A billionaire Hollywood mogul took the stand for a second day on Monday in Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial, acknowledging that the long list of champagne, cigars and jewelry he systematically gave to the Israeli prime minister may have been excessive.

Arnon Milchan, whose production credits include "Pretty Woman," "12 Years a Slave," and "Bohemian Rhapsody," is a key witness in one of three cases brought against Netanyahu. Prosecutors are trying to prove that Netanyahu committed fraud and breach of trust.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has bestowed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Egypt's highest honor as the two countries tightened their partnership.

El-Sissi welcomed Modi at the presidential palace in Cairo with the Order of the Nile, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement. The leaders signed a declaration elevating Egyptian-Indo ties to a "strategic partnership," which means the two nations agreed to intensify their cooperation and hold periodic talks, the statement said.

An Iraqi soldier was killed and an officer wounded during a counter-terrorism raid in Iraq that also killed three suspected Islamic State group fighters, Baghdad's security forces said.

Sunday's military operation in Kirkuk province, north of the Iraqi capital, targeted "three figures of the terrorist group Daesh in the Turkelan region," the security forces said in a statement, using the Arab acronym for IS jihadists.

Some 2 million Muslim pilgrims officially began the annual Hajj pilgrimage on Monday, making their way out of Mecca after circling Islam's holiest site, the Kaaba, and converging on a vast tent camp in the nearby desert for a day and night of prayer.

One of the largest religious gatherings in the world has returned to full capacity this year for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic three years ago.

Russian air strikes have killed at least 13 people in rebel-held northwest Syria, the deadliest attack on the country this year, a war monitor said.

At least nine civilians, including two children, were among the dead, with most killed at a fruit and vegetable market in Jisr al-Shugur in the Idlib region.

Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan will testify Sunday at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial to answer questions about an alleged "supply line" of champagne and cigars funneled to the Israeli leader and his wife said to have been in exchange for help with Milchan's personal and business needs.

Milchan, who will appear by videoconference from Brighton, England, near where he is based, is a key witness whose testimony is essential for prosecutors who are trying to prove that Netanyahu committed fraud and breach of trust in one of three cases brought against him.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a brief freeze in construction on a wind turbine project in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights that set off a rare clash between Druze residents and police.

Netanyahu said late Saturday he agreed to a pause on the project during this week's Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, which is meant to allow time for talks to defuse the crisis. The project is expected to resume next week. A statement from Netanyahu's office said he made the decision based on advice from security officials.

Morocco said it has postponed a meeting of Arab allies of Israel it had been due to host this summer in response to mounting bloodshed in the occupied West Bank.

Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said he hoped the meeting could still go ahead at a later date when circumstances are more "favourable".

It is Islam's holiest pilgrimage, but the hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia has in recent decades been plagued by deadly disasters, from stampedes to militant attacks.

Yet the last time the pilgrimage was cancelled outright was in 1798, when Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt.

Enormous crowds of worshippers thronged Mecca, Islam's holiest city, on Friday for the biggest hajj pilgrimage in years, with more than two million expected to brave the scorching Saudi Arabian heat.