Beirut- After the Turkish-backed Euphrates Shield Forces controlled al-Bab city, Syria’s Kurds began to feel that their dream of having a “federal state” has faltered although it was not completely shattered. The latest developments in the battlefield in the Syrian city of al-Bab prevent the Kurds f
Mosul- As Iraqi forces entered for the first time two neighborhoods in west Mosul, ISIS responded by quickly advancing towards the downtown, closing alleyways and tightening the grip on civilians to prevent them from escaping to the city’s east side. Lt. Gen Shaker Jawdat, chief of the federal polic
London- It was only last month that political circles in Ankara, Moscow and Tehran were abuzz about a new triple alliance of Turkey, Russia and Iran to end the conflict in Syria and reshape the Middle East. A summit, slated for early March, was supposed to give that alliance an unofficial diplomatic
SOUAIRI, Lebanon — In the makeshift tent settlements that dot fields and villages in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, Syrian refugees are digging in, pouring concrete floors, installing underground sewerage and electric wires, and starting businesses and families. What they are not doing is packing up e
Cairo – Egyptian Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr said on Thursday that her country was seeking to revive investments with Lebanon. Speaking at the opening session of a meeting between Egyptian and Lebanese businessmen in Lebanon, Nasr said the gathering is of gr
In some ways, President Donald Trump’s new national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, is a lot like the man he is replacing, Michael Flynn. Both rose to the rank of three-star generals in the Army. Their worldviews were formed during the war in Iraq. At key points in their careers, the two gene
Russia is ready to veto a draft resolution calling for sanctions against Syria’s regime led by Bashar al-Assad over the use of chemical weapons on civilians, a top Russian diplomat to the United Nations said on Friday, prompting a rebuke from the United States. “There is an argument that the r
Turkey’s incursion into northern Syria launched six months ago has achieved its planned targets following the seizure of the Syrian town of al-Bab, the head of Turkey’s chief of staff, Hulusi Akar, said on Friday, according to Reuters. “With al-Bab under control, the targets planne
The level of credence enjoyed by the United Nations Security Council is promptly endangered as it meets to discuss possible sanctions against Syria for the use of chemical weapons against civilians, the head of the French mission to the United Nations said on Friday. “If the Security Council i
Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Friday that the Iraqi air force struck ISIS positions inside neighboring Syria in retaliation to recent bomb attacks in Baghdad. “We ordered the air force command to strike Daesh terrorist sites in Husseibeh and Albu Kamal, in Syrian territory,R
U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly lambasted the FBI on Friday for failing to stop leaks of national security information to the media and directed the agency to find those who pass on classified information. Trump claimed the FBI has been giving classified information to media that could have
The United Nations’ human rights office decried on Friday the 18-month sentence handed down by a Tel Aviv military court to an Israeli soldier for killing a badly wounded Palestinian as “excessively lenient” and “unacceptable”. The soldier, Sgt. Elor Azaria, was sentenc
Riyadh- Saudi Arabia’s ministry of education launched on Thursday its non-compulsory health insurance program for facility members, to be provided by Al Rajhi Company for Cooperative Insurance. Minister of Education Ahmed Al-Isa, speaking at a public conference, said that a new voluntary health insu
A suicide bomber attacked rebels backed by Turkey just outside the northwestern Syrian town of Al-Bab Friday, killing more than 40 people in a major blow just hours after they hailed its capture from ISIS. The bomber blew up a vehicle packed with explosives outside a rebel command center in the vill
Jeddah- Yemeni riyal is reportedly being exchanged at different rates across local banks. The national currency is selling at different prices in Sana’a than rates in Aden, not to mention the most flagrant difference on exchange rate being registered at the black market. The popularity of the
Damascus, Amman- UNICEF’s Regional Director Geert Cappelaere has urged parties at the Geneva talks to join efforts and put children of Syria first, adding that nearly two million children remain largely cut-off from urgently needed humanitarian assistance. Cappelaere’s statement coincided with the l
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have promised Mexico no “mass deportations” or use of military force to expel immigrants. The U.S. officials were moving to calm tensions over President Donald Trump’s vow to crack down on “bad d
Manama- The Bahraini Interior Ministry tweeted on Thursday that a terrorist blast slightly injured a woman near the Bahraini capital, Manama. The ministry revealed that a woman who happened to be passing in the village of Sanabis was injured, noting that relevant authorities are taking necessary mea
Elite Iraqi security forces advanced deeper into the first neighborhood in western Mosul on Friday and recaptured the international airport on the city’s southwestern edge from the ISIS group, according to Iraqi officials. The gains came one day after launching attacks on several fronts toward
Ramallah, Tel Aviv- The Palestinian authority rejected statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Australia on Thursday on granting autonomy to the Palestinians. “Neither autonomy nor canton. Those two options are a bygone—without a Palestinian state with Jerusalem for a capital
