Middle East
Latest stories
As Iraq concrete jungle swelters, ancient stone houses stay cool

As the sun beats down on Iraq, most people swelter in their concrete homes -- but not the inhabitants of one mountain town known for its ancient and cool stone houses. 

W140 Full Story
Why has Yemen's truce failed and what happens next?

A six-month truce in Yemen that expired Sunday had provided a rare respite for the war-ravaged country, but failed attempts to extend it have stoked fears of fresh conflict.

W140 Full Story
Turkey and Libya sign maritime hydrocarbons deal

Turkey's foreign minister signed a deal in Libya's capital Monday allowing for oil and gas exploration in Libya's Mediterranean waters, three years after a maritime border deal that angered European nations.

W140 Full Story
EU, Israel hold high-level talks for first time in a decade

The European Union and Israel on Monday held high-level talks for the first time in a decade, with the Europeans keen to press Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on how to put a two-state solution to the conflict with the Palestinians into place.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell welcomed the recent support from Lapid — who took part in Monday's talks by videoconference — for an end to the conflict based on an Israeli and Palestinian state living peacefully side by side.

W140 Full Story
Yemen's fate hangs in balance as truce collapses

The United Nations envoy scrambled to revive Yemen's six-month truce after a missed deadline raised fears of a return to war and prompted rebel threats against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates late Sunday.

Special envoy Hans Grundberg pledged "relentless efforts" to reinvigorate the truce, which lapsed on Sunday after bringing a sharp reduction in clashes since it came into force in April.

W140 Full Story
Israel military kills 2 during West Bank raid

The Israeli military shot and killed two Palestinians during a raid in the occupied West Bank early Monday, Palestinian officials said.

The military alleged that the men tried to ram their car into soldiers, a claim that could not be independently verified. Palestinians and rights group often accuse Israeli troops of using excessive force against Palestinians, who live under a 55-year military occupation with no end in sight. Israel says it follows strict rules of engagement and opens fire in life-threatening situations.

W140 Full Story
UN chief urges Yemen's warring sides to renew expiring truce

The U.N. chief is strongly urging Yemen's warring parties to not only renew but expand a truce that expires Sunday, saying it has brought the longest period of relative calm since the conflict began in 2014.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that the internationally recognized government and Houthi rebels should prioritize the national interests of the Yemeni people and "choose peace for good."

W140 Full Story
Exiled for decades, Iranian Kurds in Iraq come under fresh fire

When Iranian strikes came crashing on northern Iraq's Kurdistan region, nurse Rezane Hassan rushed to the scene to help the victims, never imagining that her own fiancé would be one of them.

W140 Full Story
US calls on Israel to investigate death of Palestinian boy

The U.S. State Department is calling on Israel to open a "thorough" investigation into the mysterious death of a 7-year-old Palestinian boy who collapsed and died on Thursday, shortly after Israeli soldiers came to his home in the occupied West Bank.

Relatives said Rayan Suleiman had no previous health problems and accused the army of scaring the child to death. The army called the death a tragedy and said its soldiers were not to blame.

W140 Full Story
Morocco arrests suspected Islamic State group member

Moroccan police said Thursday they had arrested a suspected Islamic State group member, in cooperation with U.S. intelligence officers, who was accused of plotting a "terrorist" act.

W140 Full Story