A bomb blast from a cart pulled by a motorcycle hit Shia pilgrims, including women and children, as they were traveling on foot from Hillah in Babil Province to Karbala to take part in mourning ceremonies marking the 40th day after the Ashura anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (PBUH).

Also, two separate roadside bombs targeted Shia pilgrims in a region south and southwest of Baghdad, killing at least one person and wounding at least four pilgrims.

The bombings are the latest in a string of attacks this week against the Shia Muslim pilgrims who are walking to Karbala, which hosts Imam Hussein’s holy shrine.

Wikipedia: Karbala | Shia Islam (followers are Shi’as but are also known as Shiites or Shi’ites) | PBUH (Peace Be Upon Him)

SOURCE: PRESSTV Major blast in Karbala kills 20 pilgrims, injures 120

Hamas security services Tuesday, February 2, 2010 advised 13 Jihad Chiefs, including two Jihad Islamic commanders, that they are Israel’s next targets for liquidation, after the death of Hamas weapons smuggler Mahmoud Makhbouh in Dubai on January 19, 2010.

The list of terrorist is published on DEBKAfile …

SOURCE: DEBKAfile Hamas warns 13 top terror activists they are in Israel’s cross-hairs

Ashkelon and Ashdown, twin Israeli ports up to 25 kilometers north of Gaza, were evacuated Monday, February 1, 2010 as a precaution after two large containers packed with explosives (possibly floating bombs) beached ashore. Authorities are investigating whether the containers are failed bombs or misguided shipments of explosives from Iran to Palestinian surrogates.

Wikipedia: Ashkelon | Ashdown | Gaza Strip | Gaza (city)

SOURCE: DEBKAfile Explosives-packed containers drift onto S. Israeli beaches

A female suicide bomber walking among Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad detonated an explosive suicide belt Monday, killing at least 50 people and wounding more than 122.

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Iran, Syria, Hizballah and Hamas have drawn up war plans to send five Hizballah brigades sweeping across the border to seize five sectors of Galilee. Hamas would open a second front in the south and in the east, with Syria joining the fight at a later stage.

WIkipedia: Hamas | Hizballah (Hezbollah)

SOURCE: DEBKAfile: EXCLUSIVE: US intelligence finds 5,000 Hizballah trained to seize Galilee towns

A malfunction in a radar built by Raytheon caused the test of a simulated missile attack to fail over the Pacific Ocean. The target missile, which was fired from Kwajalein in the Marsha Islands, functioned normally. The interceptor fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California also functioned normally. The Sea-Based X-band radar did not perform as designed.

Wikipedia: Sea-based X-band Radar | Raytheon | Kwajalein Atoll | Vandenberg Air Force Base

SOURCE: REUTERS US missile test mimicking Iran strike fails