Israeli and international experts have started clearing thousands of wartime landmines and explosive devices from one of Christianity's holiest sites, in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli defense ministry said Tuesday.

Talal Sadek clutched his elderly mother's hand, helping her navigate the piles of rubble that snaked up to their front door in the battered town of Saqba, outside Syria's capital.

Arab leaders are set to meet in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on April 15, Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit told reporters in Cairo on Tuesday.

Syrian regime and allied forces battled to suppress the last pockets of resistance in and around Damascus Tuesday while the beleaguered Kurds in the north braced for further Turkish advances.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday told the US to stop "deceiving" Turkey and start cooperation, after Washington said it was concerned by the Turkish-led offensive on the Syrian city of Afrin.

Reform of Israel's military court system in the occupied West Bank has failed to stop "systematic violation" of Palestinian minors' rights, an Israeli NGO said on Tuesday.

Billionaire Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal says all is forgiven after his three-month detention in an anti-corruption crackdown, dismissing speculation he had forfeited control of his assets in exchange for his freedom.

A monitor said Tuesday three dozen pro-government fighters were killed in a district of Syria's capital as Islamic State jihadists took control of it in a surprise nighttime attack.

Saudi Arabia's young crown prince has an ambitious list of to-dos: modernize his conservative kingdom, weaken Iran's hand across the Mideast and, this week, rehabilitate his country's image in the eyes of Americans.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, son of King Salman and heir to the throne, is opening a marathon tour of the United States with a stop in Washington, where he plans to meet President Donald Trump on Tuesday. He'll hold separate meetings with a long roster of influential U.S. officials, including the secretaries of defense, treasury and commerce, the CIA chief and congressional leaders from both parties.

Thirty-nine Indian hostages missing in Iraq since 2014 have been confirmed dead, India's foreign minister said Tuesday.