Iran & the Middle East

• Top Egyptian cleric Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa has issued an edict defending Hezbollah's fight against Israel, in what many see as a shifting tide of opinion in the Arab world.

• Hamas fired rockets from the Gaza strip on Sunday, hitting a factory in the Israeli city of Sderot that wounded one person. Early Saturday, Israeli tanks moved back into Gaza a day after completing a two-day raid in the northern region that left dozens of Palestinian terrorists dead.

• Israeli authorities have thwarted five suicide bombing attempts in the last ten days from Palestinian terrorists, in what is being described as an attempt to open a third front against Israel. Polls shows Israelis continue to support ongoing operations against Hezbollah.

• Hezbollah fired more than 100 rockets into northern Israel on Sunday, landing in Tzfat, Carmiel, Acco, Nahariya, Maalot, Tiberias, Kiryat Shmonah and elsewhere. In the past 19 days, nearly 1,800 rockets have been fired by Hezbollah into Israel, killing 19 people and wounding over 1,100 others. Currently more than 500,000 Israelis are living in bomb shelters across northern Israel.

• An Israeli drone crashed into the mountains east of Beirut on Friday, prompting heavy Israeli airstrikes on the area to stop it falling into the hands of Hezbollah.

• Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is supporting Lebanon's position that there can't be political negotiations without a ceasefire in Lebanon and the Gaza strip.

• Hani Awijan, the Islamic Jihad West Bank commander, was shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire with Israeli special forces in Nablus on Saturday. Awijan was wanted for involvement in dozens of terror attacks against Israeli citizens in recent years. A second man, identified as Amid Al Masri, a member of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, was also killed in the firefight.

• On Sunday, Israeli planes renewed air strikes on the Masnaa area, bombing the main road to the region that borders Syria. While not seeking to open an additional front against Syria, Israeli military authorities said they are prepared for a Syrian attack nonetheless.

• General Yahya Rahim Safavi, head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, said he hoped the Islamic republic could one day "avenge the blood of innocent people in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan". The General also called for Allah to "arouse the dignity of Muslims and destroy America, Israel and their associates."

• Israeli forces killed 26 Hezbollah fighters in Bint Jbail on Friday and Saturday in fierce fighting. Later on Saturday, IDF forces withdrew from the Hezbollah stronghold. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah used the opportunity to declare victory.

• Intelligence reports indicate the leader of Hezbollah is hiding in a foreign mission in Beirut, possibly the Iranian Embassy. Other reports point to Nasrallah's presence in Damascus.

• According to an Iranian officer, Hezbollah has a commando naval unit that operates Chinese-manufactured speed boats capable of targeting the Israeli navy.

• Senior Hezbollah commander Nou Shalhoub was killed Friday afternoon in an IAF strike in the Bekaa Valley. According to reports, Shalhoub was responsible for obtaining advanced weaponry for Hezbullah.

• A percussion bomb exploded outside an office of Turkey's ruling AK Party in the southeastern city of Gaziantep on Sunday, fortunately only doing property damage. Recent attacks from Kurdish PPK rebels prompted Turkish authorities to launch new operations, resulting in the arrest of 130 individuals on Saturday. Kurdish officials insist they are pushing for a diplomatic solution.

• According to reports, Lebanese militias associated with several political parties have joined Hezbollah in fighting against Israel. Alan Derschowitz asks "What if Lebanon's Army joins Hezbollah?"

• Messages sent by the Canadian UNIFIL officer killed in the Israel Air Force attack on a UN post in Lebanon last week indicate that Hezbollah had been firing rockets at Israel from a location near the post "on a daily basis" prior to the IAF attack, and the Canadian understood that Israel was retaliating out of tactical necessity.

• Robert Spencer notes that the Muslim Brotherhood chairman is calling on Arab leaders to arm their people for jihad in response to the airstrike a Qana.

• Iran Press News reported on the Iranian people’s rage and hatred for Hezbollah was in evidence in the regime-run newspaper Aftab’eh Yazd where readers of the newspaper messages have been published.

