Israel plans Lebanon buffer zone Israel said Monday that it intends to create a buffer zone in southern Lebanon to stop rocket attacks from the militant group Hezbollah.

Troops briefly enter southern Lebanon A government spokesman said Monday afternoon that IDF ground forces had briefly entered southern Lebanon to target Hizbullah bases.

EU considers deployment of peacekeepers to Lebanon British PM Blair says deployment of international forces along northern border is only way ‘to get cessation of hostilities.’

Iran’s foreign minister in Syria The Iranian foreign minister has held talks in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

Nasrallah calls for aid from Arab world In a recorded television speech on Sunday evening, Hizbullah head Hassan Nasrallah urged Arab states to come to the organization’s aid.

G8 blames Mid-East ‘extremists’ Leaders of the G8 nations have blamed extremist forces for the latest crisis in the Middle East.

Earthquake, Tsunami in Indonesia A strong undersea earthquake struck off Indonesia’s West Java province on Monday.

Israel spurns UN call for monitors Israel has rebuffed a UN call for an international monitoring force to be deployed in Lebanon as it continued to attack the country.

Pope Urges Peace in the Holy Land Pope Benedict XVI is expressing grave concern over the escalation of fighting in Lebanon.

History of the Lebanese-Israeli Conflict Because Israel and Lebanon have never signed a peace accord, the countries remain officially in a state of war that has existed since 1948.

Israel steps up Lebanese strikes Israel has intensified its attacks on Lebanon as jets launched fresh strikes on Beirut airport.

Bush to push Putin on democracy President George W. Bush arrived in Russia on Friday planning to press President Vladimir Putin at a weekend G8 summit.

Iran warns Israel not to attack Syria Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday an Israeli strike on Syria would be considered an attack on the whole Islamic world.

Syria calls for Hizbullah cease fire In a significant move, the Syrian ambassador to London, in an interview with the BBC, called on Hizbullah to stop firing missiles at Israel.

Israel pulls out of central Gaza Israeli troops have withdrawn from central Gaza after the army said it had “completed” a two-day mission there.

‘IAF is ready for any operation’ “The air force is ready for any operation that will be necessary during the current military campaign against Lebanon.”

Abbas ‘held secret Israel talks’ Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has secretly met Israel’s domestic spy chief to try to broker an end to the crisis in Gaza.

US vetoes UN resolution on Gaza The United States has rejected a United Nations resolution demanding Israel end its military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Peretz: We’ll break Hizbullah Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Thursday following the rocket attack on Haifa, “We expected Hizbullah to break the rules and now we are going to break them.”

Iran denies Hizbullah moving captives The Iranian Foreign Ministry described as “nonsense” on Friday the allegation that two IDF soldiers captured by the Lebanese Hizbullah were being transferred to Iran.

Israel Shuts Down Lebanon in Response to Hizbullah Barrage Dozens of Hizbullah-fired Katyusha rockets struck all over the north, killing a woman in Nahariya.

In Lebanon: Celebration and condemnation Arabs from around world shown on Hizbullah TV al-Manar praising attack, kidnapping of IDF soldiers as joyous victory, pride for Arab world.

Iraqi PM: Last chance for peace The Iraqi prime minister has told Iraqis that they have one last chance for peace.

World powers refer Iran to UN council With the Bush administration facing growing pressure to cool or confront crises flaring across the globe, the world’s major powers agreed with the U.S. on Wednesday to send Iran back to the UN Security Council with the threat of sanctions.

Amidror: ‘Israel’s Gov’t Allowed Hizbullah to Build Up’ Maj.-Gen. Yaakov Amidror says that for the past six years, the government made a conscious decision to allow Hizbullah to build up its military capabilities on the border with Israel.

Israel Bombs Palestinian Foreign Ministry An Israeli warplane bombed the Palestinian Foreign Ministry early Thursday.

Bush defends Israel actions, Russia condemns attacks Russia and France condemned Israel’s strikes in Lebanon on Thursday.

Oil Prices Hit New High of $75.89 a Barrel Oil prices hit a new intraday high near $76 a barrel Thursday.

Iran Shrugs Off Security Council Referral President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday shrugged off a decision by world powers to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council over its atomic program.

Mideast envoys have war of words in U.N. hallway The Palestinian and Israeli ambassadors to the United Nations engaged in an impromptu debate.

PM Olmert declares Hizbullah attack ‘act of war’ by Lebanon Three IDF soldiers were killed in the Hizbullah attack on IDF forces on the Lebanese border Wednesday morning.

Rumsfeld flies in to Iraq Security in Iraq depends as much on the Iraqi government’s political success as it does on beating the insurgency.

Likud MK: Hamas, Hizbullah sense Israel’s weakness Opposition MKs call on government to launch full-scale attack in north.

Iran vows not to back down, warns of ‘long road’ in nuclear standoff Iran vowed on Tuesday not to cave in to international pressure.

