Photo of medical workers in Syria

Aid Group Says Mideast Lockdowns Hinder Humanitarian Efforts

CAIRO — An international aid group said Wednesday that closures aimed at containing the coronavirus pandemic are preventing it from reaching 300,000 people in conflict zones across the Middle East, as the coronavirus arrived in war-torn Libya and three more ca...
Photo of a Lebanese flag in Khiam, Lebanon

2 Americans Imprisoned in Iran, Lebanon Released

WASHINGTON — An American jailed for months in Lebanon was released from custody Thursday, while a Navy veteran was granted medical furlough from an Iran prison as the country struggles to curb the spread of cor...
Photo of Syrian rebels entering the town of Saraqeb, in Idlib province, Syria

Activists: Syrian Opposition Fighters Retake Key Town

BEIRUT — Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters retook a strategic northwestern town from government forces on Thursday, opposition activists said, cutting a key highway just days after the government reopened it for the first time since 2012. Despite los...
Photo of a Syrian child

UN: Thousands Fleeing Syrian Offensive, Kids Dying in Cold

UNITED NATIONS — Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing a Russian-backed Syrian offensive are being squeezed into ever smaller areas near Turkey’s border “under horrendous conditions” in freezing temperatures that are killing babies and young children, the U....
Photo of soldiers gathering next to an American military convoy

Syria: US Troops Open Fire on Locals in Northeast, Killing 1

DAMASCUS — A Syrian was killed and another was wounded when government supporters attacked American troops and tried to block their way as their convoy drove through an army checkpoint in northeastern Syria, prompting a rare clash, state media and activists re...