A U.S. intelligence report made public Friday said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- a key figure in the U.S.-Saudi relationship -- "approved" the gruesome murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The prince, who is de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia and due to take over from the ailing King Salman, "approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi," the report said.

Syria's complex battle ground includes tens of thousands of fighters from several nationalities trained and armed by regime ally Iran, a deployment that has worried the United States and Israel.

Thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets of Algeria's capital on Friday as the "Hirak" pro-democracy movement gathers renewed momentum after a year-long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Over 60 fighters were killed in clashes in Yemen Friday between Iran-backed Huthi rebels and government forces in the strategic northern province of Marib, government sources said.

A U.S. airstrike in Syria targeted facilities belonging to a powerful Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, killing at least one fighter and wounding several others, an Iraqi militia official said Friday, signaling the first military action undertaken by U.S. President Joe Biden.

The Pentagon said the strikes were retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this month that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a U.S. service member and other coalition troops.

Three anti-government protesters were shot dead Friday in clashes with Iraqi security forces in Nasiriyah, medics said, the deadliest day in a week of violence in the southern city.

Syria on Friday condemned a deadly .US. air strike on Iran-backed militias in its far east as a bad omen from the administration of new U.S. President Joe Biden.

An explosion struck an Israeli-owned cargo ship sailing out of the Middle East on Friday, an unexplained blast renewing concerns about ship security in the region amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

The crew and vessel were safe, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which is run by the British navy. The explosion in the Gulf of Oman forced the vessel to head to the nearest port.

Israel's Shin Bet security agency said Friday it has arrested an Israeli Arab with family ties to Gaza for allegedly passing missile defence information to the Palestinian territory's Hamas rulers.

The US director of national intelligence is expected to release a damning report Friday that blames Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the brutal murder and dismemberment of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018.