Al-Hayat (London): Tehran Threatens to 'Burn' Tel Aviv, US 5th Fleet – Iran escalated its rhetoric against the United States and Israel, vowing to "burn" Tel Aviv and the US 5th Fleet if its nuclear facilities are hit. Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Guard announced the start of naval maneuvers after the conclusion of five days of exercises by US, British, and Bahraini forces, aimed at "protecting the oil facilities in the central and southern Gulf."

Tishreen (Syria): Sarkozy Happy with Assad's Call on Europe to Support Peace Process – French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he was pleased with Syrian President Bashar Assad's call on him and European leaders to push forward the Middle East peace process. Sarkozy yesterday told Monte Carlo Radio he was happy to be involved in the peace process, stressing that France, as part of Europe, is capable and willing to play a role in supporting the process.

Al-Akhbar (Lebanon): Damascus Reserved and Cairo Does Not Rule Out Assad-Mubarak Meeting in Paris – There are indications that the Syrian and Egyptian presidents may use the opportunity of their attendance at the launching of the Mediterranean Union in Paris this month to reconcile. Egyptian sources did not rule out such an encounter, but a senior Syrian official told Al-Akhbar that Damascus has not been informed about such an arrangement.

Al-Ahram (Egypt): Israel Reopens Gaza Border Crossings in Response to Egyptian Request – Israel yesterday reopened its border crossings with the Gaza Strip upon Egypt's request, after having sealed them following a Palestinian rocket attack near Israel. Israel's military institution was considering the possibility of retaliating to the rocket attack, but decided against it after a telephone call from Egyptian security chief Omar Suleiman urging Israel against retaliation and reopening the crossings.

Al-Arab al-Yawm (Jordan): King Postpones Visit to Baghdad for Security Reasons – Diplomatic sources said that Jordan's King Abdullah II has postponed his expected visit to Iraq until further notice, citing "purely security reasons." The monarch's visit was delayed after the Iraqi authorities announced it would take place this week.