Iranian defector says Teheran orchestrated 1988 Lockerbie bombing
4 June 2000

In an interview broadcast today by the CBS news program "60 Minutes," a man claiming to be a former Iranian intelligence agent said that Iran enlisted Palestinian and Libyan terrorists to carry out the December 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland that killed 270 people. Ahmad Behbahani, 32, said that the bombing was ordered by Teheran as revenge for the downing of an Iranian airliner by the U.S. Navy in July 1988.

Iraqi opposition group claims to have seized chemical weapon
5 June 2000

Al-Hadath (Amman) quoted an official spokesman for the Iraqi opposition group Free Fighters Command (qiyadat al-muqatilin al-ahrar) as saying that the group had seized "a chemical weapon" during a raid on a fortified Iraqi military post. Major Ali al-Askari said that the weapon, which was hidden inside containers stored at the facility, was being kept by the FFC in a safe place inside Iraq.

Egypt continues crackdown on Islamists
7 June 2000

Security sources in Cairo said today that 17 suspected members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood have been arrested this week, bringing the total number of detentions to 112 in the last three weeks. The crackdown comes amid preparations for elections to the Egyptian Bar Association on July 1. The last elections, in 1992, were dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood. Twenty members of the outlawed group who were elected to the board of the Bar Association are now being tried by a military court on charges of "infiltrating" professional syndicates.

Saudi Arabia, Yemen sign border agreement
13 June 2000

Yemen's official Saba news agency released a statement today saying that the country had reached "a final and permanent treaty for marine and land borders" with neighboring Saudi Arabia. The accord, signed during a state visit to Riyadh by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, ends decades of vociferous quarrels between the two countries over the demarcation of their 2,400 km frontier.

Jordan Extradites Islamist to Libya
14 June 2000

The London-based Islamic Observation Center (IOC) said today that the Jordanian government extradited a Libyan Islamist militant to Tripoli in late May. Abdel Nasser Ahmed Tilmun, 34, had requested political asylum in the kingdom, but was arrested on April 12 on charges of membership in a "terrorist" organization. His wife and four children were deported to Libya on May 15. Seven Libyan nationals were extradited to Libya earlier this year after their arrest in January on similar charges. The IOC said in April that three of them were executed by the Libyan government.

Israeli Dolphin-class submarine

Israel reportedly test-fires sub-launched cruise missiles
18 June 2000

The Sunday Times (London) reported today that Israel successfully test-fired cruise missiles from two German-built Dolphin-class submarines off the coast of Sri Lanka in May. The report, citing Israeli defense sources, said that the Israeli-built nuclear-capable missiles hit targets at sea about 930 miles away. This makes Israel the only country other than the U.S. and Russia to have this capability. The 1,720-ton diesel-electric submarines, purchased from Germany last year, are considered to be among the most advanced in the world and can remain at sea for up to 30 days. A third is expected to be operational within the next month.

Israel military reinforces settlements in Gaza, West Bank
21 June 2000

The Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported today that IDF has begun measures to bolster the defense of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza in anticipation of renewed clashes with Palestinians. Emergency squads have been stationed at several of the larger settlements and extra supplies of weapons and ammunition have been stockpiled at nearby IDF outposts.

PA halts transmission of speech by Hezbollah leader
21 June 2000

Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority (PA) interceded to prevent the live transmission by telephone of a speech by Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah to a rally organized by the militant Islamist Hamas movement in the West Bank town of Jenin today. The move came amid growing concerns about cooperation between the two groups. Unconfirmed reports have indicated that Hezbollah has transferred arms and other equipment to Hamas cells in the occupied territories.

U.S. embassy in Jordan issues terrorism alert
22 June 2000

U.S. diplomatic officials in Jordan announced today that they have "information concerning terrorist targeting" of the embassy in Amman. "While the U.S. has full confidence in the Government of Jordan's demonstrated ability and willingness to address security threats, the full dimensions of the threat are not known," the statement said. It also warned Americans traveling or living in Jordan to "exercise prudence . . . review their security practices, and remain alert to changing situations." Sixteen Islamist militants allegedly linked to exiled Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden are currently being tried in Jordanian military court on charges of plotting terrorist attacks against American targets.