Middle East/Levant & Turkey

The wife of one of the brothers is Russian and he speaks Russian himself; hence it is likely he will be appointed Ambassador to Russia

Naim Qassem reiterated the group’s firm opposition to direct talks with Israel. Qassem called on the Lebanese government to reverse its decision to criminalize Hezbollah’s military wing.

Lebanese PM Nawaf Salam says the agreement must include withdrawal as Beirut seeks US pressure on Israel and an extension of the truce

UNIFIL said it launched an investigation into the 'tragic incident' where 'fire from non-state actors, allegedly Hezbollah' killed French peacekeeper

'Syria has been brilliant at not engaging adversarially against Israel,' US envoy to Turkey Tom Barrack says at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum

Sources say the Lebanese leader demanded tangible steps before talks as Iran linked the ceasefire to nuclear negotiations

A 14-year-old student opened fire at middle school in Kahramanmaras province, authorities say

The US State Department official said the high-level meeting, the first such meeting since 1993, aims to secure the northern border as Hezbollah rejects negotiations

Turkish media say attackers, likely tied to ISIS, were armed with long guns; details are still emerging

US envoy Tom Barrack stresses the importance of US-UAE ties amid vandalism and unrest at diplomatic sites; Israel also condemns the attack

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.”