Amid Israeli accusations that Iran is striking out at Jewish targets around the world, Iran’s claims that that it has made major strides towards mastering the production of nuclear fuel and threats to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, tensions between the two countries are at an all-time high. 

NBC News’ Stephanie Gosk is on assignment in Tel Aviv, Israel. Earlier today she answered a wide variety of reader questions about the rising tension and what people in Israel think about the possibility of an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Click on the link below to replay the informative chat.

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See Stephanie Gosk's most recent report from Israel on NBC's Nightly News Wednesday evening.

 

By Stephanie Gosk, NBC News Correspondent

TRIPOLI – Libya's Abu Salim prison is one of the world's most notorious. For four decades, Moammar Gadhafi threw "enemies of the state" behind its bars without a trial to languish for years. Stories of torture and months in solitary confinement were common. 

In 1996, guards allegedly killed more than 1,200 prisoners in what is now known as the "Abu Salim Massacre." Last February, lawyers seeking justice for the families of those killed staged protests in Benghazi that eventually sparked the nation-wide uprising.

This week rebel forces successfully battled for control of the feared prison. They opened the doors and let everyone out.  Some of the prisoners, unable to believe that Gadhafi’s reign is over and angry over the years of their lives lost in jail, are now driven by one goal: Find Gadhafi.

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Amid the chaos at Gadhafi's recently conquered compound we met Ali Ahmed Sussi. He was released from the Abu Salim prison on Wednesday. Sussi was born in Benghazi but like many Libyans, he traveled abroad to get his education.  He studied communication at the University of California and lived in Los Angeles with his family for 12 years. 

Driven by hatred for Gadhafi's regime, the father of three returned to Libya to start a revolution in 2004.  But when he smuggled weapons into the country from Yemen, the government caught wind of the plan, arrested him, and locked him up at Abu Salim. 

Now, seven years later, the rebel forces have freed him.

Standing among the hundreds of armed fighters who saved him, Sussi said "I can smell freedom." 

As soon as he was released the 46-year-old asked for fatigues and a gun. His hopes of staging a revolution are over, but he can still take part in the final days of one. 

Fueled by memory of his years in Abu Salim, Sussi has now joined the hunt for the despot turned fugitive.  He told us "I will search home to home, room to room, alley to alley.  We gonna catch you Gadhafi."

By Stephanie Gosk, NBC News Correspondent

LONDON – The images bombard us daily, actors and models in magazines and billboards with impossibly flawless skin, impossibly perfect bodies, and impossibly white teeth. 

Most media consumers are aware that the images staring back at them are airbrushed and retouched to reflect an ideal rather reality, but there is a growing movement both in the U.S. and Europe to hold advertisers and publishers to account for what many are calling false, and potentially harmful advertising.

In the U.K., Jo Swinson, a liberal member of parliament, has won an early battle in what will undoubtedly be a drawn-out war.

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Swinson was disturbed by a new L’Oreal ad campaign picturing Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington promoting the latest age-defying products. The images were so retouched, Swinson told the U.K.’s advertising watchdog, that it resulted in false advertising.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) approached L’Oreal over the ad campaign but ultimately was not satisfied with the company’s response.

L’Oreal told the ASA that airbrushing was used to “lighten the skin, clean up makeup, reduce dark shadows and shading around the eyes, smooth the lips and darken the eyebrows,” but that the beneficial effects of their face creams were not misrepresented.

In a statement from L’Oreal on the Turlington ad, the company writes, “Even though the ad features an obviously illustrated effect, some lines are still clearly visible beneath the illustration and we do not believe that the ad exaggerates the effect that can be achieved using this product.”
 
Guy Parker, who works for the ASA said, “L’Oreal did not provide us with the evidence that allowed us to see what impact the retouching had on the final product. We knew they had retouched but we didn’t know to what extent. In those circumstances, we haven’t got a choice but to ban the ads.”  It resulted in what they consider a breach of advertising standards. The ads have been pulled.

False expectations for young girls
But the argument goes beyond just misadvertising. Politicians and some health experts believe the steady stream of “perfect” bodies is giving some people, particularly young women, false expectations.

“Do we really want every photo, every image that we see to be actually so removed from reality that even someone like Julia Roberts or Christy Turlington are deemed not quite beautiful enough to go on an advertisement without extensive retouching?” asked Swinson.

