Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for talks in Moscow on Wednesday, as the Kremlin seeks to secure the future of military bases vital for its operations in the Middle East.

Russia was a key ally of Sharaa's predecessor Bashar al-Assad during the bloody 14-year Syrian civil war.

His toppling at the hands of Sharaa's rebel forces dealt a major blow to Russia's influence in the region and threw the status of its prized military bases in Syria into doubt.

ANKARA, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Turkey's foreign minister on Wednesday urged the U.S. to resolve its disputes with Iran "one by one" instead of through a sweeping deal, saying this would avoid humiliating Iranian officials, and added that Tehran was ready for talks on its nuclear programme.

U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that Washington had an "armada" heading toward Iran but hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear programme.

DUBAI, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi denied being in contact with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days or requesting negotiations, state media reported on Wednesday.

The foreign minister added Tehran remains in contact with mediating countries that are "holding consultations".

(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

MEITAR, Israel, Jan 28 (Reuters) - The remains of the last Israeli captive recovered from the Gaza Strip were set to be buried on Wednesday in a funeral that will help Israel turn the page after one of the most tramautising periods in its history.

Ran Gvili, an off-duty police officer, was killed fighting militants during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel. He was then seized and taken back into Gaza by the Islamic Jihad militant group, Israeli officials say.

By Erin Banco, Jonathan Landay and Matt Spetalnick

NEW YORK, Jan 27 (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence reports have raised doubts about whether interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez will cooperate with the Trump administration by formally cutting ties with U.S. adversaries, four people familiar with the reports said in recent days.

U.S. officials have said publicly they want the interim president to sever relations with close international allies like Iran, China and Russia, including expelling their diplomats and advisers from Venezuela.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to end all US support for Iraq if Nouri al-Maliki, a former prime minister with ties to Iran, returns to the post.

Trump, in his latest blatant intervention in another country's politics, said that Iraq would make a "very bad choice" with Maliki, who has been nominated as prime minister by the largest Shiite bloc.

"Last time Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos. That should not be allowed to happen again," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

By Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Iraq against picking Nouri al-Maliki as its prime minister, saying the United States would no longer help the Middle Eastern country.

"I'm hearing that the Great Country of Iraq might make a very bad choice by reinstalling Nouri al-Maliki as Prime Minister," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

By Pesha Magid

JERUSALEM, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Israel has cleared land in southern Gaza for the construction of a camp for Palestinians potentially equipped with surveillance and facial recognition technology at its entrance, a retired Israeli general who advises the military said on Tuesday.

Retired reservist Brigadier-General Amir Avivi told Reuters in an interview that the camp would be built in an area of Rafah cleared of tunnels built by Hamas, with entry and exit tracked by Israeli personnel.

TEL AVIV, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Israeli President Isaac Herzog will meet the families of victims of the Bondi Beach shooting and members of the Australian Jewish community during a visit to the country next month, his office said on Tuesday.

The attack targeted a Jewish Hanukkah celebration in December, killing 15 people in Australia's worst mass shooting in decades.

"President Herzog will visit Jewish communities across Australia to express solidarity and offer strength to the community in the aftermath of the attack," his office said in a statement.

BRUSSELS, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The EU is expected to sanction some 20 Iranian individuals and entities under its human rights rules this week but is not expected to add Iran's Revolutionary Guards to its terrorist list due to opposition from France, officials said on Tuesday.

European Union foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Iran when they gather in Brussels on Thursday, and are expected to sign off on the new sanctions.