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Thousands mourn the victims of twin bombings in the Pakistani city of Karachi.

Saudi Authorities Step Up Security In The Holy City of Madinah On The Eve of Prophet Muhamamd(A)'s Death. Report. Recorded February 12, 2010 at 1500GMT

Karim works at an ostrich farm outside of Tehran - Iran. He leads a simple and contented life with his family in his small house - until one day when one of the ostriches runs away. Karim is blamed for the loss and is fired from the farm. Soon after - he travels to the city in order to repair hearing aid of his elder daughter but finds himself mistaken for a motorcycle taxi driver. Thus begins his new profession - ferrying people and goods through heavy traffic. But the people and material goods that he deals with daily start to transform his generous and honest nature - much to the distress of his wife and daughters. It is up to those closest to him to restore the values that he had once cherished...

Karim works at an ostrich farm outside of Tehran - Iran. He leads a simple and contented life with his family in his small house - until one day when one of the ostriches runs away. Karim is blamed for the loss and is fired from the farm. Soon after - he travels to the city in order to repair hearing aid of his elder daughter but finds himself mistaken for a motorcycle taxi driver. Thus begins his new profession - ferrying people and goods through heavy traffic. But the people and material goods that he deals with daily start to transform his generous and honest nature - much to the distress of his wife and daughters. It is up to those closest to him to restore the values that he had once cherished...

Karim works at an ostrich farm outside of Tehran - Iran. He leads a simple and contented life with his family in his small house - until one day when one of the ostriches runs away. Karim is blamed for the loss and is fired from the farm. Soon after - he travels to the city in order to repair hearing aid of his elder daughter but finds himself mistaken for a motorcycle taxi driver. Thus begins his new profession - ferrying people and goods through heavy traffic. But the people and material goods that he deals with daily start to transform his generous and honest nature - much to the distress of his wife and daughters. It is up to those closest to him to restore the values that he had once cherished...

Karim works at an ostrich farm outside of Tehran - Iran. He leads a simple and contented life with his family in his small house - until one day when one of the ostriches runs away. Karim is blamed for the loss and is fired from the farm. Soon after - he travels to the city in order to repair hearing aid of his elder daughter but finds himself mistaken for a motorcycle taxi driver. Thus begins his new profession - ferrying people and goods through heavy traffic. But the people and material goods that he deals with daily start to transform his generous and honest nature - much to the distress of his wife and daughters. It is up to those closest to him to restore the values that he had once cherished...

A short report by Press Tv on pilgrims visiting Iran for the Ziyarat of Imam Raza AS.

