An Iraqi girl stands in front of US marines who arrived to visit civilians living at a cement factory at the egde of Fallujah. US marines say the mostly foreign rebels still in the flashpoint Iraq (news - web sites) city are proving harder to fight than expected
British troops patrol a street in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi was among more than 5,000 hopefuls to register for landmark elections by the deadline.(AFP/Essam al-Sudani)
A column of smokes billows as a US Humvee drives at sunset in the restive city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad. US marines say they are facing 'fanatics' as they clear the last fighters from Fallujah, but the mostly foreign rebels still in the flashpoint Iraq (news - web sites) city are proving harder to fight than expected.(AFP/Tauseef Mustafa)
Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi speaks to reporters during a news conference Wednesday night, Dec.15, 2004 in Tokyo. Koizumi said that Japan needs to keep its troops in Iraq (news - web sites) to prevent the country from becoming a 'hub for terrorists. Japan has about 550 non-combat soldiers in southern Iraq to purify water and rebuild infrastructure. Koizumi's Cabinet last week voted to extend their mission for another year, citing the need to stabilize the Middle Eastern country. (AP Photo / KYODO)
A U.S. soldier plays with displaced Iraqi children from Falluja on the outskirts of the war-torn town, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, December 15th, 2004. Families who fled Falluja ahead of a U.S.-led assault on guerrilla positions there last month could start going home within days despite sporadic fighting in the Iraqi city, America's top general said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov
A U.S. Marines gunner looks from his armoured vehicle with an attached taxi sign, in the town of Falluja, 50 kms (30 miles) west of Baghdad December 15th, 2004. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov
A bomb exploded near the offices of a senior Shi'ite cleric in the Iraqi holy city of Kerbala on December 15th, 2004, killing eight people and wounding 32, police and doctors said. The office is in the center of Kerbala, close to the shrine of Imam Hussein, one of the holiest sites in Shi'ite Islam. (Reuters Graphic)
U.S. Marines drive on a road as smog blankets the town of Falluja, 50 kms (30 miles) west of Baghdad, December 15th, 2004. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov
A U.S. Marines gunner is seen between minarets in the town of Falluja, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad December 15th, 2004. Families who fled Falluja ahead of a U.S.-led assault on guerrilla positions there last month could start going home within days despite sporadic fighting in the Iraqi city, America's top general said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov
A U.S. Marine walks past a building with scars of war in the town of Falluja, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, December 15th, 2004. Families who fled Falluja ahead of a U.S.-led assault on guerrilla positions there last month could start going home within days despite sporadic fighting in the Iraqi city, America's top general said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov
U.S. Marines drive past a burnt building in the town of Falluja, 50 km west of Baghdad December 15th, 2004. Families who fled Falluja ahead of a U.S.-led assault on guerrilla positions there last month could start going home within days despite sporadic fighting in the Iraqi city, America's top general said on Dec. 14th. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov
A U.S. Marine guards a suspect apprehended on the outskirts of Falluja, December 15th, 2004. Unknown gunmen have shot and killed a Marine west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said on Wednesday. The Marine was killed Tuesday while carrying out operations in Anbar, a large province west of Baghdad that includes the volatile cities of Falluja and Ramadi. REUTERS/Ali Jasim
A U.S. Marine guards suspects apprehended on the outskirts of Falluja, December 15th, 2004. REUTERS/Ali Jasim
PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2004 - Members of the 30th Heavy Separate Brigade of the North Carolina Army National Guard salute during playing of the National Anthem, during their deployment ceremony in Fayetteville, North Carolina February 12th, 2004. The deployment of almost 4,800 soldiers of the group to Iraq (news - web sites) is the largest deployment for the North Carolina Army National Guard since World War II. REUTERS/Ellen Ozier
PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2004 - U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites) greets troops from the 101st Airborne Division at their base in Fort Campbell, Kentucky March 18th, 2004. Bush spoke to the soldiers and ate lunch with them as the anniversary of the start of the war against Iraq (news - web sites) drew near. REUTERS/Jason Reed
Iraqi police attend a training session at a military academy in Kirkuk, 255 kms north of Baghdad. Four Iraqi policemen were killed and another 13 are missing after an attack on their convoy in a notoriously dangerous area south of Baghdad, police said.(AFP/Marwan Ibrahim)
JUSTICE!
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- War crimes proceedings against members of Saddam Hussein's former regime could begin as early as next week, a well-informed observer told CNN.
An Iraqi investigative judge will hold pre-trial investigative hearings, to question the accused and determine if trials were warranted, the source said.
Hassan al-Majid -- also known as "Chemical Ali" -- and another Iraqi military commander were expected to have the first hearings.
The hearings will be confidential, and the suspects will have rights similar to those in U.S. courts, including the right to counsel and the right to remain silent.
Israel, the tiny Jewish state has been on the front lines of Islamic warfare from the beginning. IDF jets knocked out Saddam's French built nuclear plant in the early 1980's. Iran's nuclear threat is far worse and should require a joint effort with allied supported to confront Tehran.