Gaza's Health Ministry says more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, with no end in sight to the 15-month conflict.

For decades, Syria’s Assad family maintained a tight grip on Lebanon, wielding influence over its politics and shaping its alliances

Iran ‘s top general in Syria acknowledged they were “defeated very badly” with the collapse of the Assad regime, which represented a candid assessment divergent from other messages out of Tehran since the fall of the government.

Syria’s embassy in Lebanon has suspended consular services a day after two relatives of deposed Syrian President Bashar Assad were arrested at the Beirut airport with allegedly forged passports.

Though Lebanon’s presidency is mostly symbolic, it has a few important powers, like approving prime ministers and cabinets. In a country still haunted by the memory of civil war, symbolism is important too: how the head of state is chosen says much about the balance of power in Lebanon’s factious politics.

Lebanon’s newly elected President Joseph Aoun called Thursday for a comprehensive defense policy to counter Israeli assaults and for dialogue with neighboring Syria. Aoun was elected by the Lebanese parliament on Thursday, ending over two years of political vacuum since President Michel Aoun left office in October 2022.

Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said Friday that Lebanon was working to find a solution with Syria, after two security officials said Damascus had imposed new restrictions on the entry of Lebanese citizens.

Analysis: After decades of fraught ties shaped by conflict and occupation, will Assad's fall lead to a new era of stability between Lebanon and Syria?

Lebanon's newly elected president, Joseph Aoun, said Thursday that "a new phase" has started for the war-ravaged country and pledged to rebuild the state, adopt a policy of "positive neutrality" and fight corruption.

Lebanon's prime minister is to visit Damascus "soon", the information minister said on Tuesday -- the first such visit since Islamist-led rebels seized power in Syria last month.

Israel’s army has confirmed that one of the bodies recovered from Gaza earlier this week was that of 23-year-old hostage Hamzah AlZayadni.