Donald Trump explained the appeal in one sentence: "Versailles is not gold leaf — Versailles is the real deal."

For Emmanuel Macron, that was precisely the point.

Hezbollah supporters gathered Wednesday at the grave of former leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut to hear a speech by Hezbollah new leader Sheikh Naim Qassem marking Ashoura, when Shiite Muslims commemorate Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

In his speech, Qassem urged Lebanese authorities to take advantage of a "pivotal" moment following a U.S.-Iran deal to end the Middle East war.

The Sagrada Familia basilica features sandcastle-like spires, stone carved to look like lush flora, a kaleidoscopic interior and a trove of treasures, some hiding in plain sight. Even regular worshippers at Barcelona's world-famous landmark find themselves dumbstruck with wonder.

Josep Turull, the Catalan rector of the Sagrada Familia and the priest in charge of its parish activities, recently granted The Associated Press a private tour to show off his favorite gems ahead of Pope Leo XIV's highly anticipated Mass on Wednesday night.

Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame on Monday appealed for historic sites to be spared as AFP correspondents saw damage to a World Heritage site in south Lebanon's Tyre after Israeli bombardment.

One of the oldest cities on the Mediterranean coast, Tyre lies around 20 kilometers from the Israeli border, and its UNESCO World Heritage-listed ruins are located in two main areas of the city.

Lebanon's culture minister told AFP on Friday that Israeli strikes on the country's south are putting heritage sites, including in the ancient city of Tyre, in "serious danger".

Lebanese authorities have decried Israeli attacks near UNESCO-protected historic sites and landmarks in the country's south.

Muslim pilgrims from around the world congregated on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the second official day of the annual Islamic pilgrimage, considered the pinnacle of Hajj.

Despite the sweltering heat, the pilgrims gathered on the rocky hill and the surrounding plains for intense prayers that often mark a spiritual peak. Typically, they fervently murmur prayers and pour their hearts out in supplications, asking God for forgiveness, mercy, blessings and good health. It is common for many pilgrims on that day to raise their hands in worship, with tears streaming down their faces, on the slopes of the rocky hill and in the surrounding area.

Once a year, large numbers of Muslim pilgrims converge in Saudi Arabia, uniting in religious rituals and acts of worship as they perform the Hajj. While fulfilling a religious obligation, they immerse themselves in what can be a spiritual experience of a lifetime for them and a chance to seek God's forgiveness and the erasure of past sins.

This year, the Hajj has been approaching against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related tensions and uncertainty in the Middle East.

Israel on Thursday indicted a Jewish man over a violent attack on a nun near Jerusalem's Old City last week, the latest in a string of high-profile incidents targeting Christians and religious symbols.

The indictment identified the man as Yona Schreiber, 36, from the Israeli-occupied West Bank settlement of Peduel. It comes after a video of the assault received wide condemnation from foreign and Christian leaders.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a fence-mending visit to the Vatican on Thursday to underscore strong bilateral ties, after U.S. President Donald Trump's broadsides against Pope Leo XIV for his opposition to the Iran war angered the Holy See and sparked ongoing sparring between them.

The U.S. State Department said that the meetings with Leo and the Vatican's top diplomat covered peace in the Middle East and "underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See," and reflected the "enduring partnership" between them.