President Mahmud Abbas renewed a coronavirus lockdown in Palestinian-ruled areas of the West Bank for a further month late Monday, though some measures will be eased. The state of emergency in place since March 22 will now last until at least June 5, Abbas announced. But movement...

When Russia intervened in the Syrian conflict on Bashar al-Assad's side in September 2015, its involvement was seen as crucial for the survival of Syria's dictatorial president, whose army had been severely weakened by desertions and had suffered a string of defeats by rebel forces. Since...

Protests broke out across opposition-held parts of northwest Syria Friday against an al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group after it opened a trade crossing into regime territory, an AFP correspondent and a war monitor said. "Mass protests broke out in several towns and villages in the provinces of...

Egyptian farmers have begun to harvest their wheat without the coronavirus disruptions hitting other growers globally, and with a plea from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to sell the government as much of their crop as possible. Egypt has imposed a nationwide nightly curfew to curb the...