04/27/13

* US asks Israel to hold back on response to drone The US has reportedly asked Israel not to immediately respond to the infiltration of its airspace by a Hezbollah drone that was shot down over the Haifa bay on Thursday.

* Russian envoy warns on Syria chemical arms 'pretext' Claims that chemical weapons have been used in Syria should not become a pretext for a foreign military intervention in the country, Russia's deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov said.

* No response to Syria's use of chemical weapons; Israel worried Top Israeli military officials on Tuesday confirmed that the embattled forces of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad had used chemical weapons against rebel populations.

* Lebanon dragged in as Hezbollah joins Syria war Along north Lebanon's highways, the portraits of Hezbollah militants who have died in skirmishes with Israel are fading.

* Iraq PM Maliki warns of 'plague of sectarianism' Nouri Maliki said sectarian conflict had returned to Iraq "because it began in another place in this region" - an apparent reference to Syria.

* Obama backs Planned Parenthood in political fight President Barack Obama vowed Friday to join Planned Parenthood in fighting against what he said are efforts by states to turn women's health back to the 1950s.

* Israel wary quiet on Syrian front may soon end Against a vista of green fields and snowcapped mountains, all is silent but for a gusting wind.

* Jordan, US have 'enormous stake' in Mideast peace, Obama says US President Barack Obama welcomed King Abdullah II of Jordan to the White House Friday.

* Muslim-Christian relationship fuels row in Egypt An alleged romance between an Egyptian Muslim college student and a Coptic Christian man heightened sectarian tension on Friday.

* Abbas urges cooperation for Palestinian unity Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday he would begin talks with rival factions including Islamist Hamas to form a unity government.