Mena Today

Israel and Lebanon will meet in Rome in October to discuss a U.S.-brokered security agreement intended to ease hostilities along the border, a State Department Official told Reuters.

Sweden's centre-left parties, which back Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson for prime minister, held an early lead with 51.3% of the vote in a parliamentary election on Sunday, an exit poll by broadcaster SVT showed.

New strikes on Saudi Arabia and on ships in the Gulf tested nerves in the Middle East on Sunday, after an attack on a Saudi oil pipeline and an advance by Yemen's Houthis threatened to worsen the wartime disruption to global energy supplies.

Libyan authorities have seized a shipment of tens of thousands of ecstasy pills, each marked with the face of ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi and smuggled in from Europe, security officials said.

Turkish authorities have detained 26 people and searched the offices of six LGBTQ+ associations in a series of raids that followed allegations of prostitution and obscenity, prosecutors said.

In an interview with « Ici Beyrouth », Étienne Sakr - founder and leader of the Guardians of the Cedars, better known by his nom de guerre Abu Arz ("Father of the Cedars") - reaffirmed positions he says he has held for decades: peace with Israel, full normalization, and the disarmament of Hezbollah.

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Father Mario León Dorado as coadjutor archbishop of Rabat (Morocco), pending the outcome of an investigation into Archbishop Cristóbal López Romero, who stepped aside after sexual abuse allegations.

Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, adding to concerns about Iran-related threats to global energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline. 

Iraq closed three border crossings with Iran on Saturday, security officials told AFP, after a drone attack on a Saudi pipeline was launched from Iraqi territory, according to Riyadh and Baghdad.

Hungary's government will change legislation passed in 2020 by Viktor Orban's former government that had effectively banned gay adoption, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Saturday.

A meeting between Iran and Gulf states planned for Monday in Oman will be a chance to discuss issues including the Strait of Hormuz, but is not expected to yield a signed agreement over the blockaded waterway, a senior Iranian official said on Saturday.

Iran and the United Arab Emirates signed up to a joint statement from the BRICS group of nations that called for restraint in the Middle East war on Saturday, in what was seen as a sign of diplomatic progress between the countries divided by the war.