Jane Arraf

Large crowds of pilgrims fill the area between the two holy shrines in Karbala at sunset, with the illuminated dome and minarets of Imam Hussein's shrine visible in the background during the Arbaeen commemoration.

Despite Mideast wars, 20 million gather in Iraq for Shia pilgrimage

Despite wars ranging across the Middle East, more than 20 million Shia pilgrims gather in Iraq shrine city for Arbaeen festival

Despite war and strife, millions of Shia Muslims in Iraq gather for sacred pilgrimage

Jane Arraf, Rob Schmitz, Michael Levitt, Daniel Ofman

More than 20 million Shia pilgrims flocked to a shrine city in Iraq this week, including millions of Iranians, despite the wars tearing across the Middle East.

Lebanon's beloved breakfast, Man'ouché, earns UNESCO Cultural Heritage status

Jane Arraf

For our series on breakfast foods around the world, we turn to Lebanon, where a breakfast is so beloved that it has been certified as a U.N. culture heritage.

Shia pilgrimage to Karbala includes millions of Iranians

Jane Arraf

Iranians are driven in greater numbers by the U.S. killing of their spiritual leader

Najib Ayyad checks his apartment in Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, which was heavily damaged and likely to be demolished. The apartment overlooks Beaufort Castle, a national symbol of deep personal meaning for him, now occupied by Israeli forces.

NPR Headlines

Lebanese who fled the Israeli invasion visit to see what's left

Jane Arraf, Jawad Rizkallah

Residents of the ancient town of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon have endured wars in the past, but the latest conflict with Israel is testing the limits of their endurance.

U.S. launches heavy strikes on Iran after attack on base in Jordan

Jane Arraf, Leila Fadel

The U.S. military says it launched a "heavy wave of strikes" on Iran after an Iranian attack on a U.S. base in Jordan.

Mourners carry the bodies of members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), who were killed earlier in Diyala in central Iraq by U.S.-Saudi strikes, during the funeral in Baghdad, on Wednesday.

NPR Headlines

The U.S. retaliates against a 'surprise attack' by Iran in Jordan

Jane Arraf

The U.S. attacks were in retaliation for what the U.S. Central Command called "an attempted surprise attack" with ballistic missiles on Tuesday against U.S. forces in the Middle East.