All Terrorism & Security

Amid a third day of heavy fighting, one member of the international team called the site 'one of the biggest open crime scenes in the world.'

But intermittent fire punctured the lull in fighting and neither Israel nor Hamas have indicated a willingness to discuss a lasting cease-fire.

The flight data recorder from MH17 indicates a 'massive explosive decompression' occurred, consistent with a missile strike on the passenger aircraft, reports CBS News.

Fouad Massoum was elected as Iraq's president while the jihadi group the Islamic State destroyed Christian shrines and imposed Islamic dress on women in the country's north.

The Federal Aviation Authority had stirred controversy in Israel by telling airlines to avoid Tel Aviv's airport. More than 700 Palestinians and 30 Israelis have died since fighting began July 8. 

John Kerry's unannounced visit to Jerusalem and the West Bank today comes as the PA's Abbas voices support for Hamas's condition of ending Gaza economic blockade.

A new offensive is under way in the separatist region of Donetsk. The MH17 crash scene, meanwhile, has become chaotic, with international investigators finding access limited or blocked outright by rebels. 

A UN-brokered temporary cease-fire today in Gaza allowed Palestinians to get supplies and money. Meanwhile, Israeli and Palestinian officials were in Egypt to discuss a longer-term agreement.

After a unilateral ceasefire failed Tuesday, Israel signaled an escalation of a bombing campaign aimed at Hamas. The legality of targeting houses of militants is hotly debated. 

Rival militias are battling for control of Libya's international airport, which is closed after rocket fire destroyed most of the planes on the ground.

Israel said it shot down a drone near Ashdod with a Patriot missile. Hamas has continued its menacing but ineffective rocket barrage into southern Israel as foreign nationals in Gaza flee.

Will Israel send in ground troops as it did with Operation Cast Lead in 2009? Or, will this be a relatively short air-strikes-only operation, like the 2012 Pillar of Defense? On Saturday, Israel added another missile battery to its Iron Dome.

Former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, who lost the last election to President Hamid Karzai, wants a comprehensive audit of last month's runoff election ballots.

An estimated 20 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes overnight. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned the situation could 'quickly get out of control.'

Abdullah Abdullah rejected as fraudulent preliminary results released Monday that showed him trailing behind his rival in last month's election. The US is the biggest aid provider to Afghanistan.

Israeli airstrikes killed seven Hamas members and two civilians. In Israel, three of six suspects in the killing of Palestinian teen Muhammed Abu Khudeir reportedly confessed.

The revelation could cast a cloud over US-Indian trade and defense diplomacy. Last December the two countries had a bilateral spat over the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York.

President Petro Poroshenko defended his decision to resume military action, saying it was crucial to defend Ukraine's territorial integrity after a 10-day cease-fire failed to quell violence.

Ongoing fighting in Tikrit appears not to have dislodged Sunni Islamic rebels, including fighters from a militant group whose leader has declared himself the caliph of a splinter state. 

The EU-Ukraine trade pact that helped lead to the current crisis was signed today. Russia, antagonistic over the idea of closer Ukraine integration with Europe, warned of consequences.