With less than two weeks to go before Israel's general election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he is to visit London on Thursday for talks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The U.N. special envoy to Libya warned Wednesday that without action by the Security Council, the country's war could escalate if outside patrons step up support for the warring sides.

The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on a shipping network it said was run by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, saying it sold millions of barrels of oil to benefit Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu undertook a controversial visit to the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron Wednesday, to commemorate the anniversary of the 1929 killing of Jews there.

The visit, which began in the late afternoon, is a rarity and comes just ahead of Israel's September 17 elections, with Netanyahu seeking to attract votes from the country's nationalist right.

Tunisia's judiciary has rejected an appeal to release media mogul and presidential candidate Nabil Karoui, said his lawyers, who have requested that he be able to campaign. 

Thousands of children risk missing out on their education in northwestern Syria after a months-long regime assault on the jihadist-run bastion that has closed dozens of schools, a charity said.

Rushing to register candidates and train poll workers, Tunisia's electoral commission has raced to organise presidential elections after the death of leader Beji Caid Essebsi, hoping to protect the country's nascent democracy.

Yemen's internationally recognised government on Wednesday ruled out talks with separatists who have seized key parts of the south, saying it will talk only with their main backer, the UAE. 

Syrian regime defences Tuesday confronted drones headed towards a key airbase of government ally Russia in northwest Syria, state media said, on the fourth day of a ceasefire in the region.

Three suspected jihadists killed in a gun battle with Tunisian forces were wanted Algerian leaders of al-Qaida, Tunisia's interior ministry said Tuesday, a day after the shootout.