A Saudi-led coalition struck the home province of Yemen's UAE-backed separatist leader on Wednesday, after he failed to show up for talks in Riyadh and was kicked out of the country's presidential body.

The coalition said it had given Aidaros Alzubidi a 48-hour ultimatum to come to Riyadh for discussions, after his Southern Transitional Council (STC) grabbed swathes of territory last month.

But he failed to board the flight carrying his delegation, and the coalition struck his home province of al-Dhale after accusing him of mobilising "large forces" there.

Jan 7 (Reuters) - The leader of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarous al-Zubaidi, failed to board a plane set to take him to Riyadh, and fled instead to an unknown destination, the Saudi-backed coalition in the country said on Wednesday.

The remarks came amid efforts to end fighting that erupted last month between the STC, backed by the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen's Saudi-backed internationally recognised government, which has triggered a major feud between the Gulf allies.

One person was killed and three were injured during a protest in Jerusalem on Tuesday against a law to conscript ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli armed forces, emergency crews said.

A bus ran over and injured three pedestrians then drove on and struck an 18-year old who got trapped under the vehicle, rescuers said.the Magen David Adom emergency service said

"Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene," the agency said.

JERUSALEM, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A mass ultra-Orthodox Jewish rally against military conscription turned deadly in Jerusalem on Tuesday, when a teenage boy was crushed and killed after a man driving a bus hit the crowd.

The Israeli police said they detained the driver and are investigating. Video of the scene shows a bus driving straight into a crowd of ultra-Orthodox men at the demonstration, attended by thousands. Reuters could not immediately contact the driver while in police custody and police have not released his name.

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.