Hamas missile upsurge erodes Israeli deterrence, dashes ceasefire hopesDEBKAfile Special Report March 1, 2009, 12:21 PM (GMT+02:00)  Iran supplies Hamas with extra-heavy Grad rockets Ten Palestinian missiles struck Israel from the Gaza Strip Saturday, Feb. 28, including two heavyweight Grads aimed at Ashkelon. The number since Israel halted Operation Cast Lead Jan. 18 has risen to seventy. DEBKAfile's military sources directly correlate the upsurge of Palestinian rockets attacks on Israel and the setbacks in securing the release of the captive Israeli soldier Gilead Shalit with defense minister Ehud Barak's dogged insistence on the imminence of an Egyptian-brokered long-term ceasefire. | ||
US actress Annette Bening hopes Tehran visit kick-starts US-Iran dialogueDEBKAfile Special Report March 1, 2009, 7:29 PM (GMT+02:00)  Annette Bening in Tehran faces demand for Hollywood apology In a brief statement Sunday, March 1, US film actress Annette Bening, in Tehran with a Hollywood delegation, said: "I hope we can be a bridge to open a dialogue between out two countries, confirming DEBKAfile's report that president Barack Obama had launched his bid for talks with Iran with a piece of "Hollywood diplomacy" 38 years after Richard Nixon opened the door to China with a ping-pong team. She spoke after Iranian officials demand a Hollywood apology. | ||
Olmert to stand trial in case of Talansky cash envelopes
March 1, 2009, 8:51 PM (GMT+02:00)
Preparing to end his term as prime minister, Ehud Olmert was informed Sunday, March 1 that state attorney Menahem Mazuz had decided to indict him on corruption charges in the Talansky case. Moshe Talansky, a Long Island businessman, testified last May that he gave Olmert payments of $670,000, some stuffed in envelopes during the years 2002 to 2005 before he became prime minister.
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Iran offers Obama nuclear negotiations – with a catch
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis
February 27, 2009, 10:04 AM (GMT+02:00)
Iranian strongman Akbar Hashemi Rasanjani sets a trap
The Friday sermon delivered by former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rasanjani in Tehran on Feb. 27 offered US president Barack Obama a lure and a catch, condemned Israel and threatened Russia.
Indicating Israel, he said: "'You are planting a false notion in public minds." Addressing the Russians, he said bluntly that "…even if they don’t' deal with the [Bushehr] project, we can finish it on our own."
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