Syria’s Bashar Assad issued a decree Sunday appointing a new cabinet without changing the heads of so-called "sovereign" portfolios, days after confirming Hussein Arnous as the country's prime minister, AFP reports.

Israeli aircraft struck posts belonging to the Lebanese Shi’ite group Hezbollah early on Wednesday after shots were fired from Lebanon towards its troops, Israel’s military said, cited by Reuters. No Israeli troops were wounded in the firing.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hoped other Arab countries would also establish diplomatic relations with Israel as he kicked off a Mideast tour on Monday to press the momentum of the Trump administration’s Arab-Israeli peace push.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday that he had accepted a proposal to extend budget negotiations, preventing the government from collapsing and plunging the country into a new election.

We fully support the agreement around the principles to immediately cease all military activities across Libya, requiring the departure of all foreign fighters and mercenaries present in Libya, and resume the negotiating process in the framework of the UN-led Berlin process, said in a declaration by the High Representative Josep Borrell on behalf of European Union on the political announcements by the Libyan Presidency Council and the Libyan House of Representatives.

The UN nuclear watchdog's chief Rafael Grossi will make his first trip to Tehran in that role on Monday to pressure Iran to grant inspectors access to two suspected former atomic sites after a months-long standoff, Reuters reported.

Saudi Arabia's price for normalising relations with Israel is the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, a senior member of the Saudi royal family said on Friday cited by Reuters. Prince Turki al-Faisal was apparently responding to US President Donald Trump who said on Wednesday he expected Saudi Arabia to join a deal announced last week by Israel and the UAE to normalise diplomatic ties.

Libya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), which is internationally recognised but controls only the western part of the country, announced a ceasefire on Friday, In a statement GNA head Fayez al-Sarraj “issued instructions to all military forces to immediately cease fire and all combat operations in all Libyan territories”.

Iran displayed locally made surface-to-surface ballistic missile on Thursday that Defence Minister Amir Hatami said had a range of 1,400 km and a new cruise missile, ignoring US demands that Tehran halt its missile programme.The move certain to anger the United States as it prepares to demand that all UN sanctions be reimposed on the country.

The United States is eyeing the sale of stealthy F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates in a side agreement to the UAE’s overtures to Israel, an industry insider who was part of the dialogue with government officials said on Wednesday.