* ‘IAF targeted Iranian weapons in Syria’ The Israel Air Force jets that allegedly infiltrated Syrian airspace early last Thursday apparently bombed an Iranian arms shipment that was being transferred to Hizbullah.

* Putin names next prime minister Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted the resignation of PM Mikhail Fradkov and nominated a financial crime investigator to replace him.

* ‘Advisors to Assad pressuring him to respond with force’ Advisors to Syrian President Bashar Assad are pressuring him to respond to the alleged IAF attack by “landing a blow to an Israeli target.”

* Rosh HaShanah-Sabbath Holiday, Wed. Night thru Sat. Night The Jewish People begin nearly a month of holidays Wednesday evening: Two days of Rosh Hashanah, followed immediately by the Sabbath of Repentance.

* Powerful quake shakes Indonesia A powerful earthquake has struck off the western Indonesian island of Sumatra, sparking fears of a tsunami.

* Gaza Strip braces for IDF response Hamas began evacuating most of its security installations and civilian offices in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

* Russia tests giant fuel-air bomb The Russian air force has tested a giant fuel-air bomb which the military says is the biggest non-nuclear explosive device in the world.

* Euro hits new all-time high against U.S. dollar The euro hit a new all-time high against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday, climbing as high as US$1.3878 amid speculation that the Federal Reserve will soon cut interest rates.

* U.S. Officials Begin Crafting Iran Bombing Plan A recent decision by German officials to withhold support for any new sanctions against Iran has pushed a broad spectrum of officials in Washington to develop potential scenarios for a military attack on the Islamic regime.

* Security Forces on Highest Alert For Rosh HaShanah & Ramadan Israel’s security forces are on highest alert ahead of the Jewish holidays, which coincide this year with the Muslim month of Ramadan.

By: Jerusalem Center of Strategic Affairs Unit – The Jerusalem Post

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.

Read more….

* New bin Laden video surfaces A new video purportedly featuring an introduction from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was released Tuesday — the sixth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

* Hamas: Kassam attack on IDF training base ‘a victory from God’ A Hamas spokesman praised Tuesday’s rocket attack on an Israeli army base, calling it a “victory from God.”

* Iraq welcomes US surge ‘progress’ The Iraqi government has welcomed a positive report on the progress of the US military surge in Iraq by the top US commander there.

* Abbas jets off to Jidda to get Saudis on board PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to fly to Saudi Arabia Tuesday and meet with the Saudi king.

* Syria warns flyovers will have tragic consequences Syria revved up Tuesday its rhetoric on Israel’s reported violation of Syrian airspace.

* Yishai: Shas will quit gov’t if Temple Mount is relinquished Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Eli Yishai said Tuesday morning that his ultra-Orthodox Shas party will leave the government if Israel relinquishes the Temple Mount.

* Hizbullah: IAF mission practice for Iran Hizbullah leaders on Monday joined those speculating about the mission, saying it was a practice IAF run to see whether Israel could penetrate into Iran.

* Chip implants linked to animal tumors When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved implanting microchips in humans, the manufacturer said it would save lives.

* September 10 and history September 10 has been robbed of its importance as a day on its own accord, now deriving its significance from proximity to the date it precedes.

* Merkel supports Sarkozy on future of EU debate German chancellor Angela Merkel has backed France’s idea of setting up a “council of the wise” to debate the future of Europe.

* 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.

* Hanegbi: Israel and Syria don’t have an interest in conflict “Israel and Syria don’t have an interest in conflict, and the United States, along with Arab countries, are making sure not to cause unnecessary tension.”

* ‘Embrace Islam’ Bin Laden urges A new video tape purportedly made by al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has urged the American people to embrace Islam in order to stop the war in Iraq.

* Syrian paper slams US-Israel cooperation A Syrian government newspaper accused the US on Saturday of encouraging Israel’s reported violation of Syrian airspace by remaining silent on the issue.

* Arab League says pullout condition for negotiations Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa has demanded the evacuation of settlements as a condition to the continuation of peace negotiations.

* ‘Israel and occupation will disappear’ “Like the Israeli terror was leashed on Syria two days ago, it will reach each and every Muslim country if we remain in this situation.”

* Putin, Bush fail to ease missile defense tension US President George W. Bush and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin failed to make clear progress in talks Friday to defuse tensions over US missile defense plans that have angered Moscow.

* Sources: Petraeus wants no troop cuts until spring The top U.S. commander in Iraq will recommend to President Bush that current U.S. troop levels be maintained in Iraq through next spring.

* Fast-track treaty talks start in Portugal The first test of whether the fast-track timetable for the new EU treaty has a chance of succeeding will took place (7 September).

* Oil price tests an all-time high The price of oil has risen close to a record level, putting more pressure on Opec to give a positive signal about production levels at its meeting in Vienna next week.

* Syrian president denies working against stability in Iraq Syria’s president has denied in an interview with CBS anchor Katie Couric that his government is allowing terrorists entry into Iraq.

