Israeli police shot dead an assailant who allegedly rammed them with his car after trying to shoot an officer in central Israel on Friday, authorities and medics said, an attack that left three policemen wounded.

The incident took place in the Arab Israeli town of Kfar Qassem, an unusual site for what police suspected was a militant attack. The Arab community in Israel is struggling with surging violent crime that residents blame on decades of government neglect.

Tucked away in the hills north of Beirut below a Maronite monastery, Lebanon's only remaining Christian-majority Palestinian camp gives few outward clues to its identity. Unlike the country's other Palestinian refugee camps, there are no flags or political slogans on display in Dbayeh camp.

Behind closed doors, it's a different story. At a recent community Christmas dinner for elderly residents, attendees wearing Santa hats danced the dabke to popular Palestinian songs like "Raise the Keffiyeh," twirling the traditional Palestinian scarves, or using napkins to simulate them. A speaker who toasted his hope of celebrating next year's Christmas in Jerusalem in a "free Palestine" prompted ululations.

Turkey and Saudi Arabia became the latest Muslim-majority countries to condemn a decision by Taliban authorities to bar women from universities, while about two dozen women staged a protest in the streets of Kabul on Thursday.

In another sign of domestic opposition, several Afghan cricketers condemned the university ban. Cricket is a hugely popular sport in Afghanistan, and players have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.

President Gabriel Boric of Chile, whose country has the largest Palestinian population outside of the Middle East, said Wednesday that he planned to open an embassy "in Palestine".

The announcement by the leftist president, who began his four-year term in March 2022, came at a Christmas ceremony for Chile's Palestinian community, estimated to be more than 300,000 strong.

Two soldiers were killed and three were injured in an explosion in northern Iraq, Iraqi state news said Thursday.

The soldiers were traveling in an army vehicle a day earlier in the Makhmour district when an explosive device detonated, the state Iraqi News Agency reported.

Designated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced late Wednesday that he has successfully formed a new coalition, setting the stage for him to return to power as head of the most right-wing Israeli government ever to hold office.

Netanyahu made the announcement in a phone call to President Isaac Herzog moments before a midnight deadline. His Likud Party released a brief video clip of the smiling Netanyahu and a recording of the conversation.

Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian militant during an incursion into the West Bank city of Nablus early Thursday, Palestinian sources said. 

The exchange of fire came just hours after veteran Israeli hawk Benjamin Netanyahu announced he had formed a new government, returning to power as the head of the most right-wing coalition in Israel's history.

Tunisian police have arrested former prime minister Ali Larayedh, his Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party said, accusing authorities of trying to divert attention from calls for President Kais Saied to quit.

The arrest of the Ennahdha number two comes just days after nearly 90 percent of voters boycotted an election to a toothless new parliament established by Saied following his seizure of sweeping powers in 2021.

Veteran Israeli hawk Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to announce Wednesday that he has formed a new government with his far-right allies, but could seek a brief extension for his fraught coalition talks. 

Following his November 1 election win, Netanyahu secured a mandate to form a government backed by two ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties and an extreme-right Zionist bloc. 

Iran's foreign minister said Wednesday he held a "friendly conversation" with his Saudi counterpart in Jordan, despite Tehran's repeated accusations that Riyadh has fanned months-long protests in the Islamic republic.

Jordan hosted the "Baghdad II" conference on Tuesday, bringing together key Middle East and international players -- including rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia -- in a bid to defuse regional tensions.