A winter storm swept through the Middle East last week, covering some areas in snow, slamming the coastlines with high waves and leaving seven people dead. The cold was particularly bitter for war refugees in Iraq and Lebanon, where two Syrians, 7-year-old Majed Badawi and shepherd Ammar Kamel died in a snow storm as they made the dangerous trek across the border through the rugged, snow-covered mountains from Syria.
Orthodox Christians throughout the region and Egypt's Copts who follow the old, Julian calendar, celebrated Christmas mass at midnight on July 6. In Cairo, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi addressed worshippers from the altar as he stood with Pope Tawadros II, declaring that Egyptians should not view each other as Christians or Muslims but as Egyptians.
Bombings struck in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Lebanon. Further away, three days of terror that killed 17 in Paris inspired people across the region to take to the streets to show their solidarity with the victims in the French capital.
This gallery includes images from Jan. 5 to Jan. 11, 2014.
