Middle Orient

The top US commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, faced a tough challenge on Tuesday from both Republicans sceptical about war strategy and Democrats who want a swifter withdrawal of American troops.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem called off a visit planned for Tuesday to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the first since a public row between the two countries, a Saudi official said.

The wife of Fateh Al Islam chief Shaker Abssi has insisted that her husband is dead and that a body she viewed at a morgue was his, despite DNA tests that have proved otherwise.

THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT came under increasing pressure Tuesday to respond harshly to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip after an overnight barrage wounded dozens of soldiers as they slept in their tents at an Israeli army base.

Syria complained to the United Nations about “aggression and violation of sovereignty” after Israeli warplanes reportedly conducted an airstrike in the country’s north, the country’s ambassador to the U.N. said Tuesday.

The US security coordinator in the Palestinian territories wants five new Palestinian battalions deployed across the West Bank in an effort to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, according to a report published Thursday.

The White House on Thursday played down a congressional report showing Iraq had achieved few of the political and security goals set by Washington, saying the standards were too high to meet.

THE UNITED STATES has pledged continued support to Lebanon’s army, which has been fighting a vicious battle against Islamists north of the country.

The head of the UN refugee agency on Thursday praised Jordan and Syria for taking in fleeing Iraqis and urged the international community to show its solidarity by providing more direct, bilateral support.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Al Qaeda fighters kidnapped 15 Iraqi women and children after attacking two villages north of Baghdad on Thursday and killing a religious leader who had been trying to form an anti-Al Qaeda tribal alliance.