The military is investigating the soldier. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed regret for any hurt caused to “believers in Lebanon and around the world.”
In sharp contrast to the Trump administration’s calls for Christian prayers for the war effort, Pope Leo XIV says military domination is “entirely foreign to the way of Jesus Christ.”
Israel has issued sweeping evacuation warnings, and pressed some Christian and Druse leaders to expel Shiite Muslims from southern towns, the leaders said.
After more than a decade of wars, from Syria to Gaza, the Middle East is exhausted by conflict. Is it ready to find another way?
The holiday spirit is bringing people together, with celebrations of lights, dance and Santa.
Palestinian Christians are reviving their seasonal public celebrations, hoping to bring light and holiday spirit at the end of a gloomy year in the West Bank.
The pontiff is set to meet political leaders and say Mass at a Beirut port destroyed by an explosion five years ago. It is the first papal visit to Lebanon since 2012.
The pontiff met political leaders upon his arrival on Sunday and will later say Mass at a Beirut port destroyed by an explosion five years ago.
In Istanbul, Pope Leo XIV will meet the patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church to show amity between two of the world’s largest Christian groups.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Leo XIV on the opening leg of a trip that will also include Lebanon.