Jailed Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul appeared before a terrorism court on Thursday, her family said, as she faces the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence on what UN experts called "spurious" charges.

Germany said Friday it would allow deportation of Syrians to their war-ravaged homeland from 2021 if they are deemed a security risk, five years after a massive refugee influx.

The EU's biggest economic power and most populous member allowed in hundreds of thousands of people fleeing Syria's devastating civil war in 2015-16 but security officials said it was time to lift blanket protections against expulsion.

Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, condemned as a "political sin" Thursday's agreement by Israel and Morocco to normalize ties.

Morocco confirmed Thursday it would resume diplomatic relations with Israel "with minimal delay" and lauded as "historic" a decision by Washington to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hailed Thursday an agreement between Israel and Morocco to normalize relations, a deal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday hailed as "historic" a normalization agreement with Morocco and anticipated direct flights between the two countries soon.

Israel and Morocco have agreed to normalize relations, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday, marking the fourth Arab-Israel agreement in four months. As part of the deal, the U.S. will recognize Morocco's claim over the disputed Western Sahara region.

As his time in office winds down, Trump said Israel and Morocco would restore diplomatic and other relations, including the immediate reopening of liaison offices in Rabat and Tel Aviv and the eventual opening of embassies. U.S. officials said it would also include joint overflight rights for airlines.

A car bomb killed 16 people including two civilians and three Turkish personnel Thursday at a checkpoint in the Turkish-held border town of Ras al-Ain in northeast Syria, a war monitor said.

Forces loyal to eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar on Thursday said they had released a Turkish-owned ship, after seizing it over the weekend in Libyan waters. 

The Islamic State group killed nine Iran-trained Syrian fighters in an attack on one of their positions in eastern Syria on Thursday, a war monitor said.