Middle Orient

Drones were intercepted and brought down near the air base that hosts US forces. US air defense systems shot down two drones near Ayn al-Asad air base shortly after midnight on Sunday, Iraq’s military said. The encroachment, knocked down by US counter-rocket, artillery and mortar systems (C-RAM), is the latest …

The Syrian National Army affiliated with the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army in Aleppo is merging a number of its factions under one group in order to reorganize ranks and prepare for any upcoming battle. The areas controlled by the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the countryside of Aleppo in …

Days after warning of a coming operation on Iraq’s Makhmour camp, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a senior Kurdistan Workers Party official was “neutralized” near the camp Saturday, underlining Ankara’s drive to put pressure on militants in the region. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Sunday that a …

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told lawmakers it was unclear if Iran is “willing and prepared” to resume compliance with the nuclear agreement. Iran’s so-called breakout time could drop to “a matter of weeks” if the country continues to violate its terms of the landmark nuclear deal, US Secretary …

The fate of millions of Syrians hangs in the balance as Russia threatens to shut a crossing vital to humanitarian aid. The fate of the last cross-border humanitarian corridor through which life-saving aid to millions of Syrians is delivered hangs in the balance once again, with Russia threatening to wield …

Egypt has tried in the past to foster cooperation between Palestinian factions that is seen as crucial to any wider efforts to promote peace in the region. Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for the first in a series of talks this week between Egyptian authorities and …

Hamas had intelligence, research and development offices in building Israel struck last month. Hamas worked on a device to disrupt the Iron Dome missile-defense system in the same Gaza building that housed the Associated Press and was bombed by Israel during Operation Guardian of the Walls, Ambassador to the UN …

Nasrallah stated that Hezbollah is in contact with “anyone who is willing to be part of this regional equation,” with Yemen’s Houthis being the first. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah warned that the terrorist organization is working to reach a new equation in which any attack on Jerusalem will lead to …

Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN atomic watchdog, urged Iran on Monday to reveal the source of uranium particles discovered at four undeclared locations. “I am deeply concerned that nuclear material has been present at the three undeclared locations in Iran and that the current locations of this nuclear …

Britain’s foreign minister Dominic Raab met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the kingdom on Monday and discussed Iran in addition to bilateral ties and climate change, the British foreign office said. Raab’s visit comes as global powers work to revive a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that …