3-5-15

* Speculation over successor after Iran's Khamenei reportedly hospitalized in serious condition Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is currently hospitalized in serious condition at a hospital in Tehran, according to unofficial reports.

* UK bans ad for implying Jerusalem's Old City part of Israel Britain's advertising watchdog banned an Israeli government tourism advertisement for suggesting that the Old City of Jerusalem is part of Israel on Wednesday.

* Benghazi panel to demand access to Clinton emails The special House committee investigating the 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, will issue subpoenas for former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s personal emails, congressional aides said Wednesday.

* Senior General: US considering possible Middle East missile defense The US military is considering sending its THAAD missile defense system to the Middle East, a senior US Army general said on Wednesday, citing what he called an urgent need to respond to foes with missile systems and the will to use them.

* Purim Begins in Israel Thousands of people in Israel and around the world have begun their Purim celebrations Wednesday night, gathering in synagogues to hear the Purim story.

* Report: Iran's Supreme Leader Hospitalized in Critical Condition Just in time for Purim, the Jewish holiday celebrating the redemption of the Jewish people from plots of genocide in ancient Persia, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was reportedly hospitalized in critical condition on Wednesday.

* Netanyahu: My Words Resonated with Congress Members Shortly after returning to Israel from Washington, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday evening spoke about his speech to Congress, saying that he believed it had resonated among American lawmakers.

* Experts Agree, Iran Deal Won't Stop Its Regional Power Grab Iran will not abandon or modify its regional policies of expansion in exchange for Western concessions to seal a deal on its nuclear program, analysts say.

* Galilee structure may be Jesus's boyhood home A hillside house dating back to the early first century CE in northern Israel may have been the Nazareth home where Jesus was raised, according to researchers.

* Nemtsov murder: Putin urges end to political killings Russia's President Vladimir Putin has called for an end to "shameful" political killings in Russia, after the shooting of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov just outside the Kremlin walls.