Days ago, Iran claimed a successful launch of ballistic missile with dummy satellite. The missile, too, proved dummy as it did not reach even the second stage.
Iran’s posturing reminds of Saddam. He prevented Western arms inspectors from Iraq’s nuclear facilities even as he had no substantial nuclear program at all. Saddam risked an all-out invasion rather than admitting that Iraqi nuclear program has failed.

Barak is rumored to structure his election campaign around Olmert/Livni shortcomings in the Second Lebanon War - despite himself having had created preconditions to that war by running from Lebanon six years earlier. Barak’s Avodah associate, Peretz was the defense minister of Israel during the Second Lebanon War.

Speaking before the Home Front Command, Olmert confirmed that Hezbollah’s recent takeover of Lebanese government allows Israel to fight the state of Lebanon rather than a terrorist group there. That would mean indiscriminate shelling of Lebanese towns, a preferable alternative to sending Jewish soldiers for urban combat.

For several days, Israeli Army internal satellite broadcasts remained uncoded, which allowed common TV viewers see highly secret recording of rocket tests.
But the recordings show Ashkenazi as Deputy Chief of Staff, and therefore are two years old.
The controlled leak might came as a reply to Syria’s numerous rocket tests this year.

During his visit to Moscow, Syrian dictator Assad is expected to reach an agreement with Russians to station their aircraft carrier group in Syrian port of Tartus. The carrier group would automatically bring to Syria the newest S-400 SAM battery, ostensibly to defend Russian vessels but really to inform Syrians of Israeli aircraft.

Olmert might not be squandering prisoners by releasing the 200 of them.