SYDNEY, May 22 (Reuters) - A second group of Australian women and children linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) extremist group have departed a refugee camp in northeast Syria and may be returning to Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday.

The broadcaster said a bus carrying the group left the Al-Roj camp on Thursday afternoon under escort by a convoy of Syrian government officials. The group is expected to reach Damascus, though it remains unclear when they might travel to Australia, the report said.

Lebanese mother-of-two Hala Farah is collecting photos and videos to preserve the memory of her hometown which, like many others along the southern border, has been completely destroyed by Israeli forces.

Testimony from residents and officials, as well as satellite images and photographs taken by AFP journalists on both sides of the border, show widespread destruction in dozens of Lebanese towns and villages since the start of the Israel-Hezbollah war on March 2.

Like many Moroccan farmers, Mehdi el-Maazi was hopeful that rare heavy rains would yield an abundant harvest this year -- but those hopes were quickly shattered as the Middle East war sent fuel and fertiliser costs soaring.

Morocco, where agriculture employs about a quarter of the working population and where drought had persisted for seven consecutive years, recorded massive rainfalls last February and December.

By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday announced sanctions against nine individuals, including Iran's designated ambassador to Lebanon, for obstructing the peace process in the Middle Eastern country and impeding the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said the officials were embedded across Lebanon’s parliament, military, and security sectors, where they worked to preserve Hezbollah's influence over key Lebanese state institutions.

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) - Republican leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives unexpectedly canceled a vote on Thursday on a resolution seeking to end the Iran war unless President Donald Trump obtains Congress' authorization, two days after a similar measure advanced in the U.S. Senate.

The vote had been scheduled to take place late Thursday afternoon, just before lawmakers left Washington for their Memorial Day recess.

More than six months after the United Nations endorsed a peace plan in Gaza, the humanitarian situation there remains catastrophic, three global NGOs said Thursday, calling on Israel to respect its obligations.

Major gaps remain between Israel's commitments and the reality facing Palestinians, representatives for Oxfam, Save the Children and Refugees International told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

By Sabine Siebold, Stine Jacobsen and Michael Martina

HELSINGBORG, Sweden May 22 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet NATO allies on Friday for the first time since President Donald Trump called the alliance into question due to divisions over the Iran war and Washington announced plans to pull 5,000 troops from Europe.

Before leaving for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Sweden, Rubio said Trump was "very disappointed" in alliance members who had not allowed the U.S. to use bases on their territory for the war, singling out Spain in particular.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Al Nassr clinched the Saudi Pro League title with a 4-1 win over Damac on Thursday, ending his long wait for domestic silverware.

A trademark free-kick and a close-range finish, both in the final half-hour, sealed the win Al Nassr needed on the last night of the season, with Al Hilal finishing just two points behind.

Ronaldo, 41, who was without a major club trophy since winning Serie A with Juventus in 2020, arrived in the oil-rich desert kingdom to great acclaim in 2023, wept as he watched the final minutes from the bench.

Julien Cabral has just completed his first voyage with the "Flotilla for Gaza". One of his eyes is ringed with purple, he has a wound on his left temple and an injured shoulder blade.

The 57-year-old Belgian originally from the port of Antwerp was on board a small boat that left Turkey with six other people -- an Italian, another Belgian, a Malaysian, a Finn, a Canadian-Palestinian and a South African.

May 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. decision to remove Francesca ​Albanese, a U.N. expert on the ‌Palestinian territories, from a list of sanctioned individuals is temporary and does not reflect a policy change, the State Department said on Thursday.

The U.S. imposed sanctions on Albanese in July 2025 over what it said were her efforts to prompt the International Criminal Court to take action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives.