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See wedding photos amid damage in war-torn Syria

Jessica Durando
USA TODAY

Newlyweds Nada Merhi, 18, and Hassan Youssef, 27, posed for wedding pictures amid heavily damaged homes in the city of Homs in Syria. Merhi wore a stunning white wedding gown. Youssef, a soldier in Syrian President Bashar Assad's army, was clothed in a camouflage uniform, according to multiple media outlets.

The war-ravaged area became a backdrop for the couples' happy day on Friday.

Photos: Closer look at wedding shoot in Syria 

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said airstrikes believed to be from Russian aircraft hit villages north of Aleppo on Sunday. Russian intervention on behalf of Assad's regime has helped put Aleppo on the precipice of falling from rebel control.

The Syrian army has almost fully encircled Aleppo preparing the way for a blockade, the AP reports. Retaking Aleppo, a key commercial center in Syria, would be a critical victory for the regime and the latest in a series of setbacks for opposition forces.

Turkey at capacity as refugees flee Russian bombardment of Aleppo

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem warned on Saturday that foreign ground troops entering Syria would return in coffins, the AP reports.

Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia’s army spokesman said his country was willing to send ground troops to Syria as part of a U.S.-led military campaign against Islamic State extremists, according to AP.

The extremists currently control large parts of Syria and Iraq.

Contributing: Aamer Madhani 

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