All Middle East
House of Saud divided: Generational shift seen in royal succession battleThe deteriorating health of King Abdullah, a son of the founding monarch Ibn Saud, has Saudi royals preparing for a succession battle that will focus mostly on who will be the next crown prince.
Israel elections 101: How fractures on political right could hurt NetanyahuThree former Likud colleagues of Netanyahu, now his political rivals, are leading their own parties in Israel's March elections. By splitting the right-wing vote, could they swing the next coalition to the left?
Israeli study: Suicide attacks nearly doubled worldwide in 2014Conflict in the Middle East, and the rise of Islamic State, helped drive a spike in attacks. Researchers also noted a sharp increase in incidents in Nigeria and Afghanistan.聽
To take Israel to court, Palestinians say they're willing to pay the priceAfter Mahmoud Abbas's move to join the International Criminal Court,聽Israel is withholding 聽$127 million in tax revenues from the Palestinian Authority, and US action could follow.聽
How Shiite rebels in Yemen are helping Sunni Al Qaeda militantsThe increasingly sectarian conflict in Yemen has led to a surge in Sunni support for the militant group, which in recent months has faced rising Shiite power, US airstrikes, and competition from the Islamic State.
Muslims urged to visit contested Jerusalem holy site: Will tolerance prevail?Iyad Madani, the secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, called for other Muslims to make the pilgrimage to East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque聽to support Palestinian claims to the site.聽
Is Lebanon closing its door to Syrian refugees?Lebanon says the influx of refugees from Syria's civil war has boosted its population by a third and strained resources. On Monday, it imposed new visa rules for Syrians.
How oil price slump is putting a squeeze on Hezbollah, Iran's Shiite allyIn the second half of 2014, the price of oil fell by 50 percent. Hezbollah, which last fought Israel in Lebanon in 2006, is starting to tighten its belt as its patron Iran feels the impact of lower oil revenues and sanctions.聽
Iran's Khamenei tweets his views on US police brutalityMr. Khamenei used the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter and #Ferguson in a series of tweets that suggested the hypocrisy of the US at Christmastime.
How pilot's capture threatens Jordan's position in Islamic State fightIslamic State reportedly is asking a steep price for the captured pilot. Jordanians, who only narrowly support the bombing campaign, want the government to do 'whatever it takes' to get him back.
Christmas in Bethlehem: For Palestinian 海角大神s, a time of needed hopeFacing political strife and a poor economy in Bethlehem this Christmas, Palestinian 海角大神s say they are finding hope in Jesus鈥檚 message of peace and justice.
To put food on the table in Turkey, enterprising Syrians sell 'taste of home'Syrian refugees in Turkey are importing coffee, cigarettes, and other simple and inexpensive products from their homeland to sell to fellow refugees. The extra income barely covers costs for many households.聽
Jordan using new antiterror law to stifle dissent, democracy activists saySince September, dozens of political activists have been arrested. Jordan said Friday that a Jordanian warplane had crashed in Syria and its pilot had been captured by Islamic State, which claims to have downed the aircraft. 聽
In Kobane, Islamic State takes a pounding, but holds onDespite losing hundreds of fighters to US airstrikes and confronting Iraqi Kurdish fighters, the Islamic State has resisted eviction from Kobane, and its foes fear the fight will drag on.
Israel elections 101: Can revitalized Labor stop country's shift to the right?For years, a discredited and distrusted Labor party has been sidelined as Israel has moved to the right. But a surprise alliance with Tzipi Livni is reaching for the center and outpolling Netanyahu's Likud.
Homegrown jihadis: On Syrian border, Belgian father tracks his wayward sonDimitri Bontinck, a Belgian ex-soldier who retrieved his own son from the Islamic State, goes back to the Turkish-Syrian border to help another anguished father. But luring away jihadis is hard work.聽
Iraqi Kurds seize Mt. Sinjar from Islamic State in major victoryIraqi Kurdish fighters have broken the Islamic State's siege on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq with the help of US-led airstrikes, freeing hundreds from the Yazidi minority who were trapped there for months.
A Palestinian鈥檚 journey from stone-throwing to conflict resolutionAziz Abu Sarah became embittered as a kid during the first Palestinian intifada but had an extraordinary transformation 鈥� in Hebrew class.
In northeast Iraq, flashes of resistance against Islamic State militantsA combination of Iraqi Army units and Kurdish and Shiite paramilitaries has flushed Sunni militants from much of Diyala Province. But tribal leaders run a lethal risk for defying militants and joining the resistance. 聽
On Turkish-Syrian border, a baby Obama is born'Only Obama helped us in our time of need, so I named my son after him,' says a Syrian refugee who goes by the name of Abu Obama. US-led airstrikes on his hometown of Kobane have helped its defenders to resist an Islamic State offensive.聽
