Middle-East
Israeli military says 4 rockets fired from Syria intercepted
The Israeli military said it intercepted four incoming rockets from Syria on Tuesday and explosions were heard shortly after that in Damascus, a week after another Israeli strike targeted a top Palestinian militant in the Syrian capital.
Iran downplays, demonizes protests amid internet shutdown
Iran on Monday alternatively downplayed and demonized ongoing protests across the country that have killed at least five people and renewed pressure on the government as the country struggles under the weight of U.S. economic sanctions.
Leaked intelligence cables show Iran’s grip on Iraq
Hundreds of pages of purported Iranian intelligence documents have come to light that detail Iran’s massive influence in neighboring Iraq, The New York Times and The Intercept reported on Monday.
Kuwaiti emir reappoints outgoing PM to form new gov't
Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Monday reappointed Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah as prime minister, the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported.
Lebanese protests test Hezbollah’s role as Shiites’ champion
Young men chanting the "people want to bring down the regime" gathered outside the office of Lebanese legislator Mohammed Raad, the powerful head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc. One shirtless man grabbed a metal rod and swung it at the sign bearing Raad’s name, knocking it out of place as others cheered.
3 protesters killed in Baghdad as bloody clashes continue
Security forces fired live rounds and tear gas at anti-government protesters in a central Baghdad square Friday, killing three people, in bloody confrontations that continued despite an influential Shiite leader’s call for calm.
Turkey says it captured ‘important’ IS figure in Syria
Turkey’s interior minister said Wednesday that his country’s forces have captured an "important" figure within the Islamic State group, in Syria.
Israel hits Gaza amid rocket fire, Palestinian deaths rise
Israeli airstrikes pounded Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza on Wednesday and militants resumed rocket fire toward Israel after a brief overnight lull, as the death toll rose to 23 Palestinians, including a 7-year-old boy and two other minors, in the heaviest round of fighting in months.
Israel boosts forces near Gaza amid escalating tension
Israel's army deployed artillery near the Gaza Strip border on Wednesday morning, in the second day of escalating tension between the country and Palestinian Islamic Jihad group.
Israel-Gaza violence "could take time": Israeli PM
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that the fighting with Gaza's Islamic Jihad group "could take time" in the second day of escalating tension in the region.