* Turkish FM slams Israel over fuel tanks Turkey on Monday called the discovery of fuel tanks allegedly dropped by IAF aircraft “unacceptable,” and Syria branded it a “hostile act.”

* Congress expected to grill general on violence data Congress is expected this week to pick apart U.S. military data suggesting attacks and civilian casualties in Baghdad have sharply decreased in recent months.

* Iran’s nuclear foes ‘racing to hell’: Ahmadinejad President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday lashed out at his Western foes which demand Iran halt its sensitive nuclear activities, saying they were “racing to hell”.

* Analysis: What’s guiding Damascus? This weekend’s report of Israeli air force activity over northeastern Syria along the Turkish- Syrian border on September 6 comes in the context of disturbing trends in Syrian military behavior.

* Pope says abortion “not a human right” Pope Benedict rejected the concept that abortion could be considered a human right on Friday and urged European leaders to do everything possible to raise birth rates and make their countries more child-friendly.

* Israel’s population numbers 7.2 million This Rosh Hashana eve there are 7.2 million Israeli citizens in the country, according to data released Monday by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).

* Poll: Abbas’s popularity on the rise Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s popularity has increased since his rivals from Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip, and the Palestinian leader would easily win a re-election if a vote were held today, according to a poll released Monday.

* Netanyahu: We’re in 1939 Opposition leader says military option should be used if Iran about to get nuclear weapons.

* Olmert offers Abbas prisoner release ahead of Ramadan Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered on Monday to release Palestinian prisoners ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, during a meeting with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem.

* Al-Qaida promises 9/11 hijacker video Al-Qaida said Monday that it will release a new video of Osama bin Laden presenting the last testament of one of the Sept. 11 suicide hijackers, marking the sixth anniversary of the attacks.