Saudi Arabia Kidnapped Shahram Amiri for CIA, Muslim Brotherhood Missing Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri has taken refuge in the Iranian interests section of the Pakistani embassy in Washington. Here is a chronology of events since he disappeared in June last year. June 2009 The scientist, in his early 30s, disappears while undertaking the Hajj pilgrimage in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca, soon after telephoning his wife in Iran. 7 September 2009 The Iranian government announces Mr Amiri has disappeared. Referring to the scientist only as an "Iranian citizen", Iran's semi-official Fars news agency suggests he is being held in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, and says it holds the Saudi authorities "accountable" for his disappearance. The agency quotes Mr Amiri's wife as complaining that Saudi Arabia was unable to safeguard pilgrims' security during visits to holy sites in the country. 29 September 2009 Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki publicly suggests for the first time that Mr Amiri is being held by the US authorities. Meanwhile, the Saudi-owned al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper reports that Mr Amiri has sought asylum in Saudi Arabia. Mystery over Iranian researcher December 2009 At a news conference, Mr Mottaki accuses the US of abducting Mr Amiri, citing "existing pieces of evidence that we have at our disposal". "We expect the American government to return him," he says. Mr Mottaki and the speaker of Iran's parliament, Ali Larijani, accuse Saudi Arabia of complicity in the alleged abduction, saying he was taken from Saudi soil. The Saudis deny the accusation and the US government declines to comment on the issue. "We are aware of the Iranian claims," US state department spokesman Philip Crowley says. "I have no information on that." Iranian scientist 'held by US' 31 March 2010 US television network ABC reports that Mr Amiri has defected to the CIA and has settled in the US, citing anonymous officials briefed by intelligence agents. ABC says the scientist has been extensively debriefed and has helped to confirm US intelligence assessments about the Iranian nuclear programme. Iranian scientist 'defects to US' 7 June 2010 A man claiming to be Mr Amiri appears in a video posted online, claiming he was kidnapped by CIA agents during the Hajj. Continue reading the main story A man claiming to be Shahram Amiri in the YouTube video Iran scientist video: Transcripts "They took me to a house located somewhere that I didn't know," he says in the video. "They gave me an anaesthetic injection." He says he is living in Tucson, Arizona, and says he has been subjected to eight months of "the most severe tortures and psychological pressures". But another video message appears on YouTube on the same day, recorded apparently by the same man, entirely contradicting this version of events. In this video, he says he is in the US to continue his education, adding: "I am free here and I assure everyone that I am safe." He says he is "not involved in weapons research and have no experience and knowledge in this field". Videos worsen Iran scientist row 29 June 2010 A man claiming to be Mr Amiri resurfaces on another video shown on Iranian state television, this time claiming he has escaped from US custody in the US state of Virginia and is in hiding. "Presently, I am producing this video in a safe place," he says. "I could be re-arrested at any time." Iran scientist 'flees US captors' 13 July 2010 Mr Amiri turns up in the Iranian interests section of the Pakistani embassy in Washington and demands to go back to Iran. Iranian state radio reports that Mr Amiri has said in a telephone interview from inside the Iranian interest section that he has been "under enormous psychological pressure and supervision of armed agents in the past 14 months".

An Iranian man who says he was kidnapped and interrogated for 14 months in the US over Iran's nuclear programme, has returned to his home country where he was reunited with his family. Shahram Amiri says he was abducted by US and Saudi agents at gunpoint while on a pilgrimage to the Saudi city of Mecca last year and flown to the US, where he claims he was physically and psychologically tortured under questioning. The US government has denied all the allegations, saying Amiri was not held against his own will in the US. Speaking to Al Jazeera in Doha on Wednesday en route to Tehran, Amiri said: "For 14 months I was put under a number of pressures in the US. And in reality the freedom to communicate with my family and to express myself in an ordinary fashion was not granted. "Behind the scenes this was very politically motivated."

A bomber has struck a Shia Muslim gathering in the Pakistani Province of Punjab as pro-Taliban militants intensify their attacks against members of the community. According to Pakistani officials, the bombing took place during evening prayers in the city of Sargodha when the mosque was packed with hundreds of worshippers.

David Berlinski was raised in New York City educated at Columbia College and recieved his Ph D in philosophy from Princeton University He later became a Fellow of the Faculty in Mathematics and a Post Doctoral Fellow in molecular biology at Columbia University

Israeli forces raid al-Aqsa Mosque Israeli forces have stormed the holy al-Aqsa Mosque in al-Quds (Jerusalem) to disperse Palestinians protesting against Israeli aggressions. Palestinian officials say the protests started after an Israeli guard shot and killed a 32-year old Palestinian during clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the Silwan neighborhood on Wednesday. The killing sparked protests in the area in which at least ten Palestinians were wounded. Israeli riot police used rubber bullet and tear gas to disperse protesters and chased off those who sought refuge at al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third-holiest shrine. There were no immediate reports of casualties or further confrontations. Despite the resumption of direct Israeli-Palestinian talks, the Palestinian Authority says Israeli settlers have not stopped attacking Palestinians in occupied territories for even a single day. Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official in charge of monitoring settler activity in the northern, occupied West Bank, says Israeli settlers attack Palestinians and their properties on a daily basis. He says the attacks are premeditated and carefully planned. Other reports say Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farms in the West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday and took away part of their olive crop. Article Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/143569.html