America Domestic Security & the Americas

• A Federal judge in Los Angeles has ordered the release of Abdel Jabbar Hamdan, a Palestinian jailed for two years for ties to terrorism but never charged with a crime. Before his arrest, Hamdan worked as a fundraiser for the Holy Land Foundation, an Islamic charity shut down by the U.S. government in December 2001 for allegedly raising money for the Palestinian group Hamas.

• According to Lt. Gen. Larry Dodgen, commander of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defend Command, the U.S. military hopes to complete work this fall on a plan mapping out how regional commanders will be able to use the U.S. missile defense system.

• Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez was in Teheran this weekend, where he urged Iran to increase investments in his countries oil and gas assets. Chavez also vowed to "stand by Iran at any time and under any condition." Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was pleased with Chavez's visit, saying "I feel I have met a brother and trench mate after meeting Chavez. We think Iran and Venezuela should share all experiences of each other, stay by each other and they have to be supporters of each other."

• Homeland Security Watch has the list of homeland security policy events primarily in the DC area this week.

• In the fight against potential bio-terrorism attacks, the government biodefense laboratory at Fort Detrick is raising concerns for some over the secret nature of the facility.

• The National Guard will meet its goal of having up to 6,000 soldiers, based on the requirements of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, along the Southwest border by August 1st to assist the U.S. Border Patrol in stemming the flow of illegal immigrants.

• An Arizona lawmaker assigned to a tour of duty in Iraq will be serving as an Army Reserves intelligence officer during his re-election campaign back home. Republican Rep. Jonathan Paton said he learned Saturday that he was going to Iraq to work in military intelligence for five to six months.

Russia, Caucasus & Central Asia

• The trial of members of the organization "Partnership", accused of preparation of acts of terror during the presidential elections in Belarus, has begun in Minsk. The Belarus KGB claims that the members of the group were trained in special camps by the Georgian and NATO instructors.

• Chairman of the Service of National Security of Kyrgyzstan Busurmankul Tabaldiev and the head of the State Security service of Uzbekistan Rustam Inojatov, held a meeting in Ferghana on Friday, with the primary focus of the meeting being the issue of counteraction to religious extremism.

• Russia celebrated Navy Day on Sunday, in recognition of the 90th anniversary of naval aviation and the 310th anniversary of the establishment of the Russian Fleet. Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said maintaining the fleet's combat readiness was a top priority for Russia.

• Police in Chechnya have found two large weapons caches in the village of Starogladkovskaya and the city of Argun, consisting of grenade launchers, machineguns, assault rifles, ammunition, landmines, and plastic explosives.

• The Chechen Mujahideen stated that less than four hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of the end of the war in Chechnya, a powerful Russian army battalion met its "fatal destiny."

• The Chechen parliament has asked the upper house in the Russian parliament to amend the constitution to allow President Vladamir Putin to serve a third term. Several weeks ago, Putin said he would not amend the constitution.

• Central Asian governments have spent years engaged in high-profile efforts to repress membership of the radical Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir. Some observers are warning that harsh repression could prompt Hizb ut-Tahrir’s members to take up arms.

• Nine members of illegal armed groups came to police stations to surrender and hand in their arms in Chechnya on Friday. Two were in groups of gunmen in the Achkhoi-Martan district, whose leaders were killed in special operations late last year and early this year.

• Armenia is deepening what it regards as a strategic relationship with neighboring Iran despite mounting international concern over the Iranian nuclear program and widespread speculation about potential US military action against Tehran.

• Responding to calls from some to withdrawal peacekeepers in Moldova's breakaway province of Transdnestr, Russian officials said that a settlement of the conflict must first be reached before such a decision is made.

• A senior U.S. State Department official says the United States should not worry about any threat emerging from the six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which comprises China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

• Tensions have escalated between Tbilisi and the separatist leaders in Sokhumi after Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili announced that the Tbilisi-based Abkhaz government-in-exile will be moved to the Kodori Gorge, a small pocket of Georgian-controlled territory within the disputed territory of Abkhazia.

Afghanistan & Southern Asia

• Coalition forces killed 20 Taliban fighters in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan on Sunday, after the group attempted to ambush coalition forces. There were no reported coalition casualties in the fighting.

• On Sunday, Afghan security forces killed six Taliban fighters and captured eight others in fighting in the Waza Khwa district of southeast Afghanistan.

