Yemen strikes stoke fears of wider conflict with Iran

Iran's alleged involvement in the Houthi insurgency in Yemen is stoking concerns that the region may be embroiled in a wider sectarian confrontation.

Houthis threaten Saudi Arabia with suicide bombings

Yemen's Houthi fighters have threatened to undertake suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia if the kingdom continues to launch airstrikes against the group's positions.

Yemen: Arab states agree to form unified military force

Arab foreign ministers meeting in Egypt on Thursday agreed to establish a unified military force for rapid intervention to deal with security threats to Arab nations.

The ministers “agreed on an important principle, to establish the force,” Arab League secretary-general Nabil al-Arabi said at a news conference.

No survivors found at site of French plane crash

A plane operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline crashed in a remote area of the French Alps today, killing all 150 people on board including 16 schoolchildren.

Abdullah Ocalan urges PKK to move towards ending Turkey conflict

Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), has urged the group to establish a congress on ending its three-decade armed struggle against the Turkish state.

World presses Netanyahu after upset election win. Israel PM Netanyahu softens stance on Palestinian state

As Benjamin Netanyahu weighed up options for a new right-wing coalition Thursday, Western governments cranked up the pressure on the Israeli premier over his controversial campaign pledge ruling out a Palestinian state.

American position 'clear' on Syria (US embassy in Turkey)

The position of the United States is clear and unchanged about Syria, the U.S. Embassy in Turkey said Tuesday.

Putin: was probability of putting nuclear forces on alert after change of power in Kiev

After a change of power in Kiev Russia could have declared putting its nuclear forces on an alert, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted in an interview with the authors of the documentary Crimea. The Path to the Motherland that was aired by Russia’s television channel Rossiya 1 on Sunday.

US to provide $70M in non-lethal aid to Syrian opposition

The U.S. is working to provide an additional $70 million in non-lethal aid to the Syrian opposition, the State Department’s number two announced Friday as the country's bloody conflict enters its fifth year.

Iraqi forces beat ISIS in Tikrit, reach city center

Iraqi military forces and Shitte militias entered central Tikrit, declaring it “liberated” from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on Tuesday, following 10 days of a major offensive on the hometown of former president Saddam Hussein.

Solar plane finishes first leg of epic round-the-world bid

Solar Impulse 2 landed Monday in Oman, completing the initial leg of its epic bid to become the first solar-powered plane to fly around the world, testing its pilots to the limit.

The aircraft touched down in Muscat after nightfall, 13 hours and two minutes after taking off from Abu Dhabi.

ISIL/ISIS fighters destroy another world heritage Iraqi site. (The site was also made famous in the Hollywood horror film, The Exorcist.)

Fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have bulldozed the ancient city of Hatra, Iraqi officials say.

In a statement posted on its website on Saturday, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities quoted media outlets about the "looting and destruction of the ruins of the anciety city of Hatra."

Ukraine expands army over security threats

Ukraine's parliament on Thursday approved a bill to expand the country's army to 250,000 troops, the parliamentary press service said.

The bill, submitted by President Petro Poroshenko and requiring at least 226 votes to get approved, was supported by 270 lawmakers.

Ukraine Needs US to Buy Arms on World Market

Ukraine has encountered difficulties purchasing defensive weapons from other countries without the United States licensing an onward export, US Assistance Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said during the hearing at the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.

Iraqi forces launch offensive to drive IS group out of Tikrit

Around 30,000 Iraqi troops and militia, backed by aircraft, targeted Islamic State group positions in and around the city of Tikrit on Monday as part of a larger campaign aimed at driving the extremists our of the country’s Salahuddin province.