Middle Orient

Kurdish forces have driven the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group from more than a dozen Assyrian Christian villages that the jihadists had captured in northeastern Syria, a monitor said May 27. “Following a 10-day offensive, Kurdish fighters took control early this week of 14 Assyrian villages …

US Vice President Joseph Biden has pledged “full support” for Iraqi efforts to retake territories lost to the Islamic State, as Baghdad bristled at the Pentagon chief’s criticism of Iraqi forces over the battle against the extremist group.

Some 123 U.S. soldiers arrived in Turkey for training of moderate Syrian opposition, along with weapons that are being transferred to İncirlik Airbase for equipping part of the program. Syrians, who will be trained in Hirfanlı military base in Kırşehir, will be transferred to southern Hatay where they will be …

Greece will launch consultations with Egypt and Greek Cyprus to establish maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on April 29. Tsipras, who was visiting Greek Cyprus, said those boundaries – which are normally a precursor to a state licensing for offshore oil and gas exploration …

France opposes foreign intervention in Lebanon but will do its best to encourage the election of a new president as soon as possible, French President François Hollande said Tuesday. “France is ready to take initiative in international gatherings to speed up the presidential election process,” Hollande told Maronite Patriarch Beshara …

French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian stressed Monday the interrelation between the security and stability of Europe, on one hand, and that of the Middle East and the Arab region on the other. The situations in the Arab region impact not only on the French nationals in the region …

Lebanon received today the first batch of French armaments under a Saudi-financed deal worth US$3 billion to boost the country’s defensive capabilities. The handing over ceremony was held at Beirut Air Base and attended by Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Sameer Muqbel, French Defence Minister, Jean-Yves Le …

Over 2,000 families have been forced to flee the Iraqi city of Ramadi owing to heavy clashes between the Islamic State (IS) militants and government forces. Most of the displaced families headed to capital Baghdad and settled in predominantly Sunni districts in southern and western Baghdad, a security source said.

Aid from the Egyptian Armed Forces to Syrian refugees in Lebanon will arrive in Beirut over three days starting Tuesday. The aid, which will be loaded in three airplanes, consists of medicine, medical supplies, foods, tents, blankets and other relief supplies, and will go to refugees in Arsal in east …

The UN Security Council has demanded humanitarian access to Syria’s Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp as residents described fleeing in terror after the arrival of jihadists of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The advance by the extremists into the battered neighbourhood of south Damascus has alarmed the …