The U.S. Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, was killed, along with three other Americans, when Islamists fired rocket grenadees at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. Mobs were protesting an American-made movie ostensibly funded by Jewish militants entitled Innocence of Muslims, which depicts Mohammad and portrays him (some say pornographically) as a sexual predator. (All that had been released was a YouTube trailer, since taken down. See this on questions about the filmmaker.) Officials are saying, however, that the protests may have only been a cover for a planned attack designed to avenge the recent assassination by drone of a major al-Qaeda leader on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
The killing of an Ambassador is traditionally considered an act of war. American warships are taking positions off Libya and Marines have moved in to secure the Embassy. Meanwhile, the protests over the film are spreading to other Muslim countries, with the U.S. Embassy in Cairo under siege. With the alleged Jewish connection to the movie, Israel will be a sure target.