The Washington Post reports that Iranian operatives are employing subterfuge to obtain parts for IED's and bombs, some of which are turned right around for use against US forces in Iraq.

A report by Griff Witte on how the current Israeli war versus Hamas is being portrayed in Israel. Israelis see themselves as "the victims and the victor," with the Israeli media highlighting the damage Hamas has done to Israel while most of the world press denounces Israel's actions as being too destructive to the civilian population in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel has issued warnings that its fight in Gaza may escalate, likely extending to operations within Gaza City proper and several refugee camps. Such operations would be militarily prudent for Israel but could have significant political costs in diminishing an already dim world opinion of its actions.

Luckily for much of western Europe, Russia and the Ukraine have agreed to restart the flow of gas from Russia through Ukrainian pipelines.