Faiths in Jerusalem United Over Gay March Christian leaders condemned it. Jewish radicals put a bounty on participants. Muslim clerics threatened to flood the streets with protesters.

Peretz: Israel holds Lebanon responsible Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reacted for the first time to Hizbullah claims that it abducted two Israeli soldiers in the north on Wednesday morning.

Putin rebuffs ‘colonialist’ West Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Western critics of Russia’s record on democracy of using “colonialist” rhetoric.

Report: Abbas threatens to resign Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to resign.

Mumbai bombs: Police follow leads Police investigating the highly coordinated bombings on Mumbai’s rail network that killed 185 people say the attacks bear the hallmarks of a Kashmiri militant group.

‘Israel may have to take alarming force’ “Israel may have to take alarming force as an outcome of the latest attacks”.

Anti-Hamas Offensive Continues Israel continues Operation Summer Rains offensive, aimed to stop Kassams and free Gilad Shalit.

Jordan worried about West Bank rockets Senior Palestinian source tells Ynet Palestinian president’s surprise visit to Amman related to rocket launching attempts.

Iran nuclear talks come to Brussels EU foreign policy envoy Javier Solana will meet Iran’s nuclear chief negotiator Ali Larijani in Brussels.

MoD looks into laser defense system The Defense Ministry is looking into the possibility of acquiring a US-developed laser system that neutralizes the tips of missiles.

Somali Islamists win city battle Some 500 Somali fighters loyal to the last member of an alliance of warlords fighting Islamists in Mogadishu have surrendered.

Al-Aksa announce female bomber unit A group belonging to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party announced on Monday that it had recruited 100 Palestinian women to launch suicide attacks against Israel.

Mongolians honour Genghis Khan A festival has begun in Mongolia to honour the nation’s most famous emperor, warrior Genghis Khan.

Haniyeh targets public opinion in US Palestinian Prime Minister of the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority wrote, “As I inspect the ruins of our infrastructure – the largest of donor nations and international efforts all turned to rubble”.

Israel: PA Claims of Hunger are a Lie Contrary to Palestinian Authority claims, the IDF is allowing food and medicines into Gaza.

Prize offerred to whoever kills gay person Flyers denouncing parade distributed in mailboxes promise NIS 20,000 to ‘whoever causes death to one of Sodom and Gomorrah people’.

Olmert: Gaza operations to continue Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Monday put no time limit on military operations in Gaza designed to to free an Israeli soldier.

Ahmadinejad: Conditions for Removal of Israel Are at Hand Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad uses an Arabic word for the removal of body hair to describe his plans for Israel.

Mashaal: Shalit will be kept alive and be treated as POW Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal contradicted reports circulated over the past few days by Palestinian and Egyptian sources that Hamas would soften its demands.

Iran’s Ahmadinejad attacks Israel at Iraq confab A regional conference on security in Iraq opened in Iran on Saturday with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calling on Islamic countries to mobilise against Israel.

Russia secretly offered North Korea nuclear technology Russia is facing criticism after secretly offering to sell North Korea technology.

Russia Holds Court as Host for G-8 Summit Russia will take center stage this week when President Vladimir Putin hosts President Bush and other leaders of the world’s biggest economies.

NKorea crisis a diplomatic nightmare for China Pressure is building on China to back a tough UN resolution calling for sanctions against North Korea.

Olmert sticks to realignment plan Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the foreign press on Monday that he had not given up on his realignment plan.

North Korea Crisis Hurts Unity on Iran Nukes America and its allies are fretting that all the attention could hurt their effort to curb Iran’s suspect nuclear program.

Jews for Jesus campaign targets NY Jews “Jesus for Jews,” reads the advertisement on the F train speeding through south Brooklyn’s subway tracks toward Coney Island.

Israelis resume Gaza air strikes Israel has renewed its assault on the Gaza Strip with early morning air strikes.

Iran to host Iraq security talks Iran will host a regional conference on Iraq security this weekend.

240 North Americans Fly Home to Israel The first of this summer’s seven specially-chartered Nefesh B’Nefesh/Jewish Agency flights, bringing some 3,000 Western immigrants to Israel, arrived today.

Several mosques attacked in Iraq Several people have been killed and wounded in attacks on mosques in Iraq.

Darfur combat ‘worse’ since deal Fighting in Sudan’s Darfur region has increased since a peace deal was signed two months ago.

Mogadishu’s rulers to kill people who don’t pray Mogadishu’s new rulers, the Union of Islamic Courts, have promised to implement Islamic Sharia law and vowed to kill anyone failing to perform daily Salaad prayers.

EU upbeat on Iran nuclear talks Talks between the EU and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program have got off to a good start.

U.K. Pauses to Mark Anniversary of London Bombs That Killed 52 The U.K. observed two minutes of silence at noon to remember the victims of suicide bombings that killed 52 people and injured more than 700 in London a year ago.

