Syria’s key opposition groups could not reach a settlement to end up the dilemma erupted over rebel chief dismissal two weeks ago, activists said. The last  72-hour meeting in Istanbul between the National Coalition chief, Ahmad Jarba, and top field commanders...

A dozen bombings in central Iraq and two shootings in the north killed 22 people Thursday, officials and doctors said, as the country suffers its worst violence in years. Iraq has been hit by a year-long surge in bloodshed that has reached levels not seen since 2008, driven by...

 After three years of grinding conflict, the destruction of whole city districts and an exodus of refugees all triggered by an uprising against his rule, Bashar al-Assad is quietly preparing to be re-elected. The Syrian president has not yet announced whether he will stand for a...

  Assad’s planes Thursday renewed raids on the embattled city of Yabrud, the last rebel stronghold in the Qalamoun region near the border with Lebanon. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for human Rights reported eight air raids on the area, which regime troops are...