MIDDLE EAST

Extremists from radical group Islamic State (IS) on Tuesday brought down a Syrian regime warplane in their stronghold of Raqa, monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “IS fighters fired on a military aircraft which crashed. It is the first aircraft shot down since the regime launched air strikes against the jihadists in July following their declaration of a …

On Tuesday, the United Nations mediated a Palestinian-Israeli deal on the import of construction material to the Gaza Strip to ensure that they will not be diverted by Hamas members, a UN envoy said. UN envoy for the Middle East Robert Serry said that the agreement on oversee the supply of construction material “must get up and running without delay”. …

United States military commanders on Tuesday said that the US is planning to launch strikes on the Islamic State (IS) in its strongholds in Syria, and that it could send advisers into combat zones alongside Iraqi soldiers. They also warned of further escalation in their fight against the extremists, as two branches of a rival al-Qaeda group called for unity …

On Tuesday, branches of the Al-Qaeda in North Africa and Yemen called for extremists in Syria and Iraq to unite against the threat of the US-led coalition to battle extremists in the Middle East. In an unprecedented joint statement, the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula urged their “brothers” in Syria and Iraq to …

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in Tuesday urged nations with the capacity to take actions against the Islamic State (IS). “I urge the international community, and those with the means, to act decisively and after sober reflection. It is critical to keep at the forefront the protection of civilians”, he said. However, the UN chief did not say what steps …

On Monday, top diplomats from 30 countries, including China, Russia and the United States, gathered in Paris to pledge support to Iraq in its fight against the Islamic State (IS) by “any means necessary”, including “appropriate military assistance”. The meeting comes on the heels of the beheading of a third western hostage by IS over the weekend. The diplomats issued …

A total of forty-three former and current Israeli military reservists signed a letter vowing to no longer be a part of operations against Palestinians. In the letter, they address the operations of Unit 8200, which is said to carry out electronic surveillance. According to the letter the intelligence gathered by the unit was mostly concerning innocent people and used to …

French President Francois Hollande on Friday said that France is prepared to increase military aid to Iraq, as global efforts to combat the extremist fighters intensify. Hollande was on a visit to Baghdad, the highest-profile visit to the country since extremists led by the Islamic State (IS) seized territory in Iraq and Syria in a sweeping move which sparked international …

Exiled Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal on Friday denied that the Palestinian movement was running a “shadow government” in the Gaza Strip. Meshaal spoke in Tunisian capital city Tunis only days after Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas threatened to break the unity government with Hamas after he charged that Hamas was not letting the government operate in Gaza. “There is a national …

Syrian National Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar on Thursday said that US air strikes over Syrian territory without the permission of the Syrian regime would be considered an “attack” on the country. “Any action of any kind without the consent of the Syrian government would be an attack on Syria”, Haidar said. However, he refused to say what the response to …