The US military has begun moving non-essential gear out of Syria but is not withdrawing troops for now, defense officials said amid uncertainty over America's planned exit from the war-battered nation.

Missiles fired by Israeli warplanes struck a warehouse at Damascus International Airport late Friday, causing damage but no casualties, a Syrian military official said.

The unidentified official was quoted by Syrian state media as saying Israeli aircraft coming from the south fired several missiles at areas near Damascus about 45 minutes before midnight. He said Syrian air defense units shot down most of the missiles, but gave no details on other sites targeted.

Britain on Friday presented a United Nations Security Council draft resolution that would expand an international observer mission monitoring a ceasefire in Yemen and allow humanitarian aid to reach millions on the brink of famine.

The council is expected to vote on the measure next week, diplomats aid.

An 18-year-old Saudi asylum seeker who fled her family and armed only with Twitter staved off deportation from Thailand has been accepted as a refugee by Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday.

The 18-year-old Saudi asylum seeker who fled her family and harnessed the power of Twitter to stave off deportation from Thailand was en route to Canada late Friday, in a surprise twist after officials gave heavy hints she was bound for Australia.

The United States voiced alarm Friday over the escalation of violence in Yemen and urged restraint after a rebel drone attack on the country's largest airbase killed six loyalist soldiers.

The U.S. military has started moving non-essential equipment out of Syria but it is not withdrawing troops for now, a defense official said Friday as the Pentagon sought to clarify an earlier statement.

A key Israeli opposition figure has slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's public criticism of authorities investigating him on graft allegations, saying such behavior was not "normal."

An estimated 25,000 people have fled escalating violence over the last six months in eastern Syria, where die-hard jihadists are defending their last bastions, the UN said Friday. 

The UN envoy to Yemen said he was "alarmed" over the escalation of violence after a rebel drone attack on the country's largest airbase killed six loyalist soldiers.