Israel has developed plans to build 9,000 settler homes in annexed east Jerusalem, the first such project in the city in more than 20 years, watchdog Peace Now said Tuesday. Details of the plan emerged a day after Israel's transport ministry approved a controversial proposal to extend a...

Mocking clerics, falling in love at rallies and mending a broken society: even if Iraq's young protesters have failed to overthrow entrenched politicians, they have scored by shattering decades-old taboos. Since October, the country of 40 million has been rocked by a historically large...

Iranians vote next week in a crucial parliamentary election that is widely expected to herald the return of conservatives and heap pressure on beleaguered President Hassan Rouhani. Friday's vote comes after months of steeply escalating tensions between Iran and its decades-old arch enemy...

Syria’s air defences engaged “hostile targets” over the capital of Damascus, state-run media said late Thursday. Residents reported loud explosions that rocked the city shortly before midnight. State news agency SANA quoted reports saying Syrian air defences intercepted a...