Syria's new leader warned Wednesday that Israel's persistent attacks put his country and the region at risk, on a landmark UN visit where the former jihadist sought to charm with his moderation.

Ahmed al-Sharaa is the first Syrian president in decades to address the UN's annual week of high-level diplomacy, marking a rapid reinvention for an erstwhile Al-Qaeda affiliate who until last year had a US bounty on his head.

Sharaa, sporting a neat-fitted Western suit and tie, said Syria had turned a page after a half-century of iron-fisted rule by the Assad family.

(Reuters) -The recent recognitions by some Western nations of a Palestinian state will not "bind Israel in any way," Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.

"A Palestinian state will not arise," the prime minister's office posted on X.

Dozens of world leaders gathered at the United Nations on Monday to embrace a Palestinian state, a landmark diplomatic shift nearly two years into the Gaza war that faces fierce resistance from Israel and its close ally the United States.

NEW YORK (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump has presented leaders from several Muslim-majority countries with a 21-point plan peace plan for the Middle East and Gaza, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Wednesday, adding that he is confident of "some sort of breakthrough" in the coming days.

French President Emmanuel Macron and a US envoy said Wednesday that Iran still had a last chance to avoid deep UN sanctions if it addresses concerns on its nuclear program.

France, Britain and Germany have set the clock through the UN Security Council to reimpose sweeping sanctions at the end of Saturday on Iran, which they say has not cooperated on the long-running nuclear row.

Macron met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and urged him to reverse a series of steps taken by Tehran following an Israeli and US attack in June.

(Reuters) -Israel's prime minister told the family of Alon Ohel, a hostage still held in Gaza, that there was a combined military-diplomatic effort that was being continuously pursued to defeat Hamas and bring back all hostages, his office said in a statement on Wednesday.

Kobi Ohel, the hostages father, said in a statement that he and his wife expect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will return from his trip to the United States with "news that all the people of Israel are waiting for".

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -Iran and European powers remain at loggerheads as they try to strike a last-ditch deal to avert the return of U.N. sanctions before Saturday evening.

Britain, France and Germany launched a 30-day process on August 28 to reimpose U.N. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

The trio, known as the E3, has taken the step over accusations Iran has failed to abide by a 2015 deal with world powers that aimed to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.

WHAT IS THE 2015 IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL?

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher on Wednesday slammed impunity in the face of the "horror" unfolding in Gaza, calling on those with power to stop the "21st-century atrocity."

In recent weeks Israel has launched a major air and ground offensive on Gaza City in a bid to root out Hamas, exacerbating already dire humanitarian conditions there.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on Wednesday re-elected Ozgur Celik as its Istanbul provincial head, after a court ruling removed him from the post earlier this month over alleged irregularities rejected by the party.

An Istanbul court had ruled that the votes of delegates in the 2023 CHP provincial congress had been influenced by cash payments, and thus the board members elected at the congress should be removed. The court named former CHP deputy chair Gursel Tekin as interim provincial head.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -U.S President Donald Trump promised Arab leaders he would not let Israel annex the occupied West Bank, Politico reported on Wednesday, citing six people familiar with the matter.

Two people described Trump as being firm on the topic during their meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Politico reported.

Two others familiar with the matter, Politico reported, said the U.S. team presented a white paper outlining the Trump administration’s plan to end the Gaza war, including the promise against West Bank annexation.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -Iran has no intention to build nuclear weapons, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, just days before international sanctions could be reimposed on his country over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

"I hereby declare once more before this assembly that Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb. We do not seek nuclear weapons," Pezeshkian said.