New official data obtained by The Associated Press shows a spike in Jewish settlement construction in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem since President Donald Trump took office in 2017, along with strong evidence of decades of systematic discrimination illustrated by a huge gap in the number of construction permits granted to Jewish and Palestinian residents.

The expansion of Jewish settlements in east Jerusalem, which Israel seized along with the West Bank and Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war, threatens to further complicate one of the thorniest issues in the conflict.

Israeli warplanes hit Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for Palestinian rocket fire, a military statement said early Thursday.

A French court will rule Thursday whether a sister of the Saudi crown prince had a hand in the alleged beating of a workman who carried out repairs in her luxury Paris apartment.

Hungary is planning to appoint a diplomat to carry out "consular duties" in Damascus next year, the first time an EU member state is to upgrade its diplomatic presence in Syria since the start of the war.

Arab and Muslim countries Wednesday led a wave of outcry after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to annex a key part of the occupied West Bank if re-elected. 

Russian air strikes on northwest Syria killed an elderly man overnight, the first such casualty since Moscow declared a ceasefire in the jihadist-run region on August 31, a war monitor said.

Powerful Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr joined Iran's supreme leader during a rare visit to Tehran to mark the Shiite holy day of Ashura, state media reported Wednesday.

Seven years after fleeing the civil war in his homeland, Zahir Hamshari's life is filled with questions and doubts: How to pay the rent? How to cover the electricity bill? How to afford even basic staples like bread and bottled water?

But one thing is crystal clear for him. Like many Syrian refugees, he cannot envision returning to his war-torn country.

Israel bombed Hamas positions in Gaza overnight in retaliation for rocket fire across the border, which cut short an election rally by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the military said Wednesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a deeply controversial pledge on Tuesday to annex the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank if re-elected in September 17 polls.