redefined itself as an invincible
military force
by Mohammad Molaei
May 9th, 9:14am
(PressTV)
The infamous maxim "repeat a lie often enough, and it
becomes the truth" is typically attributed to Joseph
Goebbels, the notorious Reich Minister of
Propaganda in Nazi Germany.
Although the authenticity of the quote remains in question,
it increasingly seems to hold true in our age – and the
case of Lebanon is no exception.
Prior to - the recent Israeli-US war of aggression against Iran
and the subsequent spillover across the region, the popular
narrative suggested that the Lebanese resistance
movement Hezbollah had essentially ceased
to exist as a viable military power.
The organization had lost the majority of its top leadership,
suffered major blows to its arsenal, and seen hundreds of
its fighters martyred amid a ceasefire following the 2024
war, without any major retaliation from the movement.
Simultaneously, Hezbollah was under intense
political pressure in Beirut from Western-
backed political parties.
This narrative has turned out to be -- nothing more than a giant
propaganda campaign, with even Israel itself falling victim to
– and believing – the lie it had created.
Hezbollah entered the new phase of war with full force and
defied all expectations. Contrary to popular belief, the
movement was far from passive... in the months
following the 2024 war with Israel. It was
preparing itself for the next inevitable
clash with the Israeli military.
The transformation of Hezbollah's military strategy
represents one of the most significant shifts in
contemporary asymmetric warfare.
Following the recent war, which exposed vulnerabilities
in traditional resistance tactics --- the movement
fundamentally restructured its operational
approach across five dimensions.
These changes ------ encompass force structure, command
philosophy, targeting methodology, territorial doctrine &
leadership architecture. Together... they demonstrate
how a highly motivated resistance movement can
maintain strategic relevance ------ against a
technologically and numerically
superior adversary.
Restructuring force deployment
Although originally a guerrilla resistance group, Hezbollah
morphed into more of a conventional force, relying on
massed formations.. and large-scale deployments
after its experiences during the interventions
in Syria and Iraq against Daesh (ISIS) and
other West-backed terrorist factions.
Recent events have demonstrated the limitations of this
approach against adversaries employing advanced
surveillance, precision strike capabilities, and
real-time intelligence ----- such as the Israeli
military. In such cases more concentrated
formations become vulnerability magnets
for airstrikes and artillery.
Hezbollah's response has been - to disaggregate its force
structure into smaller, more specialized units designed
for high-impact operations rather than sustained
territorial control.
These units typically operate at the independent squad level,
with enhanced training in specific missions ---- ranging from
precision strikes using FPV drones to limited infiltrations
and trap-laying. This transformation... demands higher
individual skill levels, more sophisticated equipment
distribution, and greater operational independence.
These specialized teams are designed to deliver
disproportionate effects relative to their size,
prioritizing concealment and mobility. Their
purpose is not to dominate the battlefield
in a conventional sense, but rather to
impose costs, to disrupt enemy
operations, and exploit ...
opportunities.
Smaller units are harder to detect, less vulnerable to massed
firepower, and more adaptable to complex terrain. They also
allow for more efficient use of experienced personnel, by
concentrating skill - rather than spreading it thinly....
across large formations.
This change - does not imply the complete abandonment
of larger organizational structures. Instead, it reflects
a layered approach in which small units operate
within a broader strategic framework,
coordinated ------- to achieve
cumulative effects.
Decentralized command and
operational autonomy
Closely linked to the shift in force deployment ---- is a
transformation in Hezbollah's command and control.
Traditional hierarchical models – characterized by
centralized decision making and rigid chains of
command ---- are ill-suited to environments
where communication --- is contested
and rapid adaptation is essential.
Hezbollah's recent doctrinal evolution.... suggests a
deliberate move toward decentralization, granting
lower level commanders ....greater autonomy in
planning and execution.
During the 2024 Israeli-Hezbollah war, centralized command
nodes proved vulnerable to disruption, whether through
assassinations or compromised communications.
