Middle East
Latest stories
Israel bombs Syrian army posts after 6 rockets fired from Syria

The Israeli military said its forces attacked targets in Syria early Sunday after six rockets were launched from Syrian territory in two batches toward Israel in a rare attack from Israel's northeastern neighbor.

Israel initially said it responded with artillery fire into the area in Syria from where the first three rockets were fired. Later, the military said Israeli fighter jets attacked Syrian army sites, including a compound of Syria's 4th Division and radar and artillery posts, after another three rockets were fired from Syria.

W140 Full Story
Rocket debris falls in Jordan after rockets fired from Syria at Golan

Jordan's army announced that a rocket exploded Saturday evening and its debris fell in Jordanian territory near the border with Syria without causing casualties or damage.

It came as the Israeli army announced the launch of artillery strikes in Syria in response to rocket fire from there that landed in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

W140 Full Story
Saudi delegation in Iran after historic deal

A Saudi delegation arrived in Tehran Saturday to discuss reopening the kingdom's diplomatic missions in the Islamic republic, two days after a historic meeting in Beijing between their foreign ministers.

The visit follows the unprecedented meeting between their heads of diplomacy in China on Thursday after they agreed last month to restore diplomatic ties.

W140 Full Story
3 rockets fired from Syria at Israeli-occupied Golan Heights

Three rockets were fired Saturday evening from Syria, one of which hit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights as another landed in Jordan and a third fell in Syrian territory, Israeli media reports said.

The Israeli military confirmed that three rockets were launched from Syria, a rare attack from Israel's northeastern neighbor that comes after days of escalating violence on multiple fronts.

W140 Full Story
US deploys guided-missile submarine amid tensions with Iran

The U.S. Navy has deployed a guided-missile submarine capable of carrying up to 154 Tomahawk missiles to the Middle East, a spokesman said Saturday, in what appeared to be a show of force toward Iran following recent tensions.

The Navy rarely acknowledges the location or deployment of submarines. Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins, a spokesman for the 5th Fleet based in the Gulf nation of Bahrain, declined to comment on the submarine's mission or what had prompted the deployment.

W140 Full Story
EU condemns rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel, urges 'restraint'

The European Union on Saturday condemned deadly attacks in Israel and a barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon that triggered Israeli strikes and called for "restraint."

"The EU expresses its total condemnation of these acts of violence. This must cease," the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement after Friday's attacks in Israel.

W140 Full Story
US warns against 'use of Lebanon as launchpad for rocket attacks'

The United States has said it supports ally Israel's "right to self-defense" after deadly attacks as well as rocket fire from Lebanon that triggered Israeli strikes.

"The targeting of innocent civilians of any nationality is unconscionable. The United States stands with the government and people of Israel," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said in a statement.

W140 Full Story
Netanyahu mobilizes reserves after deadly Tel Aviv, W. Bank attacks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mobilized police and army reserves after separate attacks killed three people, including an Italian tourist, in the West Bank and Tel Aviv, in the latest escalation of deadly violence.

Despite appeals for restraint, violence has surged since Israeli police clashed with Palestinians Wednesday inside Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque, with Israel bombarding both Gaza and Lebanon following rocket fire by Palestinian militants.

W140 Full Story
Russia asks Israel, Palestinians and Lebanon to defuse tensions

Russia has called on Israel, the Palestinians and Lebanon to end the "escalation" of violence, saying it was "deeply" concerned.

"We call on the parties involved in the conflict to refrain from confrontational steps, to act in the interests of preventing further escalation, ending violence and restoring a sustainable ceasefire," the foreign ministry said.

W140 Full Story
UK urges 'all parties' to de-escalate Mideast violence

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Friday appealed on "all parties" to de-escalate after Israel bombarded the Gaza Strip and Lebanon in retaliation for several dozen rockets fired from both territories.

"Now is the time for all parties across the region to de-escalate tensions," he said, condemning rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza and southern Lebanon, and noting London recognizes "Israel's right to self-defense."

W140 Full Story