A Syrian military official said Israel fired surface and air missiles at targets in southern Syria late Wednesday, causing only material damage.

The official said the attacks prompted Syrian air defenses. The unnamed official said the Israeli attacks came in from over the Golan Heights but didn't identify what the target was.

Islamic State group jihadists killed 19 Syrian regime personnel and allied militia fighters in the central province of Hama on Wednesday, a Britain-based war monitor said.

Initial data from Israel's coronavirus vaccination campaign shows the Pfizer/BioNTech jab protects against serious illness, but it is not yet clear whether it slows transmissions or spells progress toward achieving herd immunity, experts say.

Married at the age of 12, rejected at 16, and then disfigured in an acid attack, Al-Anoud Hussain Sheryan's fate is a shocking illustration of abuse in a society beset by war and poverty.

A landmine killed four Tunisian soldiers on Wednesday during an counter-terrorism operation in mountainous central Tunisia, the defense ministry said.

Human Rights Watch Wednesday condemned the "illegal transfers" to Turkey of more than 60 Syrians arrested by Ankara and its local proxies in Syria's northeast in 2019.

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday suspended entry from 20 countries, ranging from some neighboring states to the United States, in a bid to curb a jump in coronavirus infections.

The interior ministry announced the "temporary suspension" would be effective from 9.00 pm (1800 GMT) on Wednesday, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

Kurdish forces in northern Syria ended a weekslong siege of regime-held neighborhoods in two northeastern cities Tuesday, they said, as part of a deal brokered by Russia.

As part of the agreement with Kurdish forces, Syrian regime troops allowed supplies to enter Kurdish-held areas in the northern province of Aleppo, an opposition activist group reported.

Last week, Israel's Labor party appeared headed for extinction, with polls indicating it wouldn't win enough votes in upcoming elections to enter parliament. But following the election of progressive lawmaker Merav Michaeli as its new leader, the party is showing signs of life.

Labor, home of the country's founding leaders and for decades its ruling party, has begun to climb in opinion polls, and Michaeli is determined to once again make it a major force in Israeli politics.

A former Florida resident has been returned to the United States after traveling to Turkey and attempting to join the Islamic State group.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Gainesville announced Monday that Mohamed Fathy Suliman, 33, a U.S. citizen, has been charged with attempting to provide material support for a designated foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.