Lebanon
International support for Lebanon falls short without addressing core issues
French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting a high-profile international conference in Paris this Thursday aimed at gathering financial support for Lebanon.
Iranian lawmakers re-elected former Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Tuesday as the speaker of parliament.
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, a parliamentary candidate, casts his vote at a mosque in downtown Tehran, Iran February 21, 2020. Hamed Malekpour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Iranian lawmakers re-elected former Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Tuesday as the speaker of parliament, state television reported, ending speculation that he might stand as a candidate for president next month.
State TV said 198 lawmakers, out of 287, voted for Qalibaf, who previously ran unsuccessfully in two presidential races and dropped out of a third to avoid splitting the hardline vote.
Qalibaf revived his political ambitions by running for parliament in 2020.
An early presidential election is set for June 28 following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.
The registration for presidential candidates will start on Thursday. Qalibaf had been touted as a potential candidate in the presidential race by insiders and Iranian state media.
Writing by Parisa Hafezi
French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting a high-profile international conference in Paris this Thursday aimed at gathering financial support for Lebanon.
Israel launched strikes on the Syrian capital Damascus and a military site near the western city of Homs on Thursday, the Syrian defence ministry said, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken toured the region pushing for a halt to fighting.
An Israeli strike on Wednesday night destroyed an office used by the pro-Iran Al-Mayadeen broadcaster, a Lebanese security source told Reuters.
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