U.S. authorities on Wednesday put the Israeli maker of the Pegasus spyware on a list of restricted companies, taking aim at software central to a scandal over surveillance of journalists and officials.

Turkish-backed groups in northern Syria have weaponized water by building dams on a river that serves as a lifeline for communities living downstream in Kurdish-dominated areas, a report alleged Wednesday said.

Israel said Wednesday it has begun testing a massive inflatable missile detection system designed to hover at high altitudes and detect long-range threats.

Israel already boasts an array of sophisticated missile defenses, which were used successfully during the 11-day Gaza war this year.

The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said Wednesday it has killed 145 Huthi rebels in 24 hours in air raids near Marib, the final northern stronghold of pro-government forces.

The coalition, which backs Yemen's internationally recognized government, has reported near-daily strikes over the past three weeks that it claims have now inflicted more than 2,000 lives among the Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

Algeria said Wednesday three truck drivers had been killed in a bombing as they drove from Mauritania, an attack Algiers blamed on neighboring Morocco, the official APS news agency said.

The reported strike comes as tensions ratchet up between Algeria and Morocco, particularly over the contested desert region of the Western Sahara.

An anti-terrorism raid in Tunisia uncovered a tunnel being dug in the vicinity of the French ambassador's residence from a house frequented by a known extremist, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry's statement did not indicate the tunnel's purpose or whether the ambassador's residence was a target.

Israeli lawmakers are set to begin marathon voting on Wednesday to try and pass the first national budget in three years, a major test for the fractious coalition government that was sworn in earlier this year after four divisive elections.

Failure to pass the budget by November 14 would bring down the government and trigger yet another election, giving former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu his best opportunity to swiftly return to power.

The king and queen of the Netherlands visited a strawberry farm Wednesday as part of a tour of the United Arab Emirates, which will see the royals also stop by Dubai's Expo 2020.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima visited a strawberry farm in the deserts of Abu Dhabi near the city of Sweihan. While there, they toured the facility, walking among the rows of strawberries growing inside the facility.

Palestinian families have rejected an offer that would have delayed their eviction by Jewish settlers in a tense Jerusalem neighborhood, where protests and clashes helped ignite the 11-day Gaza war in May.

The four families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood near the Old City said their decision springs from "our belief in the justice of our cause and our right to our homes and our homeland." They said that rather than submit to an "unjust agreement" they would rely on the "Palestinian street" to raise international awareness of their plight.

More than three weeks after Iraqis voted in parliament elections, pro-Iran Shiite militias that emerged as the biggest losers are still rejecting the outcome of the vote, thrusting the country into uncertainty and political crisis.

Militia supporters have pitched tents near the entrance to Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in an ongoing sit-in, threatening violence unless their grievances are addressed.