Syrian troops backed by war planes battled on Monday to dislodge Islamist rebels from a border crossing and northern town in the coastal province of Latakia, heartland of President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite minority. Fighters from the Islamic Front and al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front...

The United Nations accused Syria's government and rebels of hindering aid access, suggesting both sides could be violating U.N. Security Council demands that emergency relief reach civilians caught in the crossfire of the three-year civil war. A month after the 15-member council...

 Turkish President Abdullah Gul Sunday vowed to protect the Suleyman Shah Tomb in Syria if it comes under attack, a media report said. "Some countries have lands outside their homelands. Suleyman Shah Tomb is our land outside Turkey. We will protect it just as we defend our...

Tens of thousands of Palestinians rallied in Gaza on Sunday to show support for their Islamist Hamas government, which has long been at loggerheads with  Israel  but is now shunned by  Egypt  as well. The military-backed government that toppled the Muslim...