Middle East

World News

Security Tightens As Fighting Between Israelis And Palestinans Continues

5:32am October 19, 2015

Israel tightened security around neighborhoods in east Jerusalem after a series of deadly attacks. At least nine Israelis and more than 40 Palestinians have been killed in the past five weeks.

World News

Why Germany's Voice Of Support For Refugees Is Waning

8:11pm October 18, 2015

Germany's warm welcome for Syrian refugees is waning. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Stefan Kornelius, foreign editor of the country's largest paper, to discuss why people are blaming Angela Merkel.

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Coalition Airstrikes Kill Al-Qaida Leader In Syria, Pentagon Says

6:51pm October 18, 2015

by Brakkton Booker

The U.S. military gave no details about the Thursday airstrikes they say killed Sanafi al-Nasr. The Pentagon said he was "a longtime jihadist experienced in funneling money and fighters for al-Qaida."

World News

Palestinian Perspective: 'Young People Are Demanding Their Freedom'

5:06pm October 18, 2015

Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian physician and general secretary of the Palestine National Initiative, talks with NPR's Michel Martin about continued violence in the Middle East.

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An Israeli's Take: Roots Of Recent Violence Lie In 'Hateful Incitement'

5:06pm October 18, 2015

NPR's Michel Martin speaks to Mark Regev, who has been the chief spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Regev will be taking over as Israel's ambassador to the U.K.

Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi, center, speaks in an open session of parliament while discussing the bill on Iran's nuclear deal with world powers, in Tehran, Iran, Oct. 11, 2015. Starting Sunday, the approved nuclear deal begi

World News

Adopting The Iran Nuclear Deal: What Does It Mean?

8:53am October 18, 2015

by Peter Kenyon

The Iran nuclear deal will begin to unfold in a series of steps that include nuclear cutbacks made by Iran and sanctions relief offered by the other countries.

World News

Hunger Drives Refugees Back To Syria

8:43am October 18, 2015

Facing hunger, Syrian refugees in Jordan are forced to return to Syria to find food. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Ertharin Cousin, executive director of the World Food Programme.

Syrian army personnel fire a cannon in Latakia province, close to the Turkish border in Syria.

We Ask Experts: Has The Situation In Syria Become A Proxy War?

6:44am October 17, 2015

by Eyder Peralta

President Obama has said the U.S. would not "make Syria into a proxy war between the United States and Russia." Given reports that Russia has bombed U.S.-backed rebels, we wondered, is it already?

Week In Politics: U.S. Troops In Afghanistan, Democratic Presidential Debate

6:01pm October 16, 2015

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with our regular political commentators E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution and David Brooks of The New York Times. They discuss President Obama's decision to delay the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and break down the first Democratic presidential debate.

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Violence Escalates In Afghanistan As The Taliban, ISIS Fight Over Turf

5:14pm October 16, 2015

NPR's Audie Cornish talks to New York Times reporter Mujib Mashal about the clashes between the Taliban and ISIS, and the struggles of Afghan civilians caught in the middle.