The Arab League, meanwhile, warned that Israeli occupation policies and military actions across Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian territories undermine peace efforts and regional stability.

The meeting in Washington follows U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he had received commitments from both sides aimed at reducing tensions.

Beirut was bracing for a possible Israeli bombardment on Monday after Israel announced plans to strike the city's southern suburbs, raising fears that the fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah could unravel.

The exchange came as regional tensions remained high and Iran intensified diplomatic efforts to secure a broader halt to hostilities, dispatching Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Pakistan and preparing for talks in Moscow.

The truce, brokered by the United States, is intended to halt cross-border fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. Scenes of relief emerged across parts of Lebanon as the ceasefire took effect. Local reports said celebrations broke out in some areas, while displaced civilians began preparing to return to their homes...

The strikes hit multiple areas, including parts of Beirut, with emergency teams struggling to reach casualties amid heavy congestion. The health ministry urged residents to clear roads to allow ambulances access as rescue operations continued.

A visiting Qatari official on Monday announced a multi-million dollar aid package for Lebanon, primarily to support the country's crumbling electricity sector.

Israel said a Friday meeting involving civilian and military representatives from both Lebanon and Israel was part of broader efforts to ensure Hezbollah's disarmament and strengthen security in border areas.

Leo emphasized the need for peace, using the word more than 20 times during the address, without mentioning any specific international or regional conflicts.

After two days of blue skies and sunshine, the heavens opened, but the downpour did little to dampen the enthusiasm of those in attendance, some of whom had travelled for hours to see Leo on his first overseas trip as pope.

Hezbollah's leader on Friday said the group had the right to respond to Israel's assassination of its top military chief in a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs days ago.

The strikes were among the deadliest in Gaza since the truce entered into force last month, and came as Israel also announced a string of attacks targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon in spite of a nearly year-long ceasefire there.

Nabatieh, Lebanon -- Hundreds of people gathered in south Lebanon's Nabatiyeh on Sunday to mourn five Hezbollah members killed in recent Israeli attacks, an AFP correspondent said, as Israel warned of intensifying attacks against the Iran-backed group. On Saturday, an Israeli strike killed four people in Kfar Rumman, Nabatiyeh district,...

Lebanon and Syria on Friday committed to turning a new page on ties as Damascus's foreign minister visited Beirut, with Lebanon seeking information on political assassinations under the Assad dynasty.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel's war with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah had created the possibility for peace with neighbouring Lebanon and Syria.

Palestinian factions handed over weapons from Lebanon's largest refugee camp on Saturday, a Palestinian official said, as part of a push by the government to disarm non-state groups.

Responding to questions from journalists, Morcos said "the Lebanese army will begin implementing the plan, but in accordance with the available capabilities, which are limited in terms of logistics, material and human resources".

Beirut, Lebanon -- Lebanon's Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, an ally of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, called on Sunday for dialogue over its weapons, days before the government is expected to approve an army plan to disarm the group. Months after Hezbollah's devastating war with Israel and under heavy US pressure,...

Amnesty International said Tuesday that the Israeli army's extensive destruction of civilian property in south Lebanon, including after a ceasefire with Hezbollah was struck, should be investigated as a war crime.

Hezbollah's chief on Monday doubled down on his refusal to give up the group's weapons ahead of talks between Lebanese officials and visiting US envoys after Lebanon's government opted to disarm the Iran-backed militants.

Beirut, Lebanon - Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has thanked a senior Iranian official for his country's ongoing support in confronting Israel, the Lebanese militant group said on Thursday. For decades, Tehran has been the main backer of the Shiite Muslim group, which emerged badly weakened from last year's war with...

Lebanese leaders firmly rejected any efforts at foreign interference during a visit by Iran's security chief Wednesday, with the prime minister saying Beirut would "tolerate neither tutelage nor diktat" after Tehran voiced opposition to plans to disarm Hezbollah.

Tripoli, Lebanon -- Nestled among shops in a bustling market in north Lebanon's Tripoli, Mohammed al-Shaar is at his workshop making traditional tarboosh hats, keeping up a family craft despite dwindling demand. With a thimble on one finger, Shaar, 38, cuts, sews and carefully assembles the pieces of the conical,...

Iran opposes the Lebanese government's decision to disarm the Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah, a senior adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei said Saturday according to the Tasnim news agency.

With Washington pressing Lebanon to take action on the matter, US envoy Tom Barrack has made several visits to Beirut in recent weeks, presenting officials with a proposal that includes a timetable for Hezbollah's disarmament.

