Mena Today

Lebanon will present a plan on Sunday aimed at persuading Hezbollah to disarm, with Israel expected to submit a corresponding framework for its military withdrawal, top U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack said on Tuesday.

As Israelis staged a "Day of Disruption" to pressure their government to win the release of hostages in Gaza, Doron Steinbrecher reflected on her 471 days in captivity and said she hoped all the remaining hostages would be set free soon.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Tuesday that Tehran told Europe's top three powers the revival of the "snapback" mechanism, re-mposing UN sanctions on Iran, will have consequences.

The French daily Le Monde has once again revealed its entrenched bias with the publication of a scathing piece targeting Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday Germany would not join an initiative of western allies to recognise the Palestinian state at next month's United Nations General Assembly.

France's minority government looked increasingly likely to be ousted next month after three main opposition parties said they would not back a confidence vote which Prime Minister Francois Bayrou announced for September 8 over his plans for sweeping budget cuts.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed on Monday developments in Syria and the region with U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack in Damascus, according to a statement from the Syrian president's office.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he wanted to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year and that he was open to further trade talks with South Korea even as he lobbed new criticisms at the visiting Asian ally.

Syria said on Monday that Israel had sent 60 soldiers to take control of an area inside the Syrian border around Mount Hermon, saying the operation violated its sovereignty and posed a further threat to regional security.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Massoud Pezeshkian held a phone call Monday to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program, the Kremlin announced, as European powers warn of renewed sanctions if no agreement is reached by the end of August.

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected to address the U.N. General Assembly in New York in September, a Syrian official told Reuters on Monday.

Israel on Monday signalled it would scale back its military presence in southern Lebanon if the Lebanese armed forces took action to disarm Iran-backed Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah.