All Middle East
- Iraq crisis could make US, Iran allies
The US and Iran have a mutual interest in stemming the advance of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).
- Iraq turmoil has one winner: the Kurds
Northern Iraq's capable Kurdish forces have taken over areas long disputed with Baghdad, ostensibly to protect local Kurds from a Sunni militant offensive. But it's also a territorial gain.
- Sunni militant success in Iraq brings Islamic caliphate into focus
The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, backed by other Sunni militants, now controls swaths of northern Syria and northwestern Iraq in which it can impose its harsh rule.
- Israeli doctors: Force feeding Palestinian prisoners is 'torture'
With 285 Palestinian prisoners on a lengthy hunger strike, Israel is fast tracking legislation to compel force feeding, which requires a doctor's presence.
- Israel hands presidency from peacemaker to opponent of Palestinian state
The presidency is a largely ceremonial position in Israel, but Shimon Peres became the international community's preferred interlocutor with the Israeli government.
- Why US-Iranian meet is a worrying sign for nuclear talks
A high-level meeting in Geneva between US and Iranian diplomats comes amid fears that a six-month interim deal may not yield a final agreement before a July deadline.
- New jihadi recruitment tool: militants' Instagram accounts
By chronicling their time in Syria on Twitter, Instagram, and other websites, extremists are able to indoctrinate young Western Muslims to their cause in a new way.
- Sisi victory celebrations marred by sexual assaults in Tahrir Square
Amid raucous nighttime celebrations marking Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's inauguration, several women were sexually assaulted. Their cases could test Egypt's vows to curb such violence.
- Not a drop to drink: Syrian shortages feed black market for water
Drinking water shortages in Syria have led to the creation of a water delivery service in a small city outside Damascus, providing jobs for many young Syrians there.
- Iran and Turkey: rivals in Syrian war, but friends in trade
Iranian President Rouhani arrived in Ankara with a coterie of ministers and businessmen. Iran and Turkey hope to double their trade by 2015 and may be betting on an end to sanctions on Iran.
- Israel: Hezbollah is now stronger than any Arab army
Israel's top military officer warned today that Hezbollah's capabilities have grown substantially since the 2006 war, putting much of Israel within the reach of the Lebanese Shiite militant organization.
- Iran's greatest generation? Provocative filmmaker recasts Iran-Iraq War
"The Ascendants" shows an ordinary family caught up in the Iran-Iraq War, which shapes Iran even today. But in its depiction of the war, the film defies the official narrative of a "sacred defense."
- Breaking the silence about Israeli occupation
The founder of Breaking the Silence, a group of ex-soldiers opposed to Israeli actions in the West Bank and Gaza, talks about moral accountability on the group’s 10-year anniversary.
- Egyptian prosecutor: 'Mercy leads to the drowning of an entire society'
Despite a sustained international outcry, Egypt is plowing ahead with its trial of Al Jazeera journalists it accuses of being members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
- World Bank chief and John Kerry ring alarm bells on Lebanon visit
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and US Secretary of State John Kerry pledged help for Lebanon, which is housing 1 million Syrian refugees in a country of 4 million.
- Belly laughing in Tehran
Laughter is a novel prescription for the hardships of life in Iran's crowded, often tense capital. Two hundred and fifty Iranians have been trained to teach residents how.
- Pro-Assad Syrians lay low in Turkey
Syrian refugees have poured into Hatay Province, long tolerant of Sunnis, Christians, and Alawites. That openness is challenged by divisions between Assad regime and its opponents.
- The ExplainerSyrian presidential vote: What changes will it bring?
In the twisted calculus of today's presidential election, President Bashar al-Assad will claim legitimacy by getting a smaller percentage of the vote than in years past.
- In rebel-held Syria, no polls, no campaign – just bombs
Syrians living outside regime-held areas won't be voting in Tuesday's election, in which President Bashar al-Assad is seeking a third term. Western powers say the election is a sham.
- Why the Palestinian unity government won't cut it for Israel
The new Palestinian government announced today incorporates Hamas, giving the militant group far greater sway in a territory that comes within 11 miles of Tel Aviv.