All Middle East
- Rising tensions? Iranian drone spies on US warship
The Jan. 12 reconnaissance flight by the Iranian Shahed drone was the latest in a series of tense naval encounters between the US Navy and the Islamic republic's military.
- Amid Syrian refugee exodus, Turkey's open door swings shut
Tens of thousands of Syrians are fleeing a Russian-backed offensive in Aleppo. Turkish aid groups are providing food and shelter to those trapped over the border.
- To counter Iranian rival, Saudi Arabia steps up Washington lobbying
Saudi officials feel slighted by the Obama administration's pursuit of a nuclear agreement with Iran. In a shift, Saudi lobbyists are targeting Congress and news organizations.
- Turkey: Reaching limits but will keep taking in refugees
Up to 35,000 Syrians have massed on the Turkish border, which has been closed for three days, authorities say, and a possible siege of the major city of Aleppo could send thousands more in the coming days.
- UAE says ready to support anti-Islamic State coalition with troops
Several other Sunni Muslim states, including Saudi Arabia, say they are ready to participate in ground operations against the IS, but the UAE's foreign minister says American leadership "is a pre-requisite."
- Turkey faces pressure as thousands of Syrians gather at border
As many as 35,000 Syrians have massed along Turkey's closed border. Will the country give into pressure to open the border?
- Afghanistan meeting ends with call for talks with Taliban
Afghanistan, Pakistan, the US and China concluded their talks aimed at ending Afghanistan's 15-year Saturday with a call for direct negotiations between the government and the Taliban by the end of February.
- Shrill wind from Israel: Does it risk alienating its allies?
Even as Israel loudly tangles with Sweden, the UN, and the US envoy, Netanyahu is quietly trying to 'muddle through' amid signs of eroding US diplomatic cover.
- Syrian peace talks to take 'temporary pause' as government nears Aleppo
The United Nations on Wednesday declared a halt to peace talks in the Syrian civil war. The delay reflects the rocky start of the talks two days before.
- Jerusalem violence: Israel says it thwarts attack at tourist site
Three heavily armed Palestinians and an Israeli security officer were killed in the clash outside the Old City's Damascus Gate.
- Islamic State: Why family fled capital of the caliphate for 'land of infidels'
Syrians are finding it increasingly difficult to leave Raqqa, but airstrikes and inflation make life hard. Even those who side with the jihadists are ready to flee.
- In Iran, fierce political winds buffet a grandson of the revolution
Amid a wave of maneuvering by Iranian hard-liners, Seyyed Hassan Khomeini has been disqualified for election to a powerful political body.
- For Israeli-Palestinian interaction, a new venue: the Arab doctor's office
As a more ambitious Palestinian middle class seeks to integrate, the number of those pursuing medical careers is surging.
- Israeli professors shunned as global boycott grows. Right target?
Israeli universities are widely seen as liberal bastions, and their professors are some of the most vocal government critics.
- FocusFor Palestinian citizens of Israel, no place is quite home
Even as Arabs in Israel are more successfully integrating into Israeli society, they are identifying more as Palestinians.
- Attack on Shiite mosque in Saudi Arabia kills at least 3
An attack by two gunman wearing suicide bomb belts struck a Shiite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia during Friday prayers, authorities said.
- In Tunisia, the sole Arab Spring success, economic woes reignite unrest
Five years after a Tunisian street vendor set himself afire and touched off a revolution, the country is still struggling with joblessness and unmet economic expectations.
- Facing threats and opportunity, Israel forges Mediterranean alliance
Israelis who once had their backs to the water are looking to the eastern Mediterranean to find partner countries to exploit natural gas reserves and bolster Israeli security.
- Pakistan army says deadly university attack controlled from Afghanistan
The gunmen responsible for the deadly attack on Pakistan's Bacha Khan University were trained in Afghanistan and the assault was controlled by a Pakistani Taliban militant from somewhere in Afghanistan.
- Iran election briefing: Islamic Republic's fundamental tensions laid bare
In the run-up to late February elections for parliament and a body that could pick the next supreme leader, the battles parallel the divide between religious and electoral power.