Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister Ehud Barak are trying to convince their cabinet to support an attack on Iran, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Wednesday.

Citing an unnamed senior Israeli official, the newspaper said Netanyahu was working to win a majority in favor of a strike against Iran, but there is currently "a small advantage" in the cabinet for those opposed to an attack.

The offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which published a special Arab Spring edition Wednesday with the prophet Mohammed as “guest editor", were gutted in a petrol bomb attack overnight, police said.

The fire at the magazine started around 01.00 am (02.00 GMT) and caused no injuries, a police source said.

A global conference aimed at mapping out the future of war-torn Afghanistan after Western troops depart opened in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Representatives from 20 countries joined aid agency members at the Istanbul talks almost 10 years after the Taliban were driven out of power in Kabul.

Four U.S. men were arrested on Tuesday for plotting to attack government workers and official buildings, and for trying to manufacture the deadly biological toxin ricin, authorities said.

"These defendants, who are alleged to be part of a fringe militia group, are charged with planning attacks against their own fellow citizens and government," said Sally Quillian Yates, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.

Palestinian leaders reacted angrily after Israel said it would build 2,000 settler homes and freeze the transfer of Palestinian tax funds to punish them for joining UNESCO.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's inner cabinet decided on Tuesday to speed up construction in east Jerusalem and in nearby settlements, a day after UNESCO's general assembly voted Palestine in as a full member.

Saudi Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz on Tuesday noted that U.S. allegations of Iranian involvement in a plot to murder the Saudi ambassador to Washington did not "require an agreement" with Tehran concerning its hajj pilgrims, Agence France Presse reported.

AFP quoted the prince earlier on Tuesday as saying that "there can be no compromise with Iran concerning the assassination bid because there is no need for it." However, the agency later corrected that version, noting that it had misinterpreted the crown prince’s remarks.

Syria and the Arab League have agreed on a roadmap to end violence in the country, Damascus said, but a top official of the regional organization said it was still awaiting Tuesday the expected formal response.

"Syria and the Arab League are in agreement over the final paper concerning the situation in Syria and the official announcement will be made at Arab League headquarters tomorrow (Wednesday)," Syrian state television and the SANA news agency said early Tuesday evening.

Rival Greek- and Turkish- Cypriot leaders made "encouraging progress" in two days of talks on reuniting the divided Mediterranean island, U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday.

The U.N. secretary general brought together Demetris Christofias, head of the internationally recognized Greek-Cypriot government, and Turkish-Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, for two days of talks at a retreat in the New York suburbs on Sunday and Monday.

The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says it fears for several journalists and bloggers in Syria who have vanished, with no response from authorities as to their fate.

"We are concerned for the safety of Lina Ibrahim, Wael Abaza and Hussein Ghrer and other journalists who we believe to be in the custody of Syrian authorities," said Mohammed Abdul Dayem, the committee's Middle East and North Africa program coordinator.

Thousands of Syrians staged a rally in support of embattled President Bashar al-Assad in eastern Syria on Tuesday, state television said, as activists reported a counter rally in the same area.

Meanwhile four people were killed on Tuesday in violence in the protests-wracked country, including an army officer and a soldier who were shot dead by gunmen in the northwestern Idlib province, a rights watchdog reported.