World | Middle East
Deadly clashes in Syria are precisely what new leaders sought to avertSectarian violence involving supporters of the deposed Assad regime has left hundreds dead, calling into question whether Syria’s new rulers can maintain discipline over a patchwork of armed militant groups, including hard-line jihadis.
First LookIn Syria, deadly attacks on Assad’s Alawites are blow to new leadersThe death toll from two days of clashes between security forces and loyalists of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and revenge killings that followed has risen to more than 600, a war monitoring group said Saturday. Local residents said gunmen shot Alawites, the majority of them men, in the streets or at the gates of their homes.
As Syrians struggle to rebuild, old US sanctions are a daunting hurdleEven as former anti-Assad rebels adjust to governing, private Syrians are trying to rebuild homes and communities shattered by civil war. Standing in their way are severe U.S. sanctions blocking equipment and investment.
Amid Gaza ceasefire’s uncertainty, Palestinians focus on survivalThe first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire allowed Palestinians to return to communities in Gaza’s devastated north. But as they try to pick up the pieces of their lives, the peace framework is shaking.
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Near Gaza, Israeli communities ravaged on Oct. 7 refocus on rebirthThe kibbutzim and other Israeli communities near Gaza still bear the marks of Oct. 7. But as hostages return home, they are shifting toward rebirth.
In Yemen, activists seek to restore rubble-strewn sanctuary for migrating birdsFor centuries, Yemen’s coastal wetlands played host to each year to flocks of migrating birds. But civil war has left the ecosystem in dire straits.
For Syria’s religious minorities, new freedoms, yet lingering insecurityIt has been a pressing question regarding Syria’s new rulers. How would the Islamist group treat religious freedom in a diverse country? For Syria’s religious minorities, the answer has been encouraging, but incomplete.
What’s next for the Gaza ceasefire? Netanyahu pressed from all sides.Benjamin Netanyahu is in a bind over Gaza. His hard-right allies want to resume the war. An emotional Israeli public wants more hostages released. The Trump administration wants the ceasefire with Hamas to proceed.
Why many Israelis embrace a Trump plan for Gaza once seen as tabooPresident Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and expel its residents was received in an Israel exhausted by conflict and lacking a “day after” plan of its own.
Jordan in a bind: What to offer Trump instead of taking in Gaza refugees?Jordanian King Abdullah’s meeting with Donald Trump Tuesday was one of the most consequential of his 25-year reign. His mission: to get the U.S. president to walk back his plan to relocate Gaza’s population to Jordan and Egypt.
‘There is a lot of fear.’ In West Bank, Palestinians decry Israel’s Gaza tactics.As Israel presses ahead with a massive military operation targeting militants in the West Bank, it’s relying on tactics used in the war in Gaza. The result for Palestinians is a rising level of destruction and displacement.
First LookLebanon's president forms new government as southern ceasefire holdsLebanon's first government in two years takes office as it rebuilds its war-torn south. The country also seeks to maintain security after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in November.
How Trump’s proposed plan for Gaza has united an outraged Arab worldWhatever becomes of President Trump’s proposal to take over Gaza and resettle the Palestinians there, the Arab world is not on board. Many consider the plan a form of what the U.N. terms “ethnic cleansing.” Some say it could lead to war.
Trump’s plan for Gaza ridiculed as unserious. So why did he float it?While President Trump has ridiculed past U.S. military deployments and nation-building efforts, he has consistently been drawn to Mideast diplomacy. But his proposal to “own” and develop the Gaza Strip and displace its population has many questioning how serious he is.
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