Comments last week from an unnamed Israeli defence official that Iran was reducing its presence in Syria sparked fierce debate about Tehran's next moves and how the Jewish state should respond.

The swearing-in of Israel's new unity government has been postponed by one day to Thursday due to the upcoming visit of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, officials said. 

Israel's army on Monday demolished the West Bank home of a Palestinian charged with involvement in a bomb attack that killed an Israeli teenager, AFP journalists said.

Syria's top tycoon publicly airing his grievances has revealed a power struggle within the ruling family as it tries to cement its power after nine years of war, analysts say.

Long-stalled negotiations on a prisoner exchange between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas could be given fresh impetus by the coronavirus pandemic and the formation of a new Israeli government, analysts say. 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Israel in a show of support for the new coalition government, resuming travel after a coronavirus suspension, the State Department announced Friday.

The UN human rights chief on Friday accused the Islamic State group and other factions in Syria of taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to step up violence on civilians, describing the situation as a "ticking time-bomb".

Amnesty International lambasted Egypt on Thursday for extending the pre-trial detention of over 1,600 detainees this week, calling for their unconditional release.

A US envoy voiced guarded optimism Thursday at renewing cooperation with Russia to seek an end to Syria's brutal civil war, assessing that Moscow is getting frustrated with President Bashar al-Assad.

The US is pulling out four of its powerful Patriot missile systems from Saudi Arabia, after determining the threat from Iran that sparked an arms buildup in the region last year had waned, a Defense Department official said Thursday.