All Middle East
Why Lebanon isn't headed for civil warThe death of Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan in Lebanon has led to some overheated international speculation.
- Spain loses title as Moroccans' land of opportunity
Moroccans seeking economic opportunity used to flock to Spain, but with its economy tanking, Spain has less and less to offer them.
Palestinian elections: Despite Hamas boycott, Fatah fares poorlyThe results announced today add to mounting concerns that Fatah – and the broader Palestinian leadership – is losing its legitimacy.
Why Lebanon violence might not spiral, despite funeral protestsViolence broke out in Lebanon following the funeral of Gen. Wissam al-Hassan. Whether his assassination will directly spur prolonged and deepening unrest in Lebanon is doubtful, however.
- In town seen as pro-Qaddafi, settling of scores shifts into standoff with government
While Bani Walid is suspected of harboring Qaddafi loyalists, residents complain they are unfairly targeted. But Khamis Qaddafi, thought to have died last year, is now thought to have died in fighting there today.
- Anxious Turks suspect US plot is behind Syria's implosion
Locals in eastern Turkey, bearing the brunt of the fallout from Turkey's involvement in Syria, believe Ankara is merely a pawn in US plans to foment conflict in the region.
Beirut bombing kills anti-Assad official, bringing Syrian war to LebanonGen. Wissam al-Hassan's assassination in today's bombing is the most significant political killing in Lebanon since that of the former prime minister in 2005.
- Mystery deepens about US enemy No. 1 in Libya
Press reports said Libyan officials identified Ahmed Abu Khattalah as the leader of the assault on the US consulate in Benghazi.
In Syria's war, long-repressed minority finds new freedomKeen to secure loyalty, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has granted Syria's Kurds de facto control over predominantly Kurdish areas of the country. But with the freedom, divisions have emerged.
Israel's Netanyahu banks on tough guy image to win early electionsIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is campaigning in early elections, announced today for January, as the candidate with a proven record of keeping Israelis safe in turbulent times.
FocusAs sanctions crush rial's value, Iranians point fingers at AhmadinejadWestern leaders may finally be seeing the result of stringent sanctions as Iranians blame their government, not the US and EU, for the precipitous economic decline of the oil-rich country.
- FocusIran sanctions: playing the long game
Iran has endured three decades of US sanctions. Have they worked? Yes and no.
In Gaza's smuggling tunnels, Egypt's interests trump Brotherhood tiesEgypt has closed some of Gaza's tunnels, causing economic pain and surprising some who expected more sympathetic policies because of ties between the two governments.
Salafis' rise in Gaza robs Hamas of resistance bannerSalafi militants have been firing rockets into Israel, prompting Israeli retaliation as Hamas seeks calm so that it can focus on the economy.
Accusations mount of Hezbollah fighting in SyriaIf hard evidence emerges of the Shiite militant group's involvement, it would increase tensions in Lebanon where armed partisans on opposite sides live in close proximity.
Two years after Mubarak, his prison torture apparatus still wounds EgyptHuman rights activists hoped a democratic government would bring reform to Egypt's prison system, but two years after the revolution, they are still calling for an end to torture.
In Benghazi, militias may promote security one day, threaten it the nextAnsar al-Sharia, the Libyan Islamist militia publicly blamed for the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi last month, has disappeared from the city's streets. Not all locals are happy about that.
With Turkey-Syria escalation, worries grow about a tip into warWith Turkey and the Syrian regime on opposite sides of the antigovernment uprising in Syria, flare-ups like the Turkish grounding of a Syrian jet this week carry great risk of tipping the two into open conflict.
- In Egypt's draft constitution, little sign of revolutionary ideals
A partial draft of Egypt's new constitution released yesterday has prompted warnings that it restricts rights such as freedom of expression and religion.
Syrian rebels fight to keep route to safe havens in LebanonThe Syrian Army's pounding of the territory between Homs and the Lebanese border has sent hundreds of Syrian fighters and civilians fleeing to the Lebanese town of Masharih al-Qaa.
