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US calls on Israel to investigate death of Palestinian boy

The U.S. State Department is calling on Israel to open a "thorough" investigation into the mysterious death of a 7-year-old Palestinian boy who collapsed and died on Thursday, shortly after Israeli soldiers came to his home in the occupied West Bank.

Relatives said Rayan Suleiman had no previous health problems and accused the army of scaring the child to death. The army called the death a tragedy and said its soldiers were not to blame.

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Morocco arrests suspected Islamic State group member

Moroccan police said Thursday they had arrested a suspected Islamic State group member, in cooperation with U.S. intelligence officers, who was accused of plotting a "terrorist" act.

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Dozens of aid groups urge Yemen ceasefire extension

More than 40 humanitarian groups on Thursday called for an extension to the ceasefire in war-torn Yemen, calling it a "critical moment" for the country.

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Kuwait holds second election in two years amid gridlock

Voters in Kuwait returned to the polls on Thursday for the second parliamentary elections in less than two years, hoping to move the wealthy Gulf Arab nation out of a prolonged period of political gridlock.

Kuwait has the freest and most active assembly in the Persian Gulf, but political power is still largely concentrated in the hands of the ruling Al Sabah family, which appoints the prime minister and Cabinet, and can dissolve the assembly at any time.

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Iraq summons Iranian ambassador after drone bombing campaign

Iraq summoned the Iranian ambassador on Thursday to deliver a diplomatic complaint following a deadly drone bombing campaign, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Iranian drones targeted an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq on Wednesday, killing at least nine people and wounding 32 others. The strikes took place as demonstrations continued to engulf the Islamic Republic after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who died while in the custody of the Iranian morality police.

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UN envoy says return to war in Yemen 'real'

The U.N. envoy for Yemen warned that the risk of a return to fighting "is real," urging warring parties to accept a longer extension of the current ceasefire due to expire next month.

Hans Grundberg's stark warning late Tuesday came after he met in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, with Rashad al-Alimi, head of the internationally recognized presidential council, and in Oman's capital of Muscat with Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the chief negotiator of the Houthi rebels. He also met with Saudi and Omani officials to push for a cease-fire extension.

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Rockets fired at Iraq's Green Zone as parliament sits, 4 wounded

Three rockets were fired at the Iraqi capital's Green Zone on Wednesday, wounding four security force personnel as parliament was in session, a statement by the security forces said.

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Saudi Arabia's crown prince named prime minister

Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has been named prime minister, a post traditionally held by the king, in a government shuffle announced Tuesday.

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7 dead, 28 hurt in Iranian strikes on Iraqi Kurdistan

Iran was accused of killing seven people and wounding 28 in cross-border strikes Wednesday against Kurdish factions in Iraq that have deplored an ongoing protest crackdown in the Islamic republic.

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Three killed in Israel Jenin raid

Three Palestinians were killed Wednesday during an Israeli West Bank raid targeting alleged militants, including the brother of a man blamed for a deadly attack in Tel Aviv, the Palestinian health ministry said.

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