Dozens of families have fled a historically Alawite neighborhood of Damascus under threat of death, amid fears for the community's future in the Syrian capital under Islamist rule, residents told AFP.

The head of the international Red Cross on Saturday denounced Israel's plans for a mass evacuation of Gaza City ahead of a military takeover, insisting there was no way it could be done safely.

A 'massive' overnight Russian attack on central and southeastern Ukraine killed at least one person, authorities said Saturday, with homes and businesses damaged in multiple cities.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Saturday she was "not optimistic" the bloc would take action against Israel over the war in Gaza due to splits between member states.

Israel's foreign minister hailed as a "bold step" Friday a U.S. decision to deny Palestinian officials visas for next month's U.N. General Assembly, where France is leading a push to recognize a Palestinian state.

"We thank (President Donald Trump) and the administration for this bold step and for standing by Israel once again," Gideon Saar posted on his official X account.

Palestinian factions in several Beirut refugee camps surrendered their weapons to the Lebanese Army on Friday, an official said, as the government disarms non-state groups.

Ramez Dimashkieh, chairman of the official Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, told AFP that "the Palestine Liberation Organization handed over three truckloads of weapons to the Lebanese Army," including rockets and heavy weapons.

The Israeli military on Friday said it had recovered the remains of two hostages during an operation in the Gaza Strip.

"In an IDF (Israeli military) operation, the body of Ilan Weiss was recovered, along with remains linked to another fallen hostage whose name has not yet been released, from the Gaza Strip," the army said in a statement.

The Israeli military expressed regret Friday after Lebanon's army reported two of its soldiers were killed when an Israeli drone that crashed in the country's south exploded.

The Lebanese Army said its personnel were inspecting the drone that had fallen in the Naqoura area on Thursday when it exploded, killing an officer and a soldier and wounding two others.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed a United Nations Security Council decision on Thursday to extend the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon.

"I welcome the Security Council’s decision to extend the UNIFIL mandate until December 31, 2026," Salam said, thanking France and "all friendly states in this council". The decision provides for the blue helmets to withdraw from Lebanon by the end of 2027.

The Security Council has voted for U.N. peacekeepers to leave Lebanon in 2027, allowing only one final extension after pressure from Israel and its U.S. ally to end the nearly 50-year-old force.

Israel hailed Thursday the upcoming termination of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and urged the Beirut government to exert its authority after an Israeli military campaign devastated Hezbollah.