When Iranian strikes came crashing on northern Iraq's Kurdistan region, nurse Rezane Hassan rushed to the scene to help the victims, never imagining that her own fiance would be one of them.

"We left in an ambulance towards the affected sites," said the 22-year-old nurse, who works at a hospital in a refugee neighbourhood of the Iraqi city of Koysinjaq, where Iranian Kurds have lived for decades.

"We evacuated women and children to get them away from the bombed areas."

A seven-year-old Palestinian boy who died on the sidelines of an Israeli army search in the occupied West Bank was buried Friday, with Washington calling for a "thorough" investigation into his death.

Rayan Yasser Suleiman's body was wrapped in a keffiyeh chequered Palestinian headscarf, as hundreds of people took part in a funeral procession through his hometown of Tuqu near Bethlehem.

According to an account from the boy's cousin, Mohammed Suleiman, Rayan had "run and fallen" Thursday after returning from school to find soldiers inside and outside his home.

Iran said Friday that nine foreigners were arrested over deadly street protests sparked by the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, as demonstrations across the country entered a third week amid gunfire.

Dozens have been killed in a crackdown on the protests that erupted when Amini, 22, died in custody three days after her arrest by the notorious morality police in Tehran for allegedly breaching the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women.

On Friday, Iranian security forces opened fire on angry protesters, foreign-based opposition media reported.

As a ceasefire deadline in war-ravaged Yemen draws near, civilians hope the truce will be extended -- fearing any fresh fighting would wipe out the small gains they have made.

In the rebel-held capital Sanaa, agriculture graduate Loujain al-Ouazir has been working to raise goats and poultry for three years on a farm on top of one the ancient city's iconic mud brick tower houses.

Ouazir only managed to make the farm successful in recent months as the truce allowed goods to flow more freely and cut the price of supplies.

The United States said Thursday that one of its citizens was killed in Iranian strikes on Iraqi Kurdistan as it separately announced fresh enforcement of sanctions on Tehran's oil sales.

Iran's clerical state on Thursday carried out cross-border strikes, with 13 reported dead, amid unrest at home sparked by the death in custody of an Iranian Kurdish woman by the notorious morality police.

"We can confirm that a US citizen was killed as a result of a rocket attack in the Iraqi Kurdistan region" on Thursday, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said.

The presence of three female referees at the World Cup in Qatar will send "a strong sign", said one of those women selected on Thursday.

"It's a strong sign from FIFA and the authorities to have women referees in that country. I'm not a feminist spokesperson, but if this can make things happen..." said trailblazing French referee Stephanie Frappart.

The 38-year-old is one of 36 referees selected for the November 20-December 18 tournament being staged in the conservative Gulf state.

Among Iranian women protesting in recent nights, many are proud of not only playing what they say is a key role -- but that men are following in their footsteps.

A wave of unrest has rocked Iran since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on September 16 following her arrest by Tehran's morality police for reportedly not observing Iran's strict dress code.

"A woman who comes to the streets with her life in her hands is definitely strong," Farideh, a 64-year-old in Tehran, said with a smile.

Iran stepped up pressure on celebrities and journalists Thursday over the wave of women-led protests sparked by outrage over the death of Mahsa Amini, after she was arrested by the Islamic republic's morality police.

Filmmakers, athletes, musicians and actors have backed the demonstrations, and many saw it as a signal when the national football team remained in their black tracksuits when the anthems were played before a match in Vienna against Senegal.

Jordanian Mohammad Nsour gave up a career in medicine to pursue his dream of becoming a star bodybuilder.

At 26, he is one step closer, having qualified for Mr Olympia, a prestigious international contest in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he will go up against the sport's biggest names -- and muscles.

"I liked being a doctor, but my passion for bodybuilding is greater," he told AFP at a gym in the capital Amman, where he has been training seven days a week ahead of the competition in December.

Iran on Thursday arrested a reporter who covered the funeral of Mahsa Amini, her lawyer said, the latest of a growing number of journalists to be detained since protests erupted over the young woman's death.

Elahe Mohammadi was summoned by the judicial authorities but was then arrested by security forces while she was on her way to questioning, her lawyer Mohammad Ali Kamfirouzi wrote on Twitter.