TEHRAN – Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi was appointed on Monday by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to lead the Expediency Council, a powerful body constitutionally charged with finding the middle ground between the Parliament and the oversight Guardian Council.

Prior to the appointment for a five-year term, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi-Kermani was taking care of the body for nearly seven months since the passing of Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani who was in charge for nearly two decades.

Buses carrying “Sraya Ahl Sham” terrorists left east Arsal on Monday for Eastern Qalamoun in Syria, Hezbollah Military Media Center reported.

40 buses accompanied by 14 Red Cross vehicles took off from Arsal’s Wadi Hmayd, heading for Syria’s Flita and then for Rhaibeh in Eastern Qalamoun, according to the Military Media Center.

BEIRUT, (ST)- Hizbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah has stressed that the terrorist organizations on which the Israeli occupation has bet to undermine Syria have failed, pointing out that the defeat of terrorism in Arsal and Flita barrens few weeks ago was very disappointing to the Israeli enemy.

In a statement marking the 11th Anniversary of the 2006 victory on the Israeli enemy, Nasrallah said Israel is the most sad party because of the latest victory in Arsal and Flita barrens and now it as well as America are crying over the terrorist groups' defeat.

 Israeli and the United States are sparing no effort as to avoid ISIS collapse, because ISIS defeat means the victory of  Syria and the axis of resistance, Nasrallah said.

MOSCOW– Russia Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the size of areas in Syria liberated from the terrorists by the country’s army supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces more than doubled over the past two months.

"Over the past two months, the larger territory has been liberated [from terrorists] than it had been under control of the Syrian government [before the Russian forces engagement]. As a matter of fact, we have made it 2.5 times larger than it has been. I mean the Syrian army with our support [has liberated the territories]," Shoigu said in an interview with Rossiya 1 TV channel late on Saturday, according to Mehr News.

The defense minister added that the fight against the terrorists continued in Syria.

TEHRAN– Iran’s parliament has decided on a list of American legal and natural entities subject to punishment and countermeasures under a bill passed Sun. against US acts of terror in region, according to the Mehr News Agancy.

On Sunday, Iranian lawmakers unanimously passed the general outlines of a countermeasure bill to US acts of exploitation and terrorism in the region in a 240-0 vote with one abstention. Article 4 of the bill includes a list on US legal and natural entities that will be subject to punishment and countermeasure acts under the bill.