Israel: Iran can build a nuclear bomb by 2011

Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Monday that Iran’s newly-disclosed nuclear facility near Qom can withstand regular bombs.
“The facility in Qom is in a bunker and therefore resistant to regular bombs,” local daily Haaretz quoted Barak as telling the Knesset (Israeli parliament) Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
Barak said he feared Iran could develop a nuclear weapon by 2011.
“I believe that by early 2010 Iran will hold threshold technology for building a bomb . That means that if it wanted, it could develop nuclear weapons within a year of obtaining threshold technology,” a senior official quoted him as telling the parliamentary committee. Xinhua

Bomb at Shiite procession in Pakistan kills 25

A suicide bomber blew up a Shiite Muslim procession in Pakistan’s commercial capital Karachi on Monday, killing at least 25 people, in an attack that underscored multiple security challenges facing the US ally.

2 Lebanese, 1 Turk arrested for committing fraudulent acts

Two Lebanese and a Turkish national were arrested by the Lebanese Internal Security forces for committing fraudulent acts. They were identified as A. G., 39 Lebanese, T.S .42, Lebanese and N.A. , 22 Turkish

Suleiman briefed about the Haret Hraik investigation

Army Intelligence chief General Edmond Fadel met Lebanese President Michel Suleiman on Monday to brief the him on the ongoing investigations into the mysterious Haret Hraik blast that took place Saturday night
The blast resulted in the killing of 3 including 2 Hamas officials. 6 others were wounded . Hezbollah so far did not reveal any details about its own victims

Jumblatt: Haret Hraik explosion confirms Israeli aggressions against Lebanon

In his weekly editorial in the Anbaa newspaper ,MP Walid Jumblatt called the Haret Hraik explosion ” an act of “sabotage ” which only confirms the depth and breadth of Israel’s aggressions against Lebanon, either through recurrent violations of Lebanon’s airspace, land and sea or through security incidents.”
Jumblatt called for providing the necessary support for Lebanon’s security services, especially the Lebanese Armed Forces-Intelligence Branch, to help it uncover Israeli espionage networks and handle other serious violations.
Hezbollah sealed off the scene of the explosion to bloc any access to the Lebanese security forces and the media

German Chancellor pressed Iran to respect civil rights

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday condemned the crackdown against Iranian pro-opposition demonstrators by state security forces calling it “unacceptable”and pressed Tehran to respect civil rights.

Zahra: Hezbollah’s indictment against Christians is rejected

Lebanese Forces bloc MP Antoine Zahra rejected during an interview with Voice of Lebanon Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s criticism of the Christian community during his speech on the occasion of the day of Ashura on Sunday: He said :Hezbollah’s indictment against Christians is rejected.
Zahra said : Hezbollah is proposing two models of government:“The first is having an Islamic state with Iran as its reference, and the second is having a mini-state that clashes with the Lebanese government and that undermines its authority.”
Zahra asked : What happened in Haret Hraik Saturday evening ? It took 24 hours to allow the government military court commissioner to get near the scene of the incident .
Zahra was referring to the explosion that took place last Saturday in Haret Hraik which resulted in the killing of 3 and the wounding of 6 others . Following the incident Hezbollah sealed off the area and did not allow the Lebanese security nor the media anywhere near the scene
“The Christians’ option is settled. It is the choice [to build] a Lebanese state based on partnership and equality,” Zahra said.

Explosive used in Detroit flight common and easily detectible

The explosive device used by the would-be Detroit bomber contained a widely available – and easily detected – chemical explosive that has a long history of terrorist use, according to government officials and explosive experts.
The chemical – PETN – is small, powerful and appealing to terrorists. It was a component of the explosive that Richard Reid, the convicted “shoe bomber,” used in his 2001 attempt to down an airliner.
PETN was widely used in the plastic explosives terrorists used to blow up airplanes in the 1970s and 1980s.
Investigators say Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab hid an explosive device on his body when he travelled from Amsterdam to Detroit. They say PETN was hidden in a condom or condom-like bag just below his torso. Abdulmutallab also had a syringe filled with liquid. Source: canadianpress

US lawmaker: Yemen is a hot spot

The attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines plane on Christmas Day is refocusing US lawmakers’ attention on Yemen.
The 23-year-old suspect in the botched attack, Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab of Nigeria, allegedly told U.S. officials that he received his explosive device in Yemen and learned to use it there.
“Yemen is a hot spot. We need to do everything we can to work with that government,” Rep. Peter Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday.”
U.S. officials have been investigating a Yemen link in the Nov. 5, mass shooting at an U.S. Army post in Fort Hood, Texas. U.S. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who allegedly killed 13 people, had exchanged dozens of emails with U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who is believed to be residing in Yemen.

US condemns ‘ unjust suppression of civilans in Iran

The White House on Sunday strongly condemned “violent and unjust suppression” of civilians in Iran, following a fierce government crackdown on opposition protests.
The strongly-worded statement contrasted with careful initial responses by the White House following post-election protests in Iran in June and came as the nuclear showdown between Tehran and world powers reached a critical point.
“We strongly condemn the violent and unjust suppression of civilians in Iran seeking to exercise their universal rights,” White House spokesman Mike Hammer said in a statement.
“Hope and history are on the side of those who peacefully seek their universal rights, and so is the United States. AFP

Iran security forces on Sunday killed several protesters including opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi’s nephew in a fierce crackdown on mass anti-government demonstrations in Tehran.