NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on authorities in Beirut to respect the decision of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which on Thursday imposed life sentences on two members of Hezbollah for involvement in the 2005 bombing that claimed the life of former prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Hariri was killed on Feb. 14, 2005, by a suicide bomber who targeted his armored convoy on the Beirut waterfront. The blast killed 21 other people and injured 226.

BUENOS AIRES: Israel has praised Argentina for holding a Venezuelan plane that included Iranian crew, saying the flight shows Tehran is trying to expand its influence in South America.
Washington also made clear it is keeping close tabs on the investigation into the Boeing 747, which was loaded with automotive parts and raised questions because its 19 crew members is an unusually large number for a cargo plane.

THE HAGUE: The International Criminal Court on Wednesday dropped its war crimes case against a Libyan general after prosecutors confirmed he was dead.

The decision came more than a year after Libyan officials reported that assailants killed Mahmoud Al-Werfalli, a commander in the self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces, by opening fire on his car in the eastern city of Benghazi.

The court said judges terminated proceedings against Al-Werfalli after studying evidence that included witness statements, photographs and social media posts.

NEW YORK: The head of the UN mission at Hodeidah in Yemen, which is monitoring the ceasefire there, has called for its mandate to be extended.
Maj. Gen. Michael Beary emphasized the strategic and humanitarian significance of the coastal city to the future of Yemen, and said there is no “easy substitute” for its ports.
“The ports serve as a lifeline for Yemen,” he told Arab News. “They supply up to 70 percent of the country’s population with humanitarian aid and essential food supplies.

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Aoun will hold binding consultations with members of the country’s recently elected parliament to name a new prime minister on June 23.

Caretaker PM Najib Mikati is widely seen as the front-runner for the post.

Once named, the new prime minister must form a government, a process that often takes several months.

However, the incoming government will last for only four months, as its term will end with the completion of the presidential term in October.