The American Medical Association has adopted a new policy that encourages more cooperation between child and adolescent health groups and advertisers, stopping short of calling for official regulations.

“We have to stop exposing impressionable children and teenagers to advertisements portraying models with body types only attainable with the help of photo editing software,” Dr. Barbara L. McAneny explained in a statement released by the American Medical Association.

Two years ago in France, Valerie Boyer, a member of parliament, was so upset about the steady stream of altered photos that her teen daughters were exposed to, that she proposed the most radical response, legislation requiring advertisers and publishers put a warning on any image that has been retouched. 

“We have to warn everybody that this body doesn’t exist,” Boyer said during an interview with NBC News at the time. But so far that legislation has stalled.

Dr. Vivian Diller a psychologist and author of “Face it: What Women Really Feel as Their Looks Change,” says enforcing laws against advertisers is probably not realistic, but that public pressure could ultimately have the same effect.

“Advertisers are based on making money,” she argued, “if people get turned off on those images it will have the biggest impact.” 

Diller believes we are seeing a backlash against what she calls the “homogenization of beauty.”

“It’s beginning to feel repulsive, annoying,” she said. “I think people are angry even.”

That anger got two advertisements pulled here in the U.K. and many like Diller hope it is just the beginning. 
 
Related link: Scoop: Airbrushed Julia Roberts ad called 'overly perfected' by U.K. agency
 

NBC News’ Stephanie Gosk has been reporting all week from Abbottabad, Pakistan, the city where Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in a secret raid. In a phone interview Friday, she responded to questions about the town and the local reaction to bin Laden’s death and the revelation that he lived there for years.

What is the reaction to bin Laden’s death in Abbottabad?
We’ve been here all week and have been able to get quite close to bin Laden’s former compound – right outside the walls. And it’s not just the media who are interested, but also the people who live in this town.

What is most interesting is how few people actually believe bin Laden was killed in that house or that he even lived there at all.

It will be interesting over the next few days to see what their reaction is to the news that al-Qaida has put a statement online confirming that bin Laden was killed and calling on Muslims around the world to rise up and avenge his death.

Is there really still that much doubt about Bin Laden even living there?
Well, this country has a strong tradition of conspiracy theories. People here don’t generally believe anything that officials tell them. So it’s not entirely surprising that they aren’t going to believe reports coming out of the White House.

What’s interesting is the reasons why they think the White House is doing this. They will say things like, “Well, Obama wants to be re-elected in the next election, so this was really just a PR stunt.” One person that we spoke to the other day referred back to the Monica Lewinsky scandal and how things at that time seemed to be done to deflect criticism around the world. So they will go out of their way to try to fabricate these elaborate conspiracies as opposed to believing what officials tell them.

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What would it take for them to believe that he was killed?
Well, that was always my next question: What would it take for you to believe he was actually killed by U.S. Navy SEALs in that house? I asked if a photo would do it, and they said, “No, no, of course not. You can doctor a photo.” When I asked about video, they said, “No, you can doctor that, too.” They simply will not believe that he was killed.

With al-Qaida’s statement coming out, it will be interesting to see if people believe it now. But they may come back and say this is just another ploy as well.  

Is Abbottabad really a well-heeled town? Have you seen the town’s alleged golf course?
We didn’t get a chance to check out the golf course. But we did get a sense of what daily life is like.

Despite all the international media coverage, there were a lot of people in this town who just got on with their lives.

In Pakistan, this is a place that people retreat to. It’s up in the mountains, so there is a cool breeze. It’s a good place to escape the hustle-bustle of Islamabad and the heat – so some people have second homes here. There are hotels – it’s just a pretty little town. 

For the people who actually believe that bin Laden was living here amongst them and was killed here, they are shocked that it could happen in their midst. It’s a place that is known not to have much of a radical element. And in Pakistan over the last few years, there are very few places where you can say that.  

We are hearing that the CIA had a safe house there, do the neighbors say that they noticed anything?
We haven’t heard from anybody that they were aware of monitoring or intelligence gathering on the ground. There is nothing that led them to any suspicions of that.