Empowering junior leaders and embracing decentralization
allow units to respond swiftly to local conditions - without
awaiting detailed instructions, thereby reducing reaction
times and increasing operational tempo.
Hezbollah's evolving command culture appears to seek
a balance between flexibility and control: maintaining
overarching strategic guidance laid out by central
command while allowing tactical discretion at
the unit level.
The decentralized model also complicates adversary
targeting strategies. When operational capacity
resides in distributed nodes --- rather than
concentrated command centres, then
assassinating leaders produces
diminishing returns.
Each autonomous unit becomes a self-contained
operational entity, capable of continuing its
mission - even when isolated from the
higher command.
The shift to result-based operations
Another significant evolution in Hezbollah’s doctrine -- is the
transition from firepower-centric operations, to result-based
targeting. Hezbollah traditionally relied on sustained strikes
using cheap firepower like 122 mm and 107 mm rockets to
wear out the Israelis.
This tactic, successful in earlier wars, has increasingly lost its
effectiveness against an adversary like the Zionist entity with
its sophisticated military systems and the capacity to rapidly
regenerate damaged or spent defensive capabilities thanks
to the bottomless pit known as the US taxpayer's money.
Moreover --- the resources required to achieve meaningful
effects through mass firepower are difficult to replenish
for a movement like Hezbollah, which is under constant
domestic and international pressure -- on its logistics.
Rather than maximizing the number of projectiles launched -- or
engagements initiated, the focus of results based operations is
on achieving defined effects, ie, disrupting logistics, degrading
command and control --- compelling adversary forces to alter
their behaviour, and above all --- inflicting casualties.
By concentrating on outcomes rather than spectacle, Hezbollah
appears to be adapting to an environment in which every
action carries strategic consequences -- beyond the
immediate battlefield. Implementing this doctrine
--- has required organizational changes in
Hezbollah - beyond the tactical units.
Intelligence collection and analysis have been clearly
enhanced - to identify targets whose destruction
produces desired effects ---- and maintains
pressure on the occupying forces.
Simply put, Hezbollah is leveraging more accurate delivery
systems and careful target selection to generate strategic
effects with reduced resource consumption and a lower
risk of counterproductive casualties among its forces.
Abandoning rigid territorial defense
Perhaps the most consequential strategic shift in Hezbollah’s
grand strategy has been the move away from the doctrine of
holding territory at all costs.
In earlier phases of the war.... maintaining physical control over
specific areas was often equated with success and legitimacy.
The historic humiliating defeat of the Israeli occupation in Bint
Jbeil in 2006 is perhaps one of the most notable examples of
this policy.
However, the costs of such an approach against an
adversary with overwhelming smart firepower
have become increasingly apparent.
Hezbollah’s revised policy emphasizes mobility, elasticity, and
most notably, constant attrition over static defense. Rather
than anchoring forces to fixed positions ---- the resistance
movement has adopted a strategy -- centred on inflicting
casualties, disrupting consolidation, and preventing
the adversary ------- from achieving a stable
operational environment.
This includes the use of mobile harassment, spoiling attacks,
and temporary engagements designed to impose costs
without committing to prolonged defense.
Israel may take villages and lands south of the Litani, but it
will never hold them. What Hezbollah is doing is giving up
land, when necessary, to prevent consolidation.
The policy is clear: Occupied Lebanon is, and will remain, a
killing zone for Israeli regime soldiers. Thus, victory is no
longer measured by maps alone but by the cumulative
strain.... imposed on the adversary’s military and
political system. This redefinition of success
aligns with the organization’s emphasis on
endurance - and long term resistance.
In many ways, this policy shift is a return to the 1980s and
1990s Hezbollah tactics. Hezbollah, has decided to play
the long game. While Israel.. has succeeded in taking
certain border regions and could still advance more
in Lebanon, it will never consolidate its occupation
or hold land without a constant price in the lives
of its soldiers.
