LATAKIA, Syria (AP) — Some of Syria’s worst wildfires in years have been brought under control as of Sunday, according to the Civil Defense and the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, following days of grueling firefighting in the forested countryside of the coastal Latakia province.

Massive wildfires have torn through Syria’s coastal mountain region of Jabal Turkman since Thursday, destroying thousands of acres (hectares) of forest and overwhelming emergency services.

Authorities say suspects tried to reignite blazes in forested Latakia area, days after devastating fires were brought under control - Anadolu Ajansı

The country is experiencing its worst drought in decades, which has set the conditions for the blazes to scorch an area the size of Washington, D.C.

A Syrian official says firefighters are facing heavy winds, high temperatures and ordnance left behind from the country's 13-year civil war as they try to extinguish some of the worst wildfires in years.

U.S. Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said early Saturday that Israel and Syria had agreed to a cease-fire, following Israel’s intervention this week in fighting between Syrian government forces and

BEIRUT — Syria’s authorities appealed Tuesday to the European Union for support in battling massive wildfires that have been engulfing the country’s northwestern coastal region for the sixth consecutive day.

From the Middle East, we verified footage of the deadly fire in Kut, Iraq, which is now known to have killed at least 61 people, and the aftermath of recent clashes in Syria which also appear to have claimed many lives. BBC Verify uses open-source intelligence, satellite imagery, fact-checking and data analysis to help report complex stories