GENEVA: The UN rights chief said Wednesday he would send a mission to Lebanon to collect evidence on alleged rights abuses since the war began between Hezbollah and Israel. &quot;Accountability cannot be overstated. Prompt and independent investigations into alleged violations of international humanitarian law must be conducted,&quot; UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk told journalists. &quot;This is why I have agreed with the government of Lebanon to conduct an impartial and independent assessment mission in the country. &quot;I will soon be deploying a team to collect information and evidence on alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law, and violations of international humanitarian law and related law committed by the parties to the armed conflict in the country since March 2.&quot; Lebanon was drawn into the wider Middle East war on March 2 when Iran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel to avenge the February 28 killing of Iran&#39;s supreme leader in US-Israeli attacks. The rocket attacks prompted Israeli strikes and a ground invasion. Lebanese authorities say Israel&#39;s attacks have killed more than 3,600 people and displaced more than one million others. On the Israeli side, 29 soldiers and one civilian contractor have been killed in&nbsp;Lebanon, according to the army. Neither side has respected a ceasefire first announced in mid-April. Turk said that amid the &quot;unimaginable civilian harm, suffering and displacement&quot; caused by dozens of conflicts, &quot;we have seen the economic and environmental consequences of fighting reverberate across the world&quot;. &quot;The world needs to contain this fallout&mdash;de-escalation, restraint and the protection of civilians must be the priority,&quot; he said.

Middle East

UN rights chief said Wednesday he would send a mission to Lebanon to collect evidence on alleged rights abuses since the war began between Hezbollah and Israel

UN rights chief sending mission to Lebanon to collect abuses evidence

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Bahrain National Guard Commander General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa on Tuesday called on Pakistan Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir at the GHQ, Rawalpindi, where the two discussed matters of mutual interest, the regional security environment, and avenues for enhanced bilateral defense and security cooperation, said a statement by the military&rsquo;s media wing.&nbsp;According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, both dignitaries expressed satisfaction over the long-standing brotherly relations between Pakistan and Bahrain.&nbsp;&nbsp;They underscored the importance of further strengthening military-to-military collaboration, the statement added.&nbsp;It stated that earlier, the Bahrain National Guard commander called on the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu.&nbsp;At Naval Headquarters, the statement added, the meeting focused on bilateral defense collaboration and regional security dynamics.&nbsp;The Bahraini commander commended the Pakistan Navy&rsquo;s constructive efforts to advance cooperative maritime security across the region and expressed appreciation for its role as a regional maritime security stabilizer, the statement said.&nbsp;During the meeting at Air Headquarters, the chief of air staff highlighted the Pakistan Air Force&rsquo;s modernization efforts, including capability enhancement, infrastructure development, indigenization, and advanced training reforms.&nbsp;&ldquo;Discussions focused on emerging defense technologies such as drones, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, advanced sensors, and digital innovation, as well as evolving air defense challenges and integrated defense architectures,&rdquo; the statement said.&nbsp;The Bahraini commander appreciated the professionalism, operational readiness, and contributions of Pakistan&rsquo;s armed forces toward regional peace and stability, according to the statement.&nbsp;The commander praised the modernization initiatives and indigenous capabilities of the Pakistan Armed Forces, expressing interest in further cooperation in training, emerging technologies, and capacity-building initiatives, the statement added.&nbsp;The visit reflects the strong and enduring defense partnership between Pakistan and Bahrain and is expected to further advance bilateral military cooperation for the mutual benefit of both brotherly nations, the statement said. General Haykal calls on CDFEarlier today, Commander-in-Chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces, General Rodolphe Haykal, called on Chief of Defense Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, at GHQ, according to an ISPR statement.&nbsp;<img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/1ad98d56-48c4-48d1-a3f1-80ff543af563.jpeg" style="width: 714px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Commander-in-Chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces, General Rodolphe Haykal, called on Pakistan&#39;s Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir at the GHQ, Rawalpindi. (Source: ISPR) General Haykal was presented a guard of honor by a tri-services contingent, reflecting the significance of the visit and the longstanding cordial ties between Pakistan and Lebanon.&nbsp;&quot;During the meeting, both dignitaries exchanged views on matters of mutual interest, the evolving regional security environment and prospects for further enhancing cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries,&quot; the statement added.&nbsp;According to the statement, the discussions focused on expanding professional interactions, strengthening training collaboration, and deepening institutional linkages between the Pakistan Armed Forces and the Lebanese Armed Forces.

