The United States and Turkey have agreed to work together to drive Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists from northern Syria, senior American officials said Monday, according to the AFP news agency. The announcement came as Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed to press ahead with parallel strikes against Kurdish militants. The potentially game-changing accord
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, on Monday denounced what he called "aggressive statements" by Iran, intensifying the verbal sparring between the regional rivals after a global deal on Tehran's nuclear program, AFP reported. On Sunday, Iran's foreign ministry spokeswoman accused Saudi ally Bahrain of making "unfounded allegations" to foment "tension in the region",
Iran's financial assistance to Hamas has stopped completely, a senior Hamas official stated Monday night. "All assistance has stopped - both civilian aid to the Gaza Strip and military assistance to Hamas," Hamas politiburo chief Moussa Abu Marzouk admitted in an Al Jazeera interview. "It's difficult for us to deal with." Iran had
Kurdish fighters seized a key town in northern Syria from ISIS on Monday, cutting a supply lifeline from the jihadists' de facto Syrian capital, a monitor said. "The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) took full control of Sarrin on Monday after three weeks of intense clashes," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian
The Jordanian government has issued a response to violence on the Temple Mount Sunday - condemning not the Muslim rioters themselves but the Jewish visitors they were attempting to attack. In a statement issued Sunday afternoon Jordanian Information Minister Mohammed el-Mumini condemned what he described as the "storming" of Al Aqsa Mosque by "Jewish
The White House on Sunday backed Turkey's right to conduct airstrikes against Kurdish militants, after waves of air and artillery strikes put a fragile ceasefire in jeopardy. "Turkey has a right to take action related to terrorist targets," said deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes after strikes against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The tension in relations between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas reached a new peak this weekend, after a period of mutual accusations over the responsibility for the failure of the political partnership between the parties. The latest chapter in the saga came on Saturday, when Salah Bardawil, a senior Hamas figure, sharply attacked PA
Notorious ISIS executioner "Jihadi John" is believed to have fled into unknown Syrian territory. A source told the British Mirror that Jihadi John, real name Mohammed Emwazi, fears he is no longer useful to the jihadist group and that he is being hunted by UK and US special forces. The source claims that
Egypt is testing out its "new" Suez Canal, having sent the first cargo ships through today (Saturday) in a trial run. The 72 kilometer-long canal lies close to the original route but will be able to handle larger ships and two-way traffic. The project has been moving quickly. Construction began less than a year
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday warned that if Congress does not approve the deal recently signed with Iran, Israel might be blamed for it and become more isolated. Kerry’s comments came in a speech at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York. “I fear that what could happen is
