Saturday, January 03, 2015

1-3-15

* 'Islamic State seeking bases inside Lebanon' Head of Lebanon's main security apparatus says Islamic State militants are looking to gain control over Lebanese villages.

* Iran denies nuclear deal with US Iran has denied striking a deal with the US to reduce Tehran's potential ability to manufacture nuclear weapons, following earlier reports that an agreement had been reached.

* Islamic State to Systematically Target Europe in 2015: French Expert In an interview with Sputnik, well-known French journalist and Middle East intelligence services expert Jean-Michel Vernochet said that he foresees an impending Islamic State group attack on Europe in the very near future.

* Jordan Arrests Cleric for Advocating Jewish Temple Mount Prayer A Jordanian Muslim cleric has been arrested for advocating Jewish prayer rights on the Temple Mount.

* Middle East, 2015: further standoffs, tripwires and catastrophes The jihadist threat of Isis and ongoing Syria disaster will pile pressure on western leaders. Then there's Iran, Turkey, Israel-Palestine and north Africa.

* Islamic umbrella leader to visit Temple Mount mosques The secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation plans to visit the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

* Abbas's Fatah Celebrates 50 Years - With 'Jewish Skulls' The official Facebook page of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party is marking 50 years since the first terror attack carried out by the Arab nationalist group - and in typical style has posted a graphic image glorifying the murder of Israelis in celebration.

* Ukrainian President Signs Law Allowing NATO Membership Bid President Petro Poroshenko has signed a law abandoning Ukraine's neutral "non-bloc" status, and said Ukrainians will decide whether the country should seek NATO membership once it meets the standards of the Western military alliance.

* Watch: Hamas Shows Off Army 'Ready to Conquer Jerusalem' The propaganda unit of Hamas's "military wing", the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, kicked into overdrive recently with a new film, which attempted to portray the terrorist organization's Gazan fighting force as a modern Islamic army.

* Turkish PM: Israel 'Reducing the Islamic Character' of Jerusalem Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Sunday said that Turkey stands behind the Palestinian Arabs in their efforts to oppose Israeli attempts to "reduce the Islamic character" of Jerusalem.