Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says the US will continue to provide two Patriot missile batteries in Turkey for another year as part of that country’s air defenses while the civil war rages on in Syria. Pentagon spokesman Carl Woog says Hagel met with Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, on Monday …

Lebanese officials condemned the deadly bombings that targeted the Iranian Embassy in Beirut Tuesday and stressed the need to distance the country from regional turmoil. “We condemn this cowardly terrorist act which is aimed at inciting tensions in Lebanon and using the country as an arena to send political messages,” said caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

Thousands of tribal chieftains and politicians will gather this week in the Afghan capital to discuss a security pact with the United States which will shape Washington’s future military presence in the war-scarred nation. The bilateral security agreement (BSA) will determine how many US soldiers stay in Afghanistan when most …