BEIRUT, LEBANON - The vice-governors of Lebanon's central bank plan to resign unless politicians swiftly name an incoming governor, two senior officials at the crisis-hit country's top financial body told AFP on Thursday. The term of embattled three-decade chief Riad Salameh ends this month with no successor in sight, setting the...

Beirut, Lebanon--Beirut motorists pull up to a drive-through counter -- not for fast-food, but to exchange empty bottles and cardboard for cash, a novelty in a country long plagued by garbage crises. Festering landfills often overflow in crisis-hit Lebanon, waste is burnt illegally at informal dump sites and rubbish floats off...

A former assistant of Riad Salameh, the governor of Lebanon's central bank, has been charged with money laundering by France. Last year, France, Germany and Luxembourg seized assets worth $130mn in a move linked to a probe into Salameh's wealth. He is accused of having amassed a fortune during his...

The International Monetary Fund warned in a report that Lebanon's failure to implement reforms could have "irreversible" consequences for the crisis-hit country and risks jeopardizing economic and social stability. Lebanon has been mired since 2019 in an economic collapse that has seen the local currency lose around 98 percent of...

Almost 2,000 supporters gathered in Ain Zhalta, in the Druze heartland of the Chouf mountains, where members of the Progressive Socialist Party named the lawmaker as their new leader. The PSP was founded by Taymur's grandfather Kamal and has become all but synonymous with the Druze community.

Mired in a crippling economic crisis since 2019, Lebanon has been governed by a caretaker cabinet for more than a year and without a president for almost eight months. No group has a clear majority in parliament and lawmakers have failed 12 times to elect a new president.

Amid continuous divisions plaguing the country, France's new envoy for Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, landed in Beirut to hold talks with its leaders. The envoy's three-day visit comes a week after Lebanese lawmakers failed for a 12th time to elect a new president, drawing condemnation from the international community.

Ghosn, the former chairman and chief executive of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, was arrested in Japan in November 2018 on suspicion of financial misconduct, before being sacked by Nissan's board in a unanimous decision.

Paris, France -- President Emmanuel Macron's new special envoy for Lebanon heads to Beirut in the coming week as France seeks a new push to end a political crisis that has left the country without a president for over half a year, a diplomatic source said Sunday. Former foreign minister Jean-Yves...

Saudi Arabia has maintained a cautious stance throughout the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, stopping short of condemning the assault while emphasizing the importance of Ukraine's territorial integrity. MBS hosted President Volodymyr Zelensky last month in Jeddah during an Arab League summit, the Ukrainian leader's first visit to the Middle...

Lebanese authorities say the country hosts around two million Syrians, while more than 800,000 are registered with the UN -- the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. Refugees living in agricultural lands in eastern Lebanon told that no matter how dire their situation, they could not return...

The vote for the presidency, reserved for a Maronite Christian under Lebanon's delicate sectarian power-sharing system, pitted the Hezbollah-backed Sleiman Frangieh against financial official Jihad Azour, who has mainly been endorsed by Christian and independent legislators. But neither had the requisite support, with Azour garnering 59 votes and Frangieh 51...

Seriously ill Syrians in the country's last rebel bastion of Idlib used to be able to access life-saving care across the border. But the main crossing there for medical visits slammed shut after a deadly earthquake ravaged southern Turkey on February 6, prompting Ankara to prioritise its domestic needs.

The delegation will meet a local judge and might seek to question individuals over the wealth of Salameh and his entourage as other European countries have done, the official added.

His comments were a rare acknowledgement by a senior Abbas ally of waning fortunes for the party which has dominated the West Bank since Israel and the Palestinians signed the Oslo peace accords in 1993.

On Sunday, lawmaker Mark Daou read a statement on behalf of a group of 32 legislators, endorsing Azour after weeks of negotiations "as a candidate that is not considered provocative by any political factor in the country". The same MPs had previously backed another presidential candidate, parliamentarian Michel Moawad, who...

Syria's opposition urged the resumption of moribund United Nations-sponsored talks with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, who has returned to the Arab fold after years of isolation. "The international, regional and Syrian conditions provide an appropriate circumstance for the resumption of direct negotiations...," the Syrian Negotiation Commission said in...

