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The leader of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah warned Israel Friday his fighters would hit Tel Aviv with rockets if Israeli forces attack Beirut or the guerrillas' stronghold in its southern suburbs.
The pro-Western politician favored to become Lebanon's next prime minister is setting aside the explosive issue of disarming the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, saying Friday he hopes for unity with his political foes in the sharply divided country.
Fears of a hard-line Iran helped swing Christian voters from the militant Shiite group Hezbollah and deliver election victory to a pro-Western coalition in Lebanon. President Barack Obama's outreach to Muslims lingered in voters' minds, too.
Saad Hariri, the billionaire businessman and son of a slain former prime minister, is emerging as the favorite to lead Lebanon's government after his pro-Western coalition fended off a serious challenge from Iranian-backed Hezbollah in weekend elections.
Hezbollah's No. 2 leader, confident of victory in Lebanese weekend elections, said Tuesday the Iranian-backed group would invite its pro-Western opponents to join a national unity government if it wins.
The Middle East's espionage wars are heating up after Lebanon's arrest of more than a dozen alleged Israeli spies, and dire warnings from Jerusalem that Arab groups are trying to use the Internet to infiltrate the Jewish state.
With quiet campaigning and moderate talk, Hezbollah is building its strength for Lebanon's June 7 parliament elections — and the militant Shiite Muslim group and its allies stand a good chance of winning.
A retired Lebanese general was arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel, a senior Lebanese security official said Tuesday, in the latest episode in the two countries' long-running espionage war.
Syria's foreign minister praised President Barack Obama's address to the Arab and Islamic world in Turkey, and many Arabs were cheered by the American leader's promises to push for a Palestinian state.
A senior U.S. envoy visiting Syria said Saturday that there is common ground between Washington and Damascus but cautioned not to expect an immediate breakthrough after years of tense relations.
The United States sought Friday to reassure Lebanon that its efforts to repair relations with that country's long-dominant neighbor, Syria, do not pose a threat.
Investigators have pored over evidence for four years — a human tooth found at the bombing site, a suicide truck that was stolen in Japan and made its way to Lebanon, reams of phone records and hundreds of interviews.
A massive crowd of flag-waving Lebanese filled Martyrs' Square on Saturday to remember slain former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri — an occasion his supporters used to rally the public before parliamentary elections in which they are fighting to stay in power.
Palestinians in Lebanon's largest refugee camp are watching the dispute over power between Hamas and the Palestinian president with dismay, fearing it will only make their dream of one day returning home even more distant.
With Israel in a fragile cease-fire with Hamas in Gaza to the south, the army of this tiny country bordering Israel's north is for the first time getting some serious military muscle, including its first fighter jets in decades.
Lebanese troops found and dismantled several rockets positioned to hit Israel after militants in the south fired three earlier Wednesday — a sign Lebanon's government is determined to avoid being drawn into war with the Israelis.
Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah guerrilla movement — widely seen as the Arab world's most effective force against Israel — is a staunch Hamas supporter but has so far held its fire as its Palestinian ally faces down Israel's assault in Gaza.
Lebanese soldiers clashed with gunmen in a northern port city on Friday, killing one and wounding others, the army said.
A few tents and trucks dotting a green hill across the river are about all that is visible of a Syrian troop deployment on Lebanon's northern border — a buildup that has raised concerns of a possible Syrian incursion.
Russia said Friday it was renovating a Syrian port for use by the Russian fleet, signaling an effort to establish a firmer foothold in the Mediterranean at a time of tensions with the United States over Georgia.
Syria's leader is looking to rebuild some trust with the West, and this week French President Nicolas Sarkozy, along with other U.S. allies, is testing out whether new warmth with Damascus can bring progress in Mideast peace efforts.
Syria's President Bashar Assad has publicly stepped up his outreach to old ally Russia in recent days, seeking aid to build up Syrian military forces and offering Moscow help in return — in an apparent effort to exploit a new Russian-American rift.
Syria's diplomatic recognition of Lebanon marks a symbolic turning point in the two neighbors' often turbulent history, and may have bigger significance for the Middle East and the chances of an overall peace deal with Israel.
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has held a funeral for eight guerrillas killed during its 2006 war with Israel. Their bodies were returned in a prisoners swap this week.
Sunni Muslims are bitter and fearful after Shiite Hezbollah's triumph in Beirut, watching their backs on the streets and some even moving to safer spots.
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