International Top Stories from Associated Press (AP)

BEIRUT (AP) , From Israel's perspective, its airstrikes near Damascus were more about Iran than Syria: Tehran's shipment of guided missiles destroyed in the weekend attacks would have posed a potent threat had the weapons reached Iranian proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) , Haitians have been fleeing their troubled country for years, trying to reach the U.S. or other Caribbean islands by sea or by trekking across the island of Hispaniola to scratch out a living in the Dominican Republic. But a newly popular route has caught officials in the Caribbean by surprise, taking migrants to a piece of the U.S. much closer to home.

The White House on Monday continued to delay a response to the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons on opposition forces, saying the Obama administration is still waiting for corroborating evidence of intelligence reports citing small-scale episodes of chemical-agent exposure.

ROME (AP) , Giulio Andreotti personified the nation he helped shape, the good and the bad. One of Italy's most important postwar figures, he helped draft the country's constitution after World War II, served seven times as premier and spent 60 years in Parliament.

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) , An airport official in the capital of Niger says a military plane from Nigeria has crashed, killing the two people aboard. Chaibou Massalatchi, the head of Niamey's airport, said the plane had taken off Monday to do a reconnaissance mission. The Nigerian military is taking part in the regional effort to support France's operation in northern Mali.

STOCKHOLM (AP) , You can thank ABBA for the music. And so much more. A museum devoted to the pop superstars opening in Stockholm on Tuesday will celebrate the band's long list of hits. But it...

JERUSALEM (AP) , Once a year, Israel's Jewish war veterans don suit jackets and uniforms dripping in Red Army medals, the shiny bronzes and silvers pinned to their chests in tight rows like armor. About 500,000 Jews served in the Soviet Red Army during World War II. Most of those still alive today , about 7,000 , are said to live in Israel.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) , Malaysia's long-governing coalition won national elections Sunday to extend its 56 years of unbroken rule, fending off the strongest opposition it has ever faced but exposing vulnerabilities in the process.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) , Malaysia's long-governing coalition won national elections Sunday to extend its 56 years of unbroken rule, fending off the strongest opposition it has ever faced but exposing vulnerabilities in the process.

MATEELA, Pakistan (AP) , For decades, not a single woman in this dusty Pakistani village surrounded by wheat fields and orange trees has voted. And they aren't likely to in next week's parliamentary election either. The village's men have spoken. "It's the will of my husband," said one woman, Fatma Shamshed. "This is the decision of all the families."

CAIRO (AP) , Five weeks ago, the head of the Arab League capped a summit in Qatar with an impassioned appeal to strengthen the rebel fighters trying to bring down Syrian President Bashar Assad. On Sunday, he denounced Israeli's airstrike into Assad's territory as a dangerous threat to regional stability. The contrast reflects a fundamental conundrum for Arab leaders.

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) , Seven people were killed Sunday morning when a suicide bomber attempted to ram a car laden with explosives into a military convoy escorting a four-member Qatari delegation. Gen.

BEIRUT (AP) , Israeli missiles struck a research center near the Syrian capital Damascus, setting off explosions and causing casualties, Syria's state news agency reported early Sunday, citing initial reports. If confirmed, it would be the second Israeli strike on targets in Syria in three days, signaling a sharp escalation of Israel's involvement in Syria's bloody civil war.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) , President Barack Obama says he won't comment on an Israeli airstrike against Syria that targeted a shipment of advanced missiles believed to be headed for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Israeli officials on Saturday confirmed the strike, which took place early Friday.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) , President Barack Obama's trip to Latin America had a decidedly domestic feel, with issues such as immigration, energy and education that are in the forefront of U.S. political debate also dominating his talks with regional leaders.