Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has said the U.S. must spend money to help Lebanon confront the Syrian refugee crisis as the U.S. Senate appropriators advanced a $48.3 billion budget for foreign aid and State Department work.

The Appropriations foreign operations subcommittee adopted the budget by consensus Tuesday. The full committee examines it Thursday.

The U.N. General Assembly Monday approved the nomination of Jordan's Prince Zeid al-Hussein as the next human rights chief, making him the first Muslim and Arab to hold the post.

The top diplomat, currently Amman's ambassador to the United Nations, will take over as U.N. high commissioner for human rights on September 1, replacing Navi Pillay of South Africa.

Jordan released a leading jihadist ideologist, who was once mentor to Iraq's now slain al-Qaida leader, on Monday after he completed a jail sentence for recruiting fighters for the Taliban, his lawyer said.

Issam Barqawi, known as Abu Mohammed al-Maqdessi, "was released from jail today and he is with his family now," lawyer Majed Leftawi told Agence France Presse.

Jordan on Monday urged "a comprehensive political process" in Iraq, saying the kingdom is taking steps to guard against possible fallout from the latest unrest in its strife-hit neighbor.

Iraqi security forces are battling to repel a militant offensive that has seen a large chunk of northern and north-central Iraq fall out of government hands.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Monday urged Jordan's King Abdullah II to reform the country's "repressive" anti-terrorism law, saying recent amendments to the legislation are "disturbing."

The amendments, approved in April, criminalize "the use of information technology, the Internet or any means of publication or media, or the creation of a website, to facilitate terrorist acts or back groups that promote, support or fund terrorism."

Jordan's state-run news agency says border guards opened fire on four vehicles trying to enter illegally from Syria after they ignored orders to stop, without saying whether anyone was killed or wounded in the incident.

The Petra news agency reported the incident Saturday, saying it had taken place the day before. Officials could not immediately be reached to provide further details.

Jordanian military prosecutors accused a group of journalists of terrorism after closing an Amman-based television channel critical of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a judicial official said.

"State security court prosecutors charged the owner and 13 journalists of the Al-Abasiya satellite station with using the Internet to carry out acts that would expose Jordanians to acts of aggression," the official told AFP, without elaborating.

Jordan on Monday summoned Australia's charge d'affaires John Feakes after Canberra said it would no longer refer to annexed east Jerusalem as "occupied," the foreign ministry in Amman said.

"The ministry summoned the Australian charge d'affaires and informed him that the kingdom is concerned about the Australian government's decision to stop referring to east Jerusalem as 'occupied'," ministry spokeswoman Sabah Rafei said in a statement.

The diplomat ridding the world of Syria's chemical weapons is Sigrid Kaag, a statuesque and impeccably dressed mother of four who speaks six languages and is fearless in a war zone.

For nine months she has led the international mission to destroy Damascus's declared chemical agents, braving mortar fire, jetting between the Middle East, Europe and New York, and liaising with Moscow, Washington and maritime fleets.

Jordan's ambassador to the United Nations has been nominated as U.N. high commissioner for human rights, to replace South Africa's outgoing Navi Pillay, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Friday.

Prince Zeid al-Hussein has twice been Jordan's ambassador at the United Nations in New York and is also a former Jordanian ambassador to the United States.