Foreign Affairs

Security

Bahrain National Guard Commander General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa and Commander-in-Chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces, General Rodolphe Haykal, separately called on Pakistan Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir at the GHQ on Tuesday, where they discussed matters of mutual interest and the regional security environment.

Bahrain, Lebanon senior military officials meet Pakistan field marshal, discuss regional security environment

HONG KONG:&nbsp;Asian equities went into reverse Friday on continued worries about the AI trade after disappointing forecasts from chip titan Broadcom, while investors were also keeping a wary eye on stuttering Middle East peace efforts. After leading several markets to record highs this year, technology firms are facing selling pressure on concerns that the eye-watering sums pumped into artificial intelligence may have been overdone and stock valuations are too high. Broadcom on Wednesday sparked concern among traders who have piled into all things AI when its revenue forecast for the third quarter came in below expectations, sparking a sell-off in Wall Street&#39;s Nasdaq as dealers took profits and rotated into other sectors. And the losses have bled through to Asia, where tech-heavy Seoul and Tokyo -- which have led the region&#39;s surge this year -- sank from record highs.&nbsp;Stocks tankSouth Korean stocks tanked almost 7% at one point Friday, having dropped 1.8% the day before. The Nikkei in Tokyo was off more than 1%, matching Thursday&#39;s retreat. The losses come as investors contemplate a coming IPO by Elon Musk&#39;s SpaceX, which is aiming to raise $75 billion in the biggest initial public offering ever.&nbsp; The company said in a regulatory filing that it would offer more than 550 million shares at&nbsp;$135 each next week, which could value the company at $1.8 trillion. There were also losses in Hong Kong, Sydney, Singapore and Taipei, though Shanghai, Wellington and Manila edged up. Jakarta extended losses amid building fears about the state of the Indonesian economy and the rupiah, which have been hammered by surging oil prices. &quot;Broadcom&#39;s revenue miss sparked profit-taking across the semiconductor sector and gave investors a reason to pause after the recent AI-driven rally,&quot; said City Index&#39;s Fiona Cincotta. &quot;Broadcom&#39;s results suggest investor expectations may have run ahead of fundamentals.&quot; The latest AI wobble came as investors grew nervous about grinding efforts to end the Middle East crisis. The head of Hezbollah on Thursday rejected a conditional truce announced by Lebanon and Israel, demanding a comprehensive ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from its northern neighbor.&nbsp;&lsquo;Last chance&rsquo;Naim Qassem&#39;s message came after the two sides agreed to a conditional ceasefire that Lebanon&#39;s president called the &quot;last chance&quot; for a durable end to the fighting. Talks between Iran and the United States also appeared to be going nowhere, with Iran reporting &quot;no tangible progress&quot;, even as President Donald Trump again voiced optimism, telling reporters a deal &quot;could happen... over the weekend&quot;. Still, oil prices held their recent losses amid lingering optimism a deal will be struck and the Strait of Hormuz -- through which a fifth of global oil usually passes -- will reopen. Official US jobs data due later in the day are also in focus following forecast-topping private data that indicated the economy remained healthy and fanned bets on the Federal Reserve hiking interest rates. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Key figures at around 0230 GMT </h2>West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.1% at $93.16 a barrel Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.5% at $95.47 a barrel Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.2% at 66,661.47 (break) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.4% at 25,155.38 Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.3% at 4,067.78 Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1615 from $1.1610 on Thursday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3427 from $1.3423 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 159.95 yen from 160.03 yen Euro/pound: UP at 86.51 pence from 86.50 pence New York - DOW: UP 1.7% at 51,561.93 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.3% at 10,360.32 (close)

Business

After leading several markets to record highs this year, technology firms are facing selling pressure on concerns that the eye-watering sums pumped into artificial intelligence may have been overdone and stock valuations are too high.

