The U.S. wants Iraq to launch its offensive to retake the strategic northern city of Mosul from the Islamic State group in April or May, military officials said Thursday.

Mosul is believed to be held by 1,000-2,000 IS fighters and 20,000-25,000 Iraqi troops are needed to carry out the offensive, an official with U.S. Central Command said.

U.S. President Barack Obama and the new Saudi king are expected to discuss the military campaign against Islamic State group extremists and the crisis in Yemen at upcoming talks in Riyadh, the White House said Monday.

Obama's brief visit to the Saudi capital on Tuesday was mainly intended as an opportunity to meet King Salman "and to pay respects to the family and to the people of Saudi Arabia" after the death last week of long-time ruler King Abdullah, a senior official said.

Saudi King Abdullah has been praised by top Lebanese leaders for supporting Lebanon at times of crises. Many of them described him as Lebanon's “Key Backer.”

One of his latest grants to Lebanon was in December 2013 when he pledged three billion dollars for the purchase of arms from France for the benefit of the Lebanese army.

Lebanese leaders on Friday hailed late Saudi King Abdullah as an “Arab knight” and a “great friend” who supported Lebanon during tough times as the country observed a three-day mourning period.

“Lebanon lost a helper and supporter,” Prime Minister Tammam Salam said.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi made a lightning stop in Riyadh on Monday night to wish the ailing Saudi King Abdullah good health, official media reported.

Sisi arrived from the United Arab Emirates where he had addressed a conference about the fight against "terrorism".

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has officially informed Saudi officials that Lebanon will receive the first batch of French weapons after March, As Safir daily reported Saturday.

The newspaper said that Le Drian gave the information to the Saudi officials during a recent visit to Riyadh.

The French foreign ministry's director for North Africa and the Middle East affairs is expected to travel to Riyadh, Tehran and the Vatican in an attempt to resolve the Lebanese presidential deadlock, pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat reported on Wednesday.

The newspaper said Jean-François Girault will travel to Saudi Arabia on January 5. He is then scheduled to make a trip to Iran and later head to the Vatican for talks with top officials on Lebanon's presidential crisis.

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun confirmed that he would hold unconditional talks with his rival Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea but refused to give up his candidacy for the presidential post.

Aoun told al-Akhbar daily in an interview published on Thursday that he would meet with Geagea when the LF chief returns from his visit to Riyadh.

A French military delegation and officials at the Lebanese defense ministry reached a final agreement on the arms and ammunition that the army needs under the $3 billion Saudi grant announced last year, An Nahar daily reported on Thursday.

The newspaper said that the discussions between the Lebanese officials and the delegation, which includes military experts and representatives from French companies, settled the Lebanese army's request for aid to its ground, navy and air brigades.

A Danish citizen was shot and wounded in the Saudi capital on Saturday, police said, but there was no immediate word on the motive for the rare attack.

The shooting occurred at 2:00 pm (1100 GMT) when the Danish man was driving away from his work at a company in Riyadh's Kharj Road area, police said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.