The head of the Shin Bet security service, Yoram Cohen, said that Iran is trying to strike Israeli targets around the world in a bid to stop the assassinations of its nuclear scientists. Cohen said that it did not matter whether or not Israel in fact took out the nuclear scientists, but that a serious country like Iran could not let this go on. They want to deter Israel and extract a price so that decision makers in Israel think twice before they order an attack on an Iranian scientist.

Vice Prime Minister and Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon has said that Israel will not interfere in the political crisis in Syria. Ya'alon's comments came as Russia and China vetoed a Western-Arab UN Security Council resolution backing an Arab League call for Assad to step aside. The other 13 council members voted in favor of the resolution, which would have said that the council "fully supports" the Arab League plan.

Egypt's football federation has been dissolved from violence erupting after a match, leaving At least 74 people dead, and hundreds more injured in Port Said. Supporters of the home team Al Masry and Egypt's top club Al Ahly stormed the pitch and scores of fans were stabbed to death and others suffocated after they became trapped in a corridor as they tried to flee. The clashes, which are the worst case of football violence in the country and the deadliest worldwide since 1996, have sparked fresh concerns about Egypt's stability.

Vice Prime Minister and Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon said on Thursday that all of Iran's nuclear facilities are vulnerable to a military strike. He said that the West had the ability to strike, but as long as Iran was not convinced that there's a determination to follow through with it, they would continue with their manipulations. The vice PM's comments counter reported remarks by U.S. defense officials quoted last week, according to which the Pentagon was not in possession of conventional arms strong enough to destroy all of Iran's nuclear facilities.

The Arab League and Western powers in the UN Security Council gave assurances that they were not seeking military action to end the bloodshed in Syria, in an effort to bring Russia and China onboard for a solution. The statements by the league and Western governments were delivered in a high profile council meeting in New York attended by several government ministers and a high-ranking delegation from the Arab League.

The Israeli team took the first place in two categories in the 2012 European Bread Baking Cup over the weekend, beating culinary powers like France and Germany and leaving countries like Portugal and Britain far behind. The competition, held in Rimini Fiera , Italy, included four different categories. The Israeli's won for Innovative Bread with a Health Focus and Baked Dessert. In the first category, they prepared a modern version of pita bread with falafel. They baked green pita bread (with spinach), filled it with cheese balls coated with pistachio, and sprinkled yogurt sauce on top.

The US Congress has threatened to cut military and financial aid to Egypt, citing harassment of non-governmental organizations. The recent tug of war between Cairo and Washington began when a number of US citizens working to promote democracy and human rights in Egypt were barred from leaving the country. Egyptian officials have defended the raid as part of legitimate investigation into the groups' work and funding. American aid to Egypt includes a yearly stipend of $ 1.3 billion to the army and an additional $300 million in economic aid.

Hamas chief Khaled Meshal made his first official visit to Jordan on Sunday since the kingdom expelled him more than a decade ago. After talks with King Abdullah, Meshal insisted that Jordan will not be a substitute homeland for the Palestinians. Meshal also blasted Israel for trying to make Jordan the substitute Palestinian state. Meshal was accompanied by Qatar's Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. The visit was planned before an uprising erupted in Syria, where Hamas has had its main headquarters outside the Gaza Strip.

The Syrian army has moved to retake control of the Damascus suburbs from rebel forces. Troops backed by tanks have been shelling rebel-held areas to the east and north of the city. Dozens of people have reportedly been killed in what activists describe as the fiercest fighting around the capital during the 10 month-uprising. The major escalation came as the Arab League suspended its month-old monitoring mission in the country. Activists have reported fierce clashes between soldiers and deserters and authorities warned the country would be "cleansed" of outlaws.

A draft report by the Institute for Science and International Security says Iran is unlikely to move toward building a nuclear weapon this year due to the incapability to produce enough weapon-grade uranium. The report says that sanctions and the fear of a military strike by Israel on Iran's nuclear facilities have worked as a deterrent. The institute has advised U.S. and foreign governments about Iran's nuclear capabilities.

Egypt marked the first anniversary of the revolution that ended President Hosni Mubarak's regime Wednesday, as masses filled Tahrir Square. Head of Egypt's Military Council Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi decreed a partial lifting of the nation's emergency laws, saying the draconian laws will remain applicable to crimes committed by "thugs." It is a year since protesters inspired by an uprising in Tunisia took to the streets in Egypt and the January 25 anniversary has exposed divisions in the Arab world's most populous country over the pace of democratic change.

Russia has apparently signed a contract to sell combat jets to Syria in a show of support for President Bashar Assad's regime. The $550-million deal ensures the delivery of 36 Yak-130 aircraft. If confirmed, the deal would mark an open defiance of international efforts to put pressure on Assad's regime. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow doesn't consider it necessary to offer an explanation or excuses over suspicions that a Russian ship had delivered munitions to Syria despite an EU arms embargo.

After intense clashes with anti-government army defectors Syrian security forces have retreated from the streets of one of biggest suburbs of the capital. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights' head Rami Abdul-Rahman says that as of early Sunday, government troops had pulled back to a provincial headquarters and a security agency building in the Damascus suburb of Douma. Central Damascus has for most of Syria's 10-month uprising been under the tight control of forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, but its suburbs have witnessed intense anti-regime protests.

The Hamas government in the Gaza Strip has banned residents of the coastal enclave from participating in the national reality singing show "New Star." The first episode of "New Star," which follows the format of popular shows like "American Idol" and "The X-Factor," was recorded in Gaza City via video link in December, and around 120 people turned up to audition. But the Gaza government media office has since banned the talent show, which is produced by Ma'an TV and broadcast on the Ma'an-Mix satellite channel.

Khaled Meshal will step down as Hamas chief following an upcoming election to determine the group's new political leader. Meshal will be letting other Hamas leaders run for the leadership of the organization's political bureau, and steer the movement's policy, after he retires, in the next few months. Meshal was elected head of Hamas's political bureau in 1997. Shortly after his assent to Hamas leadership, Meshal was the target of a botched assassination attempt by agents from Israel's Mossad espionage agency operating covertly in Jordan.