The Israeli military said Wednesday that its troops recovered the body of a hostage in Gaza and brought it back to Israel following a "complex and difficult operation". Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said in an online briefing that troops carried out what he described as a "complex and difficult special operation" to retrieve the body.

JERUSALEM — Israeli soldiers recovered the body of a 53-year-old hostage in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza , the military said Wednesday, and the army was determining if another set of remains belongs to the man’s son.

Lebanon's parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun head of state on Thursday, filling the vacant presidency with a general who has U.S. support and showing the weakened sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel.

The outcome showed the diminished sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group after its devastating war with Israel.

STORY: Lebanon's parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun as the country's new president on Thursday.The move elevates a general who enjoys U.S. approval and underscores the diminished sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group following more than a year of devastating war with Israel.