Saudi authorities were investigating Thursday after an assailant and a security guard were killed in an exchange of gunfire outside the U.S. consulate in Jeddah, the gateway city for the massive hajj pilgrimage taking place in Mecca.

The gunman and a Nepalese security guard both died after the exchange of fire outside the consulate on Wednesday evening, officials said, giving no possible motive for the incident.

A 13-year-old Kurdish girl went missing on her way home from a school exam last month, after being approached by a man from an armed group. Her parents immediately feared the worst — that she had been persuaded to join the group and was taken to one of its training camps.

At least 3 people were killed when a 14-story apartment building collapsed in Egypt's northern coastal city of Alexandria, authorities said Tuesday.

The high-rise in the Mediterranean city's neighborhood of Muntazah collapsed early on Monday and initial reports said eight people were missing beneath the rubble.

If a landmark reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran has eased tensions in the Gulf, clouds have also lifted at the hajj pilgrimage, where Iranian visitors finally feel welcome again.

Seven years of enmity between the Sunni and Shiite powers had made for a cool reception for Iranian pilgrims joining worshippers from around the world for the massive event.

Israel's far-right government has approved plans to build over 5,000 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Israeli media said, a move that threatened to worsen increasingly strained relations with the United States.

The decision defied growing U.S. criticism of Israel's settlement policies. It also raised tensions with the Palestinians at a time of rising violence in the occupied territory.

A fire tore through a high-rise residential building in the United Arab Emirates early Tuesday before being brought under control, according to videos circulating online.

There were no immediate reports of injuries from the blaze in Ajman, one of the seven emirates that makes up the UAE, which also includes the futuristic cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The Israeli foreign ministry said Tuesday it was summoning the Ukrainian ambassador for a "clarification," after the Ukrainian embassy accused "the current Israeli government" of "a clear pro-Russian position".

"In light of his repeated remarks against Israel's policy, Ukrainian ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk has been summoned for a clarification that will take place at the foreign ministry on July 3," a ministry statement said.

The Netherlands and Belgium have joined an international investigation into atrocities committed against the Yazidi minority in Syria and Iraq, the European Union's judicial cooperation agency said Monday.

The Joint Investigation Team was established by France and Sweden in October 2021 and supported by The Hague-based Eurojust to identify and prosecute foreign extremists who targeted Yazidis during the armed conflict in Syria and Iraq.

A billionaire Hollywood mogul took the stand for a second day on Monday in Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial, acknowledging that the long list of champagne, cigars and jewelry he systematically gave to the Israeli prime minister may have been excessive.

Arnon Milchan, whose production credits include "Pretty Woman," "12 Years a Slave," and "Bohemian Rhapsody," is a key witness in one of three cases brought against Netanyahu. Prosecutors are trying to prove that Netanyahu committed fraud and breach of trust.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has bestowed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Egypt's highest honor as the two countries tightened their partnership.

El-Sissi welcomed Modi at the presidential palace in Cairo with the Order of the Nile, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement. The leaders signed a declaration elevating Egyptian-Indo ties to a "strategic partnership," which means the two nations agreed to intensify their cooperation and hold periodic talks, the statement said.