Iran is one of the world's most sanctioned countries, with the United States deploying a punishing arsenal of measures against the Islamic republic since the Iran hostage crisis of 1979-81.

These are the main categories of sanctions in place:

- Trade -

In April 1980, mid-way through the 444-day hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran, Washington broke off diplomatic relations with Iran and imposed restrictions on commerce and travel.

Israel goes to the polls Tuesday for its fifth general election in less than four years, after the collapse of a coalition government which ousted Benjamin Netanyahu from power.

Here are some facts about the electoral process:

- Plethora of parties -

Israel's system of proportional representation gives small parties a chance of winning seats in the 120-member parliament, the Knesset.

The two rival Palestinian movements, the secular Fatah and Islamist Hamas which Thursday signed a reconciliation deal in Algiers, have been at odds for more than a decade.

While Fatah dominates the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority (PA), which is based in the West Bank, Hamas is in control in the Gaza Strip.

Here is a look back at the history of the dispute:

- 2006: Islamists win at the polls -

The Kurds are a non-Arab ethnic group of between 25 and 35 million people whose dreams of an independent homeland were brutally quashed throughout the 20th century.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blamed Kurdish militants for a deadly bombing in Istanbul earlier this month, an accusations they have strongly rejected.

In retaliation, Turkey has hit nearly 500 Kurdish targets across Iraq and Syria as part of a campaign of air strikes in recent days, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said Wednesday.

Saudi blogger and rights activist Raif Badawi, who was released from prison Friday after 10 years in jail and 50 lashes, has become a symbol of free speech far beyond the conservative Muslim kingdom.

The 38-year-old -- whose public flogging in a Jeddah square after he was sentenced to 1,000 lashes sparked an international outcry -- was taken into custody in 2012 for charges including undermining security and insulting Islam via his website.

Leveraging years of experience gleaned during Syria's war, the White Helmets are spearheading rescue efforts in the country's rebel-held north following the powerful earthquake that rocked Syria and Turkey.

Here is an overview of the group, whose volunteers are known for their bravery during dramatic rescue operations from bombed out buildings in the middle of the devastating, more than decade-long civil war.

- Thousands of volunteers -

President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, who died on Friday, was a reserved figure who saw the United Arab Emirates skyrocket on the global scene -- but rarely appeared in public himself.

Sheikh Khalifa, who died at the age of 73, succeeded his father, the late UAE founding president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, as ruler of Abu Dhabi, the largest and wealthiest of the seven-member UAE.

Sheikh Khalifa had rarely been seen in public since 2014, after undergoing surgery following a stroke, even as his country continued to gain recognition on the global scene.

Relations between Middle East heavyweights Iran and Saudi Arabia have been fraught for decades as they spar over regional influence and religion.

Each considers itself to be the guardian of one of the main branches of Islam: Saudi Arabia is ruled by a Sunni royal family while Iran is led by Shiite clerics.

On Friday, Iran and Saudi Arabia said they had agreed to restore ties severed in 2016 and to reopen diplomatic missions "within two months".

Here is a look back at the long years of rocky relations that preceded Friday's thaw.

- Iranian revolution, war -

The Gaza Strip is an impoverished Palestinian enclave that has been under Israeli blockade since 2007.

It is ruled by Hamas (the Arabic acronym for Islamic Resistance Movement), now at war with Israel for the fifth time in 15 years.

Here is what you need to know about Gaza:

- 5,000 years of history -

In 1998, archaeologists discovered the remains of a large fortified Canaanite town, Tell es-Sakan, near Gaza City that was occupied continuously from 3200 to 2000 BC.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah is the only man in Lebanon with the power to wage war or make peace, but he leads a life in hiding to avoid assassination by his movement's arch-enemy, Israel.

A wave of Israeli strikes on Friday hit Hezbollah's main bastion in south Beirut, and Israeli broadcasters said Nasrallah was the target.

A source close to Hezbollah denied the reports, saying that he was "fine".