Israeli forces kill two Palestinians In another blow to the stalemated Middle East talks, Israeli forces have shelled the Gaza Strip, killing two Palestinians and injuring four others. Hamas officials said an Israeli navy boat shelled an area north of Gaza City early on Sunday, the Associated Press reported. Palestinian medical sources have confirmed the deaths, adding that four other Palestinians were also injured in the Israeli attack. The incident comes as US-brokered talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel failed to resolve their past disputes. Israel has repeatedly attacked Gaza since the end of its war on the tiny densely-populated coastal strip at the turn of last year. Gaza has also been under an Israeli siege since 2007. Article Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/147019.html

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Sayyed Ali Khamenei was born in Mashad, the holiest city, in the north-eastern province of Khorasan, in 1939. Both his parents belonged to clergy\'s families and spent the year 1964, he achieved the highest degrees in his theological studies at the Theological Academy of Qum but continued his studies at the Theological Academy at Mashad up to the age of twenty-nine. Political Activities before Victory of The Islamic Revolution During the rule of the deposed shah, Ay. Khamenei was a favourite pupil of Imam Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic Revolution, he was also considered to be one of the most eminent and dependable leaders of the movement of the Iranian Muslims, this movement entered a new phase in 1962 after Imam Khomini`s pronouncements against the Shah regime. Responsibilities After the Victory In the course of these struggles, Ay. Khamenei was arrested many times and spent three years in prison between 1964 and 1978. He was also exiled to a place with worst climate condition for almost a year. In 1978, upon return from exile and the height of the revolutionary of the Iranian Muslims, he, together with a few close associates led the struggle of the people in Khorasan. Later, in the same year when Leader of the Revolution was temporarily in Paris, he was selected as a member of the government of the Islamic Republic of IRAN. He was entrusted with the responsibility of representing the Revolutionary Council in the Army as well as Deputy for Revolutionary Affairs at the National Ministry of Defence and some time later. He was appointed to the post of the Revolutionary guards. At about this time, Imam Khomeini chose him to lead the Friday congregational Prayers in Tehran and in 1980 he was elected to Islamic Consultative Assembly by the people of Tehran. After the formation of the Supreme Council of Defence, Ay. Khamenei joined it as the representative of Imam Khomeini. Ay. Khamenei was one of the founding members of the Islamic Republic Party in IRAN and held the post of the Secretary-General of the Party. Ay. Khamenei was the victim of an assassination attempt on 27th June 1981. having delivered an important speech at the consultative assembly, which ended in the dismissal of Bani-Sader from the Presidency of IRAN, he was addressing the faithful at poor residential area in Tehran, after leading the congregational prayer, when a time-bomb exploded nearby which injured him in the hand, chest and face. He was immediately transferred to a hospital by the deboted people of Tehran and he miraculously survived; his right hand, however, is not still functioning properly. Presidency In the 1981, following the martyrdom of the second President of the Islamic republic of Iran, he becomes a candidate and, in September of the same year, he was elected the Third President of the Islamic Republic of Iran with %95 of the votes cast in his favour by the Iranian people (the total number of votes was 16,847,717). He was reelected as president in 1985 for a second four-year term. Ay. Khamenei heads the Supreme Council of Defence and the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution. Since the beginning of the imposed war, he has often visited various war fronts and has often inspected the frontline in order to help remove any shortcoming or to advise on organizational matters. Leadership In 4th June 1989, One day after demise of Imam Khomeimi, Assembly of Experts closed Ayatollah Khamenei to lead the Islamic Revolution of IRAN.Since 1994, Ayatollah Khamenei has been introduced as the Religious authority in religious authority for Shi`ait people in the world by the Ulama from different countries. Family Mr. Khamenei is married and has six children. Works & Books He has a good command of the Arabic and Turkish and English language and, in addition to writing, he is a good judge of literary and poetic works. He has translated and written numerous books on Islam and history. His translations include \" Future of the Islamic lands,\" \" A Thdictment against the Western Civilization,\" and \" Imam Hassan`s Peace Treaty.\" From among his writings, one may mention: \" The Role of Muslims in the Independence struggle of India.\" General Pattern of Islamic Thought in the Quran,\" The Question of Patience,\" On the Inner Depth of prayers,\" \"Understanding Islam properly,\" \"Imam Al-Sadegh`s Life,\" and a collection of lectures on the question of Imamate. He was also a co-writer of the famous pamphlet \" Our Positions,\" which helped the political, social and philosophical advancement of Islamic Republic Party. Other contributors were martyred Ayatollah Beheshti, martyred Hojjatol-Eslam Bahonar and Hojjatol-Eslam Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Recorded October 19, 2010 at 1800bst Press TV News Leader: Enemies target people, religion Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has warned against enemy plots to target the Iranian people and their religion. \\\\\\\"Enemies of the Islamic Revolution who intend to inflict damage on the revolution have two main targets, including the religion of the people and their devotion to the revolution,\\\\\\\" said Ayatollah Khamenei in an address to a huge crowd of enthusiastic people in the holy city of Qom on Tuesday. The Leader added that enemies are well aware of the fact that the Islamic Revolution could not resist against their plots if it were not based on religion. \\\\\\\"An establishment which is based on religion will not yield to pressure of enemies and bullying powers,\\\\\\\" Ayatollah Khamenei said. The Leader reiterated that the Iranian nation has always supported the Islamic Revolution and said the Islamic establishment could not resist against enemies if the Iranians did not have a complete presence in all scenes and if there were a rift between the people and the country\\\\\\\'s officials. The Leader pointed to the presence of 40 million Iranians in last year\\\\\\\'s presidential election, saying it vaccinated the Islamic Revolution against social and political microbes and increased the people\\\\\\\'s insight. He emphasized that the country\\\\\\\'s enemies failed to create a rift between the Iranian nation and the officials of the Islamic establishment. Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that enemies were irked by the presence of 40 million people in the election, adding that all their efforts in this regard failed. The Leader downplayed sanctions against the Islamic Republic over its nuclear energy program and said sanctions were aimed at exerting pressure on the nation to cause the separation of the people from the Islamic establishment. \\\\\\\"By God\\\\\\\'s grace, sanctions will have no impact on the Iranian nation,\\\\\\\" he said. \\\\\\\"Today, Iranians are moving towards a bright future with more progress and will thwart enemies\\\\\\\' plots.\\\\\\\" The Leader said enemies are following up two main issues which include Islam without clergymen and Islam without politics and added enemies know that clerics play an effective role in the lives of people. He further added that the country\\\\\\\'s enemies have raised doubts about religious values in an attempt to weaken the pillars of people\\\\\\\'s faith and continued, \\\\\\\"Enemies intend to disappoint people with the country\\\\\\\'s officials and sow the seed of pessimism.\\\\\\\" Ayatollah Khamenei criticized those who are spreading rumors about the Iranian government and its achievements, saying, \\\\\\\"Such moves are not in line with the interests of the country\\\\\\\'s future.\\\\\\\" He further urged the Iranian nation to maintain national unity and strengthen its solidarity with the three branches of the state. Article Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/147291.html