A military judge has accused five members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, only one of whom is in custody, of killing an Irish United Nations peacekeeper in December last year, a judicial official said. Fadi Sawan issued a 30-page indictment accusing five Hezbollah members of "forming a group of malefactors...

Beirut, Lebanon--A Saudi national who had been kidnapped in Beirut has been freed in a "special operation" by the Lebanese army near the Syrian border, it said in a statement Tuesday. "An army intelligence patrol managed to free kidnapped Saudi national Mashari al-Mutairi during a special operation on the Syrian border,"...

AARAMTA, LEBANON - Lebanon's Hezbollah movement simulated cross-border raids into Israel on Sunday in a show of its military might, using live ammunition and an attack drone, AFP correspondents said. Around 200 Hezbollah fighters took part in the raids, part of large-scale military exercise in Aaramta, around 20 kilometers (12 miles)...

The Bahraini decision comes the day after the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia against a backdrop of unexpected rapprochement between Riyadh and Tehran, brokered by Beijing. The warming of relations between the region's two great rivals has paved the way for a major diplomatic reshuffle in the Arab world.

Lebanon has received an Interpol red notice requesting the arrest of central bank governor Riad Salameh after a French magistrate issued a warrant this week, a judicial official said. Salameh, 72, has been the target of a series of judicial investigations both at home and abroad on allegations including fraud,...

The oil derived from the famed Damask rose--named after the ancient city of Damascus located just across the mountain range separating Lebanon and Syria--is a staple of perfumers.

A French investigating magistrate issued an international arrest warrant for Lebanon's central bank chief Riad Salameh, a source close to the case said. Salameh earlier failed to appear for questioning by French investigators who want to know how he amassed sizeable assets across Europe, his lawyer said.

In March 2022, France, Germany and Luxembourg seized assets worth 120 million euros ($130 million) in a move linked to a French probe into Riad Salameh's wealth. This year, European investigators have questioned Salameh in Beirut, also hearing from a Lebanese minister, Salameh's brother Raja, and central bank audit firms.

On average, a soldier used to earn about $800 a month before the crisis, but the value of the Lebanese currency, the pound, has since crashed and salaries are now worth around just $100. Since June last year, Qatar and the United States have announced millions to help prop up...

BEIRUT, LEBANON -  An air strike killed a major drug smuggler and his family in southern Syria on Monday, a war monitor said, attributing the strike to Jordan though Amman did not immediately confirm. Drug dealer "Marai al-Ramthan, his wife and six children were killed in a Jordanian air force strike"...

BAGHDAD, IRAQ -  Iraq Prime Minister Muhammad Shia'a Al-Sudani said that the country is continuing regional economic communication. A statement issued by the Prime Minister's media office said, "Muhammad Shia' al-Sudani received the Lebanese Minister of Energy and Water Walid Fayyad and the Deputy Director of the Lebanese State Security...

Baghdad, Iraq -- Iraq's oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani has said the Iraqi government was keen to support the Lebanese people and consider their fuel needs. Abdul-Ghani received the Lebanese Minister of Energy and Water, Walid Fayyad, and his accompanying delegation. During the meeting, they discussed prospects for bilateral relations and...

As the economic crisis grinds on, some teachers have quit and many have turned to online classes or teach private lessons on the side to make ends meet.

Tiny Lebanon hosts an estimated 250,000 Palestinian refugees, according to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, while almost double that number are registered for the organisation's services. Lebanon bars Palestinians from working in 39 professions, including as doctors, lawyers and engineers.

Israeli strikes on north Syria's Aleppo province killed four Syrian officers and three Iran-backed fighters, putting the area's international airport out of service, a war monitor reported. In over a decade of war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its territory, targeting Iran-backed forces, Lebanese Hezbollah...

Former president Michel Aoun's term expired in October, with no successor lined up. Countries including France, the United States and Saudi Arabia hold regular consultations on Lebanon. Their representatives met in February in Paris to discuss the crisis, without achieving any tangible progress.

