Israeli tanks target Syrian units in Golan
Israel’s military says it has scored “direct hits” on Syrian artillery units after mortar shells fell near an Israeli army post.
It comes a day after warning shots were fired by Israel over a Syrian shell hitting another of its army posts in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
This is the highest escalation of military action between the two countries since the Arab-Israeli war of 1973. It was not clear if the tank-fire caused any casualties, Israeli Army Radio reported. It also reported that the Assad army has asked Israel to stop firing.
Greece bailout to cost billions more
A document prepared for eurozone finance ministers suggests that Greece should have two more years to meet budget goals, but at the added cost of 32.6 billion euros ($41.4 billion) to its bailout.
Eurozone finance ministers have met in Brussels to discuss new targets for Greece based on the report.
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has warned that without the new money the country will run out of money within days. Greece has been pushing for the funds after passing a new budget for 2013, the BBC reports. @@checked@@
David Petraeus says affair was ‘colossal mistake’
Former CIA director David Petraeus has acknowledged his extra-marital affair was a “colossal mistake,” his former spokesman said. The former general resigned over a relationship with Paula Broadwell, his biographer and a former army officer.
It was discovered after a second woman, Jill Kelley, reported harassing emails. Kelley, 37, told the FBI that she had received anonymous emails, prompting an investigation into Broadwell.
In his interview with ABC News, Col. Boylan said Gen. Petraeus’ affair with Broadwell, 40, began after the four-star general retired from the army, The New York Times reported. @@checked@@
South African museum robbed
Thieves posing as art students have stolen more than $2 million worth of art from a museum in South Africa’s capital, authorities said.
The Sunday robbery at the Pretoria Art Museum saw robbers calmly pay $2.25 apiece for tickets and ask a curator to show them specific paintings at the gallery before they pulled out pistols and forced all others to the ground, officials revealed on Monday.
They tied up the curator and others before collecting the paintings they previously asked about, official said.
The robbers favored oil paintings in their theft, grabbing a 1931 painting by famous South African artist Irma Stern of brightly colored sailboats waiting against a pier, city spokesman Pieter de Necker told Al Jazeera. @@checked@@
