Eurasia

Five civilians were killed in Russian air strikes backing Syrian regime forces as they chipped away at the country’s last major rebel bastion in fighting that cost dozens of lives Monday, a war monitor said.

The death last month of the leader of al-Qaeda’s Yemen branch in a U.S. drone strike has dealt a blow to the group’s ambitions, but Western officials and analysts warn that a recent escalation in Yemen’s conflict could allow it to regroup to some extent.

When the grip of Iraq’s Tehran-backed Shi’ite Muslim parties and militias threatened to slip following the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, they turned to an unpredictable rival.

Lebanon’s security agency this week released a number of documents detailing a thwarted plot by a member of the Islamic State (IS) group to attack the US Embassy in Lebanon with a drone.

A failed attempt to plant a bomb at the border cost a Palestinian militant his life. But the seizure of his body drew harsh criticism within Israel.

A supporter of Islamic State has pleaded guilty to plotting to bomb St Paul’s Cathedral and a hotel.

The German political grandee has criticized the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, saying it does not “draw a line” to exclude radical elements. AfD politicians have been blamed over this week’s killings in Hanau.

The terror group al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has confirmed the death of its leader, Qasim al-Rimi, the Site Intelligence Group reported Sunday.

Countries throughout the globe are escalating efforts to contain an outbreak of the new coronavirus that has so far infected over 77,650 people, mainly in China.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed Tuesday the deaths of two Turkish soldiers in Libya, where Ankara has military forces in support of the internationally-backed government in Tripoli. Word of the losses comes as the Turkish opposition steps up pressure against Erdogan’s Libya policy.