March 31 (Reuters) - Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Tuesday that his country will stay out of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran unless Syria is subject to aggression and has no diplomatic solutions.

"Unless Syria is targeted by any party, Syria will remain outside any conflict," the Syrian president said at an event hosted by think tank Chatham House in London.

"We do not want Syria to be an arena of war. But unfortunately, today, things are not governed by wise minds. The situation is volatile and random," the president said.

Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war:

- 11-year-old Israeli wounded -

Israel's emergency medical service said an 11-year-old girl was in a serious condition after a missile attack that the military blamed on Iran.

Missile alerts sounded across central and northern Israel after the military issued warnings for incoming fire, with rescuers warning of at least 12 more injured.

- Bangladeshi killed in UAE -

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, March 31 (Reuters) - Pope Leo urged U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday to look for an "off-ramp" to end the Iran war, in a rare direct appeal from the pontiff as the regional conflict expands.

"I'm told that President Trump has recently stated that he would like to end the war," said Leo, the first pope from the United States.

"Hopefully he's looking for an off-ramp," the pope told journalists outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo, near Rome. "Hopefully he's looking for a way to decrease the amount of violence."

WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) - The White House said on Tuesday that the U.S. military was prepared to thwart any attacks by Iran, responding to threats by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against U.S. companies in the region.

"The United States military is and was prepared to curtail any attacks by Iran, as evidenced by the 90 percent drop in ballistic missile and drone attacks by the terrorist regime," said a White House official, who did not wish to be named.

By Ali Sawafta and Pesha Magid

RAMALLAH/JERUSALEM, March 31 (Reuters) - Palestinians in the occupied West Bank voiced fears on Tuesday that their jailed relatives could be hanged without due process after Israel adopted a new law making the death penalty the default sentence for Palestinians convicted of lethal attacks.

The law would also apply to Israeli citizens, but by defining the lethal attacks in question as those "negating Israel's existence" it would be very unlikely that it would be used against Jewish Israelis, critics say.

King Charles III on Tuesday hosted Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at Buckingham Palace as the former Islamist rebel leader made his first official visit to London and met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The UK monarch held an audience with Sharaa on Tuesday afternoon, Buckingham Palace said. Sharaa was making his first visit to Britain since ousting long-time iron-fisted former president Bashar al-Assad in 2024.

Earlier Tuesday, Sharaa discussed the war with Iran in talks with Starmer at Downing Street.

Iran players and team officials posed with photographs of children killed in the Middle East war before their friendly match against Costa Rica in Turkey on Tuesday.

Every Iran player held a photo during the national anthem before their 5-0 victory near the city of Antalya.

Iran's head coach Amir Ghalenoei and the vice-president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Mohammad Nabi, were among the officials who also held up the photographs.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino told AFP Tuesday that Iran "will be at the World Cup" and will play their group matches in the United States as scheduled, despite the Middle East war.

"Iran will be at the World Cup," Infantino said at half-time as Iran beat Costa Rica 5-0 in a friendly in southern Turkey.

"That's why we're here. We're delighted because they're a very, very strong team, I'm very happy."

"I've seen the team, I've spoken to the players and the coach, so everything is fine," added Infantino, whose attendance at Tuesday's game was unannounced.

GENEVA, March 31 (Reuters) - The U.N. rights chief on Tuesday urged Israel to repeal a law making death by hanging a default sentence for Palestinians convicted in military courts of deadly attacks, saying the legislation violated international humanitarian law.

"It raises serious concerns about due process violations, is deeply discriminatory, and must be promptly repealed," Volker Turk said in a statement sent to reporters.

By Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined on Tuesday to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to NATO's collective defense, saying that would be up to President Donald Trump after key European allies refused to stand with the United States in the war against Iran.

The remarks by Hegseth at a Pentagon briefing were extraordinary, given that collective defense lies at the heart of the NATO alliance, which was formed in 1949 with the primary aim of countering the risk of Soviet attack on allied territory.