Finland's government on Friday survived a parliamentary vote of confidence called over the government's Middle East policy following a criticized visit to Israel by the defense minister.

Opposition parties have accused the right-wing government of internal policy differences and inconsistency on the Middle East, leading the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to call for a motion of no confidence against the government.

The deputy director-general of the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization has said that she is "deeply concerned" about the impact of the latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict on agriculture in south Lebanon.

The latest war "puts additional pressure on farmers and rural communities that, frankly, were already facing considerable hardships," said the FAO's Beth Bechdol.

The Lebanese Army announced that it has seized nearly 250 kilograms of explosives being transported from neighboring Syria into Lebanon, though it was unable to apprehend the smugglers.

"An army unit seized approximately 245 kg of TNT, four explosive devices, eight detonators and electrical wiring for the detonators," which were being "smuggled from Syrian territory into Lebanese territory," the army said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia's interior ministry said Thursday that the flydubai co-pilot, suspected of an attack stopped by the captain and passengers on a flight bound for Israel, has been transferred from the kingdom to the United Arab Emirates.

The plane's captain and the co-pilot "after their health improved and the medical team cleared them, left the Kingdom heading to Abu Dhabi on Thursday morning... accompanied by the Emirati security team", the ministry said in a statement, adding that the initial investigation showed the co-pilot attacked the captain.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis struck an electricity distribution station in the holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi-led coalition said Thursday, sparking strong condemnation from the Muslim world.

The United Arab Emirates announced on Thursday it was probing a possible "terrorist" link to an apparent attack by a pilot on board a flight to Israel that saw passengers reroute the plane to stop it from crashing.

Saudi Arabia turned down multiple requests by Israel to send its own planes to retrieve passengers from a diverted flydubai flight, a Saudi source with knowledge of the matter told AFP Thursday.

"They asked to send military warplanes. 2 or 3 direct to Tabuk airport,” the source told AFP. "Turned down."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Thursday welcomed the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq as a "historic victory" and called for American troops to leave the Middle East.

The Revolutionary Guards "congratulate the proud nation of Iraq, the united front of the Islamic Resistance, and the revolutionary fighters of the Islamic world on this historic victory," the IRGC said in a statement carried by their official media.

Pakistan confirmed on Thursday it had conducted "planned and calibrated" airstrikes on neighboring Afghanistan, where it says militants are based and coordinate attacks.

"Based on credible intelligence, selective targeting of terrorist camps and hideouts at two locations belonging to Fitna al khwarij, Fitna al Hindustan and their affiliates has been carried out in Afghanistan with precision and accuracy," the information ministry posted on X, referring to the militant groups it targeted.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Thursday he would present "heroism" awards to four Israelis who helped overpower a flydubai co-pilot and prevented him from crashing the plane they were on.

"You put yourselves at risk to save others and prevented a terrible disaster. Today, the whole world saw the beautiful and courageous face of Israeli society," Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial role, said in a statement.