* Recently Revealed Jewish Prayer on Temple Mount: First Stage in Third Temple Construction On Thursday morning, for the first time since the Temple stood in Jerusalem, a minyan (quorum) of ten Jews stood and prayed on the Temple Mount.
* Netanyahu: 'If Hezbollah dare attack Israel, it will pay a heavy price' Israeli PM congratulates British counterpart, says Conservative win a 'crushing victory against anti-Semitism'.
* Hamas, Islamic Jihad agree to stand together in future fight with Israel Qatar says aid to Gaza will continue.
* Iran begins testing much faster centrifuges as nuclear deal further unravels President Rouhani also confirms Tehran already running more advanced models to step up enrichment, in violation of 2015 pact.
* Russia’s top general warns World War 3 is coming in chilling prediction Vladimir Putin’s top commander Valery Gerasimov has said he believes the West are preparing for a “large-scale military conflict” amid a renewed NATO buildup in Europe
* How Syria Became The Centerpiece Of Russia's Middle East Strategy Whether one thinks that Russia is rescuing Assad, which tends to be the Western perception, or fighting ISIS, several things are very difficult to argue with.
* Russia aims to become a major arms trader in the Middle East again Russia is seeking to sell advanced military hardware to several US allies in the Middle East, potentially securing lucrative deals in the region for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
* Hamas, Thirty-Two Years Later The Palestinian Hamas movement this week celebrated its 32nd anniversary by reminding everyone of its main goal: the destruction of Israel.
* Brexit: MPs back Boris Johnson's plan to leave EU on 31 January MPs have backed Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan for the UK to leave the EU on 31 January.
* Star of Bethlehem: The astronomical explanations It might seem churlish to dissect such an enduring image of Christmas as the star of Bethlehem, but a quiet astronomical debate has been bubbling away for decades. Could some real cosmic event have drawn "three wise men" on a journey to find a newborn king?