JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Several vessels of the Gaza aid flotilla have been stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port, the Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Greta Thunberg, the Swedish climate campaigner, and her friends are "safe and healthy," the foreign ministry said in a post on X alongside a video that appeared to show Greta Thunberg and several masked and armed Israeli military personnel.

(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Chris Reese)

ROME (Reuters) -Italian unions called a general strike for Friday in solidarity with the international aid flotilla for Gaza, while protests sprang up in a number of cities late on Wednesday after reports that the ships had been intercepted by military personnel.

In the southern city of Naples, demonstrators got into the main railway station and halted train traffic, while police surrounded the Termini railway station in Rome after protesters gathered close to entrances.

MILAN (Reuters) -Italy's foreign minister said on Wednesday that his Israeli counterpart had assured him the Israeli armed forces would not use violence against activists on board the flotilla of ships sailing towards Gaza.

"The boarding was planned, we are talking about it ... with Minister Saar so that there would be no violent actions on the part of the Tel Aviv armed forces, and this has been assured to me," Antonio Tajani said to Italian TV broadcaster Rai.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -Russia does not recognize the return of United Nations sanctions on Iran, Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters on Wednesday when asked if Moscow would enforce the measures.

The United Nations reinstated an arms embargo and other sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program on Saturday evening, following a process - known as snapback - triggered by European powers. Tehran has warned the move would be met with a harsh response.

(Reuters) -Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday his plan to end the war in Gaza in a phone call, the Emiri Diwan said in a statement.

Sheikh Tamim reiterated Qatar's support for peace efforts and expressed confidence the countries backing the plan could reach a just settlement that guarantees regional security and stability and protects Palestinian rights, it added.

(Reporting by Enas Alashray; Editing by Chris Reese)

By Simon Lewis and Trevor Hunnicutt

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to the United States' own security, according to a document published on Wednesday that says U.S. forces could step in to defend the Middle Eastern nation.

The executive order - which appears to significantly deepen the U.S. commitment to its Middle East ally - comes after Israel last month attempted to kill leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha.

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA (Reuters) -The U.N. Human Rights Chief called on Wednesday for renewed efforts to bring a permanent end to hostilities in Lebanon, as Israeli air strikes continue despite an agreed ceasefire.

High Commissioner for the Office of Human Rights Volker Turk said 103 civilians had been killed in the last 10 months.

"We are still seeing devastating impacts of jet and drone strikes in residential areas, as well as near U.N. peacekeepers in the south," Turk said.

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of families left homeless after a powerful earthquake in Afghanistan urgently need shelter as winter approaches, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Wednesday.

The 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck on the night of August 31 into September 1, killing more than 2,200 people and destroying more than 8,000 homes, according to the IFRC.

Israeli naval forces on Wednesday intercepted a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza, ending its latest bid to break an Israeli blockade of the war-battered Palestinian territory.

The Israeli military operation was announced by both the flotilla itself and the Israeli foreign ministry.

The Global Sumud Flotilla -- involving around 45 vessels carrying politicians and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg -- left Spain last month, aiming to break Israel's blockade of the Palestinian territory, where the UN says famine has set in.

By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Jonathan Spicer

ANKARA (Reuters) -A rash of Russian violations of NATO airspace last month has prompted some allies to recall Turkey's swift and deadly response a decade ago, when it shot down a Russian fighter jet that had crossed over its southern border.

Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said in an X post that Turkey "set an example 10 years ago" for NATO as she urged stronger action in the face of Russia's "tests" today.