Three civilians were wounded in Israeli air strikes near the Syrian city of Homs, state media reported, with a war monitor saying a Hezbollah munitions depot was hit. Over a decade, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on Syria's territory, targeting Iran-backed forces, Lebanese Hezbollah fighters and the country's...

Tehran, Iran - Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, has offered to solve Lebanon's electricity shortage issue through bilateral cooperation despite US sanctions, mehrnews reported on Saturday.  During his visit to Beirut, Amir-Abdollahian stated that Iran can solve the problem if both countries agree on joint cooperation, despite US pressure and...

European investigators probing Lebanese central bank chief Riad Salameh's wealth will question officials from two international firms previously tasked with auditing the central bank's accounts, a judicial official said. Salameh is the target of a series of judicial investigations at home and abroad on suspicion of embezzlement and money laundering,...

Iran's foreign minister called on Lebanon to overcome political deadlock and elect a president, urging foreign governments not to interfere in the choice. "We will support any election and agreement reached between all Lebanese sides... and we call on other foreign parties to respect the choice of the Lebanese," Hossein...

The London-based rights group said the Syrians were expelled following raids on their homes in various parts of the country, adding that those who had "entered the country irregularly or held expired residency cards" were deported. It cited the brother of one refugee as saying that the Lebanese armed forces...

Lebanese authorities have long pushed for Syrian refugees to return, and have made several repatriation efforts they describe as voluntary, but which rights groups say are forced. The United Nations' refugee agency said Friday it was "following up" on the reports, and that it "continues to advocate for the respect...

With the cash-strapped country mired in an unprecedented economic meltdown, Lebanon's parliament on Tuesday put off municipal elections scheduled for next month, according to official media. The country has for the second time postponed polls, after they were initially scheduled to take place last year. No new date has been...

The pro-Palestinian rallies follow months of unrest in Iran sparked by the September death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young women arrested for an alleged breach of strict dress rules. The rallies, an annual fixture since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, are held on the last Friday of Ramadan.

Under investigation both at home and abroad on suspicion of fraud, money laundering and illicit enrichment, Riad Salameh has been summoned for a hearing in Paris next month. He is part of a political class widely blamed for the country's economic crisis that the World Bank says is of a...

The day after Israeli police on Wednesday stormed the prayer hall of Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque -- Islam's third-holiest site -- more than 30 rockets were fired from Lebanese soil into Israel. The Israeli army said the attack was most likely carried out by the Palestinian armed movement Hamas.

VATICAN CITY, HOLY SEE - Pope Francis underlined his "deep concern" over a flare-up in tensions between Israel and Palestinians, as he led Easter Mass on Sunday. He said the renewed violence "threatens the desired climate of trust and mutual respect needed to resume dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians," as he...

Following the killing of three people in the West Bank and Tel Aviv, Israel has mobilized police and army reserves in the latest escalation of violence in the Middle East. In spite of appeals for restraint, violence has spiked since Israel police stormed into Al-Aqsa mosque on Wednesday and beat...

On Thursday, the Israeli army said more than 30 rockets had been fired from Lebanese territory into Israel in the largest escalation on the northern border since Israel and Hezbollah fought a 34-day war in 2006. It was the first time Israel has confirmed an attack on Lebanese territory since...

Tensions have soared between Israel and Palestinians during what is both the Jewish Passover and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, prompting international calls for restraint. On Thursday, the Israeli army said more than 30 rockets had been fired from Lebanese territory into Israel in the largest escalation on the...

A barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon targeted Israel, a day after clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians inside Islam's third-holiest site drew warnings of retaliation. Israel's army said it had "identified 34 rockets that were fired from Lebanese territory into Israeli territory" and that 25 were intercepted by Israeli...

Damascus, Syria - An Israeli air strike on Tuesday killed two Syrian civilians, state media reported, the fourth such attack on government-held areas of the war-torn country in less than a week. During more than a decade of civil war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its...

Civil society groups and some lawmakers have decried opacity in the tender process and a lack of involvement of the Public Procurement Authority. "Marginalising or disregarding" the role of the authority undermines the effectiveness of Lebanon's 2021 public procurement law, 10 civil society groups said in a statement Tuesday.