The families of the 25 Lebanese servicemen held hostage by Islamist militants on the northeastern border pleaded Thursday for Qatar’s emir to help resolve the 14-month-old crisis.

“This is a humanitarian crisis, not a political or sectarian one ... Please help bring our sons back before winter,” a spokesperson for the families said during a press conference after a delegation of the families met with Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk.

The families also called on Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri to resolve the issue “as they promised.”

David Ignatius, The Washington Post

An internal political storm is roiling Saudi Arabia, as the crown prince and his deputy jockey for power under an aging King Salman — while some other members of the royal family agitate on behalf of a third senior prince who they claim would have wider family support. For the secretive oil kingdom, whose internal debates are usually opaque to outsiders, the recent strife has been unusually open.

The tension between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and his deputy, Mohammed bin Salman (the king's son), is gossiped about across the Arab world.

Brett LoGiurato

She looked experienced. Like the Hillary Clinton of debates past. Like Beyoncé, even.

Clinton, the Democratic front-runner for president, was the near-universal pick of media and pundits declaring her the winner. 

"Hillary Clinton was Beyonce. She was flawless," CNN Democratic political commentator Van Jones said on the network afterward.

By many accounts, Tuesday night's performance was the best day of her campaign — at least in a long time. Many Clinton skeptics came out reassured, saying she looked like the Democrat who they'd want debating the Republican nominee next fall.