Airbus said its defence chief Dirk Hoke will no longer attend the Future Investment Initiative conference in Saudi Arabia, the latest senior industry executive to skip next week's event amid concern about the fate of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Gaza’s rulers Hamas yesterday pledged to launch an investigation into rocket fire at Israel the previous day.

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Islamic State (IS) militants had seized nearly 700 hostages in part of Syria controlled by US-backed forces and had executed some of them and promised to kill more.

UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said yesterday he would step down at the end of November for family reasons, quitting as the Syrian government — backed by Iran and Russia — has retaken most of the country and a political deal remains elusive.

American mercenaries were hired by the UAE to assassinate political leaders and clerics in Yemen in 2015, according to a new report.

A Turkish newspaper yesterday published what it said were details from audio recordings that purported to document Saudi journalist and government critic Jamal Khashoggi's torture and interrogation.

Hundreds of members of the White Helmets - a volunteer Syrian search and rescue organization - who were evacuated to Jordan are now on their way to be resettled in western countries, Jordan's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

A small group of Turkish investigators are examining the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Wednesday, a Reuters photographer said, the second such search this week of the premises after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared two weeks ago.

Some militants have withdrawn from the demilitarisation zone in Idlib following a deal between Russia and Turkey on the northwestern Syrian region, a US official said on Wednesday.

The Syrian government gave approval for the UN to deliver aid next week to thousands of civilians stranded near a US garrison on the Jordanian-Syrian border, aid workers and camp officials said on Wednesday.

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was tortured before being decapitated inside Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul, pro-government daily Yeni Safak reported Wednesday, saying it had heard audio recordings.

Eight Palestinians, including six school children, were injured in Deir al-Balah following Israeli airstrikes on several locations in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning.