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Saturday

Forced To Demolish Their Own Homes, Syrian Refugees In Lebanon Seek New Shelter

A Syrian boy walks among demolished shelters at a refugee camp in the town of Arsal, in the Bekaa Valley, in northeastern Lebanon on June 10. Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images

World

Forced To Demolish Their Own Homes, Syrian Refugees In Lebanon Seek New Shelter

Lebanon requires refugees to live in shelters made of canvas or wood. A new military decree directs them to demolish concrete walls over 3 feet high by July 1. Many don't know where they'll live next.

Forced To Demolish Their Own Homes, Syrian Refugees In Lebanon Seek New Shelter

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Tuesday

U.S. Resident Imprisoned In Iran On Spying Charges Returns To America

Nizar Zakka (center), a Lebanese national and U.S. resident arrested in Iran in 2015 and sentenced to 10 years in jail on espionage charges, gives a press conference in Beirut after he was freed in early June. Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images

World

U.S. Resident Imprisoned In Iran On Spying Charges Returns To America

Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese citizen, was recently released from Iran's notorious Evin Prison, where he served nearly four years.

Sunday

For Migratory Birds, Lebanon Is A 'Black Hole' Where They Are Hunted, Trapped, Killed

Axel Hirschfeld looks at the remains of dead birds while holding a Levant sparrowhawk. The bird was found locked in a small enclosure without food or water in a field used by poachers in the town of Ras Baalbek, Lebanon, in September. Sam Tarling for NPR hide caption

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Sam Tarling for NPR

World

For Migratory Birds, Lebanon Is A 'Black Hole' Where They Are Hunted, Trapped, Killed

Every year, some 2.6 million birds are shot or die after being trapped in illegal nets in Lebanon. "This country is a black hole in terms of protection," says a conservationist.

Wednesday

Tuesday

Israel's Army Says It Found Tunnels Dug By Hezbollah Beneath Border With Lebanon

An Israeli soldier, seen in September, stands near a wall along the Israel-Lebanon border near the Israeli region of Rosh Haniqra. The Israeli military says it has launched an operation intended to "expose and thwart" tunnels built on the border by the Hezbollah militant group. Sebastian Scheiner/AP hide caption

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Sebastian Scheiner/AP

Middle East

Israel's Army Says It Found Tunnels Dug By Hezbollah Beneath Border With Lebanon

Israel says its Operation Northern Shield will "expose and destroy" a series of tunnels that it says Hezbollah dug into Israel from Lebanon, where the militant group is based.

Tuesday

Fortunetelling Is A Sort Of Therapy For Stressed-Out Lebanese

Leila Abdel Latif is a celebrity fortuneteller in Lebanon. Every New Year's Eve she appears on Lebanese television shows to predict the future of Lebanon and the wider world. Ruth Sherlock/NPR hide caption

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Ruth Sherlock/NPR

Middle East

Fortunetelling Is A Sort Of Therapy For Stressed-Out Lebanese

In a country where people have seen a lot of turbulence and welcome any information about what's coming next, fortunetellers offer some sense of predictability.

Fortunetelling Is A Sort Of Therapy For Stressed-Out Lebanese

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Monday

A German Far-Right Group Aids Syrian Refugees — To Stop Them From Reaching Europe

An informal tented settlement for Syrian refugees in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. AHA members filmed at this camp, gathering footage for their fundraising video Ruth Sherlock/NPR hide caption

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Ruth Sherlock/NPR

World

A German Far-Right Group Aids Syrian Refugees — To Stop Them From Reaching Europe

A far-right movement is providing aid to Syrian refugees in Lebanon, but not for purely humanitarian reasons. The few refugees who received help didn't know the group aims to keep them out of Germany.

A German Far-Right Group Aids Syrian Refugees — To Stop Them From Reaching Europe

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Sunday

'I Hope To God We Will Be Safe': Refugees In Lebanon Start Returning To Syria

Syrian refugees get an identity check on the Lebanese side of the al-Zamrani crossing between Lebanon and Syria on Thursday. Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images

World

'I Hope To God We Will Be Safe': Refugees In Lebanon Start Returning To Syria

The Lebanese government is encouraging departures, but the U.N. objects. "We are at the service of the refugees," says a Lebanese security official, "but we have reached the limit of our capability."

'I Hope To God We Will Be Safe': Refugees In Lebanon Start Returning To Syria

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Thursday

Environmentalists Warn Of Mediterranean Pollution From Lebanon Land Reclamation

Garbage lies north of Beirut in 2017, after it washed away from a nearby seaside dump. Beirut and its suburbs generate some 3,000 tons of garbage per day. Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images

Parallels

Environmentalists Warn Of Mediterranean Pollution From Lebanon Land Reclamation

A land reclamation project that uses vast amounts of garbage extends hundreds of feet into the sea. "We are fishing plastic," says a fisherman. The country has long struggled to manage its waste.

Environmentalists Warn Of Mediterranean Pollution From Lebanon Land Reclamation

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Tuesday

After Weeks Of Will-He-Or-Won't-He, Lebanon's Prime Minister Rescinds Resignation

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri attends a Cabinet meeting at the presidential palace of Baabda, southeast of Beirut, on Tuesday. Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way

After Weeks Of Will-He-Or-Won't-He, Lebanon's Prime Minister Rescinds Resignation

In a speech from Saudi Arabia last month, Saad Hariri shocked his country by announcing he would resign — then two weeks later, he suspended that resignation. On Tuesday, he formally withdrew it.

Wednesday

Lebanon's Prime Minister, Back From Saudi Arabia, Is Not Resigning After All

In this photo from Lebanon's government, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri reads a statement after his meeting with Lebanon's president, Michel Aoun, in Baabda, Lebanon, on Wednesday. Dalati Nohra/AP hide caption

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Dalati Nohra/AP

The Two-Way

Lebanon's Prime Minister, Back From Saudi Arabia, Is Not Resigning After All

Saad Hariri will remain in his role — despite an address he gave from Riyadh saying he'd step down. The about-face is more fuel for speculation that Saudi Arabia was forcing him to resign.

Tuesday

Friday

Thursday

Lebanon's Saad Hariri Accepts Invitation To Visit France

A poster of resigned Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri with Arabic that read, "We are all with you," hangs on a street in Beirut, Lebanon, on Monday. Hassan Ammar/AP hide caption

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Hassan Ammar/AP

The Two-Way

Lebanon's Saad Hariri Accepts Invitation To Visit France

Since abruptly resigning in Saudi Arabia, the prime minister has not returned to Lebanon, drawing suspicion he is being held against his will. Now, Hariri's apparently heading to France before Beirut.