Fanny Mergui has no doubt: Moroccan Jews "are already packing their suitcases" to board direct flights to Israel after the kingdom normalized ties with the Jewish state.

The United States called Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates "major security partners" early Saturday, a previously unheard of designation for the two countries home to major American military operations.

A White House statement tied the designation to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates normalizing ties to Israel, saying it "reflects their extraordinary courage, determination and leadership." It also noted the two countries long have taken part in U.S. military exercises.

Emirates has suspended flights to Australia's three largest cities as the country further restricts international arrivals over fears of new virus strains.

A homemade bomb killed five civilians and wounded three others in eastern Algeria on Thursday, the defense ministry said, the deadliest attack targeting civilians in recent years.

The roadside bomb went off as a car drove by in the region of Tebessa, the ministry said in a statement.

The United States must cancel its decision to classify Yemen's Huthi rebels as "terrorists" to avoid a catastrophic famine, several United Nations officials told the Security Council on Thursday.

The terrorist classification has drawn criticism from aid groups, the European Union and many others over fears it will exacerbate the already dire humanitarian crisis in war-ravaged Yemen.

The number of people inoculated in Israel for coronavirus passed the two million threshold Thursday, with the prime minister saying there was "light at the end of the tunnel."

Amnesty International called Thursday for an end to impunity for officials accused of committing human rights abuses during the street revolution that toppled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Ben Ali was deposed a decade ago, on January 14, 2011, after weeks of demonstrations that saw security forces kill 132 protesters and wound 4,000, according to a national commission investigating abuses and violations.

Tunisia marked 10 years Thursday since its street revolution sent autocratic ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fleeing into exile, but few are celebrating amid a lockdown as Covid-19 cases spiral.

An Algerian court on Wednesday sentenced three opposition militants to six months in prison for insulting the president and spreading false news, a prisoners' rights group said.

A Jordanian court on Wednesday handed heavy prison terms to 11 people convicted of joining the Islamic State group and of planning attacks against churches and security personnel in the kingdom.