Thick fog on Sunday disrupted flights at major airports in the United Arab Emirates as thousands of foreign residents rushed to travel home for Christmas and the New Year.

Two accidents on Egypt's roads have killed at least 26 people in three days, authorities said.

A Palestinian died on Saturday after being wounded by Israeli fire during a protest on the Gaza border against US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the health ministry said.

The United States is developing an expanded training program for local Kurdish and Arab border guards in Syria, the top U.S. commander for the Middle East said, to help head off the "significant risk" of Islamic State fighters regrouping in the country. It's an effort that could entail a longer term American and allied commitment.

Army Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Central Command, said in a recent telephone interview with The Associated Press that the border control training would reflect major combat operations in Syria ending and the U.S.-led coalition shifting focus to stabilizing areas seized from IS. Washington also wants to root out the remaining insurgents in Syria.

A Palestinian was killed as youths clashed with Israeli soldiers on the Gaza border on Friday in a new protest against US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the health ministry said.

Key powerbrokers were scrambling Friday over plans to speed up a political settlement in Syria, with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura joining a second day of talks after negotiations in Moscow.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that the United States had "marginalized itself" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

"The Americans have marginalised themselves and I am trying to not do the same thing," Macron told a joint press conference with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas during which he also ruled out recognising a Palestinian state in the short term.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Friday that his people would "no longer accept" any peace plan proposed by the United States following Washington's decision to unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Australian warplanes will cease their air strike campaign in Iraq and Syria, it was announced Friday, with the country's six hornet jets heading home after a three-year mission.

The Palestinians' U.N. envoy on Thursday described as a "massive setback" for the United States a U.N. vote in favor of a motion rejecting Washington's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"One hundred twenty-eight versus nine -- that's a massive setback for the United States of America," Ambassador Riyad Mansour told AFP, commenting on the result of the vote at the General Assembly.