BULLETIN No.159

Israel/Hizbollah/Lebanon: Avoiding Renewed Conflict International Crisis Group
The Times Leader Syria's interests Iraq is the one issue on which Assad may see reason
Guardian Leader Taking the road to Damascus Syria matters because it has the capacity to influence events not only in its immediate vicinity, but also more widely in a highly volatile region.
Ha’aretz - Print Edition The Syrian-American Rift By Akiva Eldar
U.S. Faults Syria, Iran, Hezbollah on Lebanon
Christian Science Monitor US accuses Syria, Iran, and Hizbullah of plot to topple Lebanon But US intelligence experts see no proof of military plot, only political bullying.
BBC US' Lebanon plot claim rejected Syria and Hezbollah deny US claims they are plotting to topple the Lebanese government with Iran's help.
Sources Dismiss Israeli Fears, Predict U.S. Talks With Syria and Iran Nathan Guttman THE FORWARD
Foreign Policy Seven Questions: Back to the Brink in Lebanon
Eye of the Storm: The 'Iranization' of Syria Jerusalem Post By AMIR TAHERI.
Financial Times Blair in secret overture to Damascus Tony Blair, Britain’s prime minister, has launched a secret diplomatic move to prise Syria away from its support for radical Middle East groups and policies
Blair aide meets Assad on secret trip to Syria
Washington Post A Struggle to Cover the Border U.S., Iraqi officials have tried for years to crack down on foreign fighters, funds from Syria.
Der Spiegel UNIFIL FRUSTRATION IN LEBANON All (Too) Quiet on the Southern Front Already 6,000 international troops are stationed with UNIFIL in southern Lebanon, and numbers are supposed to be doubled in November. But at the moment the biggest danger they face is boredom.
Washington Institute From Beirut to Gaza: Israel’s Neighbors in the Aftermath of War Ehud Yaari
Daily Telegraph Why Israel will go to war again – soon There will soon be another war in the Middle East, this time a renewal of the conflict between the Israel Defence Force and Hizbollah. The conflict is inevitable and unavoidable, says John Keegan
BBC Hezbollah confirms Israel talks Hezbollah leader Sheikh Nasrallah says "serious" talks on a prisoner exchange with Israel are under way.
Daily Star Editorial Foreign meddling and domestic inaction push Lebanon to the brink of crisis
Nasrallah's show of defiance
Quick guide: Hezbollah

The Case for a Larger Israel HOME - DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE BOOK
Daily Star Israeli overflights are about terrorizing civilians, not finding weapons
Schiff Nuclear confusion in Israel
U.S. officials demand IAF cease overflights in Lebanese airspace
Schiff Egypt and weapons smuggling / Empty promises to prevent 'Hamastan'
Yedioth Ahronoth Shlomo Avineri Was Rabin murdered or assassinated?
Jerusalem Post US Affairs: Who's good for the Jews? By MATTHEW E. BERGER A guide to the key races as America goes to the midterm polls.
To reach peace, start with borders first By Ghassan Khatib
Gaza strike kills Hamas militants
Four Palestinian Hamas militants die in an Israeli air strike in Gaza City, medical sources say.

Washington Post David Ignatius Seeking Options On Iraq
Out of Iraq by Zvi Bar’el
New York Times U.S. Central Command Charts Sharp Movement of the Civil Conflict in Iraq Toward Chaos
UPI Viewpoint: Avoiding defeat in Iraq By Alon Ben-Meir
New Republic Should Iraq be partitioned? A TNR debate, Day 1 by Peter W. Galbraith & Reuel Marc Gerecht
Asia Times Iraq's bloody destiny The overthrow of the monarchy in 1958 and the subsequent bloody rule (and death) of General Abd al-Karim Qasim provide striking pointers to the causes of the violence in Iraq today. If these are ignored, history can only repeat itself. - Sami Moubayed
Iraq: Milestones, Benchmarks, and Real World Options (PDF; 582 KB) Source: Center for Strategic & International Studies by Anthony Cordesman
CBS: Iraq is 'nearly out of control'
YaleGlobal - The Withdrawal Syndrome – Part I by Richard Haass
Independent Baghdad is under siege Sunni insurgents have cut the roads linking the city to the rest of Iraq. The country is being partitioned as militiamen fight bloody battles for control of towns and villages north and south of the capital

Getting Serious About Iran: For Regime Change by Amir Taheri The ayatollahs cannot change their spots; they can only be defeated and replaced—and they can be.
Getting Serious About Iran: A Military Option by Arthur Herman Tehran has major tactical and strategic vulnerabilities; herewith, a plan to exploit them.
The Case for Engagement With Iran by Scott Ritter
IRAN TEST-FIRES MISSILE THAT CAN REACH ISRAEL... IRAN TEST-FIRES MISSILE THAT CAN REACH ISRAEL...