Hezbollah said Wednesday that it would treat a Lebanese government decision to disarm the militant group "as if it did not exist", accusing the cabinet of committing a "grave sin".

Israel said it carried out strikes on Thursday on sites used by Hezbollah to manufacture and store missiles in Lebanon, where Israel has launched multiple attacks despite a November ceasefire.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Sunday his group would not surrender or lay down its weapons in response to Israeli threats, despite pressure on the Lebanese militants to disarm

Beirut, Lebanon -- The World Bank announced on Wednesday it had approved $250 million to support Lebanon's post-war reconstruction and a $146 million grant to rehabilitate neighboring Syria's electricity sector. Lebanon is reeling from last year's devastating war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, while Syria faces massive needs after Islamist-led...

The US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack warned Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Thursday against getting involved in the war between its main backer Iran and Israel.

The DMCC Crypto Centre welcomed Bitcoin.com, which is setting up its first MENA office in Dubai. The Arab Coordination Group announced it had disbursed $19.6 billion in 2024 across 90+ countries.

Thursday's attacks on what the Israeli military said were underground Hezbollah drone factories came after an Israeli evacuation call on the eve of Eid al-Adha, a key Muslim religious festival, and sent huge numbers of residents of Beirut's southern suburbs fleeing.

Under a November ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group was required to pull its fighters out and dismantle its military infrastructure south of the Litani.

Beirut, Lebanon - On Beirut's chaotic, car-choked streets, Lebanese student Fatima Fakih rides a shiny purple bus to university, one of a fleet rolled out by authorities to revive public transport in a country struggling to deliver basic services. The 19-year-old says the spacious public buses are "safer, better and...

The announcement comes after Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun met with his UAE counterpart Mohamed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, after which it was announced that the ban would be lifted.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- The United Arab Emirates will lift a ban on its citizens travelling to Lebanon that was imposed during a diplomatic row in 2021, according to a joint statement on Thursday. The decision was announced a day after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with his UAE...

Beirut, Lebanon -- Lebanon's parliament on Thursday approved amendments to banking secrecy legislation, a key reform demanded by the International Monetary Fund, as Lebanese officials hold meetings with global finance institutions in Washington. A statement from speaker Nabih Berri's office said parliament passed amendments to "the law related to banking...

Beirut, Lebanon -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Sunday that disarming Hezbollah group was a "delicate" matter whose implementation required the right circumstances, warning that forcing the issue could lead the country to ruin. His remarks came as Lebanon's health ministry said two people were killed in Israeli strikes in...

Qatar is to renew a $60 million grant to pay the salaries of Lebanon's army and provide 162 military vehicles, the two countries said on Wednesday following Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's first official visit to the Gulf state.

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Doha. Qatar has been a key backer of the new administration in Damascus after longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December.

Beirut, Lebanon - The once unthinkable disarmament of Hezbollah could finally be within reach, as the United States pushes Lebanon to act and applies pressure to the group's backer Iran over its nuclear programme, analysts said. Hezbollah was left badly weakened by more than a year of hostilities with Israel,...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the army was dividing Gaza and "seizing territory" to force Hamas to free the remaining Israeli hostages taken captive during the October 2023 attack that sparked the war.

Born in 1964, Souaid officially takes over after embattled former chief Riad Salameh's term expired in July 2023 with no designated successor. Divided politicians had since failed to agree on a permanent replacement for Salameh, who has been accused at home and abroad of financial crimes.

Israeli defence chiefs said they held the Lebanese government responsible for all hostile fire from its territory regardless of who launched it.

Israel's army has pulled out of southern Lebanese villages but remains in five positions as a deadline for the withdrawal expired

Beirut, Lebanon - Hezbollah supporters blocked the Beirut airport road and burned tyres on Thursday to protest a decision barring two Iranian planes from landing in the Lebanese capital, state media and an airport official said. "Young men set tyres on fire in front of the airport entrance, raising banners supporting...

Many strikes on villages in southern Lebanon on Monday, after Israel said it was taking aim at dozens of Hezbollah targets during a fragile ceasefire, Both Israel and Hezbollah faced accusations Monday of breaching the truce,

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed a "harsh response" to a Hezbollah rocket launch targeting a military position on Monday

By Friday, the jihadists and their allies had taken more than 50 towns and villages in the north and entered western districts of Aleppo, a city of around two million people that was Syria's pre-war manufacturing hub.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas announced his replacement . Under current Palestinian law, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) takes over the Palestinian Authority in the event of a power vacuum