Middle East/Levant & Turkey

Israel welcomed Lebanon's move to expell the Iranian ambassador, calling it 'a justified and necessary step'

The IDF has begun striking bridges over the Litani River to cut off southern Lebanon from the rest of the country, thereby preventing Hezbollah from using one of its main supply routes

Indirect contacts via us and France continue as a diplomatic option emerges alongside ongoing fighting

Officials say Beirut proposed a ceasefire and possible negotiations under US sponsorship; Israel reportedly rejected the offer

Chief of Staff Zamir: Hezbollah is ‘fully responsible for any escalation’

“The gold belongs to the people,” said Ahmed Zaydan, a shopkeeper in Beirut. “Using it to fix the banks is just robbing the rest of us again.”

Fahad al-Masri is seen as a potential PM candidate as the US signals support for a broader Damascus coalition, including Kurds

Turkey has sent its drilling ship Çagri Bey to Somalia to begin offshore oil exploration, a move Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar called historic for Ankara’s push toward energy independence

"Both sides have taken courageous steps: Syrian gov't in extending meaningful inclusion and rights, the Kurds in embracing a framework that honors their contributions while advancing the common good"

The agreement comes as US and French officials push for stability while transferring Islamic State detainees to Iraq

i24NEWS spoke with a Kurdish resident who shared his feelings about the developing situation ● WATCH

A Kurdish news site had initially mentioned the number of 1,500 terrorists on the run, information that was significantly downplayed by the Syrian Ministry of the Interior

Statement did not specify the casualty toll from the strikes; the attacks were part of an operation launched last month after Islamic State militants killed U.S. military personnel in Syria

The demonstration carried the slogan: “We won’t cower, we won’t keep quiet, we won’t forget Palestine.”

Turkey says only Somalis should decide the future of the Federal Republic of Somalia and Somaliland

Security forces surrounded a building where the terrorists were staying; women and children who were inside were rescued safely; Three Turkish police officers were killed in the operation

While there has been no official confirmation from Israel over any possible involvement in Ahmed Shukr's recent disappearance, this unusual incident reopens one of Israel's most painful wounds

The report says the ex-general security official was lured and kidnapped amid renewed focus on the missing Israeli pilot

The statement comes amid reports that Israel has low confidence in the Lebanese state's ability of forcing the issue

The Syrian Interior Ministry said that shooter in the deadly attack in Palmyra was a "member of the Syrian security forces who was influence by extremist ideology."

Israeli authorities stressed that despite the devastation in Gaza, Hamas continues to pursue terrorist plots against Israel internationally

Israel and Lebanon appoint civilian delegations for Wednesday's ceasefire monitoring mechanism meeting under US pressure to advance the talks

The individuals eliminated were officers in the Customs Department and journalists who had pointed to the link between Hezbollah and the explosion

“The assassination of Tabatabai was a blatant attack and a heinous crime. We have the right to respond, and we will determine the timing for that"