Bassem’s Recent Stories
World Jun 11
Detained U.S. resident freed by Iran arrives in native LebanonNizar Zakka, held in Iran since 2015 on charges of spying, is one of several prisoners with either dual nationality or links to the West held in Iran. Lebanese officials have for years asked for his release, and it was…
World May 19
Rocket attack hits near U.S. Embassy in Baghdad’s Green ZoneA rocket crashed Sunday night in the Iraqi capital’s heavily fortified Green Zone, landing less than a mile from the sprawling U.S. Embassy, an Iraqi military spokesman said.
World May 05
Warplanes strike hospital in Syria’s rebel-held IdlibWarplanes struck a hospital in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province on Sunday, knocking it out of service, as government forces continued to bombard the rebel-held region following insurgent attacks last week.
World Apr 29
Islamic State leader appears in video for first time in 5 yearsAl-Bagdadi acknowledged that IS lost the war in the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz, which was captured last month by the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
World Jan 21
ISIS suicide bomb targets U.S. convoy in northeastern SyriaThere were no casualties among the U.S.-led coalition members, according to the U.S. military. Monday's bombing came days after a suicide attack killed 19 people, including two U.S. service members and two American civilians, in the northern Syrian town of…
World Jan 16
2 U.S. service members, 2 U.S. civilians killed in Syria explosionThe Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the rare morning attack in the U.S.-patrolled town of Manbij in northern Syria, saying one of its members carried out a suicide attack and detonated his vest filled with explosives.
World Dec 25
Syrian state media reports a missile attack near DamascusWarplanes flying over Lebanon fired missiles toward areas near the Syrian capital of Damascus late Tuesday and some of the missiles were shot down by air defense units, Syrian state TV said.
World Jul 03
Syrian group uncovering Islamic State mass graves needs help, watchdog saysActivists working to uncover mass graves in northeastern Syria — a region until recently controlled by the Islamic State group — need help to preserve evidence and identify human remains, an international watchdog said Tuesday.
World Jun 28
Hundreds of Syrians leave Lebanon for long-awaited reunionsHundreds of displaced Syrians left Lebanon for their war-torn homeland Thursday in a repatriation that will reunite them with relatives they have not seen for years. But many of them also are leaving behind loved ones who are staying in…
World May 06
Lebanon holds first general elections in 9 yearsTens of thousands of Lebanese cast their ballots Sunday in the first parliamentary elections in nine years, a vote that is being fiercely contested between rival groups backed by regional powers Iran and Saudi Arabia.
