An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 has struck Iraq, about 20 miles (32km) southwest of the city of Halabjah, near to the Iraq-Iran border, the US Geological Survey has said. It initially said the quake was of a magnitude 7.2, before revising it to 7.3. An official from the...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have made new gains in Khabur basin near the Turkish border, taking strategic town on Sunday. Kurdish news feeds said. The SDF seized the town of al-Basira from Daesh east of Deri Ezzor city after a week of clashes. Meanwhile,...

The Arab League will hold an extraordinary meeting next Sunday at the request of Saudi Arabia to discuss “violations” committed by Iran in the region, according to a memorandum shown to AFP by diplomats. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates supported the Saudi request, which was also...

Dozens of civilians have died in artillery fire and Russian bombardment of two displacement camps and surrounding territory in eastern Syria, a monitor said Sunday in a new toll. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said ongoing heavy bombardment in the Deir Ezzor province had killed...

Israel signaled Sunday that it would keep up military strikes across its frontier with Syria to prevent any encroachment by Iranian-allied forces, even as the United States and Russia try to build up a cease-fire in the area. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir...

Tensions have risen between Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk and former Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi regarding the burning over the weekend of a poster of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Tripoli.

(Zaman Al Wasl)- US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces on Sunday have freed 19 ISIS fighters mostly tribesmen from Mahmudli village west of Raaq city, local activists said. The release of local fighters followed a mediation top tribal figures with the Kurdish-led alliance that defeated...

(Eqtsad)- Negotiations regarding the opening of Nasib border crossing between Syria and Jordan remain have been stalled despite serious attempts and considerable pressure by some international actors to achieve a compromise formula that satisfies all parties. Activist and lawyer Abu...

DUBAI (Reuters) - A battle for orders erupted on day one of the Dubai Airshow on Sunday as Europe’s Airbus and its U.S. arch-rival Boeing prepared to fire opening salvos worth almost $30 billion. Airbus was widely expected to announce a fresh order worth $16 billion at list prices for the...

DUBAI (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) will have to buy back or find new homes for some of the older A380s currently operated by Dubai’s Emirates as it finalises a deal to sell new superjumbos to the Gulf carrier, industry sources said on Sunday. The European planemaker is expected to...

 Lebanon’s president called on Saudi Arabia on Saturday to clarify why Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri could not return home, a week after he stunned his country by resigning while in the kingdom. A senior Lebanese official said President Michel Aoun had told foreign...

Iran has trained and deployed thousands of Shiite Afghans as shock troops in Syria’s sectarian war. Members of the Afghan unit, the Fatemiyoun Division, wear a shoulder patch recounting words of praise from Iran’s supreme leader as a badge of honor. What those fighters might do when...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- At least 15 civilians were killed and wounded in the US-led coalition airstrikes on ISIS-held village in Hasaka province, local activists said. Mohamed kheder told Zaman al-Wasl that the strikes had targeted al-Douaij village. ISIS said 53 members of the...

 Islamic State group jihadists have recaptured nearly all of Albu Kamal, putting up a fierce fightback for what had been the last significant Syrian town under their control, a monitor said Saturday. Syrian regime forces and allied militia overran Albu Kamal, which lies on the...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Commander of a pro-regime militia has threatened civilians of Deir Ezzor of brutal reprisals, days after the capture of eastern province, according to footage surfaced on social media. Firas al-Iraqiya, head of Civil Defence Units in Deir Ezzor, in a video...

The Israeli army said it had shot down a Russian-made Syrian drone carrying out a reconnaissance mission over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday. The drone was intercepted by a Patriot missile in the demilitarised zone between the Israeli- and Syrian-controlled parts of the...

Police say a man drove a car into a crowd of people in Berlin, but didn't injure anybody. Police spokeswoman Valeska Jakubowski said Saturday the man ran away after the incident Friday night and authorities were still looking for him. She said the car had been rented by a...

With the fall of Daesh’s (ISIS) last significant stronghold in Syria, Iranian and Russian-backed Syrian troops now turn to face off with their main rival, the U.S.-backed forces holding large oil fields and strategic territory in the country’s north and east. The complicated map puts U.S. and...

As the corruption crackdown in Saudi Arabia reverberates across markets, companies in gas-rich Qatar are selling assets. This week two state-linked firms are divesting assets. Qatar Foundation, a royal family run nonprofit that also operates a joint venture with Vodafone Group PLC, is seeking...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed a joint statement on Syria on Saturday that said they would continue joint efforts in fighting Islamic State until it is defeated, the Kremlin said. The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the...