English News

Spirituality Makes Tony Blairs Sister-in-Law Convert to Islam TEHRAN (FNA)- Former British Prime Minister Tony Blairs sister-in-law Lauren Booth said she converted to Islam after she felt the deep spiritual touch of Islam during her recent visit to the Shiite Shrine in the holy city of Qom in Iran. My experience shows that Islam is the religion of love and kindness towards friends and even enemies, Islam wants us to have the best spirits ,Booth told FNA. I converted to Islam in London a week after (the visit to Qom) she announced. Blairs sister-in-law revealed over the weekend that she has converted to Islam. Booth, who is half-sister to Cherie Blair and a Catholic by birth, switched faith after a recent visit to Iran. A human rights campaigner and journalist, she works for Press TV, Irans English language international news channel.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has praised the takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran by Iranian students in 1979. Addressing students in the capital city of Tehran on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei said the embassy takeover indicated the bravery of Iran\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s revolutionary youth. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"This event symbolizes the bravery and courage of the young revolutionary generation against the authority of America because taking over the den of espionage destabilized US power... and brought America to its knees,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" the Leader said. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"This fact should always remain in the historical memory of the Iranian nation, and especially the youth, that America never seeks ordinary relations with [other] countries... it seeks a master-servant relationship and the looting of the resources of [other] nations,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" Ayatollah Khamenei said. Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader pointed to the sedition following the 2009 presidential election in Iran and said the plot was thwarted thanks to the effective presence of Iranian youth. Ayatollah Khamenei also spoke of US talks of wanting relations with Iran and said, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"Such talks are soft on the surface but in fact they are a cast-iron fist inside a velvet glove.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" Article Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/149480.html

