The meeting, July 12 -- who fills the space that Iran's battered proxies left behind?

Turkey is positioning itself to counter both Israeli and Iranian influence in a country their competing ambitions have helped devastate.

Lebanon was pulled into the regional war on March 2 when Iran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, triggering a retaliation that razed villages across southern Lebanon and left Israeli forces occupying roughly seven per cent of Lebanese territory. More than 4,300 people have been killed and over one million displaced. Hezbollah has suffered significant losses but remains a political and military force. President Joseph Aoun has issued unusually direct criticism of Iran's role in Lebanese domestic affairs, whil...