All Middle East
- Paris attacks stir global debate over online encryption
Intelligence sources say Islamic State attackers may have planned the Paris terrorist attacks using easily available encrypted communication tools.
- Why Israel's right wing is gunning for nation's Supreme Court
Democracy activists say reasoned critiques of controversial court decisions have given way to incitement. A security detail has been assigned to the justices.
- Dozens detained in G20 summit protests in Turkey
Police detained dozens of people Sunday during a series of protests denouncing a G20 summit, although the demonstrations were mostly peaceful.
- British jihadist may have planned Paris-style attack in Istanbul
Turkish authorities say a high-profile British jihadist detained in Turkey may have been planning attacks in Istanbul, similar to the ones in Paris.
- In West Bank, rabbi leads search for peace, one olive harvest at a time
Arik Ascherman, who heads Rabbis for Human Rights, invokes texts that call for tolerance. For years he has worked to protect the Palestinian olive harvest from Israeli attacks.
- Lebanese police arrest six suspects in connection to deadly Beirut bombings
Five Syrians and a Palestinian were arrested suspected of being connected to the twin suicide bombings in central Beirut on Thursday that killed 43 people.
- Kurdish forces retake towns in Iraq, Syria; dealing double blow to ISIS
Kurdish Peshmerga forces pushed into the strategic town of Sinjar in northern Iraq, and a coalition of Arab, Christian, and Kurdish rebel factions recaptured another town from the militants across the border in Syria on Friday.
- In Beirut bombing aftermath, many ask why IS didn't strike earlier
Hezbollah's military role in Syria has made it enemies among Sunni rebels. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for Thursday's attack that killed at least 43 people.
- Are Russian air strikes targeting hospitals in Syria?
Russia has pushed back against complaints that it is targeting medical facilities. Relief workers have been reluctant to share coordinates because of Moscow's backing of the Assad regime.
- Twin suicide bombings kill at least 37 in Beirut neighborhood
More than 180 people were injured as the result of the two explosions in a section of the Lebanese capital controlled by Hezbollah.
- First LookFighting ISIS: Why the Kurdish battle for Sinjar City matters
Kurdish peshmerga forces captured a strategic highway near Sinjar, Iraq, early on Thursday. Sinjar became an early symbol of ISIS brutality against the Yazidis.
- Saudi succession: Rival princes jockey as global oil slump hits home
King Salman was reportedly hospitalized last month. Since being crowned earlier this year as ruler of Saudi Arabia, he has shaken up the succession process in the secretive oil-rich kingdom.
- 4 dead, including 2 Americans, in Jordan police shooting
A US official said the Americans who were killed and wounded in the attack were part of a State Department police training program.
- Why some Christians in northern Iraq are choosing to stand and fight
Christian militia fighters know that hopes for the future of their community – chased out by the Islamic State – are slim. But they will tell their children, 'We fought.'
- 80,000 Russians stranded in Egypt after flights grounded
President Vladimir Putin ordered all flights from Egypt to Russia suspended. Russians will fly home via Turkey, said officials Saturday.
- For kin of Syria's 'disappeared,' a trap: You can't not pay to find them
The practice of enforced disappearances has become so entrenched in Syria, Amnesty International says, that it has given rise to a black market exchanging bribes for information.
- FocusAre Kurds closer to realizing their dream of an independent state?
Kurds are considered the largest ethnic group in the world without a country. The turmoil in Syria and Iraq creates an opportunity to draw closer to that dream.
- Erdogan wins big as Turks, amid instability, vote for the familiar
The president's party won enough parliamentary seats Sunday to rule without a coalition, but not enough to change the Constitution to strengthen the presidency.
- What caused Egypt crash? Russian airline claims 'external' factor
With investigators still combing through the wreckage of the Metrojet flight, no cause has been ruled out, including mechanical failure or a bomb.
- Christians ready to leave an Iraqi homeland that 'doesn't love us'
At camps for displaced persons in northern Iraq, Christians who fled the Islamic State more than a year ago are preparing to leave their homeland permanently.