BEIRUT - Syrian government forces launched a long-planned offensive early Sunday on the strategic city of Qusair and neighboring rebel-controlled villages near the Lebanese border, with heavy shelling that began shortly after midnight, according to opposition and pro-regime accounts. » read more

JERUSALEM - Fears of an escalation of violence between Israel and Syria grew Sunday with renewed Israeli threats to destroy Syrian weapons caches and Syria's warnings of retaliation. » read more

The Obama administration on Friday condemned Russia's delivery of advanced anti-ship missiles to Syria and its buildup of warships in the eastern Mediterranean, arguing that the Kremlin's escalating support for its longtime ally in Damascus could prolong the civil war. » read more

A police chief who had stood up repeatedly to the Taliban was shot and killed in a drive-by attack by four insurgents on motorcycles, officials said Saturday. » read more

BEIRUT - Syrian President Bashar Assad has expressed skepticism that a planned U.S.-Russian peace conference could help stop the bloodshed in his country, according to an interview published Saturday in an Argentine newspaper. » read more

Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Nigeria to ensure its army does not violate human rights as it pursues radical Islamists in the northeast region. » read more

North Korea fired three short-range missiles off its east coast Saturday, following through on months of threats to conduct a missile launch. » read more

Gunmen have shot dead a senior intelligence officer in Yemen, a security official said Saturday. » read more