Israel's main international ally the United States warned Wednesday against Gaza-like military action in Lebanon after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened it with "destruction" similar to that of the Palestinian territory.

But armed forces chief Herzi Halevi vowed to keep up Israel's intensive bombing of Hezbollah targets, which has already killed more than 1,200 people since September 23, "without allowing them any respite or recovery".

With parched crops on one side and lush green plants on the other, a small farming project in northwest Tunisia demonstrates how foreign funding coupled with dogged local efforts can help tackle the impact of climate change.

A local dam built by woman farmer Saida Zouaoui in the village of Ghardimaou after years of effort has turned her into a local hero for her fellow smallholders, who say it helped increase their production despite a six-year drought.

Beyond the complex byways of international finance, a simple solution is gaining ground to protect populations caught in the path of destructive extreme weather: transfer a little money via their mobile phones before disaster strikes.

Faced with a flood, superstorm or mega-fire, "the earlier you get the money, the better", Ranil Dissanayake, a researcher at the Center for Global Development, told AFP. "Recipients can use the cash to prepare dwellings, stockpile food, or temporarily move to areas expected to be unaffected."

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has postponed a trip to the United States scheduled for this week, delaying a planned meeting with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

"We were just informed that Minister Gallant will be postponing his trip to Washington, DC. Secretary Austin looks forward to seeing him soon," Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told journalists, without providing a reason for the cancellation.

The Syrian government said seven civilians were killed in an Israeli air strike in Damascus Tuesday, that a war monitor said targeted a building used by Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

The defence ministry said women and children were among the dead in the strike on a residential and commercial building in the Mazzeh neighbourhood of the capital which is home to embassies and security headquarters.

It said the toll was preliminary as rescuers were still combing the rubble.

Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler reassured the cabinet on Tuesday about the health of his ageing father King Salman, who was set to undergo another round of tests for a lung infection.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 39, "reassured everyone about the health" of King Salman, 88, and voiced "appreciation to everyone who inquired about his health", the official Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday after Prince Mohammed chaired the weekly cabinet meeting.

Beirut has received "assurances" that Israel will not target the country's only international airport, Lebanon's transport minister told AFP, but said those fell short of guarantees.

Since September 23, Israel has launched an intense air campaign mainly targeting Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon including Beirut's southern suburbs, adjacent to the airport.

On Monday, the United States warned Israel not to attack the Beirut airport or the roads leading to it, after repeated Israeli strikes near the facility.

A billion-dollar binge which brought some of football's biggest names to Saudi Arabia's modest league has given way to a more cautious phase, with spending down dramatically this year.

After a jaw-dropping 2023, when Cristiano Ronaldo led a parade of largely ageing superstars to the oil-rich, conservative monarchy, Saudi transfer spending slumped from $957 million to $431 million in the latest window.

Piles of fishing nets lay on land unused in the southern Lebanese port of Sidon on Tuesday as fishermen stayed ashore after the Israeli military warned of strikes against militants along the coast.

Commercial vessels and leisure boats were anchored in the harbour, while the city's ancient fish market fell unusually quiet, with traders trying to peddle the catch from earlier in the week.

"The Lebanese army told us we weren't allowed to go out, and we're respecting that," said Mohammed Bidawi, a member of the local fishermen's union.

Ask a Lebanese person how they are, and you're likely to be met with a heavy pause or a pained smile. Years of crisis have drained them, and now Israeli air strikes are pushing many to breaking point.

Cartoonist Bernard Hage, who draws under the name Art of Boo, summed it up a few weeks ago with a layer cake.

These layers are "Financial Collapse", "Pandemic", the 2020 "Beirut Port Explosion", "Political Deadlock" and "Mass Depression".

"War" is now the cherry on top.

Carine Nakhle, a supervisor at suicide helpline Embrace, says the trauma is never-ending.