Iranian hostages seized by pirates were rescued by American forces today in the Arabian sea. Meanwhile, on the political front, analysts say Iran's posturing about the Strait of Hormuz will be unlikely to lead to war.
In Syria, an attacker blew himself at a busy intersection in the capital, Damascus Friday. At least 25 people were killed and 46 others wounded. It was the second major bombing to rock the capital in two weeks.
Turkey's former army chief was arrested on Friday over an alleged plot to topple the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. General Ilker Basbug is accused of leading a terrorist organization.
Israel National News says terrorists fired an average of nearly two missiles a day at Israel in 2011. In the course of the year, 680 rockets, mortars and Grad missiles were fired at southern Israel.
Details after the break.
A U.S. navy ship has rescued 13 Iranians being held hostage by pirates in the Arabian Sea.
The U.S. Navy announced Friday that it encountered the pirates' skiff and the Iranian fishing vessel, the Al Molai, on Thursday after receiving a distress call from the Iranian vessel. In a statement, the navy said a team of military personnel from the destroyer USS Kidd boarded the Iranian vessel, or dhow, and detained 15 pirates who were holding the Iranians hostage.
The statement said the Iranian vessel had been under the control of the pirates for more than a month and was being used as a headquarters for pirate operations. It said the hostages are believed to have been forced to help with piracies.
The Navy said the Iranians were given food and medical care before being released, and are now on their way home.
The pirates - believed to be Somalis - are in detention at sea on a U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS John C. Stennis.
Iran recently has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, and warned the U.S. not to operate aircraft carriers in the area, something it routinely does. U.S. officials have made clear that operations will continue as usual in the Gulf.
Iran’s recent threat to close the Strait of Hormuz led to a defiant U.S. response and raised concerns of a military clash in the Persian Gulf and also raised oil prices. Some analysts do not expect the war of words to escalate into a military conflict.
Iran fired missiles and exercised its navy, amid sharp rhetoric from officials who warned the United States not to move an aircraft carrier into the Persian Gulf - something it routinely does.
U.S. officials made clear operations will continue in the Gulf, which is an international waterway.
Iran expert Mark Fitzpatrick believes Iran's threat are hollow.
“It’s laughable that anyone would think that the U.S. Navy is going to listen to Iran’s instructions and be shut out of an area of operation in international waters. It’s just not going to happen," he said. "In that sense, Iran’s threats have a kind of emptiness to them that should be readily apparent to anyone.”
Syria
Syria says an attacker blew himself at a busy intersection in the capital, Damascus Friday. At least 25 people were killed and 46 others wounded. It was the second major bombing to rock the capital in two weeks.
In the Damascus neighborhood of Midan, witnesses say the explosion took place near an intersection, as vehicles waited for a traffic light. The blast blew out windows of surrounding buildings and hurled shrapnel at motorists and passersby. State media claimed a suicide-bomber caused the explosion.
It was the second major bombing in the same area in two weeks. Two bombings took place in the nearby district of Kafr Sousa in late December near government security compounds.
State television broadcast graphic images from the scene and interviewed bystanders who said government opposition groups were behind the blast. Foreign media, however, report that opposition leaders blame the government for orchestrating the attack.
One man accused a Syrian opposition leader of responsibility for the bombing. Several others blamed the United States and Israel.
But Riyadh al Asaad, a leader of the opposition Free Syrian Army, told al-Arabiya TV that the Syrian government directed the bombing. He said the regime has a “long history of manipulating terrorist attacks.”
Asaad questioned “why the bombing took place in a middle-class neighborhood with strong support for the opposition,” rather than a “more well-to-do pro-government neighborhood in the center of Damascus.” He noted that reporters for state TV arrived at the bomb scene “before rescue crews.”
However, Hilal Khashan, who teaches political science at the American University of Beirut, thinks it is more likely that Islamic extremists were behind the bombing.
Turkey
Turkey's former army chief was arrested on Friday over an alleged plot to topple the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. General Ilker Basbug is accused of leading a terrorist organization.
Basbug was questioned for seven hours by Istanbul prosecutors and then sent to prison. Speaking to reporters as he was taken away, Basbug described the situation as "tragic comedy."
But Turkish political scientist Cengiz Aktar said the arrest represents a changing of the guard.
"It's a grand premiere. It has never before happened before in the republican history of this country since 1923. This man was in charge until a few years ago. It's a major development," said Aktar.
Led by influential officers, Turkey's military ousted four governments between 1960 and 1997.
Turkey's current Islamist-leaning government has shown contempt for the secular opposition.
Turkish authorities have detained more than 300 people, including journalists, academics and politicians, as part of a wide-reaching investigation into a secular network known as Ergenekon.
The Turkish army sees itself as appointed guardian of the secular state.
Basbug was allegedly involved in an Internet campaign to undermine the ruling AK party by publishing allegations of corruption. He is one of hundreds of people jailed or tried as part of the four-year-long probe into secular dissent.
Israel
Israel National News says terrorists fired an average of nearly two missiles a day at Israel in 2011. In the course of the year, 680 rockets, mortars and Grad missiles were fired at southern Israel. This according to data compiled by the Home Front Command and reported on the IDF Website.
Eighty Grad missiles were fired at Israel in 2011, compared to two the previous year. Grads have a longer range and a more lethal explosive payload than other rockets fired at Israel.
Thirty percent of all rocket strikes in 2011 took place during three periods of escalation, totaling around 15 days overall. Five rockets fell on or near buildings in Israel.
The Home Front Command's Southern District continued to upgrade the warning system for the residents of southern Israel. In addition to the siren system, the Home Front Command is working to improve mobile phone, internet and television warning systems.
"Since Operation Cast Lead, the sirens have been improved and today they work much better," said a senior Home Front Command official.
The official said that the plan to reinforce homes within 4.5 kilometers of Gaza and educational institutions within seven kilometers of the border is partially complete and that within two years all educational institutions within 15 kilometers of the border will be fortified.
All content, unless otherwise stated, is based on VOA News reports.
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