Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi replaced the interior and defense ministers in a major reshuffle Thursday, with security forces battling an Islamist insurgency at the start of his second term.

Saudi air defenses on Thursday intercepted a ballistic missile fired from rebel-held territory in neighboring Yemen, state media reported, as a Riyadh-led military coalition pushes a major offensive to capture a strategic port.

The U.N. envoy for Syria said Thursday he will try to kickstart work towards a new constitution for the war-ravaged country with a series of meetings in the coming weeks.

Heavy clashes killed 39 combatants outside Yemen's rebel-held port city of Hodeida on Thursday, as a Saudi and UAE-backed offensive to retake the key aid hub entered its second day.

A Palestinian shot in clashes with Israeli forces on the Gaza border succumbed to his wounds Thursday, the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave said.

Cypriot authorities have safely escorted a boat carrying 61 Syrian refugees to shore after spotting it off the coast of the Mediterranean island, they said Thursday.

Air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition targeted areas around Yemen's rebel-held port of Hodeida on Thursday, the insurgents said, as an offensive to retake the vital aid gateway entered its second day.

Turkey's military says Turkish and U.S. officials, meeting in Germany, have reached an agreement on a plan for the strategic Syrian town of Manbij that was a source of tension between the NATO allies.

A military statement on Thursday said Turkish and U.S. military officials met at the U.S. European Command headquarters in Stuttgart on June 12 and 13 and reached agreement on a "Manbij Implementation Plan." It said the plan would be discussed by senior officials from the two countries, but provided no details.

Russia warned on Thursday that an offensive against the Yemeni port city of Hodeida could lead to "catastrophic consequences" for the entire war-ravaged country.

The UN Security Council will meet Thursday for urgent talks following the launch of an offensive on the Yemeni port of Hodeida, a lifeline for aid, by government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition, diplomats said.