U.S. President Joe Biden told Arab leaders on Saturday that Washington would remain fully engaged in the Middle East and would not cede influence to other world powers.

U.S. President Joe Biden is set to discuss volatile oil prices during a summit with Arab leaders on Saturday in Saudi Arabia, the final stop of his Middle East tour.

Israel hit the Gaza Strip before dawn on Saturday in what it said was a retaliatory strike for rocket fire from the Palestinian territory controlled by the Islamist movement Hamas.

U.S. President Joe Biden met Friday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the man he once pledged to shun for human rights violations, and shared a cordial fist bump as he tried to reset an important diplomatic relationship, bolster Mideast security and increase the global flow of oil.

It was the first encounter for the two leaders, and their chummy gesture was swiftly criticized. But Biden insisted that he did not shy away from pressing the crown prince on the kingdom's abuses, particularly the 2018 murder of the U.S.-based writer Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence believes was approved by the heir to the throne.

Thousands of supporters of Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr gathered Friday for a Baghdad prayer service, in an attempt to influence stalled talks on forming a new government.

It was not clear if the influential cleric and politician would lead the sermon, or even if he intended to appear before supporters at the midday prayer, organized to take place on Al-Falah Avenue, in Sadr City. 

Palestinian journalists covering President Joe Biden’s visit to the occupied West Bank are wearing black T-shirts bearing the image of slain Palestinian-American correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh.

The popular Al-Jazeera correspondent was killed in May while covering an Israeli military raid in the West Bank.

President Joe Biden acknowledged Friday that an independent state for Palestinians "can seem so far away" as he confronted hopelessness about the stagnant peace process during a visit to the West Bank.

"The Palestinian people are hurting now," he said. "You can just feel it. Your grief and frustration. In the United States, we can feel it."

The United States has hinted that more Arab nations could take steps to improve ties with Israel, ahead of President Joe Biden's arrival in Saudi Arabia on Friday.

All eyes are on the kingdom, where Biden is to land despite a previous vow to treat the kingdom as a "pariah" over the 2018 murder and dismemberment of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Saudi Arabia announced Friday it was lifting restrictions on "all carriers" using its airspace, an apparent gesture of openness towards Israel hours before U.S. President Joe Biden's arrival.

The U.S. leader welcomed the "historic" decision, the latest conciliatory move by Riyadh concerning the Jewish state, which it has refused to recognize despite intensive efforts by the Israelis to establish ties with Arab countries.

Iran warned the United States and its allies against undermining regional security after U.S. President Joe Biden signed Thursday a security pact with Israel during a visit to the Jewish state.

"I tell the Americans and their regional allies that the Iranian nation will not accept any crisis or insecurity in the region, and that any mistake made in this region will be met with a harsh and regrettable response," Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said in televised remarks.