By Elwely Elwelly

DUBAI, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Iran, which is set to resume nuclear talks with the United States on Friday in Oman, has always warned its formidable ballistic missile program - one of the biggest in the Middle East - is a red line in any negotiations.

The latest test of Iran's missile capabilities occurred during the 12-day war in June 2025 with Israel during which Tehran fired salvoes of ballistic missiles into Israel, killing dozens of people and wrecking dozens of buildings and apartment blocks in the country's centre and north.

By Rami Ayyub, Emily Rose and Alexander Cornwell

JERUSALEM, Feb 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. has yet to secure funding commitments for its Gaza reconstruction plan as potential donors voice concerns that disagreements over Hamas disarmament could lead Israel to resume full-scale war in the enclave, sources told Reuters.

Hamas laying down its weapons is a key requirement under Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war. It calls for Israel's military to withdraw troops as Hamas disarms and for Gaza's reconstruction to be overseen by a "Board of Peace" chaired by the U.S. President.

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By Tuvan Gumrukcu

DUBAI, Feb 4 - The U.S. and Iran are due to hold talks in Oman on Friday after Tehran requested a change of venue to limit negotiations to its nuclear programme, a regional official said, with a build-up of U.S. forces in the Middle East raising fears of a confrontation.

Gazan health officials said Israeli air strikes on Wednesday killed 24 people, with Israel's military saying the attacks were in response to one of its officers being wounded by enemy gunfire.

Despite an ongoing US-brokered truce entering its second phase last month, violence has continued in the Gaza Strip, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of breaching the agreement.

The latest bloodshed came after Israel partly reopened the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the only gateway to the Palestinian territory that does not pass through Israel.

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Vital aid flights to the Houthi-controlled capital of Yemen, blocked for a month by the Iran-aligned group, will resume this month, allowing critical supplies to reach millions in need amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, the U.N. said on Wednesday.

The Houthis' decision on Tuesday to approve flights for the month of February will allow aid groups to enter and exit the capital, Sanaa, which is under the group's control, U.N. Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Julien Harneis said in a statement.

KYIV, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Ukrainian and Russian negotiators began a second round of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, seeking to advance efforts to end Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two.

The two-day trilateral meetings come after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia had exploited a U.S.-backed energy truce last week to stockpile munitions, attacking Ukraine with a record number of ballistic missiles on Tuesday.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Pesha Magid

CAIRO/JERUSALEM, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes killed 18 people, including four children, in Gaza on Wednesday, and Israel halted the passage of patients through the Rafah border crossing, Palestinian officials said.

The Israeli military said tanks had fired on Gaza and airstrikes had been launched after a gunman shot at Israeli soldiers and seriously injured a reservist.

By Humeyra Pamuk and Idrees Ali

DUBAI, Feb 4 - Nuclear talks between the United States and Iran are expected to take place in Oman on Friday, a regional diplomat said, with a possible confrontation looming as U.S. President Donald Trump builds up forces in the Middle East.

Trump has warned that "bad things" would probably happen if a deal could not be reached, ratcheting up pressure on the Islamic Republic in a standoff that has led to mutual threats of air strikes and stirred fears of escalation into a wider war.

For Iraqis who lived through the 1990s, dictator Saddam Hussein's birthday on April 28 was a disorientating day of celebration and propaganda.

Parties were staged across the sanctions-hit country to mark the occasion, while many public squares and bridges around Baghdad were decorated with coloured lights.

State radio played endless songs to the glory of the ruthless national leader and callers were asked to recount improvised poems in his honour.

By Michael Georgy

Feb 3 (Reuters) - Libya's Saif al-Islam Gaddafi went from his notorious father's heir apparent to a decade of captivity and obscurity in a remote hill town before launching a presidential bid that helped derail an attempted election.

Saif al-Islam's office said in a statement on Tuesday that he had been killed during a "direct confrontation" with four unknown gunmen who broke into his home.