All Middle East
- For many Iranians, nuclear talks aren't about the sanctions
US officials insist economic sanctions brought Iran to the negotiating table. Ordinary Iranians agree they've had an effect – but say they've only harmed the negotiating process.
- Jerusalem synagogue attack: Day later, site is symbol of faith, determination
The synagogue where five Israelis and two Palestinian attackers were killed is once again a center of life and learning for devout Jews who say their response to terror is to improve themselves and grow stronger in their faith.
- An Ahmadinejad comeback? Why rumors are a warning shot for Iran's Rouhani.
The possibility that Iran's controversial former president could again become a political force may be minimal, but just the idea of it, analysts say, is a tool to keep President Rouhani in check.
- Rabbis killed at synagogue: Religious tinge of Jerusalem crisis deepens
The attack by two Palestinian men in West Jerusalem poses a challenge to leaders on both sides. Three of the four rabbis killed were American immigrants to Israel, the fourth was born in Britain.
- Was Syria behind Hariri assassination? Special tribunal takes another look.
A special tribunal has indicted five members of Hezbollah for the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, seen by Syria then as a threat to its dominance in Lebanon. The prosecution's case has lacked a motive.
- Lebanon's Druze, unhappily, are being dragged into Syria's war
The minority Druze are split over whom to support in Syria - with some community leaders backing Assad as the best chance for their own survival. But others, like Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, disagree.
- Iranians fly knock-off of US stealth drone. Did they get it right?
Iran says its version of the unmanned aerial craft is an improvement on the US-made RQ-170 Sentinel, which it captured three years ago. A Pentagon spokesman says there's 'no way' it matches US technology.
- Why Yemen, a shaky US ally against Al Qaeda, is cracking apart
The rivalry between Shiite Houthis and Sunni militants, including Al Qaeda's affiliate, has intensified since a power-sharing deal was reached in September. The US is considering a full evacuation of its embassy in Yemen's capital.
- Iran nuclear deal: What's at stake for Rouhani and his agenda of 'moderation'
Expectations for change have been high in Iran since President Hassan Rouhani's election. There have been some improvements, analysts say, but his ability to make deeper change may depend on the result of nuclear talks.
- Arab-Israeli violence: Is Netanyahu’s rhetoric fanning the flames?
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who called Monday for Israeli Arab protesters to move to Gaza and the West Bank, is being pressed hard from the right as he confronts what may be the biggest threat of his political career.
- Israeli-Palestinian violence stokes fear Jerusalem crisis is spreading
Violence has afflicted Jerusalem for weeks, and tensions are mounting as a young Arab man was killed by police in northern Israel, sparking a weekend of violent protests. Two Israelis were killed in separate attacks Monday.
- Egypt, worried about turmoil in Libya, joins the fray
Egypt has been providing support to a renegade general fighting Islamist militias in Libya including, some say, planes to conduct air strikes.
- Islamic State seeking to 'delete' entire cultures, UNESCO chief warns in Iraq
Irina Bokova, the UNESCO chief, says Interpol and antiquities authorities are taking steps to halt a lucrative trade in the smuggled artifacts of ancient civilizations that helps IS fund its operations.
- Jerusalem: Netanyahu seeks to reassure Jordan's king as tensions spike
A day after Jordan recalled its ambassador over Israel's handling of clashes at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque, Israel's prime minister called King Abdullah. But Netanyahu's diplomatic options are limited.
- Iran hints at early release for detained Washington Post reporter
Jason Rezaian, a dual US-Iranian citizen, was arrested in July and has been held incommunicado in Tehran. Some believe his detention is part of a political war between supporters and opponents of President Rouhani.
- Seeing red (lines) on Jerusalem, Jordan recalls envoy to Israel, a first
For nearly a century, Jordan has had stewardship over Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque, Islam's third holiest site. Prime Minister Netanyahu has reiterated that Israel has no plans to change the status quo there.
- Gaza flotilla raid: International court drops case against Israel
Ten people died in a 2010 raid by Israeli commandos on the Mavi Marmara, the lead ship in an aid convoy attempting to breach Israel's blockade of Gaza. The ICC said it won't prosecute Israel, despite 'reasonable' evidence of war crimes.
- In Southeast Iran, mourning the cost of a Sunni insurgency
A long-running Sunni insurgency based over the border in Pakistan's Baluchistan has left an indelible mark on an impoverished corner of Iran. President Rouhani has promised to improve the lot of citizens.
- Is sectarian strife in Mideast dimming Lebanon's 'beacon of democracy'?
Lebanon's parliament extended its mandate again, citing insecurity amid rising Sunni-Shiite tensions that underscore a jittery democracy's vulnerability to the violence sweeping across Syria and Iraq.
- Jerusalem: Along divided city's seam, two die in third attack in as many weeks
The city's light rail system runs roughly along the dividing line between the city's Jewish and Arab sectors. Wednesday's attack by a Palestinian driver who was shot dead by police has helped raise tensions to their highest level in a decade.