Antoine Khoury

The Israeli army ordered the evacuation of 29 villages north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon on Sunday, ahead of what it described as imminent strikes against Hezbollah positions.

Lebanon's Maronite bishops have thrown their full support behind the Lebanese state and its ongoing direct negotiations with Israel, calling on all Lebanese to unite around their national institutions and army.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has delivered a stinging assessment of Iran's role in his country's affairs, telling the British daily The Times that Tehran's rejection of the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire agreement was not merely a political stance,  it was a deliberate signal that Iran considers itself the ultimate decision-maker in Lebanon.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has moved to quash speculation about a potential Syrian military intervention in Lebanon, insisting that his country's approach is aimed at ending the war there, not extending it.

Lebanon is set to welcome its first domestically registered airline since 1969, as start-up Mada Airways prepares to launch scheduled commercial services from the country's north, ending more than half a century of aviation monopoly, according to L’Orient-Le Jour.

The Arab world is finding its voice, and it is speaking directly against Tehran.

Hezbollah rejected a ceasefire plan agreed by the Lebanese and Israeli governments in U.S.-mediated talks, as Israel kept up strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday and said it wouldn't be withdrawing from the south.

Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors met Tuesday at the State Department for a fourth round of direct talks, even as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continued unabated on the ground.

Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar has launched a pointed attack on Hezbollah, accusing the Iran-backed group of undermining Lebanon's ability to conduct meaningful negotiations with Israel and dragging the country into wars its people never chose.

Syria's Central Bank has extended its currency exchange programme by an additional 30 days beyond its original end-of-June deadline, allowing citizens more time to swap old Syrian pound notes for new ones.

President Donald Trump announced Sunday the appointment of Tom Barrack, the current US Ambassador to Turkey, as Special Presidential Envoy to both Syria and Iraq, a dual role that signals Washington's intensifying diplomatic engagement across the region.

The United States welcomed "constructive" discussions between Israeli and Lebanese military delegations at the Pentagon on Friday, following nine hours of talks aimed at advancing the security track of ongoing peace negotiations between the two countries.