Asian stocks take another hit from AI, Mideast worries

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, full respect for the country&rsquo;s sovereignty, and the complete implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, according to a statement from Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN. Speaking at an emergency Security Council meeting on the deteriorating situation in Lebanon, Pakistan&rsquo;s permanent representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, expressed deep concern over the worsening security and humanitarian crisis. The Pakistani envoy said that despite ceasefire arrangements and direct talks between Israel and Lebanon, Israeli military operations and ground incursions have expanded, leaving nearly 20% of Lebanese territory under occupation, the statement said.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 670px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2061621347571425599&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard&sessionId=90d4249875416de69eb624713523bb7311f93771&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> He highlighted reports of widespread civilian suffering, noting that more than 3,400 people have been killed, over 10,000 injured, and more than one million displaced since March, it added. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar also voiced alarm over attacks on humanitarian and medical personnel, citing World Health Organization (WHO) figures showing 125 health workers killed and more than 300 injured, the statement said.&nbsp; He further condemned strikes on cultural and historical sites, including the UNESCO-listed city of Tyre and Beaufort Castle, the statement added. Reaffirming Pakistan&rsquo;s support for diplomatic efforts, he urged all parties to recommit to dialogue, uphold international law, and work toward a lasting and peaceful resolution of the conflict, the statement said.

Says escalating violence in Lebanon threatens regional stability; urges an immediate ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal, respect for Lebanese sovereignty, and renewed diplomatic efforts for peace.

Pakistan urges ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon at UNSC 

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations reports that the escalating conflict in Lebanon has displaced more than one million people. This situation has forced Syrian and Palestinian refugees, who had already escaped the wars in their home countries, to flee once more. Humanitarian agencies are referring to this as a &quot;double displacement&quot; crisis. Over the weekend, an Israeli strike on Deir Zahrani killed eight people, including three women, according to Lebanon&#39;s health ministry, while Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday said his country was facing &quot;a vicious and reprehensible Israeli aggression.&quot;&nbsp; This comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to push deeper into the ground offensive in Lebanon despite growing international condemnation. The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR says Lebanon hosts the highest number of refugees per capita in the world, with roughly one in five people in the country a refugee. UNHCR data shows that the figure includes more than 1.4 million registered Syrians and approximately 200,000 Palestinian refugees. According to UNHCR, nearly 700,000 people were displaced within a week of intensified fighting, while Lebanese authorities estimate that approximately 14% of the country&#39;s territory is currently under evacuation threat. Geographic escalationThe Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) says southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and the southern suburbs of Beirut, the hardest-hit areas in the escalation, were also where the vast majority of Syrian and Palestinian refugees had been concentrated.&nbsp; According to data from UNHCR and the joint Lebanon Response Plan, Lebanon&#39;s strict &quot;no-camp policy&quot; for Syrians prohibited the creation of formal, UN-managed camps, forcing displaced communities into informal tented settlements heavily concentrated in the rural Bekaa Valley, southern Lebanon, and the outer suburbs of Beirut, the exact regions now under bombardment. The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) says the breadth and circumstances of Israeli blanket evacuation orders, covering large swaths of Lebanese territory, may amount to unlawful forced displacement under international humanitarian law. In a shelter for the displaced in Sidon, southern Lebanon&#39;s largest city, Zeinab Fakih, from Nabatieh, told AFP, &quot;We are afraid.&quot; &quot;It is impossible for us to return to our home, because the city is in great destruction,&quot; she said. Syrians cross backUNHCR said more than 200,000 people crossed from Lebanon into Syria between March 2 and March 27 through official border crossings. The agency said nearly 180,000 were Syrians and more than 28,000 were Lebanese nationals. The crossings included Syrians who had previously fled their country&#39;s civil war and settled in Lebanon before being displaced again by the current conflict. &quot;The bombs don&#39;t ask who you are,&quot; one community volunteer told The New Humanitarian in March. &quot;But when people arrive at shelters, suddenly those questions matter again.&quot; Health conditions in sheltersAid agencies warn that conditions in shelters are deteriorating as displacement increases. Lebanese authorities say more than 620 collective shelters have been opened across the country. However, UNHCR reports that nearly 94% of those facilities are operating at full capacity. The World Health Organization has warned of acute public health risks inside those shelters, including rising rates of measles, hepatitis A, and diarrheal disease due to overcrowding. UNICEF says children make up roughly one-third of the displaced population. Syrian and Palestinian refugees, as well as undocumented migrants, reports The New Humanitarian,&nbsp;have in numerous cases been turned away from official shelters, with facilities prioritizing Lebanese nationals or registered refugee populations.&nbsp; The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations says an estimated 160,000 migrant workers, from Ethiopia, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Kenya, and elsewhere, have been left with no choice but to sleep in public parks, on roadsides, or in informal tented settlements with no protection. The NRC warned in March that people were reliving &quot;the same cycle of bombing, loss and displacement&quot; experienced during previous rounds of conflict. UN agencies have appealed for additional international funding, saying the scale of displacement is overwhelming available resources.&nbsp;

