Sunni Muslim Arab fighters backed by Kurdish forces and U.S.-led air strikes retook a village in northern Iraq on Wednesday in an example of effective military cooperation on the ground between them against Islamic State insurgents. The offensive in the Makhmour district south...

Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani has declared that the "time has come" for the country's Kurds to hold a referendum on statehood, his office said on Wednesday. "The time has come and the conditions are now suitable for the people to make a decision through a referendum on their future,"...

Jordan's state news agency Petra says a helicopter of the Public Security Department crashed during a night training mission, leaving one pilot dead and another seriously injured. Petra says the helicopter crashed late Tuesday near the city of Salt in western Jordan. There was no immediate word...

Israel would consider a French invitation to peace talks with the Palestinians, but believes France has made a mistake by saying it will recognize a Palestinian state if the talks fail, an Israeli government official said on Saturday. "If and when we get an invitation to a conference, we will...