Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi will travel to Saudi Arabia and Iran back-to-back next week, carefully balancing ties to regional rivals in his first foreign trip as premier, officials said Saturday.

Dubai-based Emirates airlines resumed flights to the Iranian capital on Friday after a five-month break due to shutdowns to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Israel's government said on Friday it was imposing new restrictions to limit the spiraling spread of coronavirus in the hope of avoiding a general lockdown further along the line.

His poll numbers are sinking, protests are growing and economically punishing restrictions have just been reimposed: surging coronavirus cases in Israel have left Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu encircled by trouble.

Egypt's president said Thursday that his country "will not stand idle" against threats to the national security of Egypt and Arab countries, in a meeting with tribal leaders from eastern Libya.

Egypt has seen a strong resurgence of the #MeToo movement after dozens of women made shocking claims of sexual abuse and assault by a member of the country's wealthy elite. 

Syrian jihadists say they have released a self-described aid worker stripped of his British nationality, three weeks after he was detained in the country's last major rebel bastion.

"Don't touch the screen!" warned an organizer as participants attempted to print their badges, via barcodes sent to their phones, at Dubai's first "real life" business conference since the coronavirus shutdown hit in March.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian urged Baghdad on Thursday to "dissociate" itself from boiling regional tensions, hinting at dissatisfaction with unilateral Iranian and American strikes on Iraqi territory.

Syria prepared for parliamentary elections to be held Sunday as President Bashar al-Assad marked a second decade in power mired by war, international sanctions and economic woes.