Middle East & North Africa

DUBAI/RIYADH, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's name was conspicuously - perhaps surprisingly - absent from a list of countries the United States announced as part of its new naval coalition protecting Red Sea shipping from Yemen's Houthi group.

Although it has a U.S.-equipped military, has been waging war on the Houthis for nearly nine years and relies on Red Sea ports for 36% of imports, Saudi Arabia along with Gulf ally the United Arab Emirates has proclaimed no interest in the venture.

DUBAI, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The leader of Yemen's Houthis warned on Wednesday they would strike U.S. warships if the Iranian-backed militia was targeted by Washington, which this week set up a multinational force to counter Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

The Houthis, which control vast amounts of territory in Yemen after years of war, have since last month fired drones and missiles at international vessels sailing through the Red Sea, attacks it says respond to Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.

KUWAIT CITY, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait's new Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah accepted cabinet's resignation on Wednesday, the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported.

The cabinet, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, would continue as a caretaker government to handle urgent matters until a new one is formed, KUNA added.

Earlier Wednesday, Sheikh Mishal officially assumed the role of emir at an oath-taking ceremony at the National Assembly.

MARRAKECH, Morocco, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Arab countries and Russia agreed on Wednesday to boost cooperation on international issues, including addressing the Gaza crisis, at the 6th Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum held in the southern Moroccan city of Marrakech.

The meeting gathered foreign ministers of participating countries, including Russia's Sergey Lavrov, in addition to Hossam Zaki, assistant secretary-general of the Arab League.

ANKARA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi called for intensifying efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, Erdogan's office said in a statement on Wednesday.

In a phone conversation, the two leaders talked about "Israel's attacks on Palestinian territory and efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza," according to the statement.

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military on Wednesday said it had uncovered a major Hamas command center in the heart of Gaza City, inflicting what it described as a serious blow to the Islamic militant group as pressure grows on Israel to scale back its devastating military offensive in the coastal enclave.

The army said it had exposed the center of a vast underground network used by Hamas to move weapons, militants and supplies throughout the Gaza Strip. Israel has said destroying the tunnels is a major objective of the offensive.

NICOSIA, December 18. /TASS/: Ersin Tatar, leader of the Turkish Cypriots, asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to consider establishing direct diplomatic relations between Russia and the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

“We would like our relations with Russia to develop and expand, so I express my gratitude to all Russians, and I also ask Russian authorities and President Putin personally to consider the issue of relations with Northern Cyprus,” Tatar, who holds the office of the President of Northern Cyprus, told TASS.

RAMALLAH, Dec 18 (NNN-WAFA) – The Palestinian Authority (PA), reached an agreement with the United States, to address the issue of Palestinian funds detained by Israel, a senior Palestinian official said yesterday.

According to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the agreement outlines a process wherein the Israeli government will check the list of PA’s employees in the strip, to ensure no Hamas members are included.

DAMASCUS, Dec 18 (NNN-SANA) – A 40-tanker convoy, carrying oil taken from Syrian oil fields, was witnessed departing Syria’s north-eastern al-Hasakah province, for U.S. bases in neighbouring Iraq, yesterday.

According to local sources, the convoy exited the Yarubiya countryside, on the Iraqi-Syrian border, through the unauthorised Mahmoudiya crossing.

TEL AVIV, Dec 18 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Israel on Monday for talks expected to focus on Israel's eventual end to high intensity war in Gaza and its transition to a more limited, focused conflict, officials say.

For Austin, the trip is a delicate balancing act. He has steadfastly supported Israel's right defend itself following Palestinian militant group Hamas' surprise Oct. 7 attacks. But he has also become increasingly vocal about the plight of civilians in Gaza as Israeli strikes drive up casualties.