Russia's military intervention in support of President Bashar al-Assad has dismayed Gulf Arab enemies of the Syrian leader who say it will prolong the war and keep Syria firmly in the orbit of their arch regional rival Iran. Russia says it is providing arms to the Syrian leader, a...

The European Union is groping for ways to persuade Turkey to do more to keep Syrian refugees on its territory and stop them flooding into Europe, amid deep mutual suspicion between Brussels and Ankara. As a bitterly divided EU struggles to cope with hundreds of thousands of people...

When an explosion killed almost all of its leaders in a single blow last year, many thought it was the end for Ahrar al-Sham, a powerful Syrian insurgent group founded by members loyal to al Qaeda. But the group immediately re-emerged stronger. It replaced its leader and chose new...

Among the tens of thousands fleeing war and despair in the Middle East, one group feels a special relief in reaching Europe: those who have escaped areas ruled by Islamic State extremists and the harsh scrutiny of their religious police. These refugees tell of how a Western-style...