At least 11 American troops were injured in an Iranian attack on an Iraqi base where American soldiers were deployed, US Central Command said Thursday, although the US military had previously maintained there were no casualties.

Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar will hold talks in Athens on Friday, days ahead of a peace conference in Berlin which he and the head of Tripoli's UN-recognised government Fayez al-Sarraj are expected to attend.

An Iraqi government spokesman denied reports on Thursday that joint operations had resumed between local forces and the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State group sleeper cells. 

Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar agreed "in principle" Thursday to attend a peace conference in Berlin after the head of Tripoli's U.N.-recognized government Fayez al-Sarraj signaled he would be present.

The leader of Yemen's southern separatists has warned against the looming collapse of a power-sharing deal, saying the region is menaced by the twin threats of economic catastrophe and Islamist attacks.

Egypt has accused four staff of Turkey's state news agency Anadolu whom it arrested of spreading "false news" and working with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Dozens of fighters and civilians were killed in Syria's Idlib province as the government pressed a deadly offensive Thursday towards a key town in the country's last rebel bastion.

Turkey said Wednesday it was still confident the ceasefire in Libya would hold despite strongman Khalifa Haftar's refusal to sign a permanent truce.

Haftar walked away from talks in Moscow aimed at finalising a ceasefire orchestrated by Russia and Turkey, which came into force Sunday.

The EU's diplomatic chief has admitted the bloc is struggling to influence the Libyan conflict and has left Russia and Turkey free to step in and dominate the Mediterranean.

Israel carried out an aerial attack that damaged a military airport in central Syria, according to a military source quoted by Syria's state news agency.