In a climactic battle at sea, an Iranian commander orders his forces to open fire on a much larger U.S. fleet, obliterating it with a barrage of rockets, some of which tear American flags from their masts. The scenario unfolds in "Battle of the Persian Gulf II," a new Iranian animated film...

ISIS fighters withdrew from much of the Syrian oasis city of Palmyra overnight, activists said Thursday, but government forces paused before entering its ravaged ancient ruins because of mines. Russian-backed Syrian troops pushed into a western neighborhood of the city late Wednesday...

A report severely criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership in the 2014 Gaza war may weaken the self-styled "Mr Security", analysts say. The state inquiry published Tuesday attacked Netanyahu's governing style throughout the war in which 68 Israeli soldiers died,...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel starts a two-day trip to Egypt and Tunisia Thursday, part of her push to limit migrant flows to Europe through North Africa, especially chaos-torn Libya. Since the 2011 overthrow of Moammer Gadhafi, Libya has lacked a national government, which has made it the...