Vacant religious sites. Abandoned pilgrim tents. Lifeless hotels. A stunning emptiness -- and fears of economic ruin -- haunt the usually bustling city of Mecca after Saudi authorities curtailed the hajj pilgrimage over coronavirus. Islam's holiest city usually hosts millions of pilgrims...

The Libyan army on Friday said Russian planes, carrying Syrian mercenaries and weapons, made at least 11 landings at the al-Ghardabiya Airbase in the city of Sirte, local media reported. The planes transported mercenaries from Syria and six Pantsir air defense systems, as well as weapons...

Russian jets delivered to Libya in May are being actively used in the North African country, US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said Thursday. At least 14 MiG-29s and several Su-24s were flown to Libya via Syria, where their Russian markings had been painted over, AFRICOM said in May. AFRICOM...

The Caesar Civilian Protection Act comes into force this Wednesday 17 June, bringing an outlook for Bashar al-Assad's regime that hasn't appeared so bleak since the rapid rebel gains of 2015.  The Caesar Act was passed by the US Senate in 2019, with the stated goal of more targeted and...