A suicide bomber struck a mosque in north west Pakistan, killing 50 people and leaving around 80 injured. Officials say the target may have been a member of Pakistan's Senate who had encouraged people to oppose the Taliban. The targeted prayer session took place in an area where the Taliban has recently gained ground. In a separate attack, a second mosque was bombed near the city of Peshawar, wounding several people.

Western media is ignoring the racist killer in Sweden.

For over 1,400 years, Muslims have been performing the pilgrimage, or Hajj, to the sacred site of Mecca. In modern times, approximately two million Muslims make the pilgrimage to Mecca each year, a trip required of all Muslims at least once in lifetime if they are financially and physically able. During the Hajj, Muslims from all over the world come together for a few days to participate in common rituals, joined together by their shared faith in the most holy places of Islam, the city and surrounding areas of Mecca. As the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad (p) and the site where he first received Qur'anic revelation, Mecca is a place of great spirituality and tradition. Since only Muslims may enter Mecca, it is a place that few Americans will get to see, which makes this piece especially interesting. Following writer/producer Michael Wolfe, the film documents his second trip or Hajj for ABC News' Nightline. One of the more than seven million Muslims in the United States, Wolfe is a convert to Islam, born to a Christian mother and a Jewish father. Speaking live from the Ka'ba, the Great Mosque in Mecca, in an interview with ABC News' Ted Koppel, Wolfe takes viewers step-by-step through both the physical and spiritual aspects of the pilgrimage, explaining the origins and meanings of the various rituals.

For over 1,400 years, Muslims have been performing the pilgrimage, or Hajj, to the sacred site of Mecca. In modern times, approximately two million Muslims make the pilgrimage to Mecca each year, a trip required of all Muslims at least once in lifetime if they are financially and physically able. During the Hajj, Muslims from all over the world come together for a few days to participate in common rituals, joined together by their shared faith in the most holy places of Islam, the city and surrounding areas of Mecca. As the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad (p) and the site where he first received Qur'anic revelation, Mecca is a place of great spirituality and tradition. Since only Muslims may enter Mecca, it is a place that few Americans will get to see, which makes this piece especially interesting. Following writer/producer Michael Wolfe, the film documents his second trip or Hajj for ABC News' Nightline. One of the more than seven million Muslims in the United States, Wolfe is a convert to Islam, born to a Christian mother and a Jewish father. Speaking live from the Ka'ba, the Great Mosque in Mecca, in an interview with ABC News' Ted Koppel, Wolfe takes viewers step-by-step through both the physical and spiritual aspects of the pilgrimage, explaining the origins and meanings of the various rituals.

More details about the terrorist attack in the heart of the city.

Nearly three million pilgrims on Monday were heading for Mount Arafat, just outside the holy city of Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, on the second day of the Hajj, the pilgrimage undertaken by many Muslims.

On the way to Mena, two miles from the Holy City of Mecca, on Jabl an-Nur is the Cave of Hera, a small opening about 3.5 meters long and a little over 1.5 meters wide. Here Prophet Muhammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny) used to pray to the One and Only God and meditate in solitude away from the polytheist society of Arabia. Here, on the 27th of Rajab in 609 AD, he received the first divine revelation through the Archangel Gabriel and was commanded to formally declare his mission as the Last and Final Messenger of God.

