Islamic State militants have captured dozens of Christian families after seizing a strategically located town in the central Syrian province of Homs, a monitor said on Friday. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 230 people were kidnapped or detained,...

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed confidence on Friday that an ambitious Pacific trade pact could be completed this year and said a recent nuclear deal with Iran proved hurdles in international agreements could be overcome. Kerry said many challenges remained in...

At leat 12 people have been killed in Syrian regime air strikes on northern province of Idlib, a monitoring group said on Friday. The Syrian Network for Human Rights said 12 civilians were killed in the towns of Arnaba, al-Mouzara, Saraqeb and Ariha. Also, Regime air strikes have killed 3...

(By Abdullah al-Ghadawi; Transaltion by Yusra Ahmed) Days after being reelected as a president of the Syrian opposition's National Coalition, Khalid Khoja, in special interview with Zaman al-Wasl is highlighting future agenda and regional developments related to Syrian conflict: Q1- what have...

The Palestinian Football Federation postponed the final Palestine Cup game between the champion teams of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank after Israel denied entry permits to some of the Gaza players, sports officials said. The Shejaia club from the Gaza Strip must pass through an...

 The Fatah Army on Friday has seize a new village in Sahl al-Ghab plain, an advance follows a week of gains, activists said while regime supporters lament 27 soldiers killed in the battles. In less than one week, key Islamist rebel group was able to regain villages and hills from regime...

Two people were killed in clashes between police and Kurdish militants in a town in southeastern Turkey on Friday, local sources said, and clashes were continuing, with smoke rising from buildings and shots ringing out. Around 10 people were wounded in the clashes in Silopi, a...

The United States and it allies conducted 27 airstrikes against ISIS militants in Syria and Iraq Wednesday, the U.S. military said. Eleven airstrikes were carried out in Syria, including seven near the city of Hassakeh, the U.S. military said in a statement Thursday. In Iraq, militant targets...

The U.S. and Turkey are forging an alliance of convenience to deal with the Syrian crisis, cooperating to create a zone free of militants despite sharp disagreements over the role of Kurdish fighters. After several months of criticism that it was not doing enough to fight militants from ISIS,...

The main Western-backed Syrian opposition, long distrustful of Russia over its backing of Syrian President Bashar Assad, is due to visit Moscow next week amid a renewed diplomatic push to settle the conflict, a source and Russian wires said. The National The main Western-backed Syrian...

(Reuters)-  ISIS Thursday claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in south-western Saudi Arabia, according to a statement circulating on Twitter. The group said a suicide bomber had infiltrated a "military camp" for the Special Emergency Force in Asir province. It did not specify that...

Nour el-Din al-Zinki movement has thwarted an attack launched by Syrian forces and allied militias on Salahuddin neighborhood in northern city of Aleppo, killing 17 soldiers, the rebel group said in statement posted online Thursday. The Islamist movement said it repelled regime army in...

Aleppo's moderate rebels backed by U.S.led air strikes have made a progress in the northern countryside against ISIS fighters after fierce fighting, activists said on Thursday. Zaman al-Wasl reporter said rebels had taken 5 checkpoints from ISIS in Om Housh and Om Qura villages, taking...

Muscat and Damascus agreed to work together to end Syria's brutal war, official media reported, as the Syrian foreign minister Thursday made his first Gulf visit since the conflict erupted in 2011. Foreign Minister Walid Muallem met Oman's chief diplomat Yussef bin Alawi to discuss "several...

 ISIS has seized control of the desert city of al-Qaryatayn east Homs after a major offensive started by Tuesday, followed by number on suicide bombs rocked Syrian army strongholds at the gates of the city, supporters of the hardline group and activists said Thursday. By taking...

Nationalist celebrations to inaugurate a major extension of the Suez Canal intended to power an economic turnaround began on Thursday when Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi boarded a historic yacht to welcome foreign dignitaries. Dressed exceptionally in military regalia,...

Iran said on Thursday the United States should seize the opportunity created by a nuclear deal reached between the country and six major powers to change what it called a foreign policy of "threats of coercion". "The use of threats of coercion as a foreign policy will give no...

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday he had reached an agreement with his Russian counterpart on a draft U.N. resolution aimed at identifying the perpetrators of chemical weapons attacks in Syria. "We also talked about the UN Resolution and indeed I believe...

Turkey will deploy thermal cameras and horse-back patrols to heighten security around key oil and gas pipelines as Kurdish militant attacks increase, in a bid to safeguard energy supplies in the import-dependent country, energy officials said. Tighter security around energy...

 At least 14 Syrian rebels surrendered to Lebanese Hezbollah militia in the border city of Zabadani Wednesday, as allied forces inch closer to claiming control of the last rebel stronghold along the Lebanese frontier, a security source told The Daily Star. Syrian army’s 4th Armored...