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Daybreak: Shots Fired in the North

Plus U.N. probe reax, and more in the news

by
Marc Tracy
August 03, 2010
An Israeli tank near the border during today’s skirmish.(Ali Diya/AFP/Getty Images)
An Israeli tank near the border during today’s skirmish.(Ali Diya/AFP/Getty Images)

• Three Lebanese soldiers and a journalist were killed in an artillery exchange along Israel’s northern border; a Katyusha rocket also reportedly hit the Galilee. (Another source says only two Lebanese soldiers died.) It was the most serious military incident up there since 2006. [Ynet]

• Another diplomatic dispute between them: Turkey summoned Israel’s ambassador in response to Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s comment that Turkey’s new spy chief is a “friend of Iran.” [Haaretz]

• Though it “took too long,” Israel deserves praises for cooperating with a U.N. flotilla probe, though, the New York Times worries, the panel’s mandate may be too narrow. [NYT]

• The probe’s head, former New Zealand prime minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer, spoke about its “challenging and demanding task.” [Haaretz]

• 400 children in Israel who are essentially illegal immigrants are set for deportation, provoking a strong debate in the country. [NYT]

• Their investigation of the rocket apparently launched from Sinai yesterday demonstrates that while Israeli-Jordanian diplomatic relations have been cold, military cooperation has continued. [JPost]

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.