Lebanon's banks will not go bankrupt and deposits are secure but the country needs foreign support to pull itself from crisis, Central Bank Gov. Riad Salameh said on Thursday, amid deep financial strains that have shaken confidence in banks. Speaking to broadcaster MTV in his first extended...

 Israel on Friday released two prisoners, including one jailed for spying for Syria, in what it called a goodwill gesture for the Russian-assisted repatriation of the body of a long-missing Israeli soldier last year. Russia, a key ally of Syria, in April handed Israel the remains and...

Air strikes against trucks and weapons depots in eastern Syria killed eight fighters of Iraq's Hashd al-Shaabi militia force overnight, according to a UK-based activist group. Lebanon's Al-Mayadeen news outlet said Israel was responsible for the strikes early on Friday in Albu Kamal on...

Iranian newspapers proclaimed the country's attack on U.S. forces in Iraq to be "a dark night for Americans," and Washington's "first admission of failure in history." On the bustling streets of Tehran, however, there was relief Thursday that neither side appeared primed for war. “War...