The Syrian army and Hezbollah on Monday prepared to escort Islamic State fighters to eastern Syria from their enclave on the border with Lebanon under an agreement following a week-long offensive against the jihadist group. It will end any Sunni militant presence on the border, an important...

cTwo million Muslims from across the globe are converging on Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage, a religious duty and for some pilgrims the journey of a lifetime. This year sees the return of pilgrims from Shiite Iran, regional rival to Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, and comes...

Iraqi officials say a car bomb has ripped through a busy market area in eastern Baghdad, killing at least six people. A police officer says the explosives-laden car went off on Monday morning at the wholesale Jamila market in Baghdad's Shiite district of Sadr City. He says the explosion also...

( The Washington Post )- As Syrian refugees begin to trickle back to a homeland still at war, aid agencies fear that a proposed change to U.N. guidelines could accelerate the pace of returns. At least 5.1 million people have left Syria during the six-year conflict, with most seeking safety...