Middle East/North Africa

Gregory Hicks testified about his attempts to secure the State Department’s staff in Tripoli.

The decision by the United States and Russia to put their differences aside and jointly host a peace summit between Syrian rebels and the Assad regime earned plaudits from the United Nations' special envoy to the war-torn country.

“This is the first hopeful news concerning that unhappy country in a very long time,” Lakhdar Brahimi said in a statement Wednesday. “The statements made in Moscow constitute a very significant first step forward. It is nevertheless only a first step.”

Secretary of State John Kerry made the announcement late Tuesday after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. He said the two countries have agreed to host an international conference “as soon as is practical,” perhaps by the end of the month.

“The specific work of this next conference,” Kerry said, “will be to bring representatives of the government and the opposition together to determine how we can fully implement the means of the communique, understanding that the communique’s language specifically says that the Government of Syria and the opposition have to put together, by mutual consent, the parties that will then become the transitional government itself.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said his "biggest concern" in investigating the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, is whether President Obama has the wrong foreign policy approach for the Middle East.

House Republicans have unearthed evidence suggesting the Obama administration could have done more to help the U.S. diplomats.

Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterparts agreed on Tuesday to establish a bilateral peace council, in an attempt to bring the two-year Syrian civil war to an end. 

President Obama on Tuesday told Congress he is extending the imposition of sanctions against Syria for another year — they were due to expire on May 11.

In a notice to Congress, Obama said Syria has reduced the facilitation of foreign fighters into Iraq, it's ongoing civil war against Syrian civilians means the sanctions will continue.

But the president added the "perceived" use of chemical weapons was not enough to compel him to military action.

Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday he hopes to find “common ground” with Russia over Syria during his visit to Moscow.

Deborah Jones told a Senate panel Tuesday, she would make hunting her predecessor's killers a top priority.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he believes the U.S. is moving quickly to arm Syrian opposition forces.

“I do think we’ll be arming the opposition shortly,” Corker said Tuesday on “CBS This Morning.” “We’re doing a lot more there on the ground than really is known, but we do have to change the equation … we’ve got to change the balance there and I do think we will be arming the rebels soon.”