US-backed forces were locked in fierce fighting as they pressed the battle against the last shred of the Islamic State group's "caliphate" in eastern Syria on Sunday, a war monitor said. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by a US-led coalition, announced a final push to retake...

After years of waiting for his son to come home from Syria, Jacques Le Brun is cautiously hoping that day may be nearing -- along with the chance to meet three grandchildren who have never seen France. "He'll certainly go to prison, and he knows that. He probably even deserves it a little,"...

Israeli security forces arrested a Palestinian man on Saturday suspected of killing an Israeli woman found dead two days ago in a forest on the outskirts of Jerusalem, police said. The Israeli Shin Bet internal security service and police said in a statement that the 29-year-old Palestinian...

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began an assault against the final Islamic State enclave in eastern Syria on Saturday, aiming to wipe out the last vestige of the jihadist group’s “caliphate” in the SDF’s area of operations. President Donald Trump, who is planning to pull U.S....

US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian forces said Saturday they have launched a final push to defeat the Islamic State group in the last tiny pocket the extremists hold in eastern Syria. Syrian Democratic Forces spokesman Mustafa Bali tweeted that the offensive began Saturday after more than...

United Real Estate Co., a unit of Kuwait Projects Co, and Marriott International said in a joint statement on Saturday that they had agreed to open a resort near Marrakech. Marriott said in October it had signed deals with partners to increase its hotels in Africa 50 percent by 2023,...

Two Iraqi soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb explosion in the western Anbar province on Saturday, according to a local police officer.   Two bomb disposal soldiers were defusing a device in the city of Hit, west of Ramadi, killing them on the spot, Captain Ahmed al-Duleimi...

Turkish and international aid to Yemen is “very critical” to at least protect the country from famine, a representative from Save the Children said Friday. The group’s Yemen head, Tamer Kirolos, said he thinks help from all countries should continue to increase as the situation gets worse....

An official with the Iraqi government-sanctioned umbrella of mainly Shiite paramilitary groups says a militia commander was arrested after he criticized Iran's influence in the country. The official from the Popular Mobilization Forces said Friday that Aws al-Khafaji, commander of the...

The Trump administration signaled on Friday it was unlikely to meet a deadline to report to Congress on whether it intends to impose sanctions on those responsible for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, prompting an angry backlash on Capitol Hill. Republican and Democratic...

Libyan authorities have arrested a suspected al Qaeda leader who fled from the eastern city of Derna, once a jihadist bastion, a source in the attorney general’s office said on Friday. Abdel Qader Azuz was arrested in the western city of Misrata and then brought to the capital Tripoli the...

 Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinian teenagers including a 14-year-old boy during Gaza border protests on Friday, Palestinian health officials said. Israel’s military said it had opened fire in response to explosives and rocks hurled at the border fence. Palestinians have been...

The fiancée of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said on Friday she would welcome a change in Donald Trump’s approach to the killing, and may visit the United States in March, having previously rejected an invitation from the president. Khashoggi, a royal insider who became a critic of...

France's defence minister warned Friday in Baghdad that "the work is not over" in the fight against the Islamic State group, despite the jihadists facing the loss of their last scrap of territory. "The territorial caliphate, which has not yet been wiped out, is being defeated," minister...

 Iranians will chant “Death to America” as long as Washington continues its hostile policies, but the slogan is directed at President Donald Trump and U.S. leaders, not the American nation, Iran’s supreme leader said on Friday. “As long as America continues its wickedness, the Iranian...

The U.S. military is preparing to withdraw American forces from Syria by the end of April and a significant portion of them will be out by the middle of March, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing current and former U.S. officials. A U.S. official confirmed the April target to Reuters,...

A pair of armoured vehicles parked in a corner of the Peshmerga headquarters in northern Iraq form a stark reminder of the threat the region is facing by ISIL. "They were full of explosives when we captured them," Kurdish Peshmerga commander General Sirwan Barzani said, as he discussed the...

The U.S. withdrawal from Syria leaves questions for Turkey, the head of the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) said Thursday. Burhanettin Duran said queries regarding the controversial troop pullout plan and its aftermath in Syria needed answers. "What is the...

An Istanbul-based aid agency has provided food aid to over 1,000 needy families in northern Yemen. The Humanitarian Relief Association sent food packages and sacks of flour to families who had taken refuge in Al-Jawf governorate after fleeing from 12 provinces. Mohammed as-Sudi, head of...

- A United Nations-led inquiry into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said on Thursday that evidence pointed to a brutal crime “planned and perpetrated” by Saudi officials. Khashoggi’s killing by a team of Saudi operatives on Oct. 2 provoked widespread revulsion and tarnished...