Syria's army began shelling Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in the northern city Aleppo on Wednesday after its deadline for civilians to leave expired, an AFP correspondent said, on the second day of clashes between the two sides.

The Syrian government and Kurdish-led forces traded blame over who started the deadly clashes on Tuesday, with the two sides so far failing to implement a March deal to merge the Kurds' semi-autonomous administration and military into Syria's new Islamist government.

The ceasefire monitoring committee, which includes representatives from the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), met Wednesday in Naqoura in south Lebanon.

The meeting was only military and was not attended by civilian representatives. Last month, Lebanon and Israel appointed the first civilians to lead their delegations to the ceasefire monitoring committee, after a request from the United States.

Israeli strikes on south Lebanon killed two people on Tuesday as Israel said it targeted Hezbollah operatives, a day before a new meeting of the committee monitoring a year-long ceasefire.

Israel has intensified its strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon in recent days, saying it has struck targets from both the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group and its Palestinian ally Hamas.

President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday condemned Israel's latest strikes on Lebanon, saying they undermine efforts to prevent escalation.

Aoun's criticism came after Israel launched a series of strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday, saying it hit Hezbollah and Hamas targets.

An emboldened U.S. President Donald Trump has hinted that he has other countries in his sights after toppling Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, leaving the world asking: where's next?

Key Ukrainian allies were to huddle with top U.S. envoys in Paris on Tuesday to discuss security guarantees, as they press ahead on U.S.-brokered plans to end the war with Russia.

Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges at a defiant appearance in a New York court Monday, two days after being snatched by U.S. forces in a stunning raid on his home in Caracas.

The Israeli military launched strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday, Lebanese state media reported, after warning it would hit what it called Hezbollah and Hamas targets in four villages.

Hundreds of tourists are stuck on the Yemeni island of Socotra after flights were halted over clashes on the mainland, two officials and a travel agency told AFP Monday.

The island's deputy governor for culture and tourism, Yahya bin Afrar, told AFP: "We have more than 400 foreign tourists... their flights have been suspended." Another local government official gave a similar figure.

The European Union said Monday that member states had made "progress" towards approving the bloc's trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur and that it hoped to sign the agreement "soon".

Diplomats have said the EU aims for a signature on January 12. European Commission chief spokeswoman Paula Pinho did not confirm the date but insisted the EU was on the "right track" to get the deal over the line in the near future.