In a remote Congolese town, a medical mystery led to the discovery of alarming changes in the smallpox virus and, ultimately, a global health emergency.
The decision came just days after the government said there had been "cyber attacks" aimed at weakening the vote and that Security Council documents indicated possible Russian interference.
Government forces are trying to cut the road connecting the main cities of Hama, captured by insurgents, and Homs, which lies on a crucial land corridor.
The six hostages, whose bodies were found in Gaza over the summer, were likely killed in February by their captors when an Israeli attack struck near the tunnel where they were held, the military said.
Gauging the Court's final direction was complicated by the silence of a conservative majority justice, Neil M. Gorsuch, the author of a key case on employment discrimination. The court's decision is expected by June.