• French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie is calling on Pakistan to put forth "real cooperation" in a greater effort in helping to control the Afghan-Pakistani border, adding that many Taliban fighters were coming from Pakistan.

• On Monday, NATO will take over military operations in southern Afghanistan, with the 26-member states giving final approval for the deployment on Friday. The NATO expansion comes amid months of pressure from the United States for European allies to play a greater role in the security of Afghanistan.

• According to a reporter from Miran Shah, the headquarters of North Waziristan Agency, the Taliban have taken over military check posts in North Waziristan.

• According to reports, Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists are in possession of a large stockpile of BSNL and Airtel sim cards for use in detonating mobile bombs. On Friday, Indian national security advisor M.K. Narayanan warned that LeT was an important element of al Qaeda and might target nuclear installations.

• On Sunday, Taliban insurgents threatened to kill a Lebanese engineer kidnapped in southern Afghanistan. The fate of the engineer would be decided by the Taliban Council within the next 24 hours and he is likely to be killed for helping and working with the "infidel occupying forces in Afghanistan."

• Afghan authorities have detained six suspected terrorists in connection with twin suicide bombings last weekend which killed two Canadian soldiers and six Afghan civilians.

• Speaking from Kabul on Friday, U.S. Marine General Peter Pace said that while the Taliban pose a tactical problem, they are not a long-term strategic threat.

• A Pakistani Army officer was killed while attempting to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir. The man was identified as Major Haider Turkey of the ninth battalion of the Baloch Regiment.

• Afghan police captured 16 Taliban fighters in the Garmser district of Helmand province on Friday morning after the militants entered the area in two vehicles and were surrounded. Thirteen AK-47 assault rifles, heavy machineguns and eight rocket-propelled grenade launchers were confiscated from the cars. Earlier this week, seven Taliban fighters were killed by U.S. forces in the same district. According to coalition forces, more than 600 Taliban fighters have been killed in the past 45 days during Operation Mountain Thrust, an offensive in southern Afghanistan involving 11,000 coalition and Afghan troops.

• U.S. forces captured four al Qaeda operatives near the Sal Kalay area of Khost province in eastern Afghanistan. According to Colonel Thomas Collins, the al Qaeda operatives were "involved in the planning of attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in eastern Afghanistan."

• Pakistan has given Indian authorities a list of terror training camps they say are operating in India. According to Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasneem Aslam, Pakistan "expects India to dismantle them." According to officials in India, they have evidence of continued Pakistani support in cross-border acts of terrorism.

• On Saturday, India's anti-terrorism squad arrested Ehtesham Siddiqui, a publisher of religious texts, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for his alleged association with the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

• Sri Lankan ground forces launched an offensive in the northeastern district of Trincomelee on Sunday, where Tamil Tiger rebels had blocked a canal.

• Sri Lanka's Air Force bombed Tamil positions for a fourth day on Saturday, killing seven and wounding 14 others. More than 65,000 people have perished in the 23-year Tamil insurgency.

• In India, a bomb exploded on a bus in the Gaya district of Bihar, killing two people and wounding nine others. The Revolutionary Core Committee (RCC) claimed responsibility for the attack that involved members of two armed left-wing groups.

• Following meetings with U.N. officials, Nepal Maoist rebel leader Prachanda described the peace talks as "very positive". More than 13,000 people have been killed in the decade long insurgency.

Far East & Southeast Asia

• North Korea continues to reject calls for discussions on resolving Pyongyang's ongoing nuclear crisis. Asian officials were hoping North Korea would attend the Asean regional forum held in Malaysia, but they refused.

• Three men convicted in the 2002 Bali bombings are appealing their death sentences, scheduled to be carried out in Indonesia on August 22nd. The three men, Amrozi, Ali Gufron and Imam Samudra, were sentenced to death in autumn 2003 for their part in the bombings, which killed 202 people.

• Pro-Lebanese protesters clashed with Australian police on Saturday after they attempted to prevent Prime Minister John Howard from leaving a hotel where he gave a speech calling Hezbollah a terrorist organization.

• Following an explosion in Surigao del Sur last Monday that left 15 civilians wounded, communist rebels in the Philippines vowed to continue using landmines, calling them their "most potent weapon."

