Middle Orient

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called today for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to end violence in Gaza which has left nearly 600 Palestinians dead.

Syrian government forces have launched a counter-attack to recapture a gas field seized by hard-line extremists, activists said Saturday, as the death toll from three days of fighting there rose to more than 200 people killed.

Egypt summoned the Turkish charge d’affairs to Cairo on Sunday over comments Islamist Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made, questioning Egypt’s ability to end the latest Israeli offensive in Gaza. On Friday Erdogan called Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi an “illegitimate … tyrant”, adding that Egypt “could not be relied upon” to …

The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and United States Secretary of State John Kerry are expected in Cairo Monday to push for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The latest militarised conflict to affect the Gaza Strip has so far killed at least 509 Palestinians and 20 Israelis.

 U.S. President Barack Obama affirmed that “real progress in several areas” has been made on negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and that “we have a credible way forward.” In a statement he delivered on Ukraine

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius will travel on Friday to Egypt and Israel for talks aimed at bringing the deadly conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians to an end, President Francois Hollande said Thursday. Fabius said on Wednesday that Europe was ready to take action to help bring about a ceasefire between the two parties.  

Turkey and Qatar are forging a plan to produce a truce between Palestinian groups and Israel to end 10 days of violence in Gaza amid additional efforts from Cairo. Meanwhile, an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said his country and Hamas “have agreed on a cease-fire” that would begin on …

At least four people were killed and more than 20 others wounded Wednesday by mortar shells which rebels fired into central Damascus during the inauguration of President Bashar al-Assad.

The Iraqi security forces fought Sunni militant groups in several areas across the country, while the troops continued a major offensive to free the militant-seized city of Tikrit, security sources said on Wednesday. In Salahudin province, the troops continued their battles with Sunni militants, including those who are linked to …

France on Wednesday praised the election of Salim Al-Joubouri as President of the Iraqi Parliament, as well as that of Haydar Al-Abadi and Arab Mohammad Ali as first and second vice-presidents of the Baghdad Assembly,