* Majadle: Alleged IAF flyover won’t spark war with Syria Culture and Sports Minister Ghaleb Majadle said Friday that IAF planes enter Syrian airspace on a daily basis, adding that he did not believe the latest alleged incident would spark off a war.

* Pope, Peres discuss Mideast peace Pope Benedict XVI and Israeli President Shimon Peres discussed Middle East peace efforts on Thursday.

* Silence in the Face of Continued Temple Mount Destruction As an Arab bulldozer continues to dig away at the current Temple Mount floor, evidence is mounting that actual walls from the Second Temple are being destroyed.

* Ramon offers Palestinians broad West Bank pullout Vice Premier Haim Ramon has proposed Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and other senior officials, a broad West Bank withdrawal as part of a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

* Hamas clashes with Gaza worshippers Hamas’s Executive Force has clashed with Palestinians and journalists as they broke up outdoor crowds of worshippers across the Gaza Strip.

* Pope honours Austrian Jewish dead Pope Benedict XVI has begun a three-day visit to Austria by paying silent tribute to the victims of the Nazi Holocaust at a memorial in Vienna.

* Libya to host Darfur peace talks Rebels in Sudan and Darfur are to hold new peace talks with the Sudanese government.

* Bin Laden ‘to issue 9/11 video’ Osama Bin Laden is said to be preparing to release a video message to the American people to coincide with the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

* Israel Raises the Level on Water Technology The $10 million Palmachim desalination plant has begun pumping de-salted water from the Mediterranean Sea for the consumption of 300,000 people in the coastal area.

* Jordan’s Abdullah: U.S. must ensure success of Mideast conference Jordan’s King Abdullah II told the top American official on the Middle East Thursday that the U.S. must work hard to guarantee the success of an international peace conference scheduled for November.

* Syria: Air defenses fired at Israeli aircraft over our airspace Syrian air defenses opened fire on IAF aircraft that violated Syrian airspace overnight.

* Jakarta seals Russian arms deal Russia has closed a significant military deal with Indonesia, selling Jakarta a package of weapons including helicopters, tanks and submarines worth more than $1bn.

* Barak: IDF nearing large Gaza operation Defense Minister Ehud Barak confirmed Wednesday that Israel was nearing a large incursion into the Gaza Strip in response to Kassam rocket fire.

* UK and France say Kosovo a test of EU foreign policy Securing agreement on the final status of Kosovo, Serbia’s breakaway province, is a key test of the European Union’s foreign and security policy.

* UN Chief ‘Shocked’ by Darfur Camp U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was “shocked and humbled” by a visit to a Darfur refugee camp, where thousands cheered him.

* Lieberman: ‘Land for Peace’ Will Lead to Certain Failure Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman and his Yisrael Beiteinu party have taken the unique step of releasing a “party platform” in between national elections.

* Blair developing plan for Israeli-Palestinian steps Middle East envoy Tony Blair is developing a plan that would spell out practical steps that Israeli, Palestinian and business leaders would gradually take to try to boost peace prospects.

* A chronology of Israel-Syria relations since 1947 Syria said Thursday that it had fired on an Israel Air Force jet that violated its territory and warned it retained the right to respond.

* France considers ways to tackle globalization France should work for a “much more offensive policy of protection, solidarity and regulation” at an EU level in order to better face globalization.

* Norwegian, UK jets scramble to monitor 8 Russian bombers Norwegian and British fighters scrambled twice Thursday to monitor eight Russian bombers that neared the Nordic country’s territory in the latest show of air power by the Kremlin.

* Germany foils ‘massive’ bomb plot Three men have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of planning a “massive” terrorist attack on US facilities in the country, officials have said.

* ‘Mideast summit shouldn’t favor Israel’ A Middle East peace conference proposed by US President George W. Bush should not be a showcase or favor Israel in pursuing a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

* UN chief visits troubled Darfur UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is visiting Sudan’s western Darfur region, where a four-year conflict has claimed 200,000 lives and displaced millions.

* Cabinet votes against expanding Gaza operation The security cabinet decided Wednesday not to expand the scope of the IDF’s operations in Gaza despite the ongoing bombardment of Sderot and the neighboring communities.

* Putin talks energy, weapons on Asia, UAE tour Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Indonesia Thursday to discuss deals on natural resources and weapons.

* Ahmadinejad to meet Palestinian leaders Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to meet with Palestinian faction leaders in Teheran on Thursday.

* Mid-East diary: Blair’s intentions Tony Blair is settling into his new job. The Middle East envoy of the Quartet of the UN, US, European Union and Russia has set himself up in Jerusalem’s most beautiful hotel, the American Colony.

* Egypt tries to dispel rumors about Mubarak’s health A government prosecutor plans to question the editor of a prominent independent newspaper about his paper’s recent reports on the health of the country’s 79-year-old leader, President Hosni Mubarak.

* General hints at Iraq troop cuts The most senior US commander in Iraq has hinted that he may recommend a reduction in US troop numbers to avoid placing a strain on the army.

* Official symbol for Israel’s 60th anniversary chosen The symbol, which features a child holding a white and blue sheet of cloth swirling into the figure 60, did not agree with Minister Yitzhak Cohen.