Middle East News

Syrian troops backed by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters clashed Wednesday with rebel forces south of a Damascus suburb that is home to a major Shiite Muslim shrine, in an attempt to secure the area surrounding the revered site, activists said.

An adviser to the Palestinian president says Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement wants him to stick to long-standing demands for resuming talks with Israel.

A state security prosecutor in the United Arab Emirates says 30 Egyptian and UAE suspects have been charged with plotting a coup linked to a network of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, in a case likely to further strain relations with Cairo.

The United Nations and Washington have separately asked the Philippines not to withdraw its more than 300 Filipino peacekeepers from the Golan Heights, warning of "maximum volatility" in the region after a number of countries decided to pull out their peacekeeping forces amid escalating violence, the Philippines' top diplomat said Wednesday.

The image was stark -- a silent, solitary figure standing in passive defiance to the Turkish prime minister's demand for protesters to clear Taksim Square in central Istanbul.

Israeli and global leaders, local celebrities and Hollywood superstars celebrated under one roof Tuesday to honor Israeli President Shimon Peres for his upcoming 90th birthday, reflecting world respect for one of the country's peace pioneers.

Umm Satta grieves for her slain college student son, Sattar Jabbar, near Habib al-Asadi Shiite mosque in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, June 18, 2013.

Many exchange shops closed in Damascus on Tuesday, fearing more chaos a day after the Syrian currency plunged to a new record low, reflecting growing fears in the capital following a U.S. decision to arm rebel groups fighting to topple President Bashar Assad's regime.

Afghanistan officials will open a U.S.-backed office in the Gulf nation of Qatar as early as Tuesday to facilitate direct peace talks with the Taliban, according to three senior administration officials.

Israeli police have launched an investigation to find perpetrators who vandalized cars and sprayed hate graffiti in an Arab town near Jerusalem.

Men detained for standing on Taksim Square in a protest against the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are seen arrested inside a truck used by the Turkish police, June 18, 2013.

Iran's newly elected president showcased his reform-leaning image Monday by promising a "path of moderation" that includes greater openness on Tehran's nuclear program and overtures to Washington.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, left, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen.

Western nations are facing down Russian president Vladimir Putin at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland over his support for the regime of Bashar Assad in Syria.

Yemeni and American rights protesters have staged a demonstration in front of U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, demanding release of Yemeni Guantanamo detainees.

In this Sunday, March 3, 2013 file photo, A Kurdish female member of the Popular Protection Units stands guard at a check point near the northeastern city of Qamishli, Syria.

Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden's leaks to the Guardian newspaper have thrown back the curtain on the world of diplomatic espionage, revealing - in explicit detail - how British spies monitor enemies and allies alike.

Streisand says she is distressed to read about women in Israel "being forced to sit on the back of the bus" and women being assaulted while praying at Jerusalem's Western Wall.

BAGHDAD: Three bomb attacks in Iraq including a blast inside a roadside restaurant killed 12 people on Monday, officials said, the latest in a surge of violence that has left nearly 2,000 dead since the beginning of April.

America's newest Miss USA is leaving a white collar job behind for a world of glamour in her new role - and she can't wait.