Royal Air Maroc took off from Morocco's economic capital Casablanca bound for Tel Aviv on Sunday, in the carrier's first direct flight to the Jewish state since the two countries normalised ties in 2020.

Aviation sources and local media sources said a Moroccan business delegation was on the inaugural flight, delayed by three months because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Casablanca/Tel Aviv for 400 euros ($440). Who would have believed it?" tweeted David Govrin, head of Israel's liaison office in the Arab state.

Chad's military government and dozens of opposition groups started peace talks on Sunday in Qatar as a first step towards ending a rebellion and holding elections.

But after opening speeches, in which the country's prime minister and the head of the African Union Commission called for concessions, the talks were suspended for 48 hours because of a dispute over the format, opposition groups said.

The landlocked African nation was thrown into turmoil by the killing of longtime leader Idriss Deby Itno in a battle with rebels last April.

Iran claimed responsibility for missile strikes Sunday on the northern Iraqi city of Arbil, saying they targeted an Israeli "strategic centre" and warning of more attacks.

Kurdish authorities insisted the Jewish state has no sites in or near Arbil, capital of their autonomous region in the country's north.

In Baghdad, the foreign ministry condemned the attack as a "flagrant violation of (Iraqi) sovereignty".

Like other Saudi women, Fahda Fahd couldn't legally drive until 2018, but her lime-green Kia is now a route to extra cash as living costs rise in the conservative kingdom.

When she's not working full time at a healthcare call centre, the 54-year-old picks up fares in the capital Riyadh from a ride-hailing app exclusively for women.

Fahd said her family was supportive of her second job, on two conditions: no long trips or men as passengers.

Saudi Arabia confirmed Saturday a 10-year travel ban for freed blogger and human rights activist Raif Badawi, who has become a symbol of freedom of expression around the world.

Badawi, now 38, who was arrested and detained in Saudi Arabia in 2012 on charges of "insulting Islam", was released Friday.

An interior ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP on Saturday: "The sentence handed down to Raif was 10 years in prison followed by a travel ban for the same length of time. The court ruling holds up and is final."

After 10 years in prison for "insulting Islam," Saudi blogger and human rights activist Raif Badawi, who has become a symbol of freedom of expression around the world, was released on Friday.

"Raif called me. He is free," his wife Ensaf Haidar, who lives in Canada with their three children and had been fiercely advocating for his release, told AFP.

Badawi's release was also confirmed by a Saudi security official, who said on condition of anonymity that "he was released today."

Saudi blogger Raif Badawi has been released from prison in Saudi Arabia after serving a 10-year sentence for advocating an end to religious influence on public life, his wife said Friday.

"Raif called me. He is free," his wife Ensaf Haidar, who lives in Canada with their three children and had been advocating for his release, told AFP.

Badawi's release was also confirmed by a Saudi security official who said on condition of anonymity that Badawi "was released today."

Chad's ruling junta is scheduled to meet rebel leaders in Qatar on Sunday for delayed talks aimed at coaxing armed groups into joining a "national dialogue" on the troubled country's future.

The so-called precursor talks in the Qatari capital will be a key moment for strongman Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno's declared aim of returning an elected government to Chad.

Initially scheduled for February 27, the highly sensitive meeting has been confirmed by Mutlaq Al-Qahtani, Qatar's special envoy for counter-terrorism and conflict resolution.

"Yalla, yalla, raise your hands!" Israeli Druze singer Mike Sharif shouts in Arabic to the Palestinian crowd swaying to a Hebrew hit at a wedding in the occupied West Bank.

The scene, all the more unusual as it took place in Yatta, a Palestinian village near Hebron and site of frequent friction with the Israeli army and Jewish settlers, created a buzz on social networks and local media.

The Islamic State group Thursday confirmed the death of its leader Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi, more than a month after his demise, and named Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi as his successor.

Little is known about the new leader, who will serve as the jihadist group's third chief since its inception.

IS personnel have "pledged allegiance" to "Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi as an emir over believers and the caliph of Muslims," the group's spokesperson said in an audio recording released on its social media channels.