They cried and beat their chests in mourning for the loss of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson. Hussein was killed in 680 AD along with his supporters by the army of the caliph Yazid in the Iraqi city of Karbala. And ever since, Shia Muslims especially have commemorated the event by reliving the pain and sorrow endured by Hussain and his family. The congregation was told that the events of Karbala are still relevant today in 21st century Britain. And they were reminded that Imam Hussain sacrificed his own life in the cause of justice. Later, a well attended march was held in central London, despite it being the middle of the working week and the miserable weather. As you can see behind me thousands of Shia Muslims are marching through central London to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson. And according to them, the message of this day is the duty of all Muslims to stand up against tyranny and oppression. The marchers told me that the message of Ashura is particularly relevant in a world where Muslims are still being oppressed. And where sectarianism is being promoted by some parties. They vowed to learn the lessons from this momentous day and to implement them in their lives.

This is a ‘meccan’ surah. This surah refers to an incident in the history of Makka, as an example of how ALLAH (swt) deals with those who oppose HIS will. About fifty days before the birth of the Holy Prophet, Abraha, the Abyssinia\'s viceroy of Yemen, Christian by religion, proceeded against Makka, as the head of a large army, with the object of destroying the Kaabah, because he wanted that there should be no place or structure more glorious than the church he was building at Sana. He had with him elephants. Therefore he and his army is known as ashab al fil, those who brought elephants. At the outskirts of Makka he captured a large number of camels belonging to the chief of Makka, Abd al Muttalib, the grandfather of the Holy Prophet. After receiving the information that Abraha was coming to destroy the holy Ka-bah, Abd al Muttalib went to see him and said: \"I have come to collect my camels. The Ka-bah belongs to God. He will surely protect it from your evil design.\" Abraha gave the captured camels to Abd al Muttalib He returned to the city and asked the people to retire to the neighbouring hills, leaving the Lord of Ka-bah to protect it. When Abraha entered Makka, suddenly a large flock of birds, like swallows, came flying from the sea-coast and pelted the invading army with pebbles of baked clay. They all died. They were like a dead and useless field from which all the produce is eaten up and only straw with stubble is left. Abraha escaped and went directly to the king in Abyssinia. All the way a bird with a stone in her beak followed him. When the king asked Abraha as to what kind of birds they were, Abraha looked to the sky and the bird at once dropped stone in her beak and killed him on the spot.The lesson to be drawn is twofold. The pagans of Makka were forewarned that as the Holy Prophet was superior to the Kaabah, ALLAH, who protects whatever is HIS own, shall protect him from all their evil schemes. It is also a warning to men in all ages that \"if a man intoxicated with power comes out to defeat ALLAH\'s holy plan, he cannot prevail against ALLAH (swt), but his plan will fail and destroy him as well.“ It is narrated from Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (as) that whoever recites this surah in his faraa’idh prayers, the mountains will bear witness on the Day of Judgement that he prayed and he will be taken to Jannah on the command of ALLAH (swt). The person who recites this surah is kept safe from his enemies and has his difficulties and problems solved quickly. Recitation of this surah is also helpful in remaining safe from evil tyrant rulers.

British government mouthpiece BBC or British Broadcasting Corporation is put under the eye of media analysts over its coverage of the siege on Gaza. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the principal public service broadcaster in the United Kingdom, headquartered in the Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London.[1] It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff.[2][3][4] Its global headquarters are located in London, and its main responsibility is to provide public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man. The BBC is an autonomous public service broadcaster[4] that operates under a Royal Charter.[5] Within the United Kingdom its work is funded principally by an annual television licence fee,[6] which is charged to all United Kingdom households, companies and organisations using any type of equipment to record and/or receive live television broadcasts;[7] the level of the fee is set annually by the British Government and agreed by Parliament.[8] The Gaza War was a three-week armed conflict that took place in the Gaza Strip and Southern Israel during the winter of 2008--2009. In an escalation of the ongoing conflict, Israel responded to Hamas "Operation Oil Stain" rocket fire[36] with military force in an action titled "Operation Cast Lead". Israel opened the attack with a surprise air strike against the Gaza Strip on December 27, 2008.[37] Israel's stated aim was to stop rocket fire[38] from and arms import into the territory.[39][40] Israeli forces attacked military targets, police stations, and Hamas government buildings in the opening assault.[41]