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Middle East

Spain backs sending defensive arms to Syria rebels
Spain favors a partial lifting of sanctions against Syria that would allow the delivery of "defense material" to rebel groups to help protect the ...
Top figures may be barred from Iran's June ballot
Iran's election process slipped into a tense holding pattern Tuesday amid speculation that candidates blocked from the ballot include a top aide of ...
Egyptian troops mistakenly fire on a Sinai funeral
Egyptian officials say troops and police mistakenly fired on a Bedouin funeral in the Sinai during a sweep searching for security personnel kidnapped ...
UN: Drop in Syrians reaching Jordan, unclear why
U.N. officials said Tuesday that the number of Syrian refugees arriving in Jordan has suddenly fallen from an average of 2,500 a day to fewer than 20, ...
Syrian, Hezbollah troops fight rebels in key town
Backed by elite troops of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group, Syrian government forces fought rebels in a strategic opposition-held Syrian town near ...
Saudi Arabia says arrests 10 from Iranian spy ring
A Saudi official says police have detained 10 more members of an alleged Iranian spy ring — eight Saudis, one Lebanese and one Turkish national.
Israeli military chief warns Syrian regime
Israel's military chief issued a stern warning to Bashar Assad on Tuesday, saying the Syrian leader would "bear the consequences" of any more attacks ...
Oman proposes ban on niqab veils for women drivers
A Saudi online newspaper says Oman is proposing that women be banned from wearing face veils when driving. Al-Watan said Tuesday Oman made the ...
Deadliest attacks in Iraq since US troop pullout
Here is a look at the deadliest attacks in Iraq since the withdrawal of U.S. troops on Dec. 18, 2011: —May 20, 2013: A wave of attacks, some at ...
Death toll in Turkish balloon crash reaches 3
Officials say another Brazilian tourist has died of injuries sustained after a hot air balloon crashed to the ground, raising the number of tourists ...
Israeli peace negotiator: Stalemate bad for Israel
Israel's chief peace negotiator with the Palestinians says the current stalemate is harmful for Israel. Tzipi Livni told a parliamentary committee ...
More attacks across Iraq kill 7 people
New attacks in Iraq killed seven people and wounded dozens on Tuesday, officials said, after a bloody day that claimed more than 100 lives across the ...
Correction: Cyprus-Breaking Barriers story
In a story April 27 marking the 10th anniversary of the breaching of the barriers carving up Cyprus, The Associated Press erroneously reported that ...
Attacks kill 95 in Iraq, hint of Syrian spillover
Iraq's wave of bloodshed sharply escalated Monday with more than a dozen car bombings across the country, part of attacks that killed at least 95 ...
Hezbollah pulled more deeply into Syria civil war
Hezbollah was pulled more deeply into Syria's civil war as 28 guerrillas from the Lebanese Shiite militant group were killed and dozens more wounded ...
Egypt: Security beefed up in Sinai after abduction
Dozens of Egyptian troops and armored vehicles moved into Sinai Monday as the government beefed up security in the volatile peninsula after the ...
Israel, Palestinians still arguing over epic image
A new Israeli report into the death of a Palestinian boy during a fierce gunbattle in the Gaza Strip more than a dozen years ago has reignited an ...
Saudi Arabia reports latest death from new virus
Saudi Arabia says it has recorded another death from a new respiratory virus related to SARS, bringing the total number of deaths in the kingdom to 16
State Dept: Reports of anti-Semitism increase
The State Department appointed a special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism Monday as a new report documents a global increase in incidents of ...
Kerry to Mideast to advance struggling Syria plan
Secretary of State John Kerry headed back to the Middle East on Monday to press his case for peace talks between Syrian rebels and President Bashar ...
Jordan: Arab Spring clears way for press freedoms
The Arab Spring uprisings that toppled four Arab leaders have forced Mideast governments to allow more freedom of expression and of the press, ...
Iran election overseers may bar former president
Iran's election overseers said Monday they will bar candidates who are physically weak from running in next month's presidential election, a reference ...