Syria's new government and Israel will set up a joint group under US supervision to share intelligence and seek military de-escalation on the ground, they announced Tuesday after talks.
The Syrian foreign minister traveled to Paris in his country's first known meeting in months with Israel, which has pounded its historic adversary despite US unease over the pressure on the fragile government.
Clashes between government troops and Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria's Aleppo killed at least nine people on Tuesday, mostly civilians, in one of the worst flare-ups between the sides in months.
The implementation of a March deal to merge the Kurds' semi-autonomous administration and military into Syria's new Islamist government has largely stalled.
Tensions have occasionally erupted into clashes, particularly in Aleppo, which has two Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods.
Iranian security forces fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators at the Tehran bazaar on Tuesday, as an NGO said more than two dozen people had been killed in a crackdown on the most significant protests to hit the Islamic republic in three years.
The protests were triggered by anger over the rising cost of living, with the Iranian rial losing value again on Tuesday to reach another record low against foreign currencies.
NAIROBI, Jan 6 (Reuters) - The African Union's Political Affairs Peace and Security council called on Tuesday for the "immediate revocation" of Israel's recognition of Somaliland.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sara visited Somaliland on Tuesday on a trip that was denounced by Somalia, 10 days after Israel formally recognised the self-declared republic as an independent and sovereign state.
NAIROBI, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar met the president of Somaliland on Tuesday, 10 days after Israel became the first country to formally recognise the breakaway region in the Horn of Africa as an independent and sovereign state.
A Somaliland government source and a regional diplomat said other countries were preparing to follow suit and recognise Somaliland, despite an outcry from Somalia which says such moves threaten its sovereignty.
The Israeli foreign minister arrived in Somaliland on Tuesday in a high-profile visit, condemned by Somalia as an "unauthorised incursion", after Israel recognised the breakaway region in the Horn of Africa.
Israel announced last month it was officially recognising Somaliland, a first for the self-proclaimed republic since it declared independence from Somalia in 1991.
By Steven Scheer
JERUSALEM, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Passenger traffic at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv rose 33% in 2025, the Israel Airports Authority reported on Tuesday, reflecting the return of foreign carriers after many airlines halted flights during the two-year Gaza war.
A U.S.-brokered ceasefire in October gave way to the resumption of flights to Israel by carriers who had not yet resumed routes to Tel Aviv. In December, the number of passengers rose 59%.
Jan 6 (Reuters) - Somalia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday condemned a visit by Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to Hargeisa, saying it was a violation of Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The ministry said that any official engagement without Somalia's consent was illegal and void and called on international bodies, including the United Nations and the African Union, to support its territorial integrity.
(Reporting by Sfundo Parakozov and Vincent Mumo Nzilani; Editing by Alex Richardson)
NAIROBI/JERUSALEM, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar is on a visit to Somaliland in East Africa, where he is due to meet the semi-autonomous region's president later on Tuesday, according to a senior Somaliland official.
A second source briefed on the visit confirmed the foreign minister was in Somaliland, without providing further details. The Israeli foreign ministry did not immediately respond when asked if the foreign minsiter was in Somaliland.
DUBAI, Jan 6 (Reuters) - At least 25 people have been killed in Iran during the first nine days of protests that started in the bazaar of Tehran over the plunging value of the currency and soaring inflation, according to rights groups.
The protests have spread to some cities in western and southern Iran but do not match the scale of unrest that swept the nation in 2022-23 over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in the custody of Iran's morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic's strict dress code.
