Middle East

U.S. Weighs Full Military Withdrawal From Syria
U.S. Weighs Full Military Withdrawal From Syria

The United States is considering a full military withdrawal from Syria, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, which said Washington is reassessing its presence amid rapidly changing conditions on the ground. The newspaper reported that internal discussions within the Trump administration are exploring multiple scenarios to reduce, or ...

Trump Says U.S. Still Watching Iran, Fleet Sailing to Region
Trump Says U.S. Still Watching Iran, Fleet Sailing to Region

President Donald Trump said Thursday a US naval "armada" was heading toward the Gulf, maintaining pressure on Iran, although he has recently downplayed the prospect of imminent military action. Last week, Trump pulled back from a threat to strike Iran over its deadly crackdown on anti-government protests after the White House said Tehran had ...

Kurdish SDF Fighters Leave North Syria Prison Under Govt Deal: State Media
Kurdish SDF Fighters Leave North Syria Prison Under Govt Deal: State Media

Syria said early Friday that government forces had begun transferring Kurdish fighters from a prison in the north where they had been holding Islamic State group detainees, as part of a weekend agreement. An AFP correspondent in Raqa saw buses and cars heading away from the Al-Aqtan prison on the city's outskirts overnight, escorted by ...

Iraq Says to Start Legal Proceedings against IS Detainees Moved from Syria
Iraq Says to Start Legal Proceedings against IS Detainees Moved from Syria

Iraq's judiciary said Thursday it would launch legal proceedings against Islamic State group detainees transferred from Syria to Iraq as part of a US operation. "The Iraqi judiciary will begin standard legal proceedings against the defendants who are received and placed in the relevant correctional institutions," the Supreme Judicial Council ...

Tens of Thousands Rally against Surging Arab-Israeli Crime
Tens of Thousands Rally against Surging Arab-Israeli Crime

Tens of thousands of people gathered in northern Israel on Thursday to protest what they said was the police's inaction on curbing soaring violent crime in Arab-Israeli communities. The march in the city of Sakhnin coincided with a general strike in Arab cities and towns across the country, calling for action on the same issue. Under a grey sky ...

Trump Open to Dialogue with Iran as Aftermath of Protests Comes into Focus
Trump Open to Dialogue with Iran as Aftermath of Protests Comes into Focus

President Donald Trump signaled a willingness to engage in dialogue with Iran in remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, while reiterating his opposition to Iran’s nuclear program. These comments came as Trump was speaking about the Gaza ‘Board of Peace,’ as he highlighted the U.S. strikes against ...

Erbil Set to Host New Syria-Kurdish Talks as Ceasefire Strains in the North
Erbil Set to Host New Syria-Kurdish Talks as Ceasefire Strains in the North

A new round of negotiations between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is set to take place in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, according to Kurdish sources cited by Al Arabiya, as efforts intensify to salvage a ceasefire and revive talks over the future of northeastern Syria. The planned meetings come just days after ...

Hamas Signals Readiness to Disarm
Hamas Signals Readiness to Disarm

Hamas has reportedly agreed to surrender its weapons and hand over detailed maps of its tunnel network in Gaza as part of a U.S.-mediated arrangement, according to a Palestinian source cited by Sky News Arabia, a development that would mark a major turning point in the aftermath of the war. The report surfaced after President Donald Trump issued ...

Lebanon and Syria Seek Rapprochement Amid Lingering Distrust
Lebanon and Syria Seek Rapprochement Amid Lingering Distrust

Since the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime in December 2024, Lebanon and Syria have been in the process of rebuilding trust and repairing relations. The challenging endeavor, supported by Saudi Arabia with Washington’s backing, follows decades of recriminations and Lebanon’s former subjugation under Syria’s Baathist rule. Syria did not ...

U.S. Urges Syria to Support Jihadist Transfer to Iraq
U.S. Urges Syria to Support Jihadist Transfer to Iraq

The commander of US forces in the Middle East has called on Syria's president to support the transfer of thousands of jihadist prisoners from Syria to Iraq, the US military said. In a phone call on Wednesday, Admiral Brad Cooper urged Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to "avoid any actions that could interfere" with the process. The United States ...

Trump Launches 'Board of Peace' at Davos
Trump Launches 'Board of Peace' at Davos

US President Donald Trump kicked off his new "Board of Peace" at Davos on Thursday, with a signing ceremony for a body with a $1 billion membership fee and a controversial list of invitees. A group of leaders and senior officials from 19 countries, including Trump allies from Argentina and Hungary, gathered on stage with Trump to put their names ...

Israel Says Struck Syria-Lebanon Border Crossings Used by Hezbollah
Israel Says Struck Syria-Lebanon Border Crossings Used by Hezbollah

The Israeli military said it struck four crossings along the Syria-Lebanon border on Wednesday that were used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons, after earlier launching fresh strikes on the militant group in Lebanon. "A short while ago, the (Israeli military) struck four border crossings on the Syria-Lebanon border used by Hezbollah to smuggle ...