Russia’s president and the Syrian army said Thursday that a nation-wide cease-fire agreement has been reached with opposition rebels, set to begin at midnight. The deal was confirmed by the Turkish foreign ministry. Vladimir Putin said the cease-fire, which excludes extremist groups such as the Islamic State group and al-Qaida… Read More

The Turkish government on Thursday dismissed Washington’s denials that it has provided weapons to a Syrian Kurdish militia force, which Turkey considers to be a terrorist group. It also complained about a lack of support from the U.S.-led coalition to its offensive against the Islamic State group in northern Syria…. Read More

Swedish prosecutors say a Syrian man has been charged with war crimes for having taken part in the 2012 execution of seven government troops in Syria. Investigator Kristina Lindehoff Carleson says the conflict then “was a non-international armed conflict between the Syrian government and a number of armed groups.” Lindehoff… Read More

In a historic pilgrimage, the leaders of Japan and the United States took to the hallowed waters of Pearl Harbor on Tuesday to prove that even the bitterest enemies can become allies. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not apologize, but conceded Japan “must never repeat the horrors of war again.”… Read More

Turkey restricted access to social media websites for several hours after the Islamic State group released a video purportedly showing two Turkish soldiers being burned alive, as Turkish warplanes on Friday pounded the extremist-held town in Syria near where the soldiers are believed to have gone missing. IS released the… Read More

President Enrique Pena Nieto pledged on Thursday to help rebuild a fireworks market where explosions killed at least 35 people and reopen it next year, while a Roman Catholic church held funeral Masses throughout the day. Families packed Our Lady of Loreto Catholic Church in Tultepec in Mexico State, where… Read More

Israel’s prime minister turned to President-elect Donald Trump to help head off a critical U.N. resolution after learning that the White House did not intend to veto the measure, an Israeli official said Friday. The admission marked a final chapter in the icy relations between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and… Read More

The Syrian government took full control of Aleppo on Thursday for the first time in four years after the last opposition fighters and civilians were bused out of war-ravaged eastern districts, sealing the end of the rebellion’s most important stronghold. The evacuations ended a brutal chapter in Syria’s nearly six-year… Read More