A Palestinian woman brandishing a knife at the Qalandia checkpoint between Jerusalem and the northern West Bank was shot dead by Israeli security forces Wednesday, police and medical sources said.

Saudi Arabia said Wednesday it joined a U.S.-led coalition to secure the Mideast's waterways amid threats from Iran after an attack targeting its crucial oil industry.

The kingdom's decision to enter the International Maritime Security Construct came ahead of a planned visit by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Saudi officials separately planned to share information about the weapons used to attack a Saudi oil field and the world's largest crude oil processing plant Saturday.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo departed for Saudi Arabia Tuesday to discuss possible retaliation after Washington said it had proof that attacks on Saudi oil installations originated in Iran.

Israel voted in its second election in five months Tuesday that will decide whether to extend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's term as the country's longest-serving prime minister despite corruption allegations against him.

Benjamin Netanyahu has become Israel's longest-serving prime minister with his right-wing leadership and by repeatedly besting rivals with deft political moves, but he will have to pull another rabbit out of the hat in Tuesday's elections.

The Kremlin on Monday warned against a hasty reaction to the drone strikes on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia that Washington has blamed on Iran.

Kuwait is investigating accounts that a drone intruded its airspace and flew over the royal palace Saturday, the same day a devastating strike was launched on Saudi oil infrastructure.

Yemen's Huthi rebels -- who are aligned with Tehran -- claimed the attack on two oil facilities which cut Saudi production by half, but the United States has blamed Iran and there is also speculation the assault may have been launched from Iraq.

Italian police arrested three people Monday accused of kidnapping, torturing and trafficking migrants hoping to set sail from Libya to Europe.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main opponent Benny Gantz sought to galvanise supporters Monday on the eve of a tense election with the political fate of the country's longest-serving premier in the balance.

Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, is expected to restore Monday at least a third of the production lost to weekend attacks on two major oil facilities, according to experts and reports.