Yemen's southern separatists said Wednesday they had withdrawn from talks over a Saudi-sponsored power-sharing deal with the internationally recognised government, in the latest setback for the troubled process.

Israeli warplanes struck a Hamas target in Gaza overnight, the military said Wednesday, even as a Qatari envoy joined efforts to broker an end to the almost three-week flare-up.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday left Israel for Sudan, the next stop on his regional tour, on the first official direct flight from Tel Aviv to Khartoum.

Israeli tanks and aircraft carried out new strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza overnight in response to the launch of so-called fire balloons across the border, the army said on Tuesday.

Tunisia's prime minister-designate on Tuesday unveiled the country's second government in six months, which must now seek approval from lawmakers incensed by how the administration was formed. 

Israel's prime minister and Washington's top diplomat voiced hope Monday the Jewish state would soon build ties with more Arab countries, following its landmark move to normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates.

An Algerian journalist was sentenced Monday to two years in prison, his lawyer told AFP, in the latest trial of media and pro-democracy figures in the North African country.

Syrian constitutional talks at the United Nations were put on hold just hours after they began on Monday after three delegates tested positive for COVID-19, the U.N. said.

The office of U.N. special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said it received confirmation that "three members of the Syrian Constitutional Committee Small Body tested positive for COVID-19" and the session in Geneva "is currently on hold."

A spokesman for eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar has slammed a ceasefire announcement by the rival Government of National Accord (GNA) as a media stunt, accusing it of preparing a new offensive.

The Israeli army said Monday it had again hit Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip overnight, in retaliation for incendiary balloon and rocket attacks launched from the Palestinian enclave.