The leader of Hamas in Gaza said on Friday the Islamist group was "not calling for war" with Israel, and that Egypt and other parties were working behind the scenes to defuse the worst flare-up in violence since a 2014 conflict. Israel's military has traded blows with Hamas over the past few...

Iraqi security forces ramped up their presence across Baghdad on Friday, blocking most major roads and bridges to keep followers of Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr from reaching the government district they stormed a week earlier. A Sadr representative meanwhile called on supporters to...

Turkish warplanes attacked and destroyed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant targets in northern Iraq early on Friday, including shelters and gun positions, military sources said. Turkey has been carrying out regular attacks on PKK camps and related targets in the mountainous region of...

Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Thursday announced he was stepping down as ruling party chief and premier, in a shock resignation set to further boost President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's growing powers. Divisions between Davutoglu and Erdogan that had been rumoured for months...