Former Chief of Staff: Sharon�s Disengagement a Disaster Lt.-Gen. (ret.) Moshe Yaalon, IDF Chief of Staff until the implementation of the Gaza withdrawal.

World steps up pressure on N.Korea South Korea, Japan and Australia have become the first countries to take steps to punish North Korea for its controversial missile tests this week.

11 Months Later, IDF Re-enters Former Jewish Towns in Gaza IDF forces penetrated into Gaza, taking up positions in and near the three former Jewish communities of northern Gaza.

Peretz: We won’t sink in Gaza swamp Defense Minister Amir Peretz stated on Thursday that the incursion into northern Gaza early in the morning was a “necessary step that could not have been avoided.”

EU Tones Down Criticism of Israel The shift is subtle but unmistakable. European governments – long accused of being pro-Arab – have toned down criticism of Israel.

UN human rights body deplores Israel The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday deplored Israel’s military operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as breaching international humanitarian law.

Israel on edge of international law, Brussels says The European Commission on Wednesday (5 July) came close to saying Israel’s attack on Gaza violates international law.

Historic India-China link opens China and India have opened a historic trade route that had been closed for nearly half a century.

Mild-mannered Finland pledges active EU presidency Finland’s Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen has presented the country’s priorities for the coming six months of its running the European Union presidency.

Egyptians sue new church leader A group of Coptic Christians have started legal proceedings against a bishop who has said he is setting up an alternative orthodox church in Egypt.

Video Shows Arabs Fighting in Somalia A recruiting video issued by members of the fundamentalist Islamic movement in Somalia shows Arab radicals fighting alongside the local extremists in Mogadishu.

Iranians killed in Iraq blast At least 12 people have been killed and 37 wounded after a car bomb tore through buses carrying Iranian visitors to a Shia shrine in the city of Kufa.

Security Cabinet approves deeper incursion into Gaza The Security Cabinet called for prolonged and gradual military action in Gaza and the West Bank, at a meeting Wednesday morning to discuss the Shalit crisis and how to respond to Tuesday’s rocket attack on Ashkelon.

Outcry over N Korea missile test World powers have condemned North Korea for test-firing a series of missiles, including one thought capable of reaching the US.

Iran calls off crucial nuclear talks Iran has postponed crucial talks with the European Union over incentives to a end a nuclear stand-off.

Former Regime Said at Core of Insurgency The Iraqi government’s list of the 41 most wanted fugitives suggests that former members of Saddam Hussein’s regime form the backbone of the insurgency despite attention paid to the role of religious extremists such as al-Qaida in Iraq.

IDF raises alert on Syrian border The IDF has raised the level of alert along the northern border with Syria out of fear that President Bashar Assad would launch a strike against Israel in response to a recent IAF buzz of his palace.

Egyptian TV Promoting Anti-Semitism and Child “Martyrdom” As Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak portrays himself as an honest broker in the Middle East, recent Egyptian TV programs inculcate Arab children with Jew-hatred and the desire for Jihad death.

Russia Odd Man Out at G8 Table By almost any measure, Russia is the odd man out at the Group of Eight table, where the world’s richest democracies gather to chart strategies to meet the world’s challenges.

Dutch PM hopeful demands second treaty referendum The Dutch Labour party leader, who according to polls could become the Netherlands’ next prime minister, has said any revised EU constitution text should be put to a new referendum.

Putin steps up anti-terror drive Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked parliament for permission to send military units outside the country to prevent terrorist activity.

US$100 million transferred to Abbas The Arab League and Saudi Arabia have transferred some $100,000,000 to the Palestinians, the first funding since international aid was cut off after Hamas militant won legislative elections.

Statement demands prisoner release by 6:00 a.m. Tuesday Prime Minister Ehud Olmert officially rejected on Monday an ultimatum released Monday morning by the kidnappers of IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit.

Hamas threatens attacks in Israel The military wing of the governing Palestinian party, Hamas, has said it will attack targets inside Israel if Israel does not end its Gaza offensive.

IDF tanks, bulldozers enter N. Gaza A small Israeli force entered northern Gaza at daybreak Monday.

Asefi: Zionist regime will burn in the fire started by itself Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi here Sunday said that the Zionist regime will eventually burn in the flame of the fire started by itself.

Russian FM calls for Shalit’s release Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Monday for Palestinian terrorists to release kidnapped IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit.

Africa invites top anti-Americans to summit Two of the world’s most anti-American leaders, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, attended this weekend’s Africa summit in Gambia.

Hussein’s wife, daughter on new ‘wanted’ list Iraq unveiled a list of the country’s most-wanted fugitives Sunday, including Saddam Hussein’s wife and daughter.

Asteroid due for close approach A giant space rock was set to whizz past the Earth on Monday under the close scrutiny of astronomers.

Iraqi premier calls for Saudi investment Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki during a visit to the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) called on Saudi businessmen to invest in Iraq.

EU troops in Congo might have to use force EU troops securing this month’s elections in the Congo should be prepared to use force if necessary.