DAMASCUS -- The Syrian air defenses intercepted an Israeli missile attack that targeted areas in the western countryside of the capital Damascus on Tuesday evening, the state TV reported.

Citing a military source, the state TV said the air defenses intercepted most of the Israeli missiles before reaching their targets, adding that only a weapon depot was damaged and three soldiers were wounded. (Syria-Israel-Missile)

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HOUSTON -- For some Houstonians in the U.S. state of Texas, this Christmas is a tragedy, with two fires on Christmas Eve and Christmas, which killed two people and injured three others.

Houston Fire Department confirmed Tuesday that an 83-year-old woman died after a Christmas morning house fire. It was not clear what caused the fire, or whether the elderly woman was living by herself. (Houston-Deadly Fires)

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WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday the ongoing partial government shutdown won't end until a border wall is approved, demonstrating his unwillingness to budge on the issue.

"I can't tell you when the government is going to reopen... (Not until) we have a wall, a fence, whatever they'd like to call it," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, noting that "much of it is 30 feet high." (US-Government Shutdown)

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CAIRO -- The Arab League condemned Tuesday a terror attack on the Libyan Foreign Ministry in Tripoli that killed three and injured several others.

In a statement, Secretary General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said this "heinous crime" proves that terrorism has no limits when it comes to taking the lives of innocents. (AL-Libya-Attack) Enditem