All Middle East
- Syrian air strikes pummel Aleppo. Time for an international no-fly zone?
Air strikes on Aleppo in northern Syria have killed hundreds of people in the past week. Regime forces are using "barrel bombs" on targets that reportedly include markets, hospitals, and schools.
- Cover StoryWhat the Middle East would be like without Christians
From Iraq to Syria to Egypt, Christians are under siege. How their faith – including at a Bethlehem church – sustains them and how their decline is altering the region.
- Muslim dating site takes 'aunties' out of the equation
Hipstershaadi.com, which has users from Washington to London to Cairo, allows young Muslims to find their match on their own terms.
- How far can any US-Iran rapprochement go?
The message of perpetual conflict between the US and Iran is weakening amid nuclear talks and an interim deal.
- Raid on Egyptian NGO signals expansion of government enemy list
The NGO has ties to the labor movement, a sign that the Egyptian government's crackdown is moving beyond its main Islamist opponents.
- Morsi supporters disappear from Egypt's streets as jail cells fill
Dissent in Egypt is withering amid a crackdown that has left thousands languishing in detention, some without evidence, most with no hope of resolution anytime soon.
- Turkey power struggle pits Erdogan against former ally
A corruption probe believed to be instigated by a former ally of Prime Minister Erdogan netted several people with government ties yesterday. Today the government hit back.
- Once-staunch ally turns on Erdogan in Turkish corruption probe
More than 50 people were detained in Turkey, many with government ties, in a corruption probe that could destabilize Prime Minister Erdogan's power base.
- Israel has 6,200 miles of marked hiking trails – but hardly a foreigner on them
Zionist pioneers explored the land endlessly, creating the foundation for the world’s seventh-largest trail system, but it remains inaccessible to many visitors.
- As foreign funds run dry, Syrian fighters defect to anti-Western militias
As West curtails aid to Syrian rebels, fighters from the Free Syrian Army are defecting to Al Qaeda-linked militants ahead of planned peace talks in January.
- Exclusive: Iran nabbed CIA asset Levinson, says witness
Dawud Salahuddin, an American fugitive who lives in Iran, saw Iranian police detain Robert Levinson in 2007, despite official Iranian denials. Levinson was trying to recruit Salahuddin as a source.
- Restraint, not retaliation, after Israeli fatality on Lebanon border
UN peacekeepers are talking to military representatives on both sides of the border after the first fatality in three years.
- President Rouhani cheers return of Iran’s second monkey-astronaut
Rocketing a second monkey into space takes Iran a step closer to its goal of sending people into space within five to eight years.
- Cover Story7 days in Iran
How a possible thaw with the West is viewed in Iran – on the factory floor, at Friday prayers, and in government suites.
- A foot of snow in the Middle East? Rare storm brings delight and distress.
In Jerusalem, kids enjoyed snowball fights but for Syrian refugees across the region, the main fight was staying warm.
- Edgy exhibit asks Israelis to reconsider Syrian strongman Assad
In a country numbed by violence, Israeli artists eschewed gory images in favor of creative dissonance to unpack Syria's dictator.
- Detained at sea, Syrian refugees stranded in Egyptian limbo
Egypt has turned hostile towards an estimated 325,000 Syrian refugees. Activists allege police are pressuring refugees to return to their war-torn nation.
- Netanyahu skips Mandela memorial. Israelis say 'are you kidding?'
The prime minister cited finances and security, but some Israelis say the decision gives fodder to those who say Israel runs an apartheid state.
- Families of Spanish journalists abducted in Syria break their silence
Two Spanish journalists kidnapped in September near Syria's border with Turkey are believed to be held by an Al Qaeda-allied rebel group.
- Why Palestinians embrace Mandela more as fighter than peacemaker – for now
While Palestinians have a special affinity for Mandela, who championed their cause, many say this is neither the time nor the place for Mandela-like gestures toward Israel.