The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR says Lebanon hosts the highest number of refugees per capita in the world, with roughly one in five people in the country a refugee, warning that escalating violence is leaving displaced communities with shrinking access to housing, medical care, and basic services across the country.


Israeli offensive in Lebanon forces Syrian, Palestinian refugees to flee again: UN

BEIRUT: More than half of Lebanon&#39;s population depends on humanitarian aid, a European Union official said on Friday, as Israel continues its attacks on the country despite a ceasefire in the two-month-long war with militant group Hezbollah. &quot;At present, more than three million people, meaning more than half of the population here in Lebanon, depend on humanitarian aid to survive,&quot; EU crisis management chief Hadja Lahbib told reporters after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Beirut. Lahbib said that since the start of the war on March 2 the 27-member bloc has provided 100 million euros in aid and sent six planes carrying humanitarian aid, with a seventh expected on Saturday. Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 2,700 people and displaced over one million since early March, according to authorities. The UN launched an emergency appeal in March for $308 million in humanitarian aid for Lebanon, but in two months it has raised just $126 million, according to UN agencies. Lahbib, who said that the ceasefire has opened &quot;a narrow window of hope&quot;, called for Hezbollah &quot;to cease its attacks and be disarmed&quot; and said that &quot;Israel must put an end to its bombardments&quot;. &quot;For a ceasefire to lead to peace, courage is needed -- political courage to address the root causes of this conflict.&quot; Israel and Lebanon are set to hold a third round of talks in Washington next week to end the war, despite Hezbollah&#39;s opposition to direct negotiations.

More than half of Lebanon’s population depends on humanitarian aid, the EU said, as Israeli strikes continue despite a ceasefire and Washington talks seek to end the war.

More than half of Lebanon population depends on aid: EU official

WASHINGTON:&nbsp;Lebanon and Israel will hold a new round of peace talks on May 14-15 in Washington, a US official said Thursday, despite a new Israeli strike in the heart of Beirut. The attack late Wednesday killed a senior commander of Hezbollah, with Israel saying it will keep targeting the Iranian-backed group despite a ceasefire in place in Lebanon. Next week&#39;s talks will be the third between Israel and Lebanon, which had not spoken directly for decades and have no diplomatic relations. &quot;There will be talks between Lebanon and Israel Thursday and Friday next week in Washington,&quot; a State Department official said on condition of anonymity. Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 2,700 people since March 2, including dozens since a ceasefire was declared, according to Lebanese authorities. At the last talks on April 23, the two sides met in the White House with President Donald Trump, who announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire. He also said that he expected a historic meeting within the ceasefire period between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. But Aoun said Monday that the timing was not yet right for a meeting, saying that first the two countries must reach a security agreement. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, at a news conference on Tuesday, said that &quot;there&#39;s no problem between the Lebanese government and the Israeli government&quot; and that Hezbollah was the issue. &quot;By and large, I think a peace deal between Lebanon and Israel is eminently achievable and should be,&quot; Rubio said. Israel has carried out heavy bombings of Lebanon as well as a ground invasion of southern Lebanon. It was responding to rocket fire by Hezbollah at the start of the war on Iran launched by Trump and Netanyahu on February 28. An Israeli strike on Wednesday also killed four people in the eastern Bekaa Valley, with Israel saying it was targeting Hezbollah. The two previous rounds of talks in Washington were held between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States.&nbsp;

Lebanon and Israel will hold a new round of peace talks on May 14-15 in Washington, a US official said Thursday, despite a new Israeli strike in the heart of Beirut.

