RMEILAN, Syria — Dressed in camouflage and sipping tea, the Syrian commander who emerged as America’s closest ally in the battle that defeated Islamic State looked to an unsettling future. The Kurdish leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces, known by the nom de guerre Mazlum Kobani, praised his alliance with the United States in a […]

Houthi forces are handing over control of the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef, and Ras Isa to the Yemeni coastguard. The United Nations has said the first full day of the Houthi withdrawal from three of Yemen’s Red Sea ports went “in accordance with established plans”, while an official from the internationally recognized government said there […]

Iran is facing “unprecedented” pressure from international sanctions, President Hassan Rouhani has said. Renewed US sanctions had led to worse economic conditions than during the country’s 1980-88 war with neighbouring Iraq, Mr Rouhani said. His comments came amid rising tensions with the US, which last week deployed warships and warplanes to the Gulf. Mr Rouhani, […]

Humanitarian groups have ceased operating in Idlib, citing the safety of their employees as violence in the area grows. UN-linked aid groups have suspended activities in parts of violence-plagued northwestern Syria, where escalating bombardments by the government and Russia are jeopardising the safety of humanitarian workers. “As of May 8, at least 16 humanitarian partners have […]

Yemen’s Houthi rebels are preparing to withdraw from a key strategic port, in the first major step since a ceasefire agreement signed in December. Both the Houthis and government forces agreed to withdraw from Hudaydah port to allow in vital humanitarian aid. That process finally began on Saturday, with signs that Houthi forces were pulling […]

The Golan Heights, a rocky plateau in south-western Syria, has a political and strategic significance which belies its size. Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the closing stages of the 1967 Six-Day War. Most of the Syrian Arab inhabitants fled the area during the conflict. An armistice line was established and the region […]

Top Iran official dismisses Donald Trump’s offer for talks as US’s B-52 bombers reach Middle East in message to Iran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) has rejected negotiations with the United States and denied the likelihood of a US attack, a day after US President Donald Trump urged talks while saying he could not rule […]

Patients can get free treatment at the Qatari-funded hospital, the first public rehab facility in the Gaza Strip. The latest March of Return protest is expected in Gaza. Demonstrators have been assembling at the border fence every Friday for more than a year. Israeli forces have killed hundreds of Palestinians demanding the return of their […]

US President Donald Trump has decided to end exemptions from sanctions for countries still buying oil from Iran. The White House said waivers for China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey would expire in May, after which they could face US sanctions themselves. This decision is intended to bring Iran’s oil exports to zero, denying […]

Regime forces have vowed to crush the Syrian rebellion once and for all in the province of Idlib, saying there will be “no green buses” like the ones that allowed rebel fighters to evacuate after previous defeats. After eight months of relative quiet following a Russian-Turkish ceasefire deal, regime forces and their allies have launched […]