All Middle East
Sinai attack seals up Gaza to outside worldIn the wake of yesterday's attack on Egyptian guards in the Sinai, Gaza's border crossings with Israel and Egypt, as well as smuggling tunnels, have been shut down.
Syrian Army pushes to break rebel frontlines in battle for AleppoThe Syrian Army deployed planes and a helicopter gunship as it targeted rebel positions in Aleppo, a key city in Syria's civil war. Fighting also intensified in Damascus Saturday.
How 'pro-regime' Aleppo became one of Syria's biggest battlegroundsAleppo was long regarded as immune to the uprising sweeping the rest of Syria, but the deaths of several students helped galvanize a dormant opposition.
Syria's rebels have a new villain: the United StatesThe US has stepped up its rhetoric against President Assad and is providing covert support to rebels. But for many fighting the Assad regime, it is not enough.
Slow to turn on Qaddafi, Bani Walid now struggles in a post-revolution LibyaBani Walid's resistance to joining the uprising against Muammar Qaddafi earned residents a reputation for being regime loyalists, leaving them marginalized in the new Libya.聽
Syria's iPhone insurgency makes for smarter rebellionThe prevalence of smart phones and other technology has allowed Syria's rebels to undermine state media reports and rally supporters, in Syria and abroad, with evidence of regime atrocities.
Israel considers drafting its Arab citizensPlans to reform Israel's draft law include the possibility of requiring Arab citizens of Israel to perform non-military national service. Serve us first, many of them say.聽
Syrian opposition's volunteer medics keep working, despite death threatsThe Syrian regime made an example of three volunteer medics by torturing and killing them. But its attempt to intimidate has only emboldened the ranks of Aleppo's opposition.
Egypt's beleaguered 海角大神s worry about persecution, neglect under MorsiThe past 18 months have been particularly trying for Egypt's 海角大神s, who have clashed with Muslims and lost a religious leader. Now they wonder what life will be like under an Islamist president.
Inside Aleppo: Rebels repulse Syrian tanks, civilians dodge shellsMonitor reporter Scott Peterson reports from the Aleppo neighborhood of Salaheddin that the rebels are impeding the Syrian Army's ground progress, pushing them to use more deadly tactics.
Romney's Israel speech: Iran will be 'highest national security priority'The presumptive Republican candidate for president offered few hints of what he would do differently from Obama aside from avoiding public disputes with Israel.聽
With Romney visit, Israelis worry about becoming a partisan issuePresidential challenger Mitt Romney is promising to give Israel a freer hand with Iran while President Obama announced $70 million in additional military aid to the country.
Aleppo short on weapons, medical supplies as Syria's next big battle loomsThe expected Syrian government offensive hasn't begun in earnest, but聽Aleppo's rebel-held neighborhoods are being pounded by shelling and gunfire and clinics are filling up with wounded.
After quake, rebuilding community remains biggest challenge for Turkey's KurdsOfficials are moving quickly to rebuild the cities and towns destroyed in last year's earthquake in eastern Turkey, but they can't restore the Kurds' fractured family and community ties.
Market shelves are stocked, but Yemenis still starveMore than 10 million Yemenis lack adequate food and more than a quarter million children face malnutrition, but economic disruption, not food shortages, are to blame.
Amid Olympics glee, Israeli 'Munich Massacre' families request moment for griefFamilies of the 11 Israelis killed at the 1972 Munich Olympics are campaigning for a moment of silence at the opening ceremony, but Olympics organizers have so far refused.
Under Israeli blockade of Gaza, books are a rare, cherished commodityIsrael does not explicitly ban importing books to Gaza, but the blockade makes it extraordinarily difficult to do so. The shortage amounts to a kind of censorship, Gazans say.
Egyptian president names unknown as next prime ministerThat Egyptian President Morsi chose an obscure former government minister for the post, which he promised to fill with an independent, likely indicates he had a hard time finding a willing taker.
Turks turn to Twitter as Erdogan muzzles traditional mediaWith journalistic freedom diminishing in Turkey, Twitter has emerged as a powerful work-around for independent reporters.
Five reasons why Syria may be at a tipping point Since the start of the conflict in Syria, international observers have been watching the government of President Bashar al-Assad for signs that the once-feared regime might be vulnerable to overthrow. Despite Syrian efforts to crush the rebels and to stifle news out of the country, this past week has shown the strongest evidence yet that the end of the Assad regime may be near. Here are five signs that the Syrian conflict may finally be tipping in favor of the rebels.