Israeli airstrike kills militant in Gaza Strip

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip�? An Israeli aircraft struck a pair of Palestinian militants on Sunday, killing one man and wounding a second in a new eruption of violence that raised the death toll in a weekend of rocket attacks and airstrikes to 11.

The strike cast doubts on efforts to forge a cease-fire after the deadliest round of fighting in months between Israel and Gaza militants, and raised the likelihood of a new bout of fighting.

The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a small militant group, said the men targeted in Sunday's strike were members of the organization. The Health Ministry of the Hamas militant group, which runs Gaza, said the attack occurred along the territory's border with Israel.

The Israeli military confirmed the airstrike, saying the men were preparing to fire a rocket into Israel.

On Saturday, nine militants and an Israeli civilian were killed in some of the worst violence in the area in months. The exchange of fire continued overnight, with Palestinians firing 10 rockets into Israel in the early hours of the morning, and Israeli aircraft targeting six militant sites in Gaza, the military said.

But Sunday had been largely quiet following a cease-fire offer from Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian militant group responsible for most of the rocket barrages.

"When all jet fighters leave the skies of Gaza we will stop firing rockets," said Dawud Shehab, a senior member of Islamic Jihad.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not formally address the Islamic Jihad offer. In a statement carried on Israel Radio, he said his country "does not want things to deteriorate," but would defend itself against anyone who would attack it.

During the current round of violence, Israel has responded to immediate threats of militants firing mortars or rockets, but has so far stopped short of hitting larger, strategic targets.

The latest round of violence was set off by a rocket attack last Wednesday by Islamic Jihad. The group said that attack was meant to mark the 16th anniversary of the assassination of its founder by Israel.

Both sides, meanwhile, have braced for further strikes.

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As a precautionary measure, Israeli officials closed schools in southern communities within 25 miles (40 kilometers) of Gaza, as well as Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba and several colleges, which were to have begun their academic year Sunday, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Police brought in reinforcements from other areas of the country.

More than 1 million Israelis live within the range of rockets possessed by Gaza militants.

In Gaza, militants who had been emboldened to remove their masks and emerge from their hideouts following a high-profile prisoner swap with Israel earlier in the month disappeared from the streets again. And the territory's ruling Hamas movement scaled back its police deployment, apparently afraid that police positions would be targeted by Israeli aircraft.

Hamas militants are not believed to be involved in the attacks, which were claimed by smaller factions. But Israel holds Hamas ultimately responsible for all violence against it emanating from the territory.

___

Amy Teibel in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45094529/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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Bachmann Says Campaign Can Be Revived

Despite slipping in state and national polls, GOP presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann says her campaign can still be revived, with just over two months before voting in the Iowa caucus.

"I'm doing exactly what I need to do in Iowa. I'm here, all across the state, meeting with people multiple times every day," Bachmann told "This Week" anchor Christiane Amanpour from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "And so it's amazing what a difference several weeks can make in the course of a presidential campaign."

The latest Des Moines Register poll released Sunday shows Herman Cain and Mitt Romney leading the pack in Iowa, at 23 percent and 22 percent respectively, with Bachmann falling to a distant fourth place at 8 percent, followed by Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich at 7 percent each.

"We're not worried about the day-to-day snapshots. What we're focused on are the primary dates," Bachmann said in response to the poll results. "So we're doing the fundamentals?We're focusing on greeting people, meeting with them, and getting our positive message, which is pro-growth and job creation."

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Bachmann would not say whether Iowa was a must-win state for her, although she has focused most of her attention on her former home state since joining the presidential race.

"We're focused on Iowa," Bachmann said. "Iowa is the first caucus. Then on to New Hampshire."

Herman Cain has risen in the polls through his "9-9-9" economic plan, while Rick Perry last week proposed a 20 percent flat tax option.

Bachmann, who claimed last week that Perry had borrowed elements of her economic plans in his proposal, said she would flatten rates while requiring all Americans to pay at least some tax.

"I would abolish the United States federal tax code, and in its place, I would flatten the rates and simplify them," Bachmann said. "I would not have just one rate, but I'd have several rates, which is a flattened, simple, much fairer system, and one that would be equitable and raise revenues for the federal government."

Overseas, Bachmann says she still opposes U.S. action taken in Libya against Muammar Gadhafi, who was overthrown by rebel forces before being killed this month.

"My position is that the United States should not have gone into Libya, because, again, the last chapter isn't written," Bachmann said. "There's tremendous instability in the Libyan region, and we have seen continued deaths and fighting. And this will not end any time soon."

