NSA spies and Israel's spies are buddies

NSA has close partnership with Israel Mon Aug 4, 2014 10:5AM New documents show a “far-reaching” collaboration between the US National Security Agency and Israeli intelligence services most of which was directed against Palestine.  The NSA "maintains a far-reaching technical and analytic relationship with the Israeli SIGINT National Unit (ISNU) sharing information on access, intercept, targeting, language, analysis and reporting," according to an NSA document dated April 13, 2013, which is among other documents revealed by The Intercept on Monday.  The documents show the US has provided Israel with cash, raw data and analysis under agreements reached between the NSA and Israeli SIGINT National Unit also known as Unit 8200, the secretive signals intelligence organization.  The Intercept's Glenn Greenwald wrote that the documents "underscore the indispensable, direct involvement of the US government and its key allies in Israeli aggression against its neighbors. That covert support is squarely at odds with the posture of helpless detachment typically adopted by Obama officials and their supporters."  The documents also show Unit 8200 along with the US, Britain and Canada attempt to collect signals from throughout the Middle East.  In 2003 and 2004, the US explored a "massively expanded intelligence-sharing relationship called 'Gladiator.'" But the Israelis demanded hundreds of millions of dollars in exchange for the project, which "appears never to have been consummated," one document shows.  The documents, however, revealed receipts for cash payments to Israel worth $500,000; though it is not clear if the receipts represent one or multiple payments, and that their precise purpose is undocumented.  ... FULL @ SOURCE ... Source - Press TV - here.

The $500,000 must be the 'petty cash' of the spy world.

The other stuff can't be that surprising. 

Everyone's in the five eye or whatever it is, so of course they're spying and sharing intelligence.

Russia to reportedly re-open Cuban base

Following Vladimir Putin's recent visit to Cuba, it has been reported that Russia has written off Cuban debt to Russia.

Russia is rumoured to have also made arrangements with Cuba to re-open their SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) facility in Lourdes, Cuba (250km from mainland US).

Following the 1998 economic bust, Russia wound down her large scale operations at the Cuban facility.

However, Russia ultimately closed down the facility in 2001 due to US pressure.

The US held the purse strings and refused to reschedule or the forgive Russian debt, unless the Cuban facility was shut down.

Following the passing of the US Russian-American Trust and Cooperation Act (introduced in 2000 and rapidly passed by US Senate), Russia -- indebted to the US interests -- had no choice but to close down her Cuban base.

Particulars of the Act are as follows:

Full Title

To prohibit the rescheduling or forgiveness of any outstanding bilateral debt owed to the United States by the Government of the Russian Federation until the President certifies to the Congress that the Government of the Russian Federation has ceased all its operations at, removed all personnel from, and permanently closed the intelligence facility at Lourdes, Cuba.

Legislation particulars:  GovTrackUS site - here. 

No further details are available as to the reinstatement of  Russia's Cuban base.

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EDIT
Since denied by Putin - further blog post - here.