But quite honestly there was nothing to make them suspicious of the house down the road. Now people will say that it had high walls and barbed wire – which is a little unusual. And they didn’t see the women come out of the house – but that’s fairly typical. There are plenty of families where women don’t leave the house – so that wasn’t all that strange. People here didn’t really notice anything that completely out of the ordinary.

That’s really the big question: What did they know? And with that military complex down the road, how did they not know that bin Laden was in their midst? 

Does that suspicion of officials and the U.S. lend itself to suspicions about the Pakistani military, too? That they had some hand in hiding bin Laden?
No, I don’t think they are suspicious of the military. What we have heard – almost across the board – is criticism of the civilian government and the fact that they are seen as puppets of the United States.

There is also embarrassment among the Pakistani military that this raid took place at all. That U.S. Navy SEALs snuck in under their radar, hugging the mountainous terrain, killed bin Laden and then left without them ever knowing it happened until they received a phone call from U.S. officials. 

That has embarrassed and angered the military in this country – and the people themselves.

Where there any protests there today? 
There was a small protest in Abbottabad. There were maybe 400-500 people and it was organized by a radical Islamic group. It was all men. This is a town of 100,000 people – so it wasn’t really that big.

But their message was a familiar one that we have heard all over the country over and over: that their sovereignty was violated by this raid and that President Asif Ali Zardari is a puppet of the U.S.

Is there any sense of relief that bin Laden is gone?
I think there is some relief here in Abbottabad and across the country as well. Because over the last couple of years al-Qaida has turned its attention to Pakistan and conducted a number of attacks – including deadly suicide attacks in all of Pakistan’s major cities.

So people’s tolerance of al-Qaida and their violence has really diminished. So there is real anger there over the deaths in this country and I think that killing bin Laden will bring people some relief. But I think they really want the attacks to stop.

Related links: From NBC's Richard Engel: Bin Laden was a 'compassionate martyr' and Hitler loved music...

Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city, which is situated in the oil-rich eastern region, is currently controlled by rebel forces trying to oust Moammar Gadhafi. NBC News’ correspondent Stephanie Gosk has been there for several days and reports on the latest developments in Gadhafi’s efforts to clamp down on the rebellion and take back control of some of the countries strategic oil assets.

What is the latest in Benghazi?
Gadhafi struck back at the eastern portion of this country today for the first time since the opposition took control of it just over a week ago. He first hit the town of Brega, which is a major oil-exporting terminal. 

At first Gadhafi’s forces, which are estimated to be around 50 vehicles with mounted machine guns, took the opposition forces by surprise. It seems they quickly took over the oil facility. But then rebel forces struck back and they have been in a back-and-forth battle today. It’s unclear who has real control of the town. We are being told that the rebels have the airstrip and that Gadhafi forces are at the university, and that the battle is still ongoing.

It’s close to the town of Ajdabiya, which is really the western front for the opposition, which now controls almost the entire eastern half of the country.

Today, Gadhafi fighter jets actually bombed areas there.  A munitions dump has now been hit several days in a row, with limited success. People in that town are concerned that if Gadhafi forces take over Brega, they will then move on to Ajdabiya, with their eye on the city of Benghazi.

For several days here they have been setting up a kind of interim national government – which people here say is the only legitimate government until Gadhafi steps down. 

Today there have been discussions among the government council here on whether or not to ask the U.N. for a no-fly zone. Or whether to ask for something more specific – perhaps targeted assaults from the air on Gadhafi forces.

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How much attention is focused on control of the oil fields?
It’s a huge concern. Earlier in the week, the rebel forces here in Benghazi claimed that they controlled 80 percent of the oil resources – most of which are in the eastern part of the country.

Now what we are seeing is Gadhafi striking back and trying to take control of those. He made a statement today to state TV where he said that all of the resources were safe and secure. However, the opposition says that they control the oil terminal in Tobruk, which is close to the Egyptian border and is one of the largest oil terminals. And they say that they have declared their independence from the state oil company and that they are now funneling the proceeds they get back to the opposition.

So there is now a real struggle back and forth over who controls the oil resources. We are getting two very different stories from each side.