"There's tremendous uncertainty and chaos," Bachmann added. "And of course, when there's uncertainty and chaos in a nation, that's when you see trouble and potentially extremist elements that could come into power. That would not be good for the United States' interest in that area."

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Ex-Cricket Star Leads Big Antigovernment Protest in Pakistan

Arif Ali/Agence France-Presse ? Getty Images

Supporters of Pakistani politician and former cricketer Imran Khan gathered for a rally in Lahore on Sunday.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan ? An antigovernment rally in Lahore, led by the former cricket star Imran Khan, attracted a huge crowd estimated at more than 100,000 people on Sunday evening. The rally represented what supporters and some political analysts said was Mr. Khan?s emergence as a serious challenger to the governing Pakistan Peoples Party and its longtime rival, the Pakistan Muslim League-N.

Mr. Khan assailed the leaders of both parties ? President Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif ? as creatures of the status quo, and he has been a loud and frequent critic of Pakistan?s alliance with the United States, saying it was motivated by money.

The size of the crowd that Mr. Khan drew in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab and a traditional stronghold of the Muslim League-N, surprised his opponents and made an impression on political analysts.

Mr. Khan, 58, has languished on the political sidelines for years, and his political party, Tehreek-e-Insaf, or Justice Party, has no seats in the current Parliament. But his popularity has soared recently as voters, especially younger ones, have grown disillusioned with the establishment parties. A survey conducted by an American polling organization, the Pew Research Center, found in June that Mr. Khan had become the most popular political figure in the country.

After the crowd gave him a rousing welcome at the rally on Sunday evening, Mr. Khan threw out challenges to both Mr. Zardari and Mr. Sharif on the question of personal integrity, urging them both to disclose their assets or face civil disobedience.

?This is not a flood, this is a tsunami,? Mr. Khan said of the crowd thronging the Minaar-e-Pakistan ground in Lahore to hear him. ?Anyone up against it will be swept away.?

The government is not required to call a general election until February 2013, but with a sinking economy, rising inflation, power struggles and terrorism taking a toll on the nation, opposition parties have begun pushing for an earlier date.

The Muslim League-N staged its own rally in Lahore last week and called on President Zardari to step down.

Critics and political opponents dismiss Mr. Khan as a political nobody and question his judgment and his party?s capacity to mount a serious campaign, let alone to govern. They say it relies entirely on Mr. Khan?s personal charisma and lacks any other substantial figures in its ranks.

In an interview at his Islamabad residence on Friday, Mr. Khan shrugged off the criticism.

?People confuse two types of politics,? Mr. Khan said as he sprawled on a sofa in the house, situated on a hill that overlooks the city. ?One is the politics of movement. The other is traditional power-based politics. Tehreek-e-Insaf is never going to win the traditional way.?

Mr. Khan opposes cooperating with the United States against militants based in the restive northwestern regions of the country near the Afghan border. He says that Pakistan should not send its own forces to conduct operations there and should not allow American drone strikes there, either, because of the civilian casualties they cause. He favors a negotiated peace instead.

Mr. Khan led 2,000 people in a protest outside the Parliament in Islamabad on Friday, opposing American drone strikes, and he reiterated his stance at the rally on Sunday.

?My message to America is that we will have friendship with you, but we will not accept any slavery,? he said. ?We will help you in a respectable withdrawal of your troops from Afghanistan, but we will not launch a military operation in Pakistan for you.?

The atmosphere at the Sunday rally was electric. Several famous pop singers warmed up the crowd with music before Mr. Khan?s speech, giving the rally the feel of a concert. Women and girls in colorful clothes and sunglasses and young men in Western and national dress filled the audience.

Mr. Khan?s speech itself was bit of a letdown to some, wayward and unfocused, but his fans did not mind.

?I felt great,? said Said Chaudhry, 26. ?It felt like you are part of something that has all the potential of turning into something revolutionary.?

In the interview on Friday, Mr. Khan said he expected the Lahore rally to be seen as a test of his political future.

?Lahore decides what happens in Punjab,? he said. ?Punjab decides what happens in Pakistan.?

Analysts said that drawing a big crowd in Lahore would not necessarily translate into electoral success, but it could propel Mr. Khan to the forefront of the political conversation.

?I think it?s a historic turning point in the country?s politics,? said Rasul Baksh Rais, who teaches at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. ?It showed that people are deeply touched with the message of hope and change, and also with the frustration that is written all over Pakistan with the existing political parties.?

He said that after 15 years on the political fringes, Mr. Khan may have his moment now. ?Today, he has been able to get his message across,? Mr. Rais said. ?This is the beginning. And it will result in a big change in a year or two.?

