Lebanon is rocked again by exploding devices as Israel declares a new phase of war

BEIRUT (AP) — Walkie-talkies exploded in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon on Wednesday in a second wave of attacks targeting devices a day after pagers used by Hezbollah blew up, state media and officials for the militant group said. At least 20 people were killed and more than 450 wounded in...

A Hezbollah official says walkie-talkies used by the group exploded as part of blasts heard across Beirut

Multiple explosions heard in Beirut during funeral for Hezbollah members and child killed by exploding pagers

Hezbollah officials say at least two of its members and a girl were killed when the group's new brand of pagers exploded

Leading Lebanese novelist Elias Khoury dies at 76

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese novelist Elias Khoury who dedicated much of his writings to the Palestinian cause and taught at universities around the world, making him one of Lebanon’s most prominent intellectuals, has died. He was 76. Khoury, a leading voice of Arab literature, had...

Hezbollah says it launches attack on Israel with large number of drones in response to killing of commander in Beirut

Lebanon's health care system in tatters but still preparing for a possible wider war with Israel

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s crisis-battered health care system is now preparing for the possibility of a devastating wider conflict with Israel, the country’s health minister told The Associated Press in an interview Monday. Israel's military and Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah...

Earthquake strikes Syria, rattling nerves amid memories of last year's deadly temblor

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — An earthquake shook central Syria late Monday, local authorities said, causing no major damages but rattling the nerves of residents who remembered last year’s devastating temblor that struck northern Syria and Turkey. Syria’s National Center for...

Israel-Hamas war latest: Palestinians flee parts of south Gaza as Israel launches a new assault

Palestinians are fleeing large areas around Khan Younis in southern Gaza where the Israeli military began a new assault after ordering another mass evacuation. Gaza’s second-largest city, Khan Younis, suffered widespread destruction during air and ground operations earlier in the...

In Israel and Lebanon, life goes on even as the region teeters on the edge of all-out war

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — In Beirut, shops are open and traffic is as snarled as ever. In Tel Aviv, cafes hum with patrons and umbrellas sprout across crowded beaches. Such scenes may seem surreal in a region teetering on the edge of all-out war — and beneath the surface there is...