Saturday, June 15, 2013

06/15/13

* Jordan wargames: Patriot batteries, F-16s and 4,500 US troops near Syrian border Multinational military exercise 'Eager Lion' has been launched in Jordan amid condemnation from neighboring Syria and its ally Russia.

* Obama begins answering Syrian rebels' call for arms US President Barack Obama has ordered the Central Intelligence Agency to provide small, lethal arms to rebel fighters in Syria.

* Moderate Rohani on track for outright Iran election win Moderate cleric Hassan Rohani took a solid lead over conservative rivals on Saturday in preliminary vote counting in Iran's presidential election.

* Russia says illegal to impose no-fly zone over Syria Any attempt to enforce no-fly zone using F-16 jets, Patriot missiles from Jordan would violate int'l law, says Russian FM Sergei Lavrov.

* Turkish protesters vow to stay in Istanbul park Turkish protesters said on Saturday they would not leave an Istanbul park despite a call from the president for them to withdraw.

* Blair: Syria's rebels want democracy; help arm them There are those amongst the Syrian rebels who want a pluralistic society and democracy coming out of all of this.

* Ya'alon: Iranian elections will not bring change Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon on Saturday said the elections in Iran "won't being any change" to Tehran's policies.

* Thousands of Egypt Islamists rally for Syria jihad Thousands of Islamists rallied in the Egyptian capital on Friday in support of calls by Sunni Muslim clerics for a holy war against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

* Summer camp in Gaza: Kids learn to abduct Israelis The annual Hamas-run summer camp in the Gaza Strip has started up.

* Ban: 'Settlements' Undermine Hopes for Peace United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday slammed Israel's plans to increase construction in Judea and Samaria.