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Clinton credited with key role in success of NATO airstrikes, Libyan rebels

TRIPOLI, Libya ? At 5:45 p.m. on March�19, three hours before the official start of the air campaign over Libya, four French Rafale jet fighters streaked across the Mediterranean coastline to attack a column of tanks heading toward the rebel city of Benghazi. The jets quickly obliterated their targets ? and in doing so nearly upended the international alliance coming to Benghazi?s rescue.

France?s head start on the air war infuriated Italy?s prime minister, who accused Paris of upstaging NATO. Silvio Berlusconi warned darkly of cutting access to Italian air bases vital to the alliance?s warplanes.

?It nearly broke up the coalition,? said a European diplomat who had a front-row seat to the events and who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters between allies. Yet the rift was quickly patched, thanks to a frenzied but largely unseen lobbying effort that kept the coalition from unraveling in its opening hours.

?That,? the diplomat said, ?was Hillary.?

Seven months later, with longtime U.S. nemesis Moammar Gaddafi dead and Libya?s onetime rebels now in charge, the coalition air campaign has emerged as a foreign policy success for the Obama administration and its most famous Cabinet member, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Some Republicans derided the effort as ?leading from behind,? while many others questioned why President Obama was entangling the nation in another overseas military campaign that had little strategic urgency and scant public support. But with NATO operations likely to end this week, U.S. officials and key allies are offering a detailed new defense of the approach and Clinton?s pivotal role ? both within a divided Cabinet and a fragile, assembled-on-the-fly international alliance.

What emerges from these accounts is a picture of Clinton using her mixture of political pragmatism and tenacity to referee spats among NATO partners, secure crucial backing from Arab countries and tutor rebels on the fine points of message management.

Clinton, in an interview, acknowledged ?periods of anguish and buyer?s remorse? during the seven months of the campaign. But she said, ?We set into motion a policy that was on the right side of history, on the right side of our values, on the right side of our strategic interests in the region.?

From skeptic to advocate

During the initial weeks of unrest in Libya, Clinton was among the White House officials clinging to fading hopes that Gaddafi might fall without any help from the West.

From the first armed resistance on Feb.�18 until March�9, the disorganized opposition movement appeared to be on a roll, taking control of Libyan cities from Benghazi to Brega and Misurata on the Mediterranean coast. But in a single, bloody week, Gaddafi loyalists turned rebel gains into a rout, crushing resistance in towns across Libya before marshaling forces for a final drive against Benghazi, the last opposition stronghold.

With Gaddafi threatening to slaughter Benghazi?s population ?like rats,? the rebel leaders pleaded for Western intervention, including a no-fly zone. The appeal garnered support in Europe, particularly among French and British officials who began working on the text of a U.N. Security Council resolution that would authorize the use of military against the Libyan autocrat.

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Iran Demands Apology From U.S. Over Claims Iran Was Involved in Plot to Kill Saudi Ambassador

Iran has formally complained to the U.S. over claims the Iranian government was involved in an alleged plot to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, a U.S. official said Sunday.

The official said the U.S. received a diplomatic note on Friday expressing displeasure with the charges that were leveled earlier this month. Iran has already denied the allegations. The official said the note was delivered through the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which represents U.S. interests in Iran since the two countries don't have diplomatic relations.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private diplomatic exchange.

Earlier this month, U.S. officials claimed agents linked to Iran's Quds Force -- an elite wing of the powerful Revolutionary Guard -- were involved in the suspected plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the U.S., Adel Al-Jubeir.

An Iranian diplomatic source, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the letter emphasized Iranian assertions that Washington's allegations are "based on lies" and called into question U.S. diplomatic tactics that Iran calls violations of "international rules and regulations."

The Iranian source did not make the precise wording of the letter available, but said the letter also mentioned the thousands of deaths in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 and the "billions of dollars from the U.S. citizens' pockets." Plans by President Barack Obama to withdraw all U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of the year have drawn criticism from political opponents because of Iran's close ties with Iraq's Shiite majority and the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

The letter called for a U.S. apology for the ambassador plot allegations and sought unspecified compensation for "material and moral damages of this baseless accusation," the source added.

A dual U.S.-Iranian citizen who holds an Iranian passport, Manssor Arbabsiar, 56, pleaded not guilty last week in U.S. District Court in New York in connection with the plot allegations.

According to the U.S. complaint, Arbabsiar has admitted his role in a $1.5 million plot to kill the ambassador at a Washington restaurant by setting off explosives.

But many experts in Iranian affairs have questioned why Iran's Quds Force, which typically works through third parties such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, would reach out to Arbabsiar, a former used car salesman in Texas who is accused of seeking Mexican drug cartel hitmen to carry out the slaying.

