The United States has decided to allow airstrikes to defend Syrian rebels trained by the US military from any attackers, even if the enemies hail from forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
More than 100 people were killed in a suicide car bombing at a busy market in an Iraqi town on Friday, in one of the deadliest attacks carried out by Islamic State militants since they overran large parts of the country.
Inspired by the Christians who helped him as a young refugee from the Nazis, a Jewish peer is now spearheading a rescue mission for Christians in the Middle East.
Barely 50 Jews remain in Syria after years of violence and instability and most of those still there have only stayed because they are elderly and unable to escape.