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Qatar Rejects Normalising Ties with 'Criminal' Assad

Qatar's foreign minister ruled out on Monday the possibility of re-opening an embassy in Damascus, in line with some other Gulf countries, calling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a war criminal.

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Jordan King Visits Iraq for First Time in Decade

Jordanian King Abdullah II met Iraq's president and prime minister in Baghdad on Monday, in the monarch's first trip to Iraq in more than a decade.

It is the latest in a string of top-level visits to Iraq in recent weeks, which kicked off with a surprise Christmas trip by U.S. President Donald Trump.

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Pompeo on Diplomatic Tightrope in Saudi Talks over Khashoggi Murder

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo faced a tough balancing act Monday as he pressed Saudi Arabia's crown prince over critic Jamal Khashoggi's murder while seeking to shore up strategic ties with Riyadh.

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Turkey Vows to Continue Fight against Kurdish Militia after Trump Threat

Turkey on Monday vowed to continue fighting a US-backed Kurdish militia which it views as a terrorist group after Donald Trump warned of economic devastation if Turkey attacks Kurdish forces as American troops withdraw.

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Abbas Plans Anti-Hamas Measures as Split Widens

The decade-long Palestinian split looks set to deepen in the coming months, with President Mahmoud Abbas poised to take multiple measures against Gaza to squeeze its Islamist rulers Hamas.

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Top Yemen Brass Injured in Rebel Drone Strike Dies

A high-ranking Yemeni intelligence official injured in a Huthi rebel drone attack on the country's largest air base died of his wounds on Sunday, medical sources said.

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Pompeo Says KSA Must Hold Khashoggi Killers 'Accountable'

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday that he would ask Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to ensure the murderers of journalist Jamal Khashoggi are held "accountable."

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Yemen Rebels Boycott Meeting with U.N.-Led Truce Monitors

Yemeni rebels on Sunday boycotted a meeting chaired by the head of a U.N.-led ceasefire monitoring team in the flashpoint city of Hodeida, accusing him of pursuing "other agendas."

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Pompeo to Push for End to Gulf Dispute during Qatar Visit

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Qatar on Sunday pushing for an end to a diplomatic rift between Washington's Gulf allies on the latest leg of his Middle East tour.

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Netanyahu Says Israeli Strike in Syria Hit Iranian Target

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel had at the weekend carried out an air strike on Iranian weapons in Syria, a rare public confirmation of such attacks.

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