Israel and Lebanon resumed U.S.-mediated talks on Wednesday over their disputed Mediterranean Sea border, that has held up hydrocarbon exploration in the potentially gas-rich area, a source and Lebanon’s state news agency said. The longtime foes held three rounds of talks last month hosted...

Millions of people around the world are watching in astonishment at the bizarre spectacle of Donald Trump's end days as US president which is turning America into a laughing stock. This, though, is no One Man Show. Trump's ongoing refusal to accept the result of the election on 3 November...

The United States on Tuesday imposed Iran-related sanctions on six companies and four people, accusing the network of supplying sensitive goods to an Iranian military firm in the Trump administration’s latest move to increase pressure on Tehran. The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he made no distinction between Democrats and Republicans and intended to stand up for Israel’s interests in the face of a new American administration. The Israeli leader has been trying to sound a message of bipartisanship since...

The Hezbollah member convicted of the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri should receive a life sentence, even though he remains at large, prosecutors said Tuesday. Salim Ayyash was found guilty in absentia of murder by a UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the...

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared a three-day mourning period for Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator who died on Tuesday after contracting COVID-19. "The departure of a brother and a friend, of the great fighter, Dr. Saeb Erekat, is a great loss for Palestine and our...

Jordanians voted Tuesday in a parliamentary election overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic which has dealt a heavy blow to the Arab country's already debt-ridden economy. More than 50,000 security force personnel were on hand to ensure masks were worn inside polling stations and social...

Turkey on Tuesday marked the 82nd anniversary of the demise of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the leader of the country's war of independence and founder of the Turkish Republic.  As is customary, daily life stopped at 9.05 a.m. local time (0605GMT), sirens wailed to mark the exact moment of...

JERUSALEM (AP) — The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said Monday it needs to raise $70 million by the end of the month or it will not be able to pay the full salaries of thousands of employees through the end of the year. The U.N. Relief and Works Agency, known as UNRWA, said it...

The U.S. envoy to Lebanon said on Monday that Lebanese Christian politician Gebran Bassil, who has been sanctioned by the United States, had voiced willingness to sever ties with Hezbollah, challenging his assertion that he rejected the idea outright. Washington on Friday blacklisted...

At least 458 more coronavirus-related fatalities have raised the death toll in Iran to 38,749, the country's Health Ministry said on Monday.  Some 10,463 more people tested positive for the virus over the past 24 hours, pushing the overall count up to 692,949, Sima Sadat Lari, the...

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, hammered by US cuts, said Monday it lacks the funds to pay full November salaries but is confident President-elect Joe Biden's administration will restore support. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East...

Iraq's pro-Tehran factions have welcomed Joe Biden's election as US president, alarming officials and activists in Baghdad who fear a US-Iran deescalation could empower hardliners in their own country. Baghdad has long been caught in a tug-of-war for influence between its two main allies...

The French foreign minister asserted his country’s “profound respect for Islam” during a visit to Cairo on Sunday in a dispute with the Muslim world over France’s defence of the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s visit comes in the...

The Israeli cabinet on Sunday approved the construction of a new settlement near the border with the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli Channel 12. Ahead of the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the government will approve the building of a new settlement near Gaza....

 Turkey gave an impassive first reaction on Sunday to Joe Biden’s presidential win, with Vice President Fuat Oktay saying it would not change relations between the old allies although Ankara will keep pressing Washington on Syria and other policy differences. Turkey stands to lose more...

 The first flight carrying Israeli tourists to the United Arab Emirates landed Sunday in the city-state of Dubai, the latest sign of the normalization deal reached between the two nations. FlyDubai flight No. FZ8194 landed at Dubai International Airport just after 5:40 p.m., bringing...

Lebanon's former foreign minister Gebran Bassil Sunday said the United States had urged him to sever ties with Shiite movement Hezbollah before targeting him with sanctions over alleged corruption. The punitive measures announced Friday are the first against a senior Christian ally of...

Iran's present said Sunday the next US administration should use the opportunity to compensate for President Donald Trump's mistakes, Iranian state reported after Joe Biden captured the US presidency. "Trump's damaging policy has been opposed ... by the American people. The next US...

Contrary to Donald Trump's impulsive policies in the Middle East, Joe Biden is expected to shift back to a more conventional US stance and re-engage with Iran, redrawing regional geopolitics. In his term in power, Trump's unconventional strategy produced a head-spinning sequence of...