Antoine Khoury

Turkey welcomed on Tuesday the United States' decision to remove Syria from its list of countries supporting terrorism.

Syrian Druze leader Hikmat al-Hijri has declared that the Druze community, present across several Middle Eastern countries, is "an integral part of Israel," citing a shared "faith and ideology" with the Israeli state, according to remarks reported Tuesday by the Syrian digital outlet Syria Now.

The French consulate in Lebanon announced on X that non-biometric Lebanese passports are no longer accepted for Schengen visa applications at Beirut's TLS center, which handles visa requests for France and other consular services.

Maronite Patriarch Béchara Raï reiterated his support Sunday for the US-brokered framework agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel in late June, describing it during his Sunday homily as a "national path to resolving outstanding issues, consolidating a just, comprehensive and lasting peace, and preserving the state's sovereignty over its entire territory."

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun received a Palestinian delegation at Baabda Palace on Friday, led by Yasser Abbas, special representative of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun arrived in Ankara on Thursday for an official visit during which he is due to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss economic and security cooperation.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on his first visit to Syria, called Saturday on the international community to help the country as it moves through a transition following years of civil war and the establishment of new authorities.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the US State Department on Sunday, opening a series of official talks in Washington. It marks the first visit to the American capital by a Lebanese head of state since Michel Sleiman was received by Barack Obama in 2009.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told parliament Thursday that the "ill-fated" framework agreement signed on June 26 between Lebanon and Israel was "doomed to fail," insisting "the Zionists will not be able to impose its implementation" and that "our people will thwart its effects on the ground."

The Syrian Liberal Party has called the passage of a modern Political Parties Law an urgent constitutional necessity, arguing it can no longer be treated as ordinary legislation but as a precondition for completing Syria's transitional phase.

Lebanon will take part in talks with Israel scheduled for next week in Rome, a Lebanese official said Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A US military delegation has arrived in Beirut for talks with the Lebanese army on implementing Israel's withdrawal from one of two "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon, a Lebanese military official told AFP Saturday.