Hollande says Paris attacks an ‘act of war’ by IS group

Speaking in a televised address to the nation on Saturday, French President François Hollande accused the Islamic State (IS) group of conducting a series of attacks in and around Paris late Friday that left at least 127 people dead.

Assad meets Putin in ‘first foreign visit since 2011’. White House slams Russia 'red carpet' treatment for Syria's Assad

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad flew into Moscow on Tuesday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during which the two men discussed their joint military campaign against Islamist militants in Syria, a Kremlin spokesman said.

Turkey warns Russia, US over support for anti-IS Kurds in Syria

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Wednesday warned the US and Russia against "unacceptable" military and political support for Syrian Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.

US Airdrops 50 Tons of Ammunition to Syria Rebels

The United States airdropped 50 tons of small arms ammunition Sunday to rebels in northern Syria, a U.S. defense official told VOA.

Caspian Flotilla ships fire 26 cruise missiles on IS targets in Syria (Russian Defense Minister)

Ships of the Russian Navy’s Caspian Flotilla have been involved in the operation against militants of the outlawed in in Russia terrorist group Islamic State (IS). 

They have launched 26 missiles on IS targets in Syria, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

Russia confirms first airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Syria

Russia said it launched air strikes against Islamic State group in Syria on Wednesday after President Vladimir Putin secured his parliament’s unanimous backing to intervene to prop up the Kremlin’s closest Middle East ally.

Putin calls for fresh anti-ISIS coalition at U.N.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for the formation of a “broader, general” coalition to fight Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on Monday at the 70th United Nations General Assembly - his first address since a decade.

Kerry says Syria's Assad must go but timing negotiable

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has to go but the timing of his departure should be decided through negotiations.

French air strikes 'necessary' against IS group in Syria, Hollande says

French reconnaissance flights have indicated that air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria will be necessary, President François Hollande said on Monday.

Australian aircraft in first mission in Syria

Australian aircraft have completed their first operation in Syria, defense officials said Saturday, just days after Canberra extended the mission from Iraq to better fight ISIS militants.

ISIL/ISIS captures last government oilfield in Syria

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters have captured the last major oilfield under Syrian government control during deadly clashes over a vast central desert zone, a monitoring group said.

ISIS in almost full control of Syria’s Palmyra

Jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group were in almost full control of Syria’s historic city of Palmyra on Wednesday night after the withdrawal of government forces, a monitor said.

US plays down IS militants' gains in Iraq

Despite major new setbacks in Iraq, the US military command leading the fight against Islamic State militants insisted Friday that its strategy is working and that the militants' takeover of a key oil refinery and a government compound are fleeting gains feeding an IS propaganda machine.

Obama to ’Gulf States’: Biggest Threat is from inside own Countries, not Iran

The Gulf states face a greater threat from within their own countries than from outside forces such as Iran or ISIL (acronym of the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' takfiri group), US President Barack Obama has said in an interview explaining the nuclear deal struck with Iran last week.

Iraqi army hails ‘magnificent victory’ in Tikrit

Iraq’s defense minister said Wednesday that security forces have achieved a “magnificent victory” over the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants in Tikrit.

Iraqi forces beat ISIS in Tikrit, reach city center

Iraqi military forces and Shitte militias entered central Tikrit, declaring it “liberated” from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on Tuesday, following 10 days of a major offensive on the hometown of former president Saddam Hussein.

ISIL/ISIS fighters destroy another world heritage Iraqi site. (The site was also made famous in the Hollywood horror film, The Exorcist.)

Fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have bulldozed the ancient city of Hatra, Iraqi officials say.

In a statement posted on its website on Saturday, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities quoted media outlets about the "looting and destruction of the ruins of the anciety city of Hatra."

Iraqi forces launch offensive to drive IS group out of Tikrit

Around 30,000 Iraqi troops and militia, backed by aircraft, targeted Islamic State group positions in and around the city of Tikrit on Monday as part of a larger campaign aimed at driving the extremists our of the country’s Salahuddin province.

Egyptian court lists Hamas as terrorist organisation

The Cairo Court for Urgent Matters on Saturday ruled Hamas a terrorist organisation, a month after the group's military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, was also designated a terror group by the same court.
The verdict resulted from two separate private suits filed by Samir Sabry and Ashraf Said, both lawyers, against the de facto rulers of the Gaza Strip.

Egypt Calls for Joint Arab Defense Force

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi told his countrymen, in a televised national address late Sunday, that Egypt is hoping to be part of a new Arab joint defense force, which is now under consideration by the Arab League.