January 17

Iran tops agenda as Chinese chief visits gulf

But no one doubts that at the top of Wen’s agenda is Iran and how China can keep fueling its economy as Western powers step up sanctions and security threats to shipments grow. Analysts say the premier’s top priority is to keep relations with the Saudis smooth even as China bucks the sanctions that Riyadh backs by continuing to buy Iranian crude.

IDF official: Nuclear Iran will limit Israel's ability to protect its borders

Eshel made clear that Israel - widely reputed to have the region's only atomic arsenal - worries that Syria and Lebanon's Hezbollah militia as well as Palestinian Hamas Islamists who rule Gaza could one day find reassurance in an Iranian bomb.

'Nuclear Iran could deter wars in Gaza, Lebanon'

Eshel made clear that Israel worries that Syria and Hezbollah, as well as Hamas in the Gaza Strip, could one day find reassurance in an Iranian bomb.

"They will be more aggressive. They will dare to do things that right now they would not dare to do," he said in a briefing to foreign journalists and diplomats.

Iran at the epicenter

Winds of war are not yet blowing in the Persian Gulf. The sounds of war are not yet heard. But 'stunts' of war can be seen, and they carry deep significance since almost every U.S. political debate this election year revolves around the Iranian nuclear program.

Iran face-off testing Obama the Candidate

After fierce lobbying by the White House, which opposed this hardening in the sanctions that have been its main tool in pressuring Tehran, Congress agreed to modify the legislation to give Mr. Obama leeway to delay action if he concludes the clampdown would disrupt the oil market. He may also invoke a waiver to exempt any country from sanctions based on national security considerations.

War with Iran: A conflict Obama hopes to avoid may be imposed on him

Restraining Israel from unilateral action by escalating sanctions pressure has been a dominant theme of the Obama Administration’s Iran policy. And current and former Administration officials have said that President Obama would take military action if other methods failed to stop Iran building a nuclear weapon, although the U.S. intelligence assessment is that Iran has not yet decided, let alone begun, to build nuclear weapons despite steadily acquiring the means to do so. But neither Israel’s “bad cop” threats of military action or Washington’s “good cop” sanctions have changed Iran’s calculations, and the nuclear program is steadily expanding its capability. Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Iran had begun enriching uranium to 20% at its hardened underground facility at Fordo near Qom, a plant built in secret and designed to put some of Iran’s capacity to manufacture nuclear fuel beyond the reach of air attack.

Iran rejects French charge it is sending arms to Syria

France's foreign ministry said on Monday that Iran has repeatedly violated a UN arms embargo by exporting weapons to Syria, which is roiled by internal strife.

Iran condemns interference in Syria, hails reform

"We are fundamentally against interfering in the affairs of other countries. We think it does not solve the problems but will only make them more complicated," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told a weekly news conference.

Is Al Qaeda actually involved in the Syria uprising?

Analysts say there is little proof – at least for now – that suggests that Al Qaeda, or its militant affiliates, are seeking to play an active role in the Syrian uprising. But the Assad regime has an ambiguous history with Sunni militants – serving at times as suspected patron and at other times as bitter enemy – and a descent into civil war could draw Al Qaeda and like-minded groups into the fray.

Jordan’s Islamists ‘preparing to govern’

In an ordinary IAF Shura Council session late Saturday, Islamist leaders discussed potential measures should the party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, come to power in a government based on a parliamentary majority.

President Moussa, we presume

All three election phases are now complete, with less controversy, violence and irregularities than one might have feared. The results are not fully in, but it seems clear that Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist parties have won the bulk of the seats.

Having successfully held parliamentary elections under difficult conditions, there seems no reason to doubt that the military will be able to oversee similarly conclusive presidential elections. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine what, other than a full-fledged popular rebellion in the coming months, could successfully disrupt this.

Barry Rubin: Israel's options as Muslim Brotherhood gains power

The Muslim Brotherhood is overwhelmingly the most powerful organization in Egypt, the Gaza Strip, Tunisia, and very probably Libya, where its branches will control the governments. In Jordan, the brotherhood leads the opposition; in Syria, it plays an important role in the revolutionary upheaval.

Bedouin leaders threaten armed rebellion against Egyptian government

Egypt's military-led government, struggling to manage the transition to democracy, has a rising adversary: rebellious Bedouin tribes.

At a meeting last Friday in the south Sinai desert, Bedouin leaders accused the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces of treason against Egypt and warned that -- if necessary -- they might take up arms to achieve greater representation in the nation's new parliament.

Israel raises alarm over Sinai-Gaza cooperation

"Terror elements have entered the region, they're using the area as a platform for terror, Sinai has become a destination for Iran," he said, noting that in an attack last summer a missile was shot at a helicopter, which managed to dodge it.

. . . "The peace with Egypt has been and is valuable to both countries, but under the surface, the civilian grudge against Israel on the street has become a political asset," Netanyahu continued.

IDF preparing for major Gaza action within months

“Every officer will need to know where he needs to be with his troops and what his mission will be,” a senior officer explained. “Gaza has changed and the weaponry in Hamas’s and Islamic Jihad’s hands has significantly grown in quantity and quality.”

Hamas is believed to have a fighting force number over 20,000 armed men who are split into five brigades corresponding with different sections of the Gaza Strip. Each brigade is then split into a number of battalions. In addition, Hamas also has special teams for surveillance, anti-tank missiles, mortar and rocket fire and anti-aircraft shoulder-to-air missiles.

Knesset may leave int’l group for including Hamas

“It feels to me as though all order and logic of this world has been turned upside down,” Rivlin wrote, pointing out that Johnsson promised that Hamas would not be allowed to participate in the IPU, during a visit to Israel in December.

Hamas brutally assaults Shi'ite worshippers in Gaza

The assault was part of a broader crackdown on Shi'ite organizations, including charities, that has been sparked in part by Hamas' fear of growing Iranian influence in Gaza.

Israeli hackers bring down Saudi, UAE monetary sites

Israeli hackers said they brought down the official websites of Saudi Arabia's Monetary Agency and Abu Dhabi's Securities Exchange on Tuesday in retaliation for a denial of service attack on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange the previous day.

Israeli hackers bring down Saudi, UAE stock exchange websites

The hackers wrote that the attack came in response to the “pathetic” hacking of Israeli sites on Monday. The hackers warned that if the attacks continue, they will “move to the next stage and paralyze websites for a period of two weeks to a month.”

Hackers disrupt Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and El Al

The distributed denial-of-service attacks, which also targeted three Israeli banks, were the latest salvo in a month-long offensive between Arab and Jewish hackers determined to give the Middle East conflict an online dimension.

Cyber attack against Israeli websites used local computers, security expert says

A recent string of cyber attacks against Israeli credit card companies, banks, and government websites was aided by thousands of Israeli computers operated by remote assailants, a top Israeli software security expert on Tuesday.