No Palestinian state, if elected

Israelis were voting yesterday in a close-fought election pitting the centre left against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who ruled
17 March 2015

US rules out Assad's role in Syria peace talks

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will never be part of peace negotiations to halt the brutal civil war, US officials vowed Monday, adding
17 March 2015

Iraq's Tikrit offensive stalled by ISIS bombs

Iraq's huge offensive to retake Tikrit from the Islamic State group was stalled yesterday by a slew of bombs and the several hundred
17 March 2015

Arafat was not poisoned

French experts reexamining evidence have confirmed their earlier conclusion that the 2004 death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was
17 March 2015

US to slow down Afghan troop exit

The United States will scrap a plan to reduce the US force in Afghanistan to 5,500 by December, after American commanders appealed to
17 March 2015

Israeli politicians in last effort to woo voters

Israeli politicians made their final pitches for votes yesterday on the eve of an election that will decide the fate of Prime Minister
16 March 2015

Yemen PM says Huthi to end his house arrest

Yemeni Prime Minister Khalid Bahah said that he was poised to leave the capital Sanaa yesterday after Shiite militia agreed to free him
16 March 2015

Awaiting 'action' after Kerry comments: Assad

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad said yesterday he was waiting for US "actions" after Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged talks
16 March 2015

Foreign money being used to defeat me

With less than 24 hours to go until an election that he appears on course to lose, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested
16 March 2015

Kerry, Zarif in crunch round

Iran nuclear talks entered a critical week yesterday with US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart racing to find an
16 March 2015

Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood breakup

Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood has formally split after 70 years — a breakup blamed on long-running ideological disputes, but also on a government attempt to further weaken what was once the country's main opposition group
16 March 2015

Saudi Arabia: Iran deal could start nuclear fuel race

A senior member of the Saudi royal family warns that a deal on Iran's nuclear programme could prompt other regional states to develop atomic fuel
16 March 2015

ISIS used chlorine gas

Iraqi Kurdish authorities said they have evidence that Islamic State had used chlorine gas as a chemical weapon against their
15 March 2015

Time to get it done, says Kerry

Iran and the US raced against the clock yesterday to close in on a nuclear deal with US Secretary of State John Kerry saying it was "time to
15 March 2015

45 Egypt militants killed in army raids

Forty-five militants were killed in army raids in the past week in Egypt, the military said yesterday. 97 wanted and suspected militants
15 March 2015

Cluster bombs used in Libya conflict: HRW

Human Rights Watch yesterday warned of the use of cluster bombs over the past four months in the Libyan conflict between forces of the
15 March 2015

No solution without Assad

As the devastating war in Syria entered its fifth year yesterday, the US said it would have to negotiate with Syrian President Bashar al-
15 March 2015

US issues alert for Riyadh embassy

The US embassy in Riyadh has cancelled all consular services for Sunday and Monday due to "heightened security concerns"
15 March 2015

Not sure about Iran deal

On the eve of fresh talks with Iran, US Secretary of State John Kerry said it was unclear whether an interim agreement over its nuclear
14 March 2015

US does not want Syrian regime collapse

CIA Director John Brennan said Friday the United States does not want to see a chaotic collapse of the Syrian regime as it could open
14 March 2015