Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc said Thursday that U.S. sanctions targeting two of the group's members in the Lebanese parliament are spiteful and won't force a change in their ideology or views.

The U.S. Treasury Department said it is targeting two Hizbullah lawmakers and a security official suspected of using their positions to further the aims of the militant group and Tehran's "malign activities."

President Michel Aoun decried on Wednesday new U.S. sanctions targeting two Hizbullah lawmakers, as Prime Minister Saad Hariri sought to reassure the public that the fragile economy won't be affected.

Aoun said the U.S. decision to target lawmakers was regrettable, adding that his government will pursue the matter with American officials.

Parliament speaker Nabih Berri deplored on Wednesday the fresh US sanctions targeting two Hizbullah lawmakers saying "they are an aggression against the whole country."

Iran's first government minister born after its 1979 Islamic Revolution is a carefully manicured, charming internet engineer who posts Instagram pictures of his weekends with his family and spends 30 minutes a day reading letters from his constituents.

He also used to work for the Intelligence Ministry.

President Donald Trump gave a warm White House welcome Tuesday to the leader of Qatar amid a bitter rift between the tiny, energy-rich nation and its fellow American allies in the Persian Gulf and rising tensions with Iran.

Trump clasped hands with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and called him a friend while recognizing the country's extensive military partnership with the U.S. and billions of dollars in purchases from American companies.

French President Emmanuel Macron's top diplomatic adviser is spending two days in Tehran as part of an urgent bid to deescalate rising tensions with Iran over its unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.

An Elysee Palace official said that adviser Emmanuel Bonne left for Tehran on Tuesday, seeking ways to restart dialogue. The official wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and asked for anonymity.

Saudi Arabia says it has intercepted a drone launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting "civilian infrastructure" in the kingdom.

The announcement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency early Tuesday did not identify what the drone targeted.

Volkswagen is halting production of the last version of its Beetle model this week at its plant in Puebla, Mexico. It's the end of the road for a vehicle that has symbolized many things over a history spanning the eight decades since 1938.

It has been: a part of Germany's darkest hours as a never-realized Nazi prestige project. A symbol of Germany's postwar economic renaissance and rising middle-class prosperity. An example of globalization, sold and recognized all over the world. An emblem of the 1960s counterculture in the United States. Above all, the car remains a landmark in design, as recognizable as the Coca-Cola bottle.

Prime Minister Theresa May backed Britain's ambassador to the United States on Tuesday after President Donald Trump cut off contact with him following the leak of diplomatic cables that branded the U.S. administration as "inept."

May stood by Kim Darroch amid the controversy over the release of the documents published in the Mail on Sunday newspaper. Darroch's forthright views have created awkwardness between two countries who often celebrate having a "special relationship."

Uma Valeti slices into a pan-fried chicken cutlet in the kitchen of his startup, Memphis Meats. He sniffs the tender morsel on his fork before taking a bite. He chews slowly, absorbing the taste.

"Our chicken is chicken ... you've got to taste it to believe it," Valeti says.