• Jemaah Islamiyah spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir is enjoying his freedom after being released from an Indonesian prison earlier this year. The radical cleric is touring Indonesia as a freedom fighter, saying "the bombings everywhere, these are reactions by Muslims to defend themselves. Muslims are being tortured everywhere from Afghanistan to the Philippines."

• Philippine police officers killed nine suspected members of a kidnapping gang in a gunbattle on Saturday after a brief car chase in Concepcion, Tarlac. Authorities recovered six handguns, a grenade and a mobile phone from the slain kidnap gang members. Seven had been identified, including the alleged leader.

• The continuing political impasse in Thailand has captured the headlines, but behind the scenes a more critical battle is being fought, for the hearts and minds of the military. Thailand has had 17 coups in its 74-year modern history, but none since 1991, and most observers thought the days of thunder for the men in green were over.

• On Friday, Muslim militants abducted a bakery owner and her son on a remote southern Philippine island as police officials warned of a possible resurgence of kidnappings by the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf.

• The Bush administration plans to extend Singapore F-16 fighter pilots’ use of an Arizona training range and munitions, in a deal valued at up to $301 million.

Europe

• A handful of British politicians are protesting the use of Prestwick airport in western Scotland by the United States to transport bombs to Israel. According to reports, two chartered Airbus A310 cargo planes filled with laser-guided bombs landed at Prestwick en-route to Israel from the US.

• The British government is preparing a new crackdown on money launderers who are washing billions of pounds through the City of London each year. New powers will be brought in to protect citizens, but there are also fears that the curbs could add to the administrative burdens on legitimate business transactions.

• Poles gathered in front of Warsaw's main synagogue to show their support for Israel amid fighting in southern Lebanon that has gone on for nearly three weeks.

• A Panorama report claims that funds raised by Interpal, the London-based charity that helps Palestinians in the occupied territories, have been channelled to Hamas. Interpal categorically denies that it supports Hamas.

Africa

• According to a Somalia militia commander, twenty-five sailors who were taken hostage in April off Somalia's lawless coast will be released after more than $800,000 in ransom was paid.

• Somalian Constitution and Federalism Minister Abdallah Deerow Isaq was assassinated outside a mosque in Baidoa on Friday, prompting riots by pro-government supporters. Islamist leaders in Mogadishu are denying involvement, and instead blaming the attack on Ethiopia.

• Somalian Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi has survived a vote of no-confidence on his 18-month-old government that is blamed for performing badly and illegally deploying Ethiopian troops. Of the 215 lawmakers who voted, 126 approved the motion while 88 opposed it. Under the transitional federal charter, 138 members are required to pass the motion for it to pass.

• The first free elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo began without incident on Sunday. "Everything is quiet and we hope that it remains so," said Peter Russ, spokesman for the European forces deployed to provide security for the Congolese elections

The Global War

• In the Bullpen is hosting a 1 hour and 17 minute documentary called "Obsession: Radical Islam's war against the West". This is a must see.

• CNN will air a documentary on August 23rd based upon Peter Bergen's book The Osama bin Laden I know.

• On Friday, the Bush administration revealed plans to sell $ 4.6 billion worth of military hardware to moderate Arab nations considered integral in fighting Islamic extremists and protecting infrastructure in the Middle East. The deals are not finalized and must be approved by Congress for completion.

• The al Qaeda Files, a PBS frontline documentary that collects seven programs that ran between March 2000 and January 2005, is now available in two DVDs.

• On Saturday Pakistan said the U.S. Congress had run out of time to stop the sale of Lockheed Martin's F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said she hoped delivery of the planes will start as soon as possible. The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress on June 28 of a possible foreign military sale to Pakistan of 36 F- 16s, a deal worth up to $ 5 billion U.S. dollars.

• Senator John McCain's (R-AZ) youngest son has enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and will soon report to duty for three months of boot camp in southern California. McCain, a former POW during the Vietnam War, said he was proud of his decision.

• The entire video released by al Qaeda deputy commander Ayman al-Zawahiri on Thursday is now available. Threatswatch also has commentary and analysis of the video and Zawahiri's message.

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