Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Wednesday he was ready to resume peace efforts with Israel if it stopped settlement building, reacting to a major speech by US Secretary of State John Kerry. "The minute the Israeli government agrees to cease all settlement activities... and agrees to...

Two Syrians died Wednesday when a fire erupted in their room south of Beirut, authorities said. Shireen Kh., 25 and her 1-year-old baby Zahraa died in the incident, the Internal Security Forces said on Facebook. Separately, a massive fire erupted inside a shack in an agricultural area in...

The number of injured Aleppans treated in Turkey reached 273 after evacuation from the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo, the Turkish government said Wednesday. According to the Prime Ministry Directorate General of Press and Information, 39 of the 273 injured civilians succumbed to their...

Residents of Iraq's ISIS-held city of Mosul say an airstrike has disabled the city's last functioning bridge. The residents, who spoke Wednesday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity fearing for their safety, say the airstrike happened at dawn Monday. Iraqi and U.S.-led...