Middle East

Last month, Athens became the latest Ohio city to call for a cease-fire in Israel and Gaza. Elsewhere in the state, city councils have declined to introduce or pass similar resolutions.

Lloyd Austin arrived in Kabul on his first visit as defense secretary as the Biden administration discusses when to pull U.S. forces out of Afghanistan.

The American troop presence will decline in Afghanistan from 4,500 to 2,500, and in Iraq from 3,000 to 2,500. Senior military leaders reportedly oppose the move.

The agreements bring "a pivot in history," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said before a signing ceremony at the White House.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, who is responsible for U.S. forces in the Middle East, says the U.S. presence will drop from 5,200 to 3,000 troops in a move he says shows confidence in Iraqi army.

President Trump brokers the historic agreement. The United Arab Emirates and Israel will move toward bilateral diplomatic relations, and Israel will suspend plans to annex portions of the West Bank.

The dramatic blast was caught on numerous videos by people who had been filming a fire that was burning at an industrial port in Lebanon's capital.

President Trump said the U.S. targeted Iran's Qassem Soleimani because of an imminent threat. A U.N. investigator says the U.S. has produced no evidence to back that up.

Lawmakers in both parties demand to learn more from the Trump administration after press reports suggested that Russian operatives have paid Afghan insurgents to target U.S. forces.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani now says he will free 1,500 Taliban prisoners starting this week and 3,500 more during yet-to-start peace talks with the Taliban.