Even if it takes multiple years, constant attrition in southern
Lebanon will eventually force the Israelis to rethink the
benefits of their occupation. This mass introduction
of FPV drones to the war -- has further reinforced
this new policy, allowing Hezbollah to maintain
pressure on Israeli forces indefinitely.... at
manageable costs.
Generational transition and
organizational renewal
Without a doubt, the most impactful damage inflicted on
Hezbollah in 2024, was the martyrdom of almost all of
its senior command – and most significantly, its long
-time Secretary General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah,
a leader who embodied Lebanese resistance and
cast a shadow .........far beyond the borders of
Lebanon ---- for decades.
It is no exaggeration to state that most national militaries
- could not have survived the cumulative impact of the
pager terrorist attacks, a devastating war, and the
loss of their entire military high command.
Against all the odds, Hezbollah has managed to adapt and
reorganize its military leadership. The final dimension of
the movement's strategic evolution involves this forced
leadership transition.
These losses, resulting from targeted assassinations, and
battlefield casualties, have eliminated much of its senior
military leadership: officers with decades of experience
who had - victoriously - led Hezbollah, through the
liberation of South Lebanon, the 2006 War,
and numerous wars ------ far beyond
Lebanon's borders.
The departed generation of leaders brought irreplaceable
experience --- having developed Hezbollah's military
capabilities from a nascent resistance movement
into a sophisticated regional fighting force. This
great loss created both crisis and opportunity,
forcing the accelerated promotion of younger
commanders, while simultaneously altering
the organizational culture and decision-
making processes.
Younger commanders – less invested in historical doctrines
and organizational traditions – are proving more willing
to embrace the strategic shifts outlined above.
The new generation has matured in a different operational
environment, shaped by recent wars rather than earlier
experiences. Their tactical instincts.. and strategic
assumptions... may be better aligned with the
contemporary realities of combat.
Moreover, accelerated promotion also creates incentive
structures that reward initiative and effectiveness,
potentially energizing the organization.
This transition also aligns with the shift toward decentralized
command. As younger leaders assume greater responsibility,
the organization's emphasis on autonomy and initiative,
becomes both a necessity ...and a test.
The effectiveness of Hezbollah's evolving strategy will depend
-- in large part -- on the performance of these newly appointed
leaders. The results to this point signal much to be optimistic
about regarding Hezbollah's future...... as an effective
fighting force.
The resistance endures
Despite all the ''noise'' in Western media and all the claims
of victory by the Israeli regime, the Lebanese resistance
is alive ---- and stronger.
These five shifts... suggest a deliberate effort by Hezbollah to
construct a more resilient and adaptable military posture. By
prioritizing small, high-impact units, decentralizing command
----- focusing on results ---- rather than volume, avoiding rigid
territorial commitments, and integrating a new generation
of leaders, it is aligning its strategy with new realities.
These adaptations - have successfully challenged previous
assessments of the military balance between Israel and
Hezbollah. History shows --- that an army emphasizing
disruption and endurance over decisive engagement
is difficult to deter or defeat through conventional
means alone.
At the same time, avoiding territorial fixation may reduce
the likelihood of large-scale, set-piece battles, altering
the character of the confrontation rather than its
existence and turning it into a long-term
quagmire......... for the occupiers.
Whether these adaptations will prove effective over the long
term remains to be seen. Much depends on Hezbollah's
ability to maintain its current military cohesion,
manage generational change, and balance
flexibility, with control.
What is clear is that Hezbollah's military doctrine is no longer
defined solely by the paradigms of its earlier wars. Instead,
it represents an evolving synthesis of lessons learned ----
shaped by necessity and constrained by circumstance.
For now, the results show that Hezbollah has succeeded in
redefining itself as a military power. For anyone interested
in military affairs, Hezbollah's transformation - offers a
case study --- in how an outmanned and outgunned
armed organization can adapt to its adversaries
and the changing nature of warfare itself ----
through sheer willpower and competence.
Mohammad Molaei, is a Tehran-
based military affairs analyst.