Jordan’s King Abdullah received a phone call from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the royal palace said on Sunday in what officials said was the first such communication since the start of the conflict in Syria a decade ago. The conversation was the latest step in thawing relations between leaders who …

Libya’s foreign minister said on Sunday that some foreign fighters have left the country as the unity government seeks to marshal international help to withdraw the many who remain. “The reports are correct. There is a very modest start,” Najla Mangoush said at a news conference in Kuwait when asked …

Saudi Arabia confirmed on Sunday it had held its first round of direct talks with Iran’s new government last month, part of a process begun earlier this year to reduce tension between the Gulf’s rival Sunni and Shi’ite Muslim powers. The longtime foes who severed ties in 2016 began talks …