Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat hoped on the tenth anniversary of the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon for the implementation of the Baabda Declaration that would grant the army complete power over decisions of war and peace.

He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa website: “We look forward to the day when we celebrate the existence of a single central authority that oversees all others.”

Three British plane-spotting hobbyists who were arrested two months ago in the United Arab Emirates on national security grounds have been released, Britain's Foreign Office said on Thursday.

Relatives of the men had said they were detained after being observed plane spotting at Fujairah airport, a pastime in which people photograph aircraft and log their registration numbers.

Speaker Nabih Berri has canceled the meeting of the Arab Inter-parliamentary Union (AIPU) that was set to be held in Beirut end of April after he was informed by Saudi Arabia that it would not attend the talks, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

Berri informed Arab parliaments that “the conference has been canceled for non-Lebanese reasons,” said al-Joumhouria.

Government reforms put in place by Bahraini authorities in the wake of widespread anti-government protests four years ago have failed to end serious violations of human rights in the strategically important Gulf nation, Amnesty International said in a report released Thursday.

The 79-page report documents what the London-based group calls a "chilling crackdown on dissent" that includes the continued jailing of activists, bans on protests in the capital and instances of torture and other mistreatment of detainees.

Support for freedom of speech has dropped across a number of Middle Eastern and North African countries since 2013, according to a survey by the Qatari branch of a U.S. university.

In Saudi Arabia, Egypt and, most notably, Tunisia, the numbers of people backing the principle of free speech by social media users fell, said Northwestern University in Qatar's (NU-Q) "Media Use Survey 2015."

Saudi Arabia and Egypt are considering holding "large-scale" military maneuvers after launching air strikes on Yemeni rebels who have been slapped with a U.N. arms embargo and sanctions.

In a possible sign the Saudi-led air campaign against the Shiite rebels may expand into a ground operation, Cairo said it and Riyadh were mulling the exercises in Saudi Arabia, with other Gulf countries participating.

Australia's defense minister has been left red-faced after apparently being unable to name the head of Islamic State on the day he committed more troops to help defeat the jihadist group.

Kevin Andrews was repeatedly asked during a television interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation late Tuesday to identify the IS chief -- widely seen as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Australia said Tuesday 330 troops were heading to Iraq for two years to train local soldiers fighting jihadists including the Islamic State group, joining an aerial and special forces contingent in the region.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the troops would be deployed from Wednesday and operate from the massive Taji base complex north of Baghdad alongside 100 soldiers from New Zealand.

Lebanese businessmen in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are planning to visit Gulf countries to announce their support for the Saudi-led coalition against Huthi rebels in Yemen, al-Liwaa daily reported on Tuesday.

The tour of the Lebanese expatriates is aimed at throwing their weight behind the decision of Saudi King Salman last month to carry out air strikes against the Shiite rebels to defend Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansur Hadi's government, said the report.

Islamabad on Sunday hit out at the United Arab Emirates for condemning a parliamentary vote by Pakistani lawmakers to stay out of the conflict in Yemen, in a rare display of discord between the two allies.

Pakistan's parliament on Friday passed a unanimous resolution backing the government's commitment to protect Saudi Arabia's territory from Shiite Huthi rebels, but declined Riyadh's request for Pakistani troops, ships and warplanes inside Yemen.