The Palestinian Authority on Thursday slammed a decision by the United States to refuse visas for its officials to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York next week, a move which includes President Mahmoud Abbas.

In a statement, the Palestinian foreign ministry called it "an unjustified measure that runs counter to efforts to rebuild trust, develop Palestinian–U.S. relations, and create the necessary political climate for implementing the two-state solution and achieving peace and stability".

The leaders of France, Lebanon and Jordan on Thursday met in Paris to discuss international support for the cash-strapped Lebanese army and the creation of a new force to succeed a longstanding U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon.

The talks discussed intensifying international efforts to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable de-escalation and restore regional stability, the Lebanese presidency said.

Lebanon on Wednesday returned to Egypt dozens of pharaonic artefacts that had been seized from the Beirut port years earlier.

"Thirty-seven antiquities... were seized from Beirut port in 2020, having arrived from an Arab port," Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh said during a handover ceremony at the Beirut national museum.

Rescuers escorted by the Lebanese army on Wednesday discovered the bodies of two men killed in an Israeli strike a day earlier, state media reported.

The two men were reported missing on Tuesday after they were "targeted" by the Israeli military between Nabatieh and Zawtar al-Sharqiya, the official National News Agency (NNA) said.

Saudi strikes in Yemen killed one person and targeted three telecommunications towers on Thursday, according to Houthi media.

"Saudi enemy warplanes targeted three telecommunications towers" in Taiz province, while one civilian was killed and another injured in strikes on the town of Abs, Almasirah television said.

Yemen's Houthis on Wednesday said they targeted an Aramco facility in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu as well as an air base in southern Saudi Arabia in response to Saudi airstrikes.

Military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi Arabia had launched more than 450 air strikes this week, and that in response, the Iran-backed group "targeted the Aramco facility in Yanbu with dozens of ballistic missiles and drones" causing fires, as well as "the Khamis Mushait air base".

Israel's defense minister said Wednesday it was only a matter of time before Israel resumes full-scale war in Gaza and moves to force out its two million Palestinians.

Israel Katz, who is known for outspoken remarks, was responding to criticism from another right-wing contender ahead of October 27 elections.

China's foreign minister Wang Yi said Beijing was willing to "safeguard" Iran's rights during talks with his counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday, as Beijing seeks to mediate in Tehran's war with the United States.

"China is also willing to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with Iran, and safeguard Iran's legitimate rights and interests," Wang told Araghchi as they met in the Chinese capital.

President Joseph Aoun told AFP that Lebanon wants a new force, from Europe or elsewhere, to avoid a security "vacuum" in the south when U.N. peacekeepers leave at the end of the year.

"What matters is that there is no vacuum," he told AFP in an interview on Tuesday. He added that any new force for Lebanon's south, part of which is occupied by Israel, would be "temporary until the (Lebanese) army can deploy".

The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen's Houthis accused the rebels on Wednesday of targeting Islam's holy city Mecca, sparking outrage across the Muslim world and deepening the conflict roiling the region.

Fresh fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government has dragged in Riyadh, with the Houthis declaring a maritime blockade on the kingdom and targeting its ships in the Red Sea.