Middle East

Scores of people were killed after forces opposed to the government of President Bashar al-Assad overtook a Syrian military base, a monitoring group reported.

By Eve Sampson

Hezbollah has entered a cease-fire with Israel. Ben Hubbard, an international correspondent for The New York Times, explains how 13 months of war left Hezbollah weakened, isolated and desperate for a way to stop the fighting in Lebanon.

By Ben Hubbard, Alexandra Ostasiewicz, Claire Hogan and James Surdam

Ramez Hassan Boustany checked on his home in the southern suburbs of Beirut following the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah. In northern Israel, Amichay Bitton surveyed the damage on his parents’ property.

By McKinnon de Kuyper

Gazans searched through the rubble after an Israeli strike hit two schools serving as shelters for the displaced.

By Reuters and The Associated Press

The truce began Wednesday, bringing a fragile peace to Israel and Lebanon. Israeli troops are to withdraw in phases from southern Lebanon, and Lebanese military convoys headed south to protect the peace.

By Ephrat Livni

The cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah began on Wednesday, but much hardship and uncertainty lie ahead after a yearlong war that killed thousands and left widespread destruction in Lebanon.

By Euan Ward, Ben Hubbard, Aaron Boxerman and Richard Pérez-Peña

While there were limited signs of life in the area, most residents were hesitant to head back without greater certainty that the cease-fire with Hezbollah would hold.

By Natan Odenheimer

An outspoken French-Algerian novelist returned to his homeland and was promptly taken into custody at age 75.

By Ephrat Livni

The Lebanese government released a copy of the cease-fire agreement on Wednesday.

While Israel and Hezbollah were finalizing a cease-fire to halt the fighting in Lebanon, Israeli strikes killed 33 people in Gaza, according to local health authorities.

By Jack Nicas and Iyad Abuheweila