* Hamas official says group considering military draft in Gaza The top security official in Hamas-ruled Gaza said Tuesday he was considering setting up a bigger military force.

* Iran: U.S. will likely attack 2 Mideast countries within 3 months In an interview aired on Iranian state television Tuesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran expects the United States to launch a military strike.

* Cameron 'anger' at slow pace of Turkish EU negotiations On his first visit as prime minister, he said the country could become a "great European power", helping build links with the Middle East.

* 30 Turkish generals are among the 400 arrested, indicted for plotting against Islamist government The Turkish government has been orchestrating a campaign, culminating in new indictments of top generals, to erode the traditional authority of the country's military brass.

* Saudi King to Visit Israel's Neighbors this Week The King Abdullah bin Abdul- Aziz of Saudi Arabia will be making a trip to the region at the end of this week.

* EU foreign ministers approve diplomatic service EU foreign ministers on Monday (26 July) gave the nod to the overall structure of the Union's new diplomatic service.

* PM pays surprise visit to Jordan Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu paid an unannounced visit to Jordan Tuesday.

* 'Gaza cannot remain a prison camp' Israel's May 31 interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla was "completely unacceptable," British Prime Minister David Cameron said.

* Koreas mark truce, but drills underscore tensions On the 57th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War, U.S. and South Korean ships intensified high-profile military exercises.

* Obama Warns Abbas: 'Start Talks or Else' A secret 36-page memo based on Obama administration statements indicates that the president warned Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to start direct talks with Israel.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010