FBI agents conducted searches yesterday at the headquarters of a leading pro-Israel lobby and delivered grand-jury subpoenas in an investigation of alleged espionage for Israel, federal officials and the lobby group said. The search and the subpoenas for four top officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) indicate that the politically charged investigation remains active. No criminal charges have been filed.

The Pentagon has confirmed it is boosting troop numbers in Iraq by about 12,000. The reinforcement, it says, is temporary, but is to provide additional security in the run-up to the Iraq election scheduled for the end of January.