Russia said that a military strike on Syria could have catastrophic effects if a missile hit a small reactor near Damascus that contains radioactive uranium. The Foreign Ministry called Wednesday on the U.N. nuclear agency to urgently assess the risk as the United States considers military action to punish Syria’s government for an alleged gas attack.

The U.S. Congress should reject the use of force in Syria in order to protect regional peace, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon said Thursday. Congress must follow U.S. President Barack Obama’s “rational” policy, Ghazanfar Roknabadi said

Syrian rebels who seized an entry to a Christian town north of Damascus this week have now withdrawn to protect religious and archaeological sites there, an opposition statement said. “Free Syrian Army (FSA) units on Wednesday destroyed posts at Maalula and