Syria's rebel leader said Wednesday that officials involved in torturing detainees will not be pardoned, after thousands were released while families hoped to find others who disappeared in the country's notorious jails.

"We will not pardon those involved in torturing detainees," said Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, urging "countries to hand over any of those criminals who may have fled so they can be brought to justice".

An Israeli bomb hangs suspended in air, caught in a split-second image of a suburb in Beirut before it slams into an apartment building, passersby already bracing for the explosion.

Across the Middle East this year, photographers froze moments in time, reflections of the wars and their horrors that have upended life across the region.

Syria's new transitional prime minister has called for Syrians who have sought refuge abroad to return to their homeland following the ouster of longtime president Bashar al-Assad.

Mohammad al-Bashir, appointed by rebel groups as the transitional head of government to run the country until March, told Italy's Corriere della Sera daily that one of his first goals was to "bring back the millions of Syrian refugees who are abroad".

The Biden administration says it will recognize and support a new Syrian government that renounces terrorism, destroys chemical weapons stocks and protects the rights of minorities and women.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the U.S. would work with groups in Syria and regional partners to ensure that the transition from President Bashar Assad’s deposed government runs smoothly. He was not specific about which groups the U.S. would work with.

Israel’s military said it bombed more than 350 sites in Syria during 48 hours, targeting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country.

There is concern that, with the sudden collapse of the Syrian government, weapons stockpiles could be seized by jihadi militants.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched multiple drones and a missile at three commercial ships being escorted in the Gulf of Aden by U.S. Navy ships, a U.S. official said.

There was no damage and no injuries. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, said U.S. Navy destroyers, and Navy helicopter and a French Air Force aircraft shot down four of the drones and the missile. The three U.S. affiliated flagged ships were sailing east toward Djibouti.

Insurgents who overthrew the Syrian government now say they have wrested control of the eastern city of Deir Ezzor after intense battles with a Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed force.

Syria’s rebel military command announced Tuesday evening that they had completely captured the city of Deir Ezzor.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised defiantly on Tuesday to knock down corruption allegations against him as he began testifying in his long-running trial, becoming the first sitting Israeli leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant.

The testimony is another low point for Israel's longest-serving leader, who also faces an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Israel's war in Gaza.

Palestinian medical officials say an Israeli strike on a home where displaced people were sheltering in the northern Gaza Strip has killed at least 19 people.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the recent events in Syria, including the fall of its government, were part of a joint plan by the United States and Israel, state TV reported Wednesday.

“There should be no doubt that what has happened in Syria is the result of a joint American and Zionist plan," it quoted Khamenei as saying. “We have evidence, and this evidence leaves no room for doubt.”