Israel announced the closure of its Gaza border crossings on Thursday in response to daily rocket fire from the enclave over the past week after U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital stoked Palestinian anger. Israeli aircraft struck three facilities...

U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura urged Russia on Wednesday to convince its ally the Syrian government of the need to clinch a peace deal to end the nearly seven-year-old war. De Mistura, speaking on Swiss television station RTS, said failure to make peace quickly through...

The United States is turning a blind eye to information provided by Russia about Syrian fighters travelling to Iraq, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday. "There is no [U.S.] reaction," Putin told his annual news conference. "Why? Because they [in the U.S.] are thinking that...

Turkey's official news agency says the coast guard has launched a dramatic rescue operation to evacuate migrants stranded on rocks in the Aegean Sea. At least 68 migrants were attempting to illegally cross to Greece on a rubber dinghy from the western province of Izmir. Anadolu Agency...

Saudi King Salman on Thursday issued a decree allocating 72 billion riyals ($19.2 billion) of stimulus funds to support the Saudi private sector. The package aims to boost the role of the private sector in light of economic reforms to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil following...

(Zaman Al Wasl)-US-led coalition warplanes killed at least 20 displaced people in renewed airstrikes on last ISIS-held areas in Deir Ezzor province, local media unit said on Wednesday. Local news site Furat (Euphrates) Post reported that 20 people who fled the town of Sbaikhan and...

Saudi Arabian Oil Co. is asking banks to pitch for roles as coordinators and bookrunners on its initial public offering, people familiar with the matter said, as the state-owned crude producer pushes ahead with plans for the world’s biggest share sale. The company sent out the request...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Three regime troops were killed when ISIS militants attacked their checkpoints in a southern suburb of Damascus  the group’s official news agency and local reporter said on Wednesday. Amaq claimed that ISIS members took buildings from regime army near...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- France2 channel broadcasted a documentary film that sheds light on the rape of female detainees in al-Assad’s prisons. The documentary broadcasted on Tuesday is entitled “Syrie, Le Cri et Etouffe (Syria the Strangled Cry). The documentary features a group of Syrian...

The United States, which wants to prevent violence spilling over from Syria into Lebanon, will give the Lebanese army $120 million more in aid to boost border security and counter-terrorism work, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon said on Wednesday. Lebanon will get six MD 530G light attack...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he was "not impressed" by Muslim leaders' statements on occupied Jerusalem after they urged the world to recognize the city's eastern sector as the capital of Palestine. "We are not impressed by all these statements," Netanyahu...

No negotiations can be held with North Korea until it improves its behavior, a White House official said on Wednesday, raising questions about U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's offer to begin talks with Pyongyang anytime and without pre-conditions. "Given North Korea's most recent...

Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz wants Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to visit, his spokesman said Wednesday, in what would be a historic trip involving two nations with no official diplomatic ties. Israeli leaders have repeatedly spoken of improving ties with the Arab...

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued a declaration on Wednesday recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.  The "Istanbul Declaration" dubbed "Freedom for Jerusalem" was issued Wednesday evening after an extraordinary summit held in Istanbul....

(Zaman Al Wasl)- At least 12 ISIS militants killed in clashes with Jaish Maghawir al-Thawra in Syrian desert on Wednesday, military spokesman told Zaman al-Wasl. Abu al-Athir al-Khabouri said the moderate rebel group, mostly tribesmen, had ambushed Daesh fighters in al-Alayaniya area...

Israeli authorities said on Wednesday that they had arrested three members of Hamas on suspicion of planning to kidnap an Israeli in the West Bank. A statement from domestic security agency Shin Bet named the men as Muad Ashtayeh, born in 1998, Mohammed Ramadan and Ahmed Ramadan, aged...

 Dr. Rafif Dayha says that today is a “quiet day” at the Directorate of Disability and Physical Rehabilitation in Damascus, but the building is a hive of activity.  Machines from the prostheses workshop are buzzing, doctors and physiotherapists walk purposefully through the...

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz said on Wednesday his government was determined to confront corruption with "justice and decisiveness", signalling continued support for a crackdown on sleaze involving mass arrests of top Saudis including royals. In a televised speech to the...

Amid the ongoing criticism of the U.S. move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a majority of Americans who Anadolu Agency interviewed in Washington opposed the decision, saying it would push the Middle East further into conflict. “I am deeply disappointed in the decision,” a...

Turkey's IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation inaugurated a rehabilitation center for Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh, it said on Wednesday. According to a statement, the foundation plans to open four more similar centers for refugees in Bangladesh in the near future. The...