Syrians are grappling with the end of state subsidies and rising prices, testing public support for President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government as it tries to rebuild the economy after Bashar al-Assad's fall.

The UN human rights office said Israeli forces are treating an expanding buffer line inside Gaza, known as the Yellow Line, as a 'kill zone', raising fears that Palestinians are being forced out of ever-shrinking territory.

Israel's opposition has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party of trying to undermine the legitimacy of this week's election, after Likud alleged foreign interference and said Arab-led parties had «stolen» the vote. The dispute follows an election in which Netanyahu's coalition lost its parliamentary majority.

Iran said four tankers were damaged by mines in the Strait of Hormuz, disputing a U.S. assertion that key shipping lanes had been cleared of such threats. The reports come amid renewed fears of wider confrontation in the Gulf following the U.S. midterm elections.