French President Francois Hollande vowed to work with Germany to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to back an extension of the ceasefire in the Syrian city of Aleppo when the three leaders meet later Wednesday.

Russia played down hopes of diplomatic progress over Ukraine at talks Wednesday between President Vladimir Putin and his German, French and Ukrainian counterparts in Berlin, where he also faced pressure over the Syrian conflict.

Around 620 rebels and their families began evacuating a besieged town southwest of the Syrian capital on Wednesday under a deal with the government, a local official told AFP.

Russia warned the U.S.-led coalition Wednesday against driving jihadists from Iraq to Syria, in the offensive to recapture Mosul from the Islamic State jihadist group. 

A Palestinian woman approached Israeli border police with a knife in the northern West Bank on Wednesday and was shot dead by officers, police said.

A police statement said the 19-year-old approached officers at the Tapuah junction, ignored orders to stop and pulled a knife. 

Heavy fighting rocked Yemen hours before a UN-brokered ceasefire was due to begin Wednesday, as warring parties come under mounting pressure to end a conflict that has raged for more than two years.

The truce will be the sixth attempt to end the bloodshed since a Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in March 2015 to support the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after rebels overran much of Yemen.

Iraqi forces prepared to retake the country's largest Christian town from the Islamic State group on Wednesday, a key milestone in their progress towards the jihadists' main hub of Mosul.

News of the move to recapture Qaraqosh sparked jubilation among Christians who had fled the town, with many dancing and singing in the city of Arbil.

A pause in Russian and Syrian strikes on Aleppo was holding for a second day Wednesday, ahead of a brief unilateral ceasefire aimed at allowing civilians and rebels to quit the devastated city.

Moscow announced it would extend an eight-hour truce planned for Thursday to 11 hours and said Syrian and Russian warplanes were giving Aleppo a wide berth.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone with the leaders of Turkey and Iraq about battle for Mosul, where Iraqi forces are fighting to oust the Islamic State group, the Kremlin said Wednesday.

Syria's first lady Asma Assad said she rejected multiple offers to flee the war-ravaged country with her children, according to an interview with broadcaster Russia24 aired on Tuesday.