Egyptian officials Sunday pushed for Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip to rein in hostilities and adhere to a cease-fire in place since the war in May.

The Egyptian efforts came a day after Hamas militants launched rockets into the Mediterranean Sea off central Israel, prompting Israel to carry out airstrikes on militant positions in Gaza early Sunday. No casualties were reported.

Two rockets fired from Gaza early Saturday fell into the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Tel Aviv, the Israeli army said, with no injuries reported.

Israeli troops Friday shot dead a Palestinian man who attempted to stab soldiers and settlers at a bus stop in the occupied West Bank, the military said.

Bahrain appointed on Thursday its first ambassador to Syria in more than a decade, the island nation's state news agency reported, the latest sign of a stepped-up outreach to Damascus by Gulf Arab countries.

The decree by Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa came as more Arab countries are improving relations with Damascus nearly 11 years since the outbreak of Syria's civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands and destroyed large parts of the country.

Satellite images taken this week over the Syrian port of Latakia show the smoldering wreckage after a reported Israeli missile strike, hours after firefighters contained a massive blaze.

The raid launched from the Mediterranean Sea Tuesday was among the biggest launched by Israel into Syria, igniting a fire in the container terminal that raged for hours and caused significant material damage in the vicinity. It damaged a nearby hospital and offices, and also shattered windows of residential buildings and cars parked in the area near the port. The explosion could be heard miles away.

Iraq's parliament will open on January 9 for its first session since lawmakers were elected in an October vote won by Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, President Barham Saleh said Thursday.

In multi-confessional and multi-ethnic Iraq, the formation of governments has involved complex negotiations ever since the 2003 US-led invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, and the inauguration of parliament will come almost three months on since the October 10 vote.

Israel's Environment Minister said Thursday a clandestine oil deal that would have turned a scuba divers' paradise into a waypoint for Emirati oil headed for Western markets has effectively been blocked.

Tamar Zandberg told Israeli Army Radio that following a Justice Ministry opinion that her office had the authority to limit the activities of the Israeli government-owned corporation signed onto the deal, "the agreement cannot be realized."

Saudi Arabia's King Salman urged arch-rival Iran on Thursday to end its "negative behavior" in the region, after Riyadh accused Tehran of aiding Yemeni rebels in launching deadly attacks on his country.

However, the monarch who turns 86 on Friday appeared to soften his hawkish tone towards the Islamic republic, after having urged world powers last year to take a "firm stance" against Tehran.

Italy's top diplomat Luigi Di Maio has discussed clandestine migration with Tunisian President Kais Saied, in his first visit to the North African country since the president's July 25 power grab.

The foreign minister praised Tunisian efforts to stem the flow of irregular migrants, according to a statement on the presidency's website.

A new Kuwaiti government was sworn in on Wednesday, the oil-rich Gulf emirate's fourth in two years, after the last one resigned in November amid political deadlock. 

Kuwait has been shaken by disputes between elected lawmakers and successive governments dominated by the ruling Al-Sabah family for more than a decade, with parliaments and cabinets dissolved several times.