The UN Security Council is set to vote Friday on extending cross-border humanitarian aid to Syria, according to diplomats, with Russia pushing for aid reduction and setting up a showdown with the West.

The authorization for the aid, which enters the country without the formal permission of the regime in Damascus, has been in place since 2014 and is set to expire Friday. 

An air strike in eastern Syria killed eight fighters of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force overnight, a war monitor said on Friday.

Israel has announced the release of two prisoners -- one of whom was convicted of spying for Syria -- as part of a swap deal brokered by Russia.

Eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar late Thursday rejected calls for a ceasefire by Turkey and Russia and announced a continuation of his military operations against a U.N.-recognized government.

Ethiopia and Egypt failed to resolve a long-running dispute over a massive dam being built on the Blue Nile River during the latest round of talks this week.

Saudi Arabia condemned Thursday "Iranian violations of Iraqi sovereignty" after Iran fired missiles at Iraq bases where U.S. troops are deployed in retaliation for the killing of a top commander.

Europe and North Africa have launched a diplomatic offensive to try to prevent Libya, with the increased involvement of international players in its conflict, from turning into a "second Syria".

Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar's capture of the strategic city of Sirte on Monday was a major setback for Tripoli's UN-recognised government, analysts say.

Arch-foes Tehran and Washington may be temporarily calling it even after Iranian missiles targeted US forces in Iraq, but analysts predict violent instability will keep blighting Baghdad.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday and agreed that the western allies should take a more prominent role in the Middle East.