Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "good riddance" on Tuesday after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif abruptly announced his resignation.

An Israeli ex-minister was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Tuesday for spying for his country's main enemy Iran after a plea bargain in the case, the prosecutor said.

US officials Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt have met with leaders in the United Arab Emirates and Oman as part of a regional tour to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Monday that an American had been freed after being held hostage in Yemen for 18 months.

By pledging to try 13 French Islamic State group fighters, Iraq has assumed the role of judge and jailor for the suspected jihadists -- thereby saving Paris the controversy of repatriating them.

European and Arab leaders on Monday ended their first summit pledging to launch a "new era" of cooperation on topics ranging from counter-terrorism to migration despite sharp differences over human rights.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Monday on his first visit to the Islamic republic since the start of the Syrian conflict.

During talks, Assad expressed his gratitude to Iran for all that it has done for Syria during the nearly eight-year war, the Syrian presidency said.

European and Arab leaders called for joint solutions to Middle East conflicts destabilizing both regions while one cautioned Monday against raising utopian expectations from their first-ever summit.

Bahrain upheld Monday prison sentences against a prominent activist's relatives convicted of planting a fake bomb, a rights group said, in a case slammed as political reprisal by the UN. 

US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Doha Monday to kick off fresh high-level talks with the Taliban aimed at ending the 17-year Afghan conflict, saying it could be a "significant moment".

"Arrived in #Doha to meet with a more authoritative Taliban delegation. This could be a significant moment. Appreciate #Qatar for hosting & #Pakistan in facilitating travel. Now the work begins in earnest," tweeted the envoy.