Syria's warring parties declared a 48-hour ceasefire in two frontline areas on Wednesday after unprecedented mediation from Turkey and Iran, signaling a new approach by some of the main regional backers of the opposing sides. The ceasefire halted fighting between insurgents on the...

Iraq's prime minister accused corrupt politicians on Wednesday of plotting to sabotage his plan for sweeping reforms of the governing system, and warned leaders of powerful Shi'ite militias not to use their armed followers for political ends. A year in office, Haider al-Abadi...

A Syrian military source said on Tuesday the army had retreated to new defensive lines in a region of vital strategic importance to President Bashar al-Assad, seeking to avoid losses at the hands of advancing rebels. The insurgent advance into the Sahl al-Ghab plain in...

The U.S. State Department Tuesday denied it has agreed to a “safe zone” in northern Syria, after broadcaster CNN Turk quoted a senior Turkish diplomat as saying the countries have settled on terms for such a zone in their campaign against ISIS. “There’s no agreement on some kind of...