An estimated 6,000-10,000 fighters are operating under the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group in Iraq and Syria, the UN’s counter-terrorism chief said Wednesday.  Speaking at a UN Security Council briefing, Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism...

A Palestinian journalist, who was fired from Germany’s international broadcaster for alleged antisemitic views, has strongly criticized the management for unfair treatment and censoring freedom of speech. “I’m not antisemitic. I am someone who believes in freedom of speech,” Maram Salem said...

Azerbaijani army positions have been subjected to fire by Armenian forces, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on Thursday. Starting from Wednesday evening, the Armenian armed forces units in the Yukhari Shorzha settlement of the Basarkechar region opened fired periodically at the...

A building collapse in northwest Syria has killed a woman and three of her children, while her husband and three other children survived, the opposition Syrian Civil Defence group said. The collapse of the building on Wednesday night on the southern edge of the city of Idlib came as...

Four people have been caught in the northwestern Syrian town of Afrin, along with suicide vests and kilos of C4 explosives, Turkish police said on Wednesday. In a statement, the General Directorate of Security said that intelligence forces of the Syria Task Force in Afrin, working in...

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s top diplomat heads to Moscow on Wednesday to try to defuse tensions raised by Russia's military buildup near Ukraine, warning that an invasion would bring “massive consequences for all involved.” “Russia has a choice here. We strongly encourage them to engage,...

At least one child has been killed and three injured by the Asayish, the Syrian Kurdish Autonomous Administration’s police force, who opened fire in al-Hol camp yesterday, Amnesty International has confirmed. Three women were injured as well. The Asayish, which controls the sprawling camp in...

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Only five hospitals in Afghanistan still offer COVID-19 treatment, with 33 others having been forced to close in recent months for lack of doctors, medicines and even heat. This comes as the economically devastated nation is hit by a steep rise in the number of reported...

A Syrian soldier was killed and five others were wounded in an Israeli attack near the capital Damascus, Syrian state media said. The Israeli military said it attacked targets in Syria shortly after an anti-aircraft missile was fired from the Arab country into northern Israel early...

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Four people have been arrested on the Greek island of Lesbos after violence broke out during a protest against plans to build a new migrant camp, authorities said Tuesday. Following a peaceful march to the site in heavy rain Monday, a small group of protesters set fire...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army general tapped to take over as top U.S. commander in the Middle East warned senators Tuesday that if Russian invades Ukraine, as many fear, it could create broader instability in the Middle East, including Syria. But he was clear that Iran remains the key threat to...

A U.S. military convoy was seen driving and stopping near the Gweiran Prison in Hassakeh in northeastern Syria on Tuesday. A U.S. Chinook helicopter was also seen landing near the prison by the time the convoy was stopping. The prison was the focus of a furious battle recently between...

Sixteen people went on trial in Istanbul on Tuesday, charged with "political and military" espionage on behalf of Israel, Turkish media reports said.   The defendants, including Palestinians and Syrians, were arrested in October in an operation by Turkey's national intelligence...

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States and its allies clashed with Russia and China in the U.N. Security Council on Monday over the usefulness and impact of U.N. sanctions, which are currently imposed on countries from North Korea to Yemen and Congo as well the al-Qaida and Islamic State...

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Al-Qaida’s past ties to the recently empowered Taliban have the potential of making Afghanistan a safe haven for extremists, and “terrorist groups enjoy greater freedom there than at any time in recent history,” U.N. experts said in a report circulated Monday. In the...

BEIJING (AP) — Nathan Chen shattered the world record during his short program at the Beijing Olympics, scoring 113.97 points Tuesday to beat the previous mark of longtime rival Yuzuru Hanyu and put himself in position to win his long-sought gold medal. With a confident smirk as he took the...

DUBAI: Fawaz Qetaifan, a six-year-old Syrian boy who was kidnapped on his way to school in Daraa four months ago, could be returned to his parents in the coming hours or days after his family raised the ransom to secure his release, sources have told Arab News. “It seems that the issue will...

Belarus plans to deploy up to 200 troops to Syria to serve alongside Russian forces in the country, according to a Russian government document released Monday, a move strongly condemned by Belarus' opposition leader. A draft agreement between Russia and its ally Belarus endorsed by Russian...

Women held in a camp housing families of Islamic State group militants in northeast Syria tried to kidnap their Kurdish guards Monday, an opposition war monitor said. The attempt led to a shooting that left one child dead and several other people wounded. A Kurdish official confirmed there...

By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh The Iranian regime is expanding its presence in Syria and increasing its military, financial and advisory assistance to militia groups there in order to preserve one of its top national security interests. Tehran’s increasing influence in Syria can particularly be...