Nearly 20 years after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by U.S.-led forces, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid wants the world to know his country now is at peace, democratic and intent on rebuilding economic life while maintaining a government that serves the whole country and the region.

Rashid told The Associated Press on Sunday that after overcoming the hardships of the past two decades, Iraq is ready to focus on improving everyday life for its people. Those hardships included years of resistance to foreign troops, violence between Sunnis and Shiites, and attacks by Islamic State group extremists who once controlled large areas, including Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul.

Israel sent hundreds more troops to the occupied West Bank on Monday, a day after a Palestinian gunman killed two Israelis and settlers rampaged through a Palestinian town, torching homes and vehicles in the worst such violence in decades.

The responses to the rampage laid bare some rifts in Israel's new right-wing government, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealing for calm while a member of his ruling coalition praised the rampage as deterrence against Palestinian attacks.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry arrived Monday in Damascus, the latest example of Arab outreach to Syria's internationally isolated government since it and Turkey were hit by a devastating earthquake.

Shoukry's trip shows "solidarity with Syria in the face of the consequences of the earthquake", said the official news agency SANA, adding he was welcomed at Damascus airport by his counterpart Faisal Mekdad.

Jordan is to host a "political-security" meeting between Israel and the Palestinians on Sunday to try to restore calm in the occupied territories after deadly violence, a government official said.

At least four Yemeni soldiers have been killed in clashes with Iran-backed Huthi rebels in the war-torn country's north, an army official said Sunday.

Turkish forces have killed the alleged mastermind behind a deadly Istanbul street bombing in an operation in northern Syria, Turkey's state-run news agency reported on Friday.

The man, identified as Halil Menci, was "neutralized" on Wednesday in an operation by the Turkish intelligence agency near the northern town of Qamishli, the Anadolu Agency reported.

Israel's foreign minister has said that the Gulf Arab state of Oman has decided to allow Israeli planes to fly through its airspace. The announcement was another sign of closer ties between Israel and some Arab countries.

Oman's Civil Aviation Authority tweeted that it "affirms that the Sultanate's airspace is open for all carriers that meet the requirements of the Authority for overflying," without directly mentioning Israel.

A Palestinian died Friday after being wounded a day earlier in clashes with Israeli forces in the south of the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian hospital official said.

Mohammed Ismail Jawabreh, 22, died after being shot in the head on Thursday "during clashes with occupation forces" in Al-Aroub camp north of Hebron, said the official at the city's Al-Ahly hospital, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Tunisian security forces have arrested prominent opposition figure Jawhar Ben Mbarek, his sister told AFP on Friday, the latest detention in a crackdown against rivals of President Kais Saied.

"Jawhar was arrested late last night and we haven't seen the charges against him," said Dalila Msaddek, who is also a lawyer.

An Israeli parliamentary committee has approved new funding for Benjamin Netanyahu and his family, giving the prime minister a boost in personal spending at a time when he is facing mass protests over his policies and as the economy is on shaky ground.

The committee voted to approve public funds to cover expenses incurred by the Netanyahus at their private homes in Jerusalem and the exclusive seaside town of Caesarea, as well as an increase of thousands of dollars a year in clothing expenses for both Netanyahu and his wife, Sara.