The American University of Beirut has long been a haven for cats abandoned in times if war or crisis, but in recent years the feline population has grown dramatically.

AFP's Dylan Collins was among journalists injured in an Israeli attack on Lebanon in 2023. The attack killed Reuters' Issam Abdallah. Collins was in Washington this month to press for accountability.

Pope Leo XIV ended his first overseas papal trip with prayers at Beirut's devastated port and a Mass attended by 150,000 worshippers in a country desperate for signs of hope amid fear of renewed war.

Pope Leo XIV is on his first visit to Lebanon. He arrives at a pivotal time for the country, buffeted by conflict with Israel and a devastating economic crisis.

As Pope Leo prepares to visit northern Lebanon, Christian border villages in the south feel abandoned and struggle to rebuild after the war with Israel.

Along Lebanon's border, Israel has continued demolitions and attacks despite a ceasefire in the country's war with Hezbollah last year.

Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.

The attack came as cross-border fire has escalated between Israel and militants in Lebanon, raising doubts about the state of a shaky ceasefire.

Lebanese health officials said two people were killed, including a child, and several more were injured.

Lebanese residents waiting to return to their villages say the Israeli military has destroyed nearly everything.

Lebanese volunteers are anxious to get back to sea turtle conservation on southern beaches that were off-limits to civilians when fighting escalated between Israel and Hezbollah.

What began as a battle between Israel and Hamas morphed into a much wider regional conflict that has reshaped much of the Middle East.

Lebanon's parliament chose the head of the country's armed forces, Joseph Aoun, to be its next president, a post that's been vacant since October 2022.

Part of a Crusader castle crumbled. An 18th century minaret felled. Church mosaics burned. Archaeologists are assessing damage to UNESCO World Heritage Sites from Israeli strikes on Lebanon and Syria.

With a ceasefire in place, Hezbollah wants to rebuild Lebanon. But its supply chains across Syria have been weakened by Israeli airstrikes, rebel fighting and the ouster of its ally Bashar al-Assad.