(The Daily Star)- Lebanese political figures expressed outrage for a second day Thursday at what they felt was a soft sentence handed down to former Information Minister Michel Samaha over transporting explosives, with MP Walid Jumblatt saying it "legalizes terrorism." The military court...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was preparing on Thursday to present his proposed government for the approval of parliament, where his coalition commands a razor-thin majority. Netanyahu's new administration marks a shift to the right by giving increased prominence to Naftali...

Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces fired warning shots at a Singapore-flagged commercial ship in the Gulf on Thursday, before vessels from the United Arab Emirates came to the ship's aid, US officials said. The Iranian patrol craft fired across the bow of the Alpine Eternity in international...

President Barack Obama will seek to convince Gulf allies including Saudi Arabia on Thursday that the United States is committed to their security despite deep concern among Arab leaders about U.S. efforts to broker a nuclear deal with Iran. During a rare, high-profile summit at...