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. 

Israel shelled suspected Hamas military sites in Gaza Wednesday after gunfire from the Palestinian enclave wounded an Israeli civilian, security sources in Gaza said.

Two Palestinian farmers were wounded by the Israeli artillery fire which targeted four suspected sites used by Hamas military wing the al-Qassam Brigades, the sources told AFP.

The winner of Iraq's October parliamentary election, Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, met Wednesday with rivals from the pro-Iran Hashed al-Shaabi former paramilitary alliance ahead of the opening of parliament.

The October 10 vote was rejected by the Fatah (Conquest) Alliance, the political arm of the pro-Tehran Hashed, but Iraq's top court on Monday dismissed their allegations of voter fraud and ratified the results.

At least two members of a pro-government militia were killed in an Israeli strike on the Syrian port of Latakia, a war monitor said on Wednesday.

The strike before dawn on Tuesday marked the second time that Israel has hit the key cargo hub since the outbreak of Syria's civil war in 2011.

Israel's defense minister approved a raft of measures aimed at improving relations with the Palestinians on Wednesday following a rare meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Israel.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Abbas at his private residence in a Tel Aviv suburb late Tuesday night. It was the first time Abbas met an Israeli official inside Israel since 2010. The two discussed security coordination between Israel and Abbas' Palestinian Authority, which administers pockets of the occupied West Bank.

The UAE has issued its first civil marriage license for a non-Muslim couple, state media reported, as the Gulf country seeks to keep its edge over regional competitors. 

The United Arab Emirates -- where foreigners make up 90 percent of the approximately 10-million population -- has been amending its laws to present itself as a modernizing force in a largely conservative region. 

Israel's government minister for public security has said he is now under round-the-clock protection after coming under threats from Jewish extremists.

Omer Barlev also accused members of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's pro-settler Yemina party of contributing to the fraught atmosphere.