Syria, Iran and Hizbullah are preparing for the possibility of a war with Israel on the Syrian front, Channel Two reported on Wednesday night.
Reportedly, Damascus has set August as the month for final war preparations.
The report followed an earlier security cabinet meeting devoted almost exclusively to Syria,
during which Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that Israel is working through various diplomatic channels to assure Damascus that Jerusalem wants peace and is not interested in a war.
His comments come amid a flurry of reports about a Syrian military buildup and concern in the defense establishment that if various Syrian overtures were not well received in Israel, the Syrians might initiate military action to try and retain the Golan, or a piece of it.
Analysis: Anatomy of miscalculation
IDF official: Stop prattling about Syria
Analysis: Decision needed on Syria (June 5)
"Israel is not interested in a war with Syria, and we have to be careful about a scenario where a miscalculation could lead to a deterioration in the security situation," Olmert said at the end of the meeting. He added that Israel has sent this message to Damascus through "different diplomatic channels."
Housing and Construction Minister Meir Sheetrit ...   more »

Predicting that Iran will obtain a nuclear weapon within three years and claiming to have a strike plan in place, senior American military officers have told The Jerusalem Post they support President George W. Bush's stance to do everything necessary to stop the Islamic Republic's race for nuclear power.
Bush has repeatedly said the United States would not allow Iran to "go nuclear."
Israel successfully launches Ofek 7 spy satellite
JPost special: US candidates talk tough on Iran
A high-ranking American military officer told the Post that senior officers in the US armed forces had thrown their support behind Bush and believed that additional steps needed to be taken to stop Iran.
Predictions within the US military are that Bush will do what is needed to stop Teheran before he leaves office in 2009, including possibly launching a military strike against its nuclear facilities.
On Sunday, Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut said the US should consider a military strike against Iran over its support of Iraqi insurgents. "I think we've got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians to stop them from killing Americans in Iraq," he said. "And to me, that would include a strike ...   more »

By Aaron Klein
JERUSALEM – An attempted Palestinian raid of the Israeli border this weekend, purportedly to kidnap an Israeli soldier, was orchestrated by Syria and Iran, according to security officials associated with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party.
The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday thwarted an attempt by the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad terror group to kidnap a soldier on the Israeli side of a major crossing into the Gaza Strip.
Four terrorists approached the Israeli border in an SUV bearing "TV" signs in an attempt to disguise themselves as journalists. Reporters working in Gaza usually travel in cars with "TV" symbols to identify themselves. Upon reaching the crossing, the terrorists blew a hole in the border fence and attempted to storm an IDF position.
IDF troops rushed to the scene, chasing three of the gunmen back to the Gaza Strip. One of militants, 19-year-old Mohammed Jaabari, became separated from the group and hid inside Israel. Jaabari was shot dead after he opened fire when soldiers approached him, the IDF said.
Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.
"The aim of the operation was to retreat with a prisoner," said Abu Ahmed, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad. "This was ...   more »

Defense establishment successfully launches new intelligence satellite from Palmahim Base; Israel expected to receive first images from space within 48 hours. 'Satellite has advanced capabilities which will significantly improve Israel's operational and intelligence abilities,' senior security source says
Hanan Greenberg
The defense establishment successfully launched the Ofek-7 intelligence satellite early Monday morning. Professor Haim Eshed, head of the Defense Ministry’s Space Program, personally supervised the launch.
Ofek-7 was launched at precisely 2:40 am and is currently in orbit. A comprehensive test of its systems will be carried out in the coming hours. Israel is expected to begin receiving images within 48 to 72 hours.
“The satellite has advanced abilities, which along with other satellites already in space, will drastically improve Israel’s operational and intelligence capabilities,” said a senior security source.
The successful launch of Ofek-7 is particularly significant for Israel, following the failed attempt at launching its predecessor, Ofek-6 in October 2004, which plummeted to the sea.
“We ran a series of extensive tests, and verified intactness and performance levels so that there wouldn’t be any mishaps,” the senior security source explained.  According to him, the design fault that led to the failed launch of Ofek-6, was studied fully, and ...   more »

By Louis Rene Beres and Isaac Ben-Israel
June 11, 2007
The "doomsday clock" continues its advance to "midnight." Existential atomic danger is most immediate to Israel. Iran poses the greatest problem.
    Israel knows that the Iranian president's exterminatory threat is real. In law, this threat signifies the intent to commit genocide. Israel also recognizes that the pre-emptive destruction of Iran's growing nuclear infrastructures would involve serious operational and international difficulties. For interception, Israel has deployed elements of the tested Arrow system of ballistic missile defense, but even the Arrow would have "leakage." A single incoming nuclear missile that manages to penetrate Arrow could promptly kill 25,000-50,000 civilians, and even more if we include long-term fatalities. Iran could also share its nuclear assets with terror groups that would use cars and ships rather than missiles as delivery vehicles. These enemies might seek nuclear targets in New York or Chicago as well as Israel.
    Iran now augments its declared intent with a corresponding capacity. Left to violate binding treaty rules with impunity, Tehran might be undeterred by threats of Israeli and/or American retaliation. Such a failure of nuclear deterrence could be the result of a presumed lack of threat credibility ...   more »

Muhammad is now second only to Jack as the most popular name for baby boys in Britain and is likely to rise to No 1 by next year, a study by The Times has found. The name, if all 14 different spellings are included, was shared by 5,991 newborn boys last year, beating Thomas into third place, followed by Joshua and Oliver.
Scholars said that the name’s rise up the league table was driven partly by the growing number of young Muslims having families, coupled with the desire to name their child in honour of the Prophet.
Muhammad Anwar, Professor of Ethnic Relations at Warwick University, said: “Muslim parents like to have something that shows a link with their religion or with the Prophet.”
Although the official names register places the spelling Mohammed at No 23, an analysis of the top 3,000 names provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) puts Muhammad at No 2 once the 14 spellings are taken into account. If its popularity continues – it rose by 12 per cent last year – the name will take the top spot by the end of this year. It first entered the Top 30 in 2000.
The ...   more »

Other weapons that never saw the light of day include one to make soldiers obvious by their bad breath.
The US defence department considered various non-lethal chemicals meant to disrupt enemy discipline and morale.
The 1994 plans were for a six-year project costing $7.5m, but they were never pursued.
The US Air Force Wright Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, sought Pentagon funding for research into what it called "harassing, annoying and 'bad guy'-identifying chemicals".
The plans were obtained under the US Freedom of Information by the Sunshine Project, a group which monitors research into chemical and biological weapons.
'Who? Me?'
The plan for a so-called "love bomb" envisaged an aphrodisiac chemical that would provoke widespread homosexual behaviour among troops, causing what the military called a "distasteful but completely non-lethal" blow to morale.
Scientists also reportedly considered a "sting me/attack me" chemical weapon to attract swarms of enraged wasps or angry rats towards enemy troops.
A substance to make the skin unbearably sensitive to sunlight was also pondered.
Another idea was to develop a chemical causing "severe and lasting halitosis", so that enemy forces would be obvious even when they tried to blend in with civilians.
In a variation on that idea, ...   more »