Sixty-four Isoldiersoldiers have been killed.
As Iran enters a critical period in its history, with elections in June, sanctions biting and the increasing threat of an Israeli attack, the Guardian has formed a partnership with the award-winning Tehran Bureau to open a window on life in the Islamic republic.
Many commentators noted that the letter, like the Republican invitation to the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, to address Congress last week without consulting the White House, marked a dramatic break from the tradition that partisan politics should "stop at the water's edge" and not spread into critical US defence and security policy abroad.
"We learned about these confessions from the Israeli investigation … Hamas political leadership was not aware of all these details," he said.
James Packer's office has apparently denied reports he had become an Israeli citizen.
A spokesman for Packer confirmed: "James is not an Israeli citizen," the paper said.
For the first time, the region's old guard, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will cross paths in the UN corridors with the region's new leaders, including Egypt's Mohamed Morsi and Libya's Mohammed Magarief.
Referring to the Israeli bombing, Johnson said: "I cannot for the life of me see why this is a sensible strategy.
Emerging from a meeting with his ministers and security officials yesterday, the Israeli prime minister showed his feelings towards the accord had not softened, declaring Israel would not accept a deal between world powers "which allows a country that vows to annihilate us to develop nuclear weapons".
Abdullah had proposed peace in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders, pressed for the right of return for Palestinian refugees, and called for a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Israeli analysts were torn over the impact the Fifa corruption scandal might have on an eventual vote, with some predicting that delegates might want to avoid further controversy in an already fraught congress.
