Alison Meuse
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Syrian president Bashar Assad's vow to retake the entire country promises drawn-out bloody battles that are capturing more civilians in the violence. Children in Aleppo have been killed and injured.
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The Syrian rescue worker reached Dulles International Airport on his way to accept an award in Washington. But he was turned back, highlighting the suspicion Syrians face as they travel.
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Russian-backed government troops have entered the ancient city after days of intense clashes with Islamic State militants. Local activists said ISIS warned civilians via loudspeaker to flee.
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The Russian airstrikes have emboldened President Bashar Assad's army to press a major offensive in a crucial city. Thousands of civilians have fled and are massing at the nearby Turkish border.
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A strategic town in the south of Syria long-controlled by opposition fighters has reportedly fallen to regime troops with the assistance of Russian air power.
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In a country with a stunning coastline, a lack of governance has allowed private developers to gobble up prime seaside real estate and shunt aside ordinary Lebanese who depend on public beaches.
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Members of a Syrian indie rock band escaped their country's bloodshed and have become a mainstay of Beirut's music scene. "In spite of all the deaths," the band sings, "you are still alive."
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Beirut's streets are piled with two weeks' worth of uncollected trash. To many Lebanese, it's no surprise. The country has been without a president for more than a year.
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ISIS militants now control the long-running black market in stolen artifacts. Experts are tracking damage to heritage sites in Iraq and Syria by satellite and doing what little they can to stop it.
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When a general in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard and several ranking members of Hezbollah were killed Sunday, they were within 10 miles of Israel's northeastern border.