Thousands of civilians, mostly relatives of jihadist fighters, are fleeing the Islamic State group's last stronghold in eastern Syria, a war monitor said yesterday.

Thousands of civilians, mostly relatives of jihadist fighters, are fleeing the Islamic State group's last stronghold in eastern Syria, a war monitor said yesterday.

King Salman of Saudi Arabia ordered a major government reshuffle yesterday, replacing the ministers of foreign affairs and information, a royal decree said.

Syrian air defences shot down Israeli missiles near the capital Damascus on Tuesday, local state media reported, while Israel said it was protecting itself from anti-aircraft fire.

Iran has met with the Afghan Taliban, a top Iranian security official said yesterday according to the Tasnim news agency, just days after the militants attended reconciliation talks in the UAE.

Israeli authorities have advanced plans for nearly 2,200 settlement homes in the occupied West Bank, the Peace Now NGO said yesterday, the first such approvals since snap polls were called earlier this week.

Israeli war planes attack with missiles unspecified targets near Damascus, the Syrian capital, and injured three Syrian soldiers, Syrian state media reports quoting a military source.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani yesterday presented a $47 billion state budget with increased spending on lower income groups, saying US sanctions would affect people's lives and economic growth but not bring the government to its knees.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani yesterday presented a $47 billion state budget with increased spending on lower income groups, saying US sanctions would affect people's lives and economic growth but not bring the government to its knees.

Suicide attackers stormed the Libyan foreign ministry in the capital Tripoli yesterday, killing at least three people including a senior civil servant, the authorities said.

Israel's government yesterday decided to hold early elections in April with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struggling to keep together a one-seat majority in parliament as he also

At least 13 people were killed and 17 wounded in a car bomb attack claimed by al-Qaeda-linked group al Shabaab close to the

Saudi Arabia yesterday announced the creation of three new government bodies aimed at improving the country's intelligence operations in the wake of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which has sparked international outrage.

A court yesterday acquitted 43 NGO staff accused of receiving illicit foreign funds to stir up unrest during Egypt's 2011 uprising, a judge

The United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday that reconciliation talks it hosted between the United States and Taliban officials from

US President Donald Trump yesterday defended his surprise decision to declare victory over Islamic State militants and completely

A Yemeni mother who was granted a waiver from President Donald Trump's ban on travel from several Muslim majority countries has arrived in the US to say goodbye to her dying toddler son.

US President Donald Trump's order to withdraw US troops from Syria also signifies an end to the US air campaign against Islamic State there, US officials told Reuters yesterday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

It was set to be the most discreet yet potent measure of US influence in the Middle East.

A mother from Yemen was granted Tuesday her wish to see her dying toddler one last time in the United States, which agreed to issue