Demonstrators took to the streets across Israel Sunday calling for an end to the war in Gaza and a deal to release hostages still held by militants, as the military prepares a new offensive.

The Israeli military has said its troops are conducting a range of operations on the outskirts of Gaza City, ahead of a new major offensive to capture the sprawling municipal area.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky will head to Washington on Monday to discuss "ending the killing and the war" with U.S. President Donald Trump, he announced Saturday.

U.S. President Donald Trump early Saturday ruled out an immediate ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine after his summit with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska and said a direct peace agreement would end the war.

Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem on Friday accused the Lebanese government of "handing" the country to Israel by pushing for the group's disarmament, warning it would fight to keep its weapons.

Qassem spoke in a televised address several hours after meeting Iran's top security chief Ali Larijani, whose country has long backed the Lebanese armed group.

Israel's finance minister has backed plans to build 3,400 homes in a particularly contentious area of the occupied West Bank, calling for the territory's annexation in response to several countries' plans to recognize a Palestinian state.

Iran said Thursday it was working with China and Russia to prevent the snapback of European sanctions over Tehran's nuclear program after Britain, France and Germany threatened to reimpose them.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin meet Friday in Alaska in a high-stakes, high-risk summit that could prove decisive for the future of Ukraine.

Arab nations have slammed comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apparently expressing support for the idea of an expanded "Greater Israel", calling the remarks a threat to their sovereignty at an especially tense time for the region.

The term Greater Israel refers to a biblical interpretation of the nation's territory during the time of King Solomon, encompassing not only the present-day Palestinian territories of Gaza and the occupied West Bank, but also parts of modern Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

A blast that rocked Syria's northwestern Idlib province on Thursday killed four people, state media said, though the cause had yet to be officially determined.

Residents told AFP they heard the sound of explosions on the western outskirts of the provincial capital, with a war monitor saying they came from a nearby base for foreign fighters.