Lebanon, Israel to hold new talks in Washington May 14-15: US

Web Desk/AFP

Navy vessel is seen sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which much of the world's oil and gas passes, on March 1, 2026. (File photo: AFP)

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf describes the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as a “clumsy and ignorant decision,” saying tensions nearly escalated during behind-the-scenes talks involving an American minesweeper near the strategic waterway.

All you need to know about Day 50 of US-Israel war on Iran

ISLAMABAD: Pressure on Israel over its military campaign in Lebanon intensified on Tuesday, as Italy suspended defense ties, Spain issued a blunt legal rebuke, and China called for respect for Lebanese sovereignty. In Rome, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced the suspension of a long-standing defense cooperation agreement with Israel. The pact, in place since 2006, covers military training, industrial cooperation, &nbsp;and technology sharing. According to AFP, Italian officials said the move followed reports that Israeli forces fired warning shots at a United Nations peacekeeping convoy in southern Lebanon that included Italian personnel, an incident that drew strong backlash in Italy, a key contributor to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). &ldquo;In view of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defence agreement with Israel,&rdquo; Meloni said on the sidelines of an event in Verona, according to Italian news agencies ANSA and AGI. In Beijing, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S&aacute;nchez delivered a sharp condemnation, accusing Israel of violating international law and describing its conduct as &ldquo;intolerable,&rdquo; AFP reported. Speaking during an official visit, S&aacute;nchez said the war had been a &ldquo;mistake&rdquo; from the outset and called for the European Union to suspend its cooperation framework with Israel. He also urged accountability, warning that there should be &ldquo;no impunity&rdquo; for what he described as criminal acts, and said Lebanon must be included in any ceasefire arrangement. Separately, Iran&rsquo;s President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a post on X that &ldquo;the essence of civilizations reveals itself at critical historical junctures,&rdquo; adding that positions taken by countries including Spain, China, Russia, T&uuml;rkiye, Italy, and Egypt against what he described as &ldquo;warmongering and crimes&rdquo; reflect their deep cultural and historical roots.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2044063688584507580&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Flogin%2F&sessionId=3362cbd2995e2849f5202d296d2c5f703c1a9990&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 321px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div> China&rsquo;s response included Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning saying Lebanon&rsquo;s sovereignty &ldquo;should not be violated&rdquo; and stressed the need to protect civilian lives, urging all parties to de-escalate. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to the remarks.

A photograph taken from the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon shows Israeli soldiers driving along a road running beside destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon on April 15, 2026. (AFP)

Europe

Asia

Italy suspends defense ties, Spain condemns Israel, and China urges restraint as global pressure mounts over Lebanon strikes. Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian also criticizes Israel, highlighting the widening international backlash.

Global pressure grows on Israel as Italy, Spain, China criticize Lebanon strikes

WASHINGTON:&nbsp;Israel and Lebanon released a joint statement saying that they held &ldquo;productive discussions&rdquo; and agreed to launch direct negotiations as the two sides met in Washington, the United States said on Tuesday. &quot;The participants held productive discussions on steps toward launching direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon,&quot; State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement. &quot;All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue,&quot; he said. The announcement came after Israeli and Lebanese envoys held more than two hours of talks mediated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. &quot;The United States congratulated the two countries on this historic milestone and expressed its support for further talks, and for the government of Lebanon&#39;s plans to restore the monopoly of force and to end Iran&#39;s overbearing influence,&quot; Pigott said. And it &quot;affirmed that any agreement to cease hostilities must be reached between the two governments, brokered by the United States, and not through any separate track,&quot; he added. Lebanon was pulled into the region-wide Iran war on March 2 after pro-Tehran Hezbollah attacked Israel. Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than one million, despite international calls for a ceasefire, and Israeli ground forces have invaded southern Lebanon.

Israel and Lebanon agree to launch direct negotiations after “productive” talks in Washington mediated by Marco Rubio, marking a potential step toward de-escalation.

Articles tagged with "Lebanon"