How is it to be reporting there? It is a different situation from Tripoli where reporters’ movements are restricted by Gadhafi’s government minders, but how is it in terms of your safety and your access?   
It’s been very easy getting around here. The rebel forces are incredibly welcoming – they want to tell their story. It is the only real voice that we hear. We don’t hear any pro-Gadhafi voices in this town. That doesn’t mean they aren’t here. It’s just that they are not speaking out – probably because they are afraid to speak out.

As far as moving around, the checkpoints in this part of the country are all manned by rebel forces and they have been very welcoming to the press. Reporters have been moving down to Ajdabiya, and even Brega, to check out the fighting there for themselves. So there has been, at least in this round of attacks, first-hand reporting from people on the ground.

What is daily life like for people in Benghazi?  Is it safe to go out on the streets?  Are shops shuttered?
They are doing their best to get things back up and running. It is functioning pretty normally. There is traffic here during rush hour times, shops are open. It certainly isn’t completely back to normal. At the courthouse – which was really the epicenter of the protests – you have this new government forming itself. It’s also become the place where every late afternoon and evening people gather to show their support for Tripoli and the rebel forces there.

You also have a movement here to recruit young fighters. There are an estimated 5,000 new conscripts to the rebel army that are going to be armed and trained. Most of them have never fought in a military before or even touched a gun. So these are not experienced fighting forces and they are going up against Gadhafi’s well trained brigades and militias. 

How are the spirits of the opposition when Gadhafi says things like he will “fight to the death?” Are they getting discouraged or scared? 
People here feel very confident. I think that’s because the city fell as fast as it did and they seized control of it as quickly as they did. They now have what they call their first taste of freedom and they are not willing to give it up without a fight. And they don’t think they are going to have to.

One thing that seriously concerns them though is the possibility of the city being struck by fighter jets. They really have very little defense against that. There are some anti-aircraft guns in certain places around the city, but they aren’t being operated by people who really know what they are doing and will be unable to fight back against any kind of air attack.

They are concerned about that and that’s why they are discussing asking for a no-fly zone, which is seriously being  considered by the international community. It would be one surefire way to protect civilians on the ground here. 

But ultimately people here believe Gadhafi is going to go – it’s just a matter of time. 

What is their hesitation about asking for a no-fly zone?
People here are very uneasy about any kind of international intervention – specifically Western intervention, specifically United States intervention. And the idea that there could perhaps be U.S. forces on the ground is something most people here are vehemently opposed to. Many like the idea of a no-fly zone because it would protect them from air attacks, but they really don’t want to see boots on the ground.

They do talk about potential logistical support and perhaps even supply support for the military, including weapons and things.  

In Egypt there is a big concern that Islamist forces could seize power in former President Hosni Mubarak’s absence.  If Gadhafi were to eventually leave, are there concerns about Islamist forces stepping into the power vacuum there? 
You don’t get the sense that there is going to be an Islamist group that can take advantage of the current situation. You certainly don’t get that sense from the people who are control here in Benghazi.

This is a tribal country – it is made up of about a dozen tribes.  There certainly are Islamist influences in some, but it is not the dominant force in the politics here. It is much more regional and tribal than it is religious.

But the fact that there could be a power vacuum does seem like a possibility. Basically, during the last 40 years, Gadhafi has completely eliminated any form of civil society. No political parties, no municipal governments, no ability to really form any kind of independent party. So the people here really don’t know how to do that. So that’s going to be difficult. They are going to have to start from scratch. 

What about the problem of refugees? Are you seeing a lot of people trying to flee Benghazi? 
In Libya there is an enormous migrant worker population. They come in from all over – the largest population comes from Egypt, but there are also workers from the Philippines, Bangladesh, China. Getting those workers out of the country has been extremely difficult. Here in Benghazi there is still quite a large group that is struggling. There are only so many ferries a day that come in and can take people away. 

Then on the Tunisian border, you see a lot of Egyptian workers escaping through that border and then finding themselves on the other side of where they want to be and needing transportation. 

But a lot of the migrant workers are very poor. They don’t have much money and are literally just carrying blankets and pick-axes and shovels. They are manual laborers. And they don’t have much support. We saw them on our way into Libya from Egypt, stopped at the border. Some of them don’t have their passports because their companies are based in Tripoli and they have been sent out to the east to do work and the companies have held onto their passports. So they are stuck in a limbo between Libya and Egypt. 

Related link:

The two faces of Gadhafi's right-hand man