(Reuters) -At least 14 flights scheduled to operate out of Kabul airport on Wednesday were cancelled, with the status of other flights unclear, data from plane tracker Flightradar24 showed, following an internet shutdown in Afghanistan.

Growing chaos from the Taliban administration's order on Monday to cut internet and cell phone connections has hit banks, aid work, businesses, and the ability of Afghans to connect with family and friends. It has also left many stranded in Afghanistan, with flights cancelled.

ADEN (Reuters) -Yemen's Houthi militants claimed responsibility on Wednesday for an attack on the Dutch-flagged general cargo ship Minervagracht, which caught fire in the Gulf of Aden.

The Iran-aligned group has launched numerous assaults on vessels in the Red Sea since 2023, targeting ships they deem linked to Israel in what they describe as solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war on Gaza.

The Houthis' military spokesperson said Monday's attack was carried out by a cruise missile.

(Reuters) -The international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza said on Wednesday that several of its boats were approached by unidentified vessels, some navigating without lights.

The Global Sumud Flotilla said in post on Telegram that the vessels have departed, and participants implemented security protocols in anticipation of a possible interception.

(Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

By Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Pentagon recommitted itself in a statement on Tuesday to scaling back its military mission in Iraq, a process that a U.S. official said will see Baghdad command efforts to combat remnants of Islamic State inside its own country.

Under the plan, the U.S. and its coalition allies would instead focus on combating Islamic State remnants in Syria and shift most of their personnel to Iraq's Kurdistan region to carry out that mission, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday it would probe the response of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to claims of antisemitism on campus, in the latest federal investigation into a school over protests against Israel's assault on Gaza.

The Trump administration has threatened to cut federal funds to universities over campus pro-Palestinian protests. The government says universities allowed displays of antisemitism.

ROME (Reuters) -Pope Leo on Tuesday praised U.S. President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza, and expressed hope that the Palestinian militant group Hamas would endorse it.

"There are very interesting elements" in the plan, the pope was quoted as saying by Italy's ANSA news agency. "I hope Hamas will accept it within the established timeframe."

Hamas was not part of the talks that led to the proposal, which calls on the group to disarm, a demand it has previously rejected. It has said it will review the plan in good faith and provide a response.

In presenting a Gaza plan as an ultimatum to Hamas, US President Donald Trump has turned the tables to give Israel the advantage diplomatically -- and an even freer rein on the ground if a deal fails.

The White House on Monday released a 20-point plan that would end Israel's relentless nearly two-year offensive in Gaza, win the freedom of hostages and declare a special economic zone under Trump's tutelage.

ROME (Reuters) -Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday called on the international aid flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza to immediately stop their mission.

Insisting on a confrontation with Israel could upset the current "fragile balance" that could lead to peace based on the plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, Meloni said.

"Many would be happy to disrupt" that plan, Meloni said in a statement.

(Reuters) -The international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza said Italy had informed it on Tuesday that the naval frigate shadowing it would soon issue a radio call, offering participants the opportunity to abandon ship and return to shore before reaching a "critical zone".

The Global Sumud Flotilla said it would continue to sail onwards with over 40 civilian boats carrying parliamentarians, lawyers and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aiming to break Israel's blockade of the Palestinian enclave.

By Jonathan Saul and Lisa Baertlein

LONDON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Yemen's Houthis will target U.S. oil majors including Exxon Mobil and Chevron despite an earlier truce agreed with President Donald Trump's administration to not attack U.S.-linked ships sailing in the Red Sea and the wider Gulf of Aden, the Iran-backed militia said on Tuesday.