US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that current plan calls for US troops to be redeployed to western Iraq to continue operations against the Islamic State group.

Party officials are softening their stance toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and admitting that to avoid a third election, Benny Gantz needs Netanyahu in whatever government he forms.

Among the global powers, only Japan has managed to preserve this significant vestige of the old world. On Tuesday, in an event that perhaps occurs once or twice every 100 years, Emperor Naruhito formally declared his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne as the nation's 126th emperor at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

Demonstrators blast reforms promised by Saad Hariri, which include halving salaries of top officials, overhauling electricity sector, working to scrap country's Information Ministry and other public institutions while downsizing others as "empty promises."

The Blue and White party wants to prevent a situation in which Netanyahu continues to serve as prime minister for any length of time at any price, including at the expense of state security and economic stability.