Mena Today

A week after Islamist rebels seized Syria's second-largest city, in a surprise advance deep into government-held territory, Aleppo is slowly coming back to life. 

Hezbollah has paid out more than $50 million in cash gifts to families affected by war with Israel, its leader Naim Qassem said on Thursday, as the Iran-backed group seeks to shore up its support base after a devastating conflict with Israel.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein will meet his Syrian and Iranian counterparts on Friday to discuss the situation in Syria, the Iraqi state news agency said on Thursday.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has embarked on a European tour aimed at bolstering cooperation and coordination between Egypt and European nations, according to an official presidential statement.

There is an urgent need for immediate humanitarian access to all civilians in need in Syria and a return to a U.N.-facilitated political process to end the bloodshed, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday.

Doctor Mehdi Davut smiles as he describes his planned return to his homeland Syria for the first time in eight years to see how his aid association can help in Aleppo, a major city seized by rebels last week.

The U.S. voiced concern about potential foreign interference in Romania's presidential election after the declassification of documents showing the country was a target of "aggressive hybrid Russian attacks" during a period of three consecutive ballots.

British prosecutors said on Thursday they had authorised charges to be brought against two Romanians over the stabbing of a journalist working for a Persian language media organisation in London in March.

Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot political parties appealed to their respective leaderships on Thursday to open more crossings to facilitate better communication between the island's rival communities.

Syrian rebels captured the key city of Hama on Thursday, bringing the insurgents a major victory after a lightning advance across northern Syria and dealing a new blow to President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies.

As the commander of al Qaeda's franchise in the Syrian civil war, Abu Mohammed al-Golani was a shadowy figure who kept out of the public eye, even when his group became the most powerful faction fighting President Bashar al-Assad.

Cyprus has taken delivery of an Israeli air defence system, local media reported on Thursday, as the east Mediterranean island taps new markets to upgrade its defence capabilities after the loss of key supplier Russia.