Lebanon Extends Parliament Mandate by Two Years

Lebanon's parliament voted on Monday to extend its mandate by two years, postponing legislative elections originally scheduled for May amid an escalating conflict with Israel that has engulfed the country.

The 128-seat parliament approved the measure with 76 votes in favor, 41 against and four abstentions, according to the office of Speaker Nabih Berri. The decision came as Israeli warplanes conducted strikes over Beirut's southern suburbs during the session, where several lawmakers from Hezbollah's 13-member bloc, including its leader Mohammed Raad, were present. Berri, a key ally of the Iran-backed group, issued a statement citing the ongoing war as the reason for the delay, which has displaced more than 500,000 people and rendered voting impossible in large parts of the country.

The conflict intensified last week after Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at northern Israel on February 2, in retaliation for the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a U.S.-Israeli strike two days earlier. Israel responded with widespread airstrikes across Lebanon and ground incursions in the south, capturing several positions. On Monday, the Israeli military targeted...