After dozens of people suffered breathing problems in the latest suspected chemical attack to hit Syria, AFP asked doctor Raphael Pitti about the medical effects of such a strike.

Turkey has reached a key milestone in its operation against Kurdish militia inside Syria by taking the town of Jandairis, boosting its chances of successfully completing a tough campaign that has claimed the lives of dozens of Turkish troops.

The United States has approved a request from Qatar to upgrade the emirate's air force operations center, officials said Thursday, despite the Gulf diplomatic crisis.

U.S. and Israeli commanders overseeing a major joint air defense exercise spoke Thursday of preparing for evolving threats in the Middle East during the month-long drill.

The Juniper Cobra exercise, held every two years since 2001, comes as Israel is increasingly concerned by what it says is a growing Iranian military presence in neighboring Syria and Lebanon.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a private meeting Thursday with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, where he made a "strong commitment" to interfaith dialogue, the archbishop's office said.

An air raid believed to have been carried out by the Saudi-led coalition hit a home in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa, killing six members of the same family, witnesses and rebels said Thursday.

Hundreds of tents are to be erected near the Gaza-Israel border for a six-week show of support for Palestinian refugees, officials said Thursday, in what may stir fresh tensions with Israeli forces.

Palestinian families are to set up hundreds of tents -- possibly thousands - for the protests running from March 30 to May 15, organizers said.

Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels on Thursday took control of the key northern town of Jandairis from Kurdish militia, a monitor said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returns Friday from the United States to face what may be the most crucial stretch of his long political career, with corruption probes encircling him and talk of elections building.

With no fewer than four investigations looking into his affairs and a possible indictment on the horizon, Netanyahu has been seeking to remind Israelis of what supporters view as his clout and leadership.

Israeli lawmakers have passed a controversial bill allowing police to hold the corpses of alleged Palestinian assailants indefinitely, parliament said on Thursday.