Syria's defence minister said Wednesday that Damascus was open to talks with Kurdish-led forces on their integration into the national army but stood ready to use force should negotiations fail. Sharaa had told Al Arabiya television that Kurdish-led forces should be integrated into the new national army so that weapons are "in the hands of the state alone".

Several times during Blinken's opening remarks, two members of the audience repeatedly interjected with shouted questions about U.S. support for Israel and conditions in Gaza, and, at times, personal attacks aimed at Blinken and other State Department officials.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia is ready to go, but requires following through on ending the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and a commitment to a pathway to a Palestinian state.

In his final policy address, the Biden administration's chief diplomat had little new to say about Gaza’s future or the current state of ceasefire negotiations.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is heading to Syria to encourage the transition in the country following the ouster of President Bashar Assad by Islamist insurgents.

Assad, President-elect Donald Trump stated that he thinks what happens in Syria "is not our fight." In this web exclusive, outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken explains to correspondent Martha Teichner why he feels it is imperative for the United States to be engaged with the new government that emerges in Damascus.

As negotiations continue over the fate of northeast Syria, international governments and aid agencies are looking to step up their support for Syria.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Friday and thanked

The Kurdish forces guarding Islamic State fighters at a jail in northern Syria say they are opposed to handing the facility to the new Islamist rulers in Damascus as they brace for attacks by the ultra hardline group and monitor its attempts to re-emerge.

Failure to reach a ceasefire and longer-term political accord in the north-east could destabilise Syria. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The Netanyahu cabinet said a deal set to free Israeli captives had been reached, while the country's military continues to pound Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Thursday his Cabinet won’t meet to approve the agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages until Hamas