Dec 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of sustainment for F-16 jets and related equipment to Bahrain for an estimated cost of $455 million, the Pentagon said on Monday.

The principal contractors for the sale will be General Electric Aerospace and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, the Pentagon said in a statement.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil)

In a Beirut square that was once a physical embodiment of Lebanon's sectarian rifts, Christian and Muslim leaders united around Pope Leo XIV on Monday as he urged them to work for peace in their divided nation.

Lebanon, whose political system has long been based on religious balance, suffered through years of sectarian conflict, and faith leaders at Monday's interreligious meeting emphasised the importance of unity and coexistence.

By Brad Brooks

Dec 1 (Reuters) - The surviving National Guardsman shot by a gunman last week near the White House gave medical personnel a thumbs up when asked if he could hear them and also wiggled his toes in response, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said on Monday.

Morrisey said that Andrew Wolfe, 24, one of two West Virginia National Guard members shot on Wednesday, remained in serious condition.

"Andrew is still fighting for his life," Morrisey told reporters at a news conference. "Andrew needs prayers."

Iran has sentenced Palme d'Or-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi in absentia to one year in prison and a travel ban over "propaganda activities" against the country, his lawyer told AFP on Monday.

The sentence includes a two-year travel ban and prohibition of Panahi from membership in any political or social groups, lawyer Mostafa Nili told AFP, adding that they would file an appeal.

Nili said the charges against Panahi were engaging in "propaganda activities" against the state but did not elaborate. "Mr. Panahi is outside Iran right now," he added.

Dec 1 (Reuters) - Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, the prime minister’s office said, shortly after Trump wrote on social media that Israel should maintain dialogue with Syria.

Netanyahu's office said they discussed disarming Palestinian militant group Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip. They also discussed Israel establishing ties with countries that do not recognise it.

Trump also invited Netanyahu to meet at the White House in "the near future", the prime minister's office said, without specifying a date.

The president of the International Criminal Court and key European members on Monday issued a defiant declaration of the tribunal's independence in the face of US sanctions against several of its top officials.

Opening an annual meeting that brought together representatives from the countries that are part of the ICC, Tomoko Akane said: "Let me be explicit. We never accept any kind of pressure from anyone."

ANKARA, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that attacks on commercial ships in the Black Sea were unacceptable, issuing a warning to "all related sides" after an unmanned vessel reportedly struck a tanker off Turkey's northern coast.

“The war between Russia and Ukraine has clearly begun to threaten navigational safety in the Black Sea. The targeting of vessels in our Exclusive Economic Zone on Friday signals a worrying escalation," Erdogan told reporters.

US President Donald Trump told Israel on Monday to avoid destabilizing Syria and its new leadership, days after a deadly operation by Israeli forces killed 13 people.

Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and invited him for another White House visit, Netanyahu's office said shortly after Trump issued the warning.

"It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria's evolution into a prosperous State," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

DUBLIN, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Dublin City Council has delayed a decision on whether to remove the name of a former Israeli president from a park amid a heated debate on whether the change would be justified or would represent an attack on the area's Jewish community.

Supporters of the move say the name of Chaim Herzog, who was raised in Dublin and served as president of Israel from 1983 to 1993, should be removed as an act of solidarity with Palestinians, citing Herzog's time in Israeli military intelligence and as military governor of the West Bank.

THE HAGUE, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The president of the International Criminal Court said on Monday U.S. sanctions imposed on senior court officials disrupt their personal lives but vowed the institution would not yield to outside pressure.

President Donald Trump's administration slapped targeted sanctions on nine ICC officials, including prosecutors and judges, earlier this year in retaliation for investigations into suspected Israeli war crimes. Sources have said Washington is also mulling sanctions against the entire court.