The United States on Tuesday designated Yemen's Huthi militant group a foreign terrorist organization, conforming with an order by President Donald Trump in January.

The Iran-backed rebels control much of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, and have launched missile and drone attacks at Israel since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023.

They have also repeatedly targeted merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden -- waterways vital to global trade.

The Israeli military announced Tuesday it had expanded its weeks-long offensive in the occupied West Bank to more areas of Jenin city, saying troops killed three militants although Palestinian officials reported two dead.

On its 43rd day, Israeli forces "expanded the counterterrorism operation in northern Samaria to additional areas in Jenin", the military said, using the Biblical name for that part of the West Bank.

It said that a local Hamas leader and another Palestinian militant were killed in an exchange of fire with troops during an overnight raid in Jenin.

The trial of several prominent Tunisian opposition figures accused of national security offences opened on Tuesday, with lawyers and relatives denouncing the case as politically motivated.

The around 40 high-profile defendants include activists, politicians, lawyers and media figures, some of whom have been vocal critics of President Kais Saied.

They face charges including "plotting against the state security" and "belonging to a terrorist group", according to lawyers, which could entail hefty sentences and even capital punishment.

With a map of China on the wall behind him, 14-year-old Yasser al-Shaalan studied the names of professions in a Chinese textbook, one of thousands of Saudi children now learning the language at school.

Mandarin's entry into public schools is the latest sign of growing ties between Saudi Arabia and China, as the oil-rich Gulf kingdom pushes to diversify its economy and strategic alliances.

"The pupils at the other schools are proficient in English. I know Arabic, English and Chinese, which is a great asset for my future," Shaalan told AFP.

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Tuesday called on the international community to pressure Israel to "immediately" withdraw its troops from the south, as he attended his first Arab summit since assuming office.

Since Sharaa's Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) spearheaded an offensive that toppled longtime Syrian president Bashar al-Assad on December 8, Israel has deployed troops to a UN-patrolled buffer zone that has separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the strategic Golan Heights since 1974.

Oil giant Saudi Aramco posted a drop in annual profits on Tuesday as lower prices and volumes hit the lynchpin of the kingdom's ambitious economic reform plans.

The world's biggest crude exporter said profits were down more than 12 percent to $106.25 billion in 2024, the second annual drop following a surge in oil prices in 2022.

Expected dividends for 2025 also fell heavily to $85.4 billion, down from $124.3 billion announced for last year by the mainly state-owned company.

Arab leaders endorsed on Tuesday a plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip under the future administration of the Palestinian Authority, presenting an alternative to US President Donald Trump's widely condemned proposal to take over the territory and displace its people.

The prospect of the Palestinian Authority (PA) governing Gaza remains far from certain, however, with Israel having ruled out any future role for the body, and Trump having closed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) liaison office in Washington during his first term while stepping up support for Israel.

The trial of several prominent Tunisian opposition figures accused of national security offences is set to begin Tuesday, with rights groups denouncing the case as politically motivated.

The around 40 high-profile defendants include former diplomats, politicians, lawyers and media figures, some of whom have been outspoken critics of President Kais Saied.

The charges against them are "plotting against the state security" and "belonging to a terrorist group", which could entail hefty sentences and even capital punishment, according to lawyers.

Palestinians living in war-ravaged Gaza say they fear food shortages and price hikes after Israel halted the entry of aid into the territory to pressure Hamas to agree to its terms for a ceasefire extension.

The effect of the Israeli announcement on Sunday was immediate, and sent ripples through markets across the Gaza Strip.

Prices for basic goods soared despite attempts by the authorities to keep them stable, shoppers and aid workers told AFP.

Hundreds gathered Monday in southern Israel for the funeral of Danish-Israeli hostage Itzik Elgarat, whose family levelled sharp criticism at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of abandoning their loved one in Gaza.

Elgarat, then 68 years old, was abducted from his kibbutz of Nir Oz near the Gaza border during Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 which sparked more than 15 months of war.