By Saad Sayeed, Asif Shahzad and Jonathan Spicer

ISLAMABAD/ISTANBUL, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have prepared a draft defence agreement after nearly a year of talks, Pakistan's Minister for Defence Production said, a signal they could be seeking a bulwark against a flare-up of regional violence in the last two years.

A Greek court Thursday acquitted Syrian competitive swimmer and activist Sarah Mardini, whose rescue of her sister inspired a hit Netflix film, and 23 others of migrant trafficking.

The verdict came almost a month after the start of their trial at a court on Lesbos, ending a legal ordeal for the activists since 2018.

They had been charged in the Greek island with "forming a criminal organisation" and "illegally facilitating the entry of third-country nationals into Greece".

A US appeals court overturned a ruling that led to the release of prominent pro-Palestinian protest leader Mahmoud Khalil, according to court documents filed Thursday, raising the prospect of his re-arrest.

Khalil, a legal permanent resident in the United States who is married to a US citizen and has a US-born son, was detained by immigration authorities for three months beginning in March.

He faced potential deportation for allegedly posing a threat to US foreign policy interests.

CAIRO, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Two Israeli airstrikes killed five people, including a 16-year-old, in Deir al-Balah on Thursday, said local health authorities.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the incident.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the attacks, which were in areas outside the control of Israeli forces in the strip.

More than 400 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed since a fragile ceasefire took effect in October.

By Maha El Dahan and Andrew Mills

DUBAI, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Four Arab states conducted intense diplomacy with the United States and Iran this week to prevent a threatened U.S. attack on Iran over Tehran's use of force against protesters that they feared would have impacts across the region, a Gulf official said.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Egypt were involved in the diplomacy over 48 hours before U.S. President Donald Trump signalled on Thursday that he had ultimately decided against an attack for now, saying the killings in Iran were easing.

MADRID, Jan 15 (Reuters) - A false bomb threat delivered via an onboard mobile connection caused a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to make an emergency landing at Barcelona's El Prat Airport on Thursday, Spanish police and the airline said.

A Turkish Airlines spokesperson said earlier that the plane had landed after crew detected that a passenger had created an in-flight internet hotspot which was named to include a bomb threat as the aircraft approached Barcelona.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lashed out Thursday at world leaders who he said were seeking to "put international cooperation on deathwatch" amid brazen violations of international law, but held off naming offending countries.

He also reiterated that he was "deeply concerned about the violent repression in Iran," ahead of an emergency Security Council meeting on the crisis scheduled for later Thursday.

MOSCOW, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir said on Thursday that the international situation had deteriorated and that the world was getting more dangerous but he was silent on the situation in Venezuela and Iran.

Putin has yet to comment in public on the toppling of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro by the United States, the protests in Iran or U.S. President Donald Trump's threats against Greenland.

By Daphne Psaledakis

WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on five Iranian officials it accused of being behind the crackdown on protests and warned it was tracking Iranian leaders' funds being wired to banks around the world, as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration increases pressure on Tehran.

WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Thursday issued new Iran-related sanctions that target what appeared to be shipping, trading and energy companies, according to a post on the U.S. Treasury Department website on Thursday.

The new sanctions come amid Iran's crackdown on protests in Iran, where the clerical establishment has cracked down hard on nationwide unrest since December 28.

The sanctions also target 11 individuals and Fardis Prison, according to the website.