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Disaster Feared if 'Ticking Time Bomb' Yemen Tanker Explodes

An abandoned oil tanker anchored off war-torn Yemen that is degrading along with its cargo could explode and cause an environmental disaster, experts said Wednesday as U.N. inspectors prepared to visit.

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Hundreds of Displaced Iraqis Transferred from Camp despite Fears

Hundreds of displaced Iraqi civilians, mostly women and children, were transferred from a northern camp to their home areas on Wednesday despite concerns over the conditions awaiting them and fears of violence.

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U.S. Says 'Will Not' Release Mideast Peace Plan before Israeli Election

A long-promised U.S. proposal for Israeli-Palestinian peace will remain under wraps until Israel's elections are over in September, the White House special envoy said Wednesday.

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Israel Army Opens Farsi Social Media Accounts in Bid to Reach Iranians

Israel's army has opened social media accounts in Farsi in a bid to reach out to the people of Iran, the military said on Twitter Wednesday.

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US Warns Businesses against Taking Part in Damascus Fair

The United States is warning businesses against participating in an annual trade fare this week in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

The U.S. Embassy in Syria, which closed the mission early on in the country's eight-year civil war, posted a statement on Twitter ahead of the exhibition, which is expected to open on Wednesday.

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Yemen Forces Enter Aden after Seizure by Separatists

Yemen government forces entered the interim capital Aden and recaptured a nearby province Wednesday, officials said, pushing back separatists who had seized parts of the south this month.

"The national army and security services reached at this moment the interim capital and begin to secure districts," Yemeni Information Minister Moammer al-Eryani said on Twitter.

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Syria Air Raids Hit near Turkish Military Post

Air raids hit near a Turkish military post in northwest Syria Wednesday, a war monitor said, after Ankara vowed to take necessary steps to protect its troops deployed across the border.

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US State Dept under Fire as Site Removes 'Palestinian Territories'

Palestinian leaders are in uproar after the US State Department's website removed the territories from its list of countries and areas, following a slew of pro-Israel actions by President Donald Trump.

The official website no longer has a separate entry for the Palestinian Authority. An archived version of the website from the 2009-2017 presidency of Barack Obama shows that "Palestinian Territories" were listed among countries and areas both on the opening page and in the section of the Near East bureau.

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Gaza under Alert after Suicide Bombings Kill 3 Police Officers

Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas said Wednesday two overnight suicide bombings killed three Palestinian police officers in the strip, placing the Palestinian enclave in a state of alert.

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5 Migrants Dead, Up to 20 Missing in Sinking off Libya

The bodies of five migrants including a Moroccan child were recovered off Libya's coast Tuesday while up to 20 others were missing after a Europe-bound boat sank, the navy said.

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