Lebanon’s powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah movement said on Thursday Saad al-Hariri’s resignation as prime minister would waste the time available for reforms that are widely seen as vital to steering the country out of a deep economic crisis. France, which backs Hariri, also called for...

Lebanon’s banking association said on Thursday that banks would reopen on Friday to meet “urgent” needs after being shut for two weeks as an economic crisis and nationwide protests rage, but asked customers to keep “the interests of the country” in mind. “The association hopes...

The Islamic State group declared a new leader Thursday after it confirmed the death of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi days earlier in a U.S raid in Syria. In its audio release by the IS central media arm, al-Furqan Foundation, a new spokesman for IS identifies the successor as Abu Ibrahim...

Saudi Arabia has freed 19 Iranian fishermen detained 10 months ago by the kingdom’s coastguard, an Iranian official was quoted as saying on Thursday, following talks between the two regional rivals. The crews of two separate fishing boats had been captured when “bad weather forced the...