Face in the News

The latest details behind the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya and ongoing protests throughout the Middle East were the focus of this Sunday's Face the Nation.

Libyan President Mohamed Yousef el-Magariaf said there is "no doubt" that the violence resulting in the death of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans was premeditated.

"It was planned, definitely, it was planned by foreigners, by people who entered the country a few months ago and they were planning this criminal act since their arrival," Magariaf said, noting that he believes that some of the 50 people arrested in connection to the attack came from Mali and Algeria.

"The way these perpetrators acted, and moved, and their choosing the specific date for this so-called demonstration, I think we have no, this leaves us with no doubt that this was preplanned, determined...predetermined."

When asked about reports that the FBI had not yet sent investigators to Libya due to security concerns, Magariaf agreed security was a problem."Maybe it is better for them to stay for a little while, for a little while, but until we do what we have to do ourselves," Magariaf said. "But again when we need for their presence to help in further investigation...and any hasty action I think is not welcome."

UN Ambassador Susan Rice discussed the ongoing FBI efforts and said there is no evidence suggesting a preplanned attack.

"We do not have information at present that leads us to conclude that this was premeditated or preplanned," Rice said.

When asked if al Qaeda may have played a role, Rice said, "I think it's clear there were extremist elements that joined and escalated the violence. Whether they were al Qaeda affiliates, whether they were Libya-based extremists or al Qaeda itself I think is one of the things we'll have to determine."

Senator John McCain, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, disagreed with Rice and said there was "no doubt" the attack was waged by "extremists."

"How spontaneous is a demonstration when people bring rocket-propelled grenades and heavy weapons?" McCain said. "That was an act of terror. For anyone to disagree with that fundamental fact is really ignorant of the facts."

(Read more on the conversation about Libya at Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, Daily Beast, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Washington Post, New York Daily News, Reuters, New York Post, Talking Points Memo, National Journal, Christian Science Monitor, The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The Washington Times, The Atlantic, Huffington Post, and POLITICO)

Later in the show, former Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk predicted that the volatile relationship with Iran due to their developing nuclear arms program could escalate into war as early as next year.

"There is still time, perhaps six months, even by Prime Minister Netanyahu's own time table to try to see if a negotiated solution can be worked out," Indyk said. "I'm pessimistic about that. If that doesn't work out -- and we need to make every effort, exhaust every chance that it does work -- then I am afraid that 2013 is going to be a year in which we're going to have a military confrontation with Iran."

He then commented on Prime Minister Netanyahu's demand for President Obama to declare a "red line" with Iran. "That is an unreasonable requirement. The idea of putting out a public red line - in effect issuing an ultimatum - is something that no president would do," Indyk said. "If you noticed, Governor Romney is not putting out a red line; Senator McCain didn't, either. And neither is Bibi Netanyahu for that matter, in terms of Israel's own actions."

(Read more on Indyk's comments in Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, and The Times of Israel)

Also, don't miss the reporter roundtable with The New York Times' Tom Friedman and David Sanger, TIME's Bobby Ghosh, and CBS News' John Dickerson on how the situation overseas will affect the presidential campaign.

Watch the full episode of this Sunday's Face the Nation.