Almost eight years into Syria's devastating war, opponents of the regime are watching in dismay as President Bashar al-Assad's government looks set to secure its comeback at home and abroad.

Israel's center-left opposition dramatically split on Tuesday ahead of an April 9 election, with leader Avi Gabbay announcing he would no longer partner with veteran politician Tzipi Livni as she sat stone-faced next to him.

A Palestinian court sentenced a Palestinian-American man to life in prison Monday over the sale of Jerusalem property to Jewish Israelis, a court source said, in a case that has drawn criticism from the U.S. ambassador.

The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) on Monday accused Houthi rebels of "criminal behavior" in diverting humanitarian aid in war-stricken Yemen and threatened to end cooperation with them.

A UAE court on Monday upheld a 10-year jail sentence against award-winning human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor for insulting the state, Amnesty International said.

Iraq sentenced more than 600 foreigners including many women and dozens of minors in 2018 for belonging to the Islamic State group, the judiciary said on Monday.

Syria's nearly eight-year-old conflict saw its lowest annual death toll in 2018 as the regime reasserted its authority over swathes of territory, a war monitor said on Monday.

Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas have denied an allegation by Egypt's deposed president Hosni Mubarak that it infiltrated hundreds of men across the border during the 2011 uprising. 

Two right-wing Israeli government ministers have launched a new party aimed at winning over secular voters ahead of snap elections in April. 

A rescue helicopter crashed on Saturday in the emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah, killing all crew members, the United Arab Emirates state news agency WAM said.