Turkey's Erdogan says he remains hopeful about reconciliation with Syria

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he remains hopeful that a reconciliation with Syrian President Bashar Assad can be achieved to end more than a decade of tensions between their two neighboring countries, state-run media reported on Wednesday. ...

UN force says Israeli work on Syrian frontier saw 'severe violations' of cease-fire after AP report

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — United Nations peacekeepers warned Tuesday that the Israeli military has committed “severe violations” of a cease-fire deal with Syria as its military continues a major construction project along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied...

UN force says Israeli project on Syria border saw 'severe violations' of a cease-fire deal after AP report on work there

US military strikes Iranian-backed militia targets in Syria

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. struck nine targets at two locations in Syria Monday to hit Iranian-aligned militias that had launched attacks on U.S. personnel over the last 24 hours, U.S. Central Command said. No U.S. personnel were injured in the attacks, but as of late Monday the...

Israel's military is building along UN-patrolled demilitarized zone in Syria, satellite images show

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel has begun a construction project along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria, apparently laying asphalt for a road right along the frontier, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show. ...

Satellite photos show Israel building along Syria demilitarized zone. UN tells AP Israel troops entered zone during work

While Syrian refugees don't want to return, officials in Lebanon and Syria see exodus as opportunity

BEIRUT (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees have returned to their country since Israel launched a massive aerial bombardment on wide swathes of Lebanon in September. Many who fled to Lebanon after the war in Syria started in 2011 did not want to go back. But for...

Leader of the free world has never been a role Trump has embraced. The world has gotten the message

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. presidents usually at least pay lip service to being leaders of the free world, at the helm of a mighty democracy and military that allies worldwide can rally around and reasonably depend on for support in return. Not so under President-elect Donald Trump, a...

In an Israeli settlement named after Trump, residents see opportunity after the election

RAMAT TRUMP, Golan Heights (AP) — Israeli residents of “Trump Heights” are welcoming the election of their namesake, hoping Donald Trump's return to the U.S. presidency will breathe new life into this tiny, remote settlement in the central Golan Heights. During his first term,...

Israel says it carried out ground raid into Syria, seizing a Syrian citizen connected to Iran

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military said Sunday it has carried out a ground raid into Syria, seizing a Syrian citizen involved in Iranian networks. It was the first time in the current war that Israel announced its troops operated in Syrian territory. Israel has carried out...