The Washington Times reports: “Iran’s extremist militias and their proxies were behind a recent string of terrorist attacks against Israeli diplomatic targets around the globe and might seek to strike the United States, U.S. counterterrorism officials said.

‘Quds Force, Hezbollah and others have shown they both have the capability and the willingness to extend beyond that [Middle East] region of the world and likely here into the homeland itself,’ Kevin L. Perkins, associate deputy director of the FBI, told a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

‘We look at it as a serious threat,’ he added, saying the bureau is ‘focusing intelligence analysts and other resources on that on a daily basis to monitor that threat.’…” (Iran’s militias as well as other Islamic terrorists are preparing to hit the USA. Yahweh, the Judeo-Christian God will protect His beloved chosen people — Daniel 7:7, 8; plus America who stands with Israel – Genesis 12:3. Study Luke 21:9, 27, 28, 31, 32 for a pre-tribulation rapture and a blessed promise. See the next three reports.)

SpaceDaily.com reports: “The United States could be vulnerable to attack from long-range ballistic missiles unless the government overhauls the country’s ‘fragile’ missile defense system, experts said in a report.

The findings from the non-partisan National Research Council are highly critical of President Barack Obama’s missile defense strategy, which focuses on protecting Europe from shorter-range Iranian missiles.

Instead, the report calls for a return in part to ex-president George W. Bush’s emphasis on shielding the United States against long-range threats.

The US military should focus on proven hardware that can intercept enemy missiles in midcourse, instead of spending large sums of money trying to hit an adversary’s missiles just after launch in the boost-phase, said the report. It called the current approach technically daunting and unaffordable…

The Pentagon’s current network of 30 ground-based interceptors, designed to hit incoming missiles at midcourse, offers an ‘early but fragile’ defense of the US homeland against a potential attack from North Korea’s unsophisticated arsenal, according to the report.

But with Iran possibly developing more capable long-range missiles within a decade, the panel recommended bolstering the system by adding a third interceptor site to the northeastern region…”

Israel National News reports: “The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Sunday warned of retaliation against the Gulf’s strategic Strait of Hormuz, U.S. bases in the Middle East and Israel if his country was to be attacked.

According to a report by AFP, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, speaking in a very rare news conference in Tehran, also said that he believed Iran would abandon the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty should it be targeted for military action.

Jafari said that the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow channel at the entrance of the Gulf through which a third of the world’s traded oil passes, would be a legitimate target for Iran should it be attacked.

‘This is a declared policy by Iran that if war occurs in the region and the Islamic republic is involved, it is natural that the Strait of Hormuz as well as the energy (market) will face difficulties,’ he said, according to AFP.

Jafari suggested that U.S. military bases — such as those in Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia — would also be fair game for retaliation by Iranian missiles or proxy forces.

‘The U.S. has many vulnerabilities around Iran, and its bases are within the range of the Guards’ missiles. We have other capabilities as well, particularly when it comes to the support of Muslims for the Islamic republic,’ he said…”

The Fars News Agency reports: “A senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced that the newly unveiled Ra’d air defense system has been developed to target aggressive US planes.

‘The system has been built in a bid to confront US aircraft and can hit targets 50km in distance and 75,000 feet in altitude,’ Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh told reporter on the sidelines of the military parades marking the anniversary of the Sacred Defense Week here in Tehran on Friday morning.

He added that the September 21 parades demonstrated Iranian Armed Forces’ preparedness to defend the country, ‘Given these capabilities, we announce that we will allow no one to even think about aggression against Iran.’

The IRGC displayed a highly advanced air defense shield, called ‘Ra’d’, during military parades in Southern Tehran.

According to IRGC Air Defense Unit, the highly-advanced home-made Ra’d (Thunder) air defense system is equipped with ‘Taer’ (Bird) missiles, which can trace and hit targets 50km in distance and 75,000f in altitude…”