No trial date has been set for Arbabsiar. U.S. District Judge John F. Keenan scheduled his next court appearance for Dec. 21.

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Gaza violence simmers after truce announced

1 of 2. Palestinians wheel the body of a militant killed in an Israeli air strike at a hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip October 29, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA | Sat Oct 29, 2011 8:20pm EDT

GAZA (Reuters) - Israel's air force bombed an Islamic Jihad base in the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip, killing five senior militants and drawing cross-border Palestinian rocket salvoes that killed an Israeli civilian.

The flare-up on Saturday smashed a relative lull in violence that had surrounded an Egyptian-mediated prisoner swap over a week ago between Israel and Islamist Hamas, which is negotiating a power-sharing deal with U.S.-backed Palestinian rivals.

Egyptian officials said Cairo had secured a truce between the Jewish state and the Gaza militants that would take effect early on Sunday.

Saturday's strike on the Islamic Jihad training camp in southern Rafah followed a rocket attack last week which the Israelis blamed on the group. The rocket caused no casualties but landed deep enough to set off sirens on Tel Aviv's outskirts.

Islamic Jihad said one of its commanders, Ahmed al-Sheikh Khalil, and four comrades who had overseen production of bombs and rockets for the faction were killed in the mid-day strike. Two other fighters were wounded.

Israel's military said its aircraft "targeted a terrorist squad ... that was preparing to launch long-range rockets."

It said in a statement that those hit were responsible for the rocket attack late on Wednesday, though no Palestinian faction had claimed responsibility.

Islamic Jihad, a sometime Hamas ally that has recently chafed at its rule of Gaza, vowed revenge, a call echoed by smaller groups in the territory.

"There is no chance of speaking about a truce now, following such a big crime against leaders of the group," said Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Ahmed.

By Saturday evening, at least 20 rockets and mortar bombs had hit southern Israel, killing a 50-year-old man and wounding two other civilians, police said.

Islamic Jihad and two more secular factions, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, separately took credit.

Two other Israeli air strikes followed, killing four Islamic Jihad gunmen and wounding a fifth. The military said the gunmen had carried out cross-border shellings.

CONSEQUENCES

Israel demanded international intervention to stop the Palestinian attacks.

"We seek no confrontation with the Palestinians and do not want to inflame the situation, but we will not absorb shelling after shelling without a response," Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said, threatening unspecified "consequences."

An Egyptian official later said all sides had agreed, at Cairo's behest, to cease fire early on Sunday.

"Egypt will pursue its contacts with all the sides until the agreement goes into effect," the official said. Neither Israel nor Palestinian factions had any immediate comment.

The United Nations, which runs an extensive aid network in Gaza and is among foreign powers trying to revive moribund peace talks between Israel and the U.S.-backed Palestinian administration in the occupied West Bank, had also urged calm.

Hamas last week repatriated an Israeli soldier it seized in 2006 in exchange for the release of more than 1,000 jailed Palestinians. That deal, brokered by Egypt's military rulers, stirred speculation a more enduring detente was in the works.

Commenting on the Rafah deaths, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri accused Israel of a "serious escalation against our people."

In keeping with Israeli government policy, the military statement said Hamas bore ultimate responsibility "for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip."

Islamic Jihad released images of what it said was the firing by its men of a truck-mounted multiple rocket-launcher, a platform not previously seen in Gaza. Israel says Gazan arsenals have been boosted by gun-running from Libya since the fall of its ruler, Muammar Gaddafi.

(Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Ralph Gowling)

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Libya's Prime Minister Confirms Presence Of Chemical Weapons

TRIPOLI, Libya -- Libya's interim prime minister on Sunday confirmed the presence of chemical weapons in Libya and said foreign inspectors would arrive later this week to deal with the issue.

Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said Libya has no interest in keeping such weapons.

"We would like to assure you that the new Libya will be a peaceful Libya and that it is in our interest to have no weapons in Libya," he told reporters.

Last week, Ian Martin, the top U.N. envoy to Libya, told the U.N. Security Council that undeclared chemical weapons sites have been located in Libya.

At the time, he also expressed concern over command and control of chemical and nuclear material sites.

Jibril, who has announced his resignation ahead of the formation of a new interim government, did not provide any details about the chemical weapons.

"There are international organizations taking care of this issue," he said, adding that representatives of those organizations are due to arrive in Libya later in the week.

A Russian-drafted U.N. resolution, to be voted on this week, calls on Libyan authorities to destroy stockpiles of chemical weapons in coordination with international authorities.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/30/mahmoud-jibril-libya-chemical-weapons_n_1066414.html

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