The Palestinians have stepped down from a key Arab League role in protest at the regional bloc's failure to take a stand against Israeli-Arab deals, an official said Tuesday.

A party founded by Lebanon’s Christian president made a proposal to end a dispute that has blocked the formation of a new cabinet and threatened a French drive to lift the country out of its worst crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced a new countrywide lockdown will be imposed amid a stubborn surge in coronavirus cases, with schools and parts of the economy expected to shut down in a bid to bring down infection rates.

Bahrain joined the United Arab Emirates in agreeing to normalise relations with Israel in a move leaving the Palestinians further isolated, news wires reported. US President Donald Trump posted the announcement on Twitter after he spoke by phone, according to the White House, to Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

US President Donald Trump will announce further troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan in the next few days, a senior administration official said Tuesday. The official told reporters traveling with the president to expect an announcement Wednesday.

The Saudi trial into the killing of critic Jamal Khashoggi has lacked transparency and fallen short on assigning accountability for the crime, the UN human rights office said on Tuesday.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday hailed the show of unity by parties to a 2015 nuclear deal, after they defeated US efforts to restore international sanctions.

In his second visit in Beirut in less than a month on Monday French President Emmanuel Macron called for the swift formation of government to lead crisis-hit Lebanon, following the designation of a new prime minister, news wires reported.

The first direct flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) took off on Monday morning, almost three weeks after the two countries sealed a historic diplomatic deal, dpa reported. The passengers included a large Israeli delegation, United States government advisor Jared Kushner and the security advisors of the US and Israel, Robert O'Brien and Meir Ben-Shabbat, among others.

Lebanon’s ambassador to Germany Mustapha Adib is set to be designated prime minister on Monday ahead of a visit to Beirut by the French president who will press for long-delayed reforms to steer the Middle East nation out of its deep crisis.