Australia followed hosts and holders Qatar into the last 16 of the Asian Cup with an unconvincing 1-0 victory over Syria on Thursday.

Jackson Irvine scored the winner on the hour with his second goal of the tournament, swivelling in the box before poking the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Ahmad Madanieh.

Graham Arnold's Socceroos are into the knockouts with a group game to spare but will have to play better than this if they are to lift the Asian Cup for a second time.

There were just two shots on target all game, one for each side.

Baluchistan is a restive region shared by Iran and Pakistan where security forces on both sides of the border have for years battled militant groups but which now risks being the subject of escalating tensions between the neighbours.

Who are the Baluch?

Both Iran's southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan and Pakistan's western province of Balochistan are the most impoverished regions of their respective countries, vast and arid provinces constantly battling drought, with rampant unemployment.

Palestinian health officials said Israeli troops killed a man Thursday on the second day of an operation in the Tulkarem area, a day after violence in the occupied West Bank killed 10.

Unrest in the West Bank has surged alongside the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

The latest death followed the deaths of five people in the Tulkarem refugee camp on Wednesday in an air strike which the Israeli military said targeted "terrorists".

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani on Thursday repeated his call for the US-led international anti-jihadist coalition to depart his country amid soaring regional tensions over the Israel-Hamas war.

"The end of the international coalition mission is a necessity for the security and stability of Iraq," he said during a televised event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

"It is also a necessity for preserving constructive bilateral relations between Iraq and the coalition countries."

Asian Cup hosts and holders Qatar have been on a mission to banish the painful memory of their 2022 World Cup flop and forward Akram Afif is leading the charge.

Qatar lost all three of their World Cup games on home soil on their way to a first-round exit just over a year ago, the worst record of any host in the competition's history.

But it's been a different story at the Asian Cup -- albeit after only two games against moderate opposition -- and Tintin Marquez's side are the first to reach the knockout rounds.

The mother of a journalist executed by the Islamic State group has sharply criticised the hostage policy of former US president Barack Obama in a new book.

"American Mother" tells the story of James Foley, a freelancer who was abducted and later beheaded by the extremist group in 2012 while reporting on the Syrian civil war.

Due for release in Britain in February and in the United States in March, it was written by his mother, Diane Foley, and the Irish writer Colum McCann.

The United Nations and the United States appealed for restraint on Thursday after Iran and Pakistan traded deadly air strikes on militant targets on each other's territory.

The rare military action across the porous border between the heavily armed neighbours has further stoked tensions already enflamed by the Israel-Hamas war.

Pakistan's strikes against militant targets in Iran early on Thursday came two days after similar Iranian strikes on its territory, and prompted Tehran to summon Islamabad's envoy.

In the occupied West Bank, Hafeth Ghazawneh waits in quiet frustration for customers to visit his falafel stall, which has been deserted since the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.

His breakfast and lunch offerings were popular with craftsmen from workshops near Al-Bireh, the twin city of Ramallah, before the Israel-Hamas war broke out.

"Now they're bringing their meals from home because the situation is so difficult," Ghazawneh tells AFP, fearing he will have to shut up shop if the war in the Gaza Strip continues.

Hosts and defending champions Qatar on Wednesday were the first team to reach the Asian Cup knockout rounds, but China will need to fight it out to join them after successive 0-0 draws.

Qatar were left red-faced after losing all three games at their home World Cup in 2022, the worst performance of any host in the competition's history.

They then axed Carlos Queiroz early last month and replaced the former Real Madrid coach with Tintin Marquez in a last-minute gamble.

AFP journalists around the world staged rallies Wednesday to show solidarity with nine colleagues in Gaza, with agency chiefs calling on Israel to ensure their safety and let them leave the war-torn territory.

Journalists and other AFP staff in Paris and bureau across AFP's global network gathered with portraits of Gaza colleagues who have been unable to leave since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7.

The demonstration was organised by AFP's management, with unions and the Journalists' Association (SDJ).