On Friday, Israeli air strike killed leader of Palestine’s Popular Resistance Committees Zuhir al-Qaisi in the Gaza Strip. Israeli intelligence said that it had information that he was masterminding an attack on the Israeli-Egyptian border. Al-Qaisi is previously linked to the August 2011 attacks on Israeli bus and cars in Eilat and the 2008 fuel depot blast on the Gaza border. Mahmoud Hanani who was in the same car with al-Qaisi and involved in sending suicide bombers to Israel, was also killed.

International community has also voiced its opposition. The Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly condemned the grave of aggression waged by the Israeli occupying forces on the Gaza Strip. He held Israel responsible for the consequences of the continuation and escalation of aggression and war crimes committed against the Palestinians. He called on the UN Security Council, the United Nations and the Quartet International Committee to assume their responsibilities, and make an urgent intervention to stop this military escalation against the Palestinian people and compel Israel to respect international law.

The United States release said that it is deeply concerned by the renewal of violence in Southern Israel and blamed it on Hamas. “We condemn in the strongest terms the rocket fire from Gaza by terrorists into southern Israel in recent days, which has dramatically and dangerously escalated in the past day. We call on those responsible to take immediate action to stop these cowardly acts.” It called both sides to make every effort to restore calm.

The assault came hours after the UN said it could no longer keep track of the death toll in the Syrian unrest, which it had put at more than 5,400 over a month ago.

The Homs raid began late on Thursday in the Karm al-Zeitoun neighbourhood with the Syrian Human Rights Observatory reporting 33 people killed in Syria’s third-largest city, 160 km north of the capital, bringing the day’s total to 62 dead across the country.

The Local Coordination Committees, which organise protests on the ground, said that by Friday regime forces had pounded the Bab Seba neighbourhood with heavy artillery and rocket fire. Sounds of intense fighting were also heard from the Baba Amro neighbourhood.

The LCC said three people were killed early Friday in Homs and said two more were killed in Idlib province in the northwest and one in the Damascus suburbs.

The Observatory said another flashpoint central city, Hama, also came under assault in the early hours of Friday, with intense firing from heavy machine guns and loud explosions heard.

The Syrian National Council, the country’s biggest opposition umbrella group, on Friday condemned the offensives against opposition strongholds and said the group was in contact with members of the UN Security Council to press for strong condemnation of Syria.

The latest wave of the government’s crackdown, now in its 11th month, comes as the West tries to ride diplomatic momentum sparked by last weekend’s surprise call by the Arab League for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

The Council had forged an intact plan aiming to stop bloodshed and all kinds of violence, release detainees who were kept behind the bars during and after protest-related current incidents, eliminate cities, towns and neighborhoods from all armed aspects, open the way for legal organizations and the media to freely move in Syria so as to pave the way for a national dialogue that would conduce to the required solution.

The prince said that the “The solution will never be reached without meeting the aspirations of the Syrian people through the achievement of power peaceful transition. We have repeatedly expressed our feelings of amicability and fraternity to the interests of the Syrian people without discrimination or difference. Our objective is to stop bloodshed, preserve Syria’s integrity, security and stability and evade the dangers of devastating civil struggle or slipping to chaos and destruction.”

The Syrian government had officially endorsed the Arab League proposed solution. The plan included an Arab monitors team whose mission was not to work as negotiators or mediators but to monitor Syrian government’s commitment of strictly and apparently carrying out the plan, provided that the Syrian government provides security and freedom for the monitoring team to move in Syria.

The Saudi FM said “But, regrettably, Syrian authorities did not live up to any of the articles of the Arab plan. Not only that, but was quick to accuse Arab leaders and their countries of conspiracy against Syria. At this point, we ask whether it is a genuine Arab behavior that the ruler kills his people or that Arab armies’ mission it to devastate their country mates instead of protecting them and their souls, properties and safeguard their security and stability. This situation couldn’t continue and by no means, we could not accept to become false witnesses or to be exploited by whoever to justify the crimes committed against the Syrian people or to cover those crimes.”

The Kingdom’s Arab League monitors will be relocated to Cairo.

NATO says that it has been monitoring this area since the beginning of the month. Attacks last week by pro Gaddafi forces have resulted a number of skirmishes with anti-Gaddafi forces and at least one fire at an oil facility in region of Sarir.

“We are aware that pro-Gaddafi forces have attacked this area in recent days, which resulted in at least one fire at an oil facility north of Sarir. To try and blame it on NATO shows how desperate this regime is,” said Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard Commander of NATO’s Operation Unified Protector. “We have never conducted strike operations in this area because his forces were not threatening civilian population centers from there. The only one responsible for this fire is the Gadhaffi regime and we know he wants to disrupt oil getting to Tobruk”.

“Operations yesterday went very well, certainly in putting in place the no-fly zone,” Mullen said. Gadhafi has not had any aircraft flying for the last couple of days, and the Tomahawk barrage on the integrated air and missile defense system effectively shut the system down.” B-2 bomber attacks also hit Libyan airfields. The guided-missile destroyer USS Barry launched a Tomahawk missile to support Operation Odyssey Dawn in the Mediterranean Sea, March 19, 2011. This was one of approximately 110 cruise missiles fired from U.S. and British ships and submarines that targeted about 20 radar and anti-aircraft sites along Libya’s Mediterranean coast.

