Following Iraq's parliamentary election this week, the complex and often lengthy task of choosing the country's next leader is set to begin.

The armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they would hand over the remains of another hostage on Thursday as part of the US-brokered ceasefire deal with Israel in Gaza.

"The Al-Quds Brigades and the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades will hand over the body of one of the occupation's captives, which was found today in the Morag area north of Khan Yunis city in the southern Gaza Strip, at 8:00 pm Gaza time (1800 GMT)," a Hamas statement said.

U.S. special envoy Tom Barrack hailed Thursday Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s historic visit to Washington, saying that Syria will play an active role in assisting the United States in fighting armed groups including Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Hamas and Hezbollah.

On Thursday, Barrack wrote on X that "Damascus will now actively assist us in confronting and dismantling the remnants of ISIS, the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), Hamas, Hizballah, and other terrorist networks".

Incumbent Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who is vying for a second term, has scored a big win in general elections, sources close to the premier said on Wednesday.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he received a letter from US President Donald Trump on Wednesday asking him to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial in three separate corruption cases.

When engineer Tarek Mazraani started campaigning for the reconstruction of war-battered southern Lebanon, Israeli drones hovered ominously overhead -- their loudspeakers sometimes calling him out by name.

Despite a ceasefire struck last November aiming to put an end to more than a year of fighting with Hezbollah, Israel has kept up near-daily strikes on Lebanon.

As if deadly snakes, spiders and sharks were not enough, Australia now has a new creepy critter: a "lucifer" bee with devil-like horns.

The species -- dubbed Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer -- was found in the state of Western Australia, Curtin University announced on Tuesday.

A bill proposing the death penalty for Palestinian captives passed a first reading in Israel's parliament on Monday -- a measure that applies to Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis.

Syria is joining the American-led international alliance against the Islamic State, a U.S. official said Monday hours after its president held a historic meeting with Donald Trump at the White House.

"During the visit, Syria announced that it is joining the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS," becoming the 90th member of the alliance and "partnering with the United States to eliminate ISIS remnants and halt foreign fighter flows," the senior administration official said.

Israel said it has killed 15 Hezbollah members since the start of November, as it launched further strikes on Lebanon.

The Israeli military launched multiple attacks on Monday, hitting the south and east of the country, while at least one person was killed according to the Lebanese health ministry.