Syrian government troops and their allies have steadily positioned themselves in key areas on the flanks of the U.S.-led coalition battle for the Daesh’s (ISIS) self-declared capital of Raqqa. They are attempting to become an indispensable player in uprooting the militants from Syria...

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Tuesday that the recent downings of a Syrian jet and of an Iranian-made drone could be "very dangerous" and lead to an escalation of the war in Syria. Guterres also sought to downplay expectations of a breakthrough in the next round of UN-led...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the start of work on a new settlement in the occupied West Bank Tuesday, as US envoys prepared to discuss a new peace push. The Amichai settlement will be the first new government-sanctioned Jewish settlement in the Palestinian territories...

The United Nations, short of funds to support millions of displaced people in the Middle East, has begun a scheme that would let Muslims make donations from the alms they typically pay state bodies for the benefit of the poor. Muslims around the world are expected to pay “zakat,”...