Iran on Friday announced its highest number of new coronavirus infections in nearly two months and warned the Middle East's deadliest outbreak was worsening in some regions. The government has largely lifted the closures it imposed after Iran's first cases were confirmed in February but has...

The US embassy in Israel issued a security alert for the Palestinian territories Thursday, amid increased tensions over the Jewish state's plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. The embassy advised its citizens living or travelling in the West Bank or Gaza to "maintain a high level...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Palestinians living in the Jordan Valley will remain in what he described as an "enclave" after Israel annexes the territory and will not be granted Israeli citizenship. Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with plans to annex the...

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned the United States Thursday against its naval presence in the Gulf as they received 110 new combat vessels. The vessels included Ashura-class speedboats, Zolfaghar coastal patrol boats and Taregh submarines, state television reported. "We announce today...

Tehran on Thursday dismissed the impact of what it called Washington's "desperate attempt" to end sanction waivers for nations that remain in the Iran nuclear accord. The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran said the United States had made the move in a bid "to distract public opinion from...

Iran's parliament elected a former mayor of Tehran tied to the Revolutionary Guard as its next speaker Thursday, solidifying hard-line control of the body as tensions between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic remain high over its collapsed nuclear deal. Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf's assumption...

In Iraq, a national lockdown to halt the coronavirus pandemic has found some unexpected fans: local businesses who no longer have to compete with Turkish, Iranian or Chinese imports. Those countries, as well as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait, typically flood Iraqi markets with inexpensive...

When Turkey had the highest number of coronavirus cases outside of Europe and the US in April, there were fears its health system could be overwhelmed and its death rate could rocket. But more than a month later, Turkey is proclaiming that the pandemic has been contained, trumpeting a...

The International Monetary Fund is having constructive, ongoing discussions with Lebanon about the details of the government’s economic reform plan, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday. “The discussions are constructive and cover many areas including capital controls, financial sector...

The United States has decided to end sanctions waivers allowing Russian, Chinese and European firms to continue work at certain Iranian nuclear sites, a U.S. official and another source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The decision, first reported by the Washington Post, seemed...

The Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem will reopen Sunday after a two-month closure due to the novel coronavirus, a senior official said Wednesday. "All the doors of the Al-Aqsa mosque (compound) will be opened at dawn on Sunday," Omar al-Kiswani, the mosque's director, told AFP....

Iran’s president urged his Cabinet Wednesday to speed up harsher laws in so-called honor killings, after a particularly disturbing slaying of a 14-year-old girl by her father shocked the nation. President Hassan Rouhani pushed for speedy adoption of relevant bills, some which have...

The U.S. military accused Russia of covertly deploying at least 14 fighter jets to Libya last week to support Russian mercenaries fighting alongside a beleaguered commander in his campaign to oust the government from Tripoli, the capital. The deployment of the fighter jets appeared to...

Iran convened its newly elected parliament Wednesday, dominated by conservative lawmakers and under strict social distancing regulations, as the country struggles to curb the spread of the coronavirus that has hit the nation hard. Iran is grappling with one of the deadliest outbreaks in the...

The head of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah Tuesday rejected a US request to empower a UN peacekeeping force patrolling the border with Israel. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah spoke ahead of a UN Security Council vote this summer to renew the mandate of the UN Interim Force in...

Turkey is seeing a significant rise in the number of COVID-19 recoveries, the country's Health Ministry said on Tuesday. The number of patients who recovered from the disease hit 121,507, as 1,492 more were discharged from hospitals over the past day, said Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on...

Iran further eased restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus Tuesday by allowing restaurants to accept customers, as it announced another 57 deaths from the virus. Since the first cases of COVID-19 appeared on its soil in mid-February, the Islamic republic has sought...

Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, reopened to worshippers and tourists Tuesday as Palestinian authorities eased coronavirus restrictions in the occupied West Bank. Amid lingering pandemic concerns, the church is capping access to 50 people at a time...

Mosques, churches and businesses in the occupied West Bank will reopen Tuesday in an easing of coronavirus restrictions, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Monday. The Palestinian Authority declared a health emergency in March and imposed lockdowns after the first cases of...

Shiite Iranians in a rare event mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan this year on separate days -- Sunday or Monday -- depending on different religious authorities' edicts. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced Saturday evening on his official website that the Eid al-Fitr...