CIA spies may be caught

This story is compliments of weasel Zippers,

Maybe I am a cynic, but I wonder if the present administration may have leaked the ID of these people, Nothing like embarrassing the United States.  Also I wonder if the risk adverse mentality at the puzzle palace is also a factor.

Report: Dozens of CIA Spies Working Undercover In Hezbollah And Iran Caught, Feared Executed…

(ABC News) — In a significant failure for the United States in the Mideast, more than a dozen spies working for the CIA in Iran and Lebanon have been caught and the U.S. government fears they will be or have been executed, according to four current and former U.S. officials with connections to the intelligence community.
The spies were paid informants recruited by the CIA for two distinct espionage rings targeting Iran and the Beirut-based Hezbollah organization, considered by the U.S. to be a terror group backed by Iran.
“Espionage is a risky business,” a U.S. official briefed on the developments told ABC News, confirming the loss of the unspecified number of spies over the last six months.
“Many risks lead to wins, but some result in occasional setbacks,” the official said.
Robert Baer, a former senior CIA officer who worked against Hezbollah while stationed in Beirut in the 1980′s, said Hezbollah typically executes individuals suspected of or caught spying.
“If they were genuine spies, spying against Hezbollah, I don’t think we’ll ever see them again,” he said. “These guys are very, very vicious and unforgiving.”
Other current and former officials said the discovery of the two U.S. spy rings occurred separately, but amounted to a setback of significant proportions in efforts to track the activities of the Iranian nuclear program and the intentions of Hezbollah against Israel.
“Remember, this group was responsible for killing more Americans than any other terrorist group before 9/11,” said a U.S. official. Attacks on the U.S. embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 killed more than 300 people, including almost 260 Americans.
The U.S. official, speaking for the record but without attribution, gave grudging credit to the efforts of Iran and Hezbollah to detect and expose U.S. and Israeli espionage.

South Korea

I have been watching the situation over in Korea for a while and I have a gut feeling that there will be fighting soon in the hermit kingdom.  North Korea has a myriad of  economic issues all relating to the discredited marxist based economic system that the same clowns want to impose on us.  They have a large starving population and a dear leader that wants to reunite the Korean pennsula by force as his dad tried to do in June 1950.  North korea may try something because they have nothing to lose.  We are viewed as weak in the world, we are withdrawing our forces from 2 conflicts, the military is tired and battered by the 10 years of war operations.  We have a vacillating president that is more concerned about getting reelected for a second term and transforming our country rather than leading from the front as Presidents are expected to do.  If I was the military, I would start pulling out more dependents out of that country and staging equipment in Okinawa and Yokosuka Japan especially air assets and more naval assets.
     I am guessing that if they struck it will be in 2 times, either in the heavy start of the cold season, they don't care if some conscript freezes to death, they all belong to their dear leader.  life is cheap....really cheap for a stalinist regime.  or they will attack in may, that gives them the entire summer and fall to make gains before the cold season hits.  Either way it will be nasty and our vacillating president will not do anything because he wants to win elections and has a propensity to throw our allies under the bus.

US, South Korea to Increase Defense Posture Against North Korea

Steve Herman | Seoul October 28, 2011
The U.S. and South Korea have pledged to "advance combat readiness capabilities" near the disputed sea border with North Korea, warning against any future aggression by Pyongyang. The warning came as defense leaders of the two military allies met for their annual security consultative meeting.
Speaking at a news conference in Seoul Friday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and his South Korean counterpart, Kim Kwan-jin, said provocations by North Korea similar to a pair of deadly attacks last year will not be tolerated.
The two defense chiefs announced a joint commitment to "advance combat readiness capabilities" in and around the tense, disputed maritime border off the west coast of the Korean peninsula.
Panetta pledged the United States will sustain and enhance its military presence on the peninsula and in the Asian region despite the threat of deep cutbacks in the U.S. military budget.
"Together we will ensure a strong and effective alliance deterrence posture, including the United States' nuclear umbrella, so that Pyongyang never misjudges our will and our capability to respond decisively to nuclear aggression," he said.
Tensions have been high on the Korean Peninsula since the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship that Seoul blamed on Pyongyang, followed by North Korea's artillery attack on a South Korean border island that killed four people.
The North has denied any responsibility in the sinking of the warship. But Pyongyang has defended its shelling of Yeonpyeong island last November, saying it was in response to a South Korean provocation during a military exercise there.
South Korean Defense Minister Kim calls the possibility of fresh provocations next year by North Korea "very high."
Kim says if there is such an incident, South Korea would initially respond with its own forces and then, if an expanded counter-attack is needed, additional assets of the U.S. military would be included.
The United States maintains more than 28,000 military personnel in South Korea.
Diplomats from the United States and North Korea this week held a rare second round of direct talks in Geneva. The discussions are intended to explore resuming six-nation talks on Pyongyang's nuclear programs.
The talks - involving both Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan - have not been held for nearly three years. North Korea in 2009 announced it was quitting the talks. Subsequently it exploded a second nuclear device and test-launched additional advanced missiles.
U.S. Defense Secretary Panetta expressed doubts that talks between Washington and Pyongyang will convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programs.
Panetta and Kim on Friday expressed additional concern about North Korea's revelation last year that it now also has a uranium enrichment program. They called the program a "grave threat," saying it gives Pyongyang a second path to making nuclear weapons.
They urged North Korea to "demonstrate its genuine will toward denuclearization through concrete actions." Both Washington and Seoul have repeatedly said abandoning nuclear weapons is a pre-requisite for resuming the six-nation talks. Pyongyang has said there should be no pre-conditions.