The story of a divisive Islamic ruler from ancient times, produced by a broadcaster in the Sunni kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has ...

Some minorities may see benefits in allying with Israel today. Syria is now ruled by a former al-Qaeda leader. A recent ...

Sectarian-driven killings of civilians this month displayed the government’s weak control over both its own forces and ...

Iran, the world’s fifth-largest oil producer and third-largest gas producer, claims its nuclear program is for civilian use.

Is a Shiite crescent extending from Beirut to Tehran emerging in the Middle East, as Sunni Arab leaders in Egypt and Jordan have suggested? Further, should Shiite revivalism be cause for concern ...

The Sunni-Shiite divide within Islam plays a significant role, with Shiite militias receiving support from Iran and Hezbollah, while Turkey backs the victorious Sunni factions, who are also tasked ...

The ABC journeyed into Syria's coastal city of Tartous, where deadly clashes between militias loyal to the fallen regime of Bashar al-Assad and government forces have spiralled into some of the worst ...

Most of the former tyrant's supporters were from the Alawite sect, which is a branch of Shia Islam that Assad was part of. On Friday, they were met with Sunni Muslim fighters loyal to Syria's new ...

Rights groups estimate that hundreds of civilians were killed. The Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shia Islam, and it once formed the core constituency of Assad’s government in the Sunni-majority ...

The Associated Press could not independently verify these numbers. The interim government is made up of members of Sunni Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led a lightning insurgency in ...