He added that “the coalition has combat air patrols up over the opposition stronghold of Benghazi in the eastern part of the country and the combat air patrol will push west toward the capital of Tripoli in the future.” Coalition had attacked forces loyal to Gadhafi are near Benghazi yesterday and Mullen said that the attacks will intensify during the day.

He accused Gadhafi of uning human targets. “True to form, what Gadhafi has done is put in place human shields in some cases, or just said we’ve caused civilian casualties. I just haven’t seen that,” he said.

Mullen also said that Ghadafi has a stockpile of mustard gas, but coalition intelligence shows he is not moving to deploy that capability.

The Joint venture was signed by H.E. Obaid Khaleefa Jaber Al Murri, Chairman of Al Jaber Group and Claus Günther, President of Diehl Defence, in the presence of senior management of both organizations and military officials from the UAE.

H.E. Obaid Khaleefa Jaber Al Murri commented saying, “We are pleased to sign this joint venture with Diehl Defence, and we truly believe that joining our forces will result in tremendous success for both organizations and for the UAE Armed Forces. The advanced know how of Diehl Defence and Al Jaber Group’s industrial and manufacturing capabilities will set up a strong platform to execute a wide range of maintenance and upgrading activities for our client”.

Claus Günther, President of Diehl Defence, remarked: ”The establishment of a joint venture between Diehl Defence and Al Jaber paves the way for a strong partnership. We consider it an honour to support the UAE´s continuous economic development and modernization of national Armed Forces. We welcome the opportunity to combine our complementary capabilities in maintenance and upgrade of UAE military land vehicles.”

Within the framework of the cooperation, Diehl will supply components such as propulsion, suspension and tracks and assume system responsibility; Al Jaber Group will provide the facilities comprising provision of the infrastructure in the UAE as well as conducting work on the vehicles. The joint venture offers know-how transfer as well as comprehensive inclusion of the local industry in the UAE.

Diehl Defence already has relationships with UAE Armed Forces and modernised the self-propelled howitzer M109 in the past and conducts repair work until today. Furthermore, Diehl Defence has been supplying tracks and road wheels to the UAE Armed Forces for the MBT Leclerc as well as tracks for the SP howitzer M109 and the APC M113.

Diehl Defence and Al Jaber Group consider the Joint Venture a milestone in the strategic cooperation to modernise military vehicles for the UAE Armed Forces. Both companies are confident that this agreement will be a big success and will serve the best interests of the UAE Armed Forces.

China has denied it. “China will not send a single soldier to other countries without the approval of the UN,” an official at the Chinese Ministry of Defence told state-run Global Times yesterday. “There are several conditions under which Chinese troops will be stationed in other countries and that includes for peacekeeping missions and disaster rescue efforts approved by the UN,” claimed the spokesman.

China has a history of sending troops during the Korean Wars.

Today, General Gholam Ali Rashid, the deputy chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, said the unmanned aircraft were shot down outside the airspace of the Islamic republic.

“We have to say that these planes were shot down outside Iran’s airspace, which means outside our FIR (Flight Information Region), in the Persian Gulf by the air force of the Sepah (Guards),” Rashid said.

He did not explain why the Guards struck at the drones outside Iran’s airspace.

Western media quoted US officials as rejecting the statement.

Yesterday, the commander of the Guards’ naval forces, Ali Fadavi, said the drones would be put on public display, saying the two unmanned vehicles were “among the most modern US navy drones” and had a long-range capability.

On September 2nd the Palestinians and Israelis restarted direct peace talks after a hiatus of several months. One year time frame has been recommended by the international “quartet” of mediators; Russia, the U.S., the EU and the UN, to come up with a framework.

British ruled Palestine till 1948. Palestine was decided to be partitioned as a Jewish and Arab state. The plan was approved by the UN as far back as 1947, but has never received a final implementation.

On Tuesday, Benjamin Netanyahu will leave for Sharm a-Sheikh, for an additional meeting with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, in the framework of the direct talks. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will host, as well as attend, the meeting, which will also be attended by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and [former] Senator Mitchell.

Obama has so far pulled back 100,000 U.S. troops and turned over to Iraq the bases. Obama has promised to pull out the balance end of next year. He says that its consistent with agreement with the Iraqi government. Fewer than 50,000 troops are now left in Iraq.

“Ending this war is not only in Iraq’s interest — it is in our own. Our nation has paid a huge price to put Iraq’s future in the hands of its people. We have sent our men and women in uniform to make enormous sacrifices. We have spent vast resources abroad in the face of several years of recession at home,” says Obama.

Praising the armed forces, Obama said

“In seven years, they confronted a mission as challenging and as complex as any our military has ever been asked to face.

Nearly 1.5 million Americans put their lives on the line. Many returned for multiple tours of duty, far from their loved ones who bore a heroic burden of their own. And most painfully, more than 4,400 Americans have given their lives, fighting for people they never knew, for values that have defined our people for more than two centuries.

What their country asked of them was not small. And what they sacrificed was not easy.”

Meanwhile, Vice President Joe Biden is in Iraq to participate in a Change of Command and Change of Mission Ceremony. He is expected to meet Iraqi political leaders to discuss the need for conclusion of negotiations on the formation of a new government.