An age-old Palestinian tradition of making soap in the Israeli-occupied West Bank was recognized by UNESCO. A visit to one factory tells you why.

When Syria's new leaders shut 60 Damascus bars, drinkers protested, and the government reversed itself. It's an example of the tussle between secular and Islamist values in the new Syria.

Iran's president said the Islamic Republic rejected direct negotiations with the United States over its rapidly advancing nuclear program, Tehran's first response to a letter sent by President Trump.

Aid groups warn their warehouses are close to empty as the Israeli blockade enters its second month.

The apology appeared after a wave of online protest against the Academy — first for not responding to Ballal's attack, and then for not naming him and his film directly in its initial statement.

For the first week of Ramadan, Palestinians in Gaza marked the holy month with a respite from war. Then Israel broke a ceasefire with Hamas. The fighting and blockade mean there's little to celebrate.

Israel said it was targeting a building in the Dahiyeh suburb used by Hezbollah to store drones, after early morning rockets were fired from southern Lebanon toward northern Israel on Friday.

The World Food Programme says it has just five days left of flour and two weeks left of other food supplies in Gaza.

Ahmed al-Sharaa founded the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, but is now advocating unity. The Atlantic's Robert Worth discusses al-Sharaa's leadership and the Trump administration's group chat on Signal.

The euphoria of Syria's new dawn has turned to violence. Alleged massacres of minority Alawites have sent a fresh wave of refugees into neighboring Lebanon.