Israel's cabinet approved Major General Yoav Galant as the new armed forces chief Sunday, according to public radio. Galant, who led the 2008-2009 Gaza war, will take up the role in the wake of a forged document scandal that tried to discredit him

polical aide to Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hussein Khalil, has contacted Prime Minister Saad Hariri to thank him on behalf of Nasrallah for committing to calm rhetoric, local media reported Sunday

President Michel Suleiman discussed with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad during a telephone conversation

A reenactment of the 2005 Beirut assassination of ex-prime minister Rafik Hariri is to be staged in France later this month as part of a U.N

Israeli and Palestinian leaders have agreed to resume direct peace talks in the Middle East on September 14-15, and to meet "every two weeks thereafter", after a first round of negotiations the US described as "productive".

 Four Israeli civilians in a car were shot dead in the West Bank on Tuesday on the eve of a U.S. sponsored Middle East peace summit in Washington, an Israel Army spokeswoman said