Yemeni Foreign Minister Riyadh Yassin on Thursday accused Iran of trying to break a naval blockade on his country aimed at cutting off supplies to Shiite rebels.

In a joint news conference with his Bahraini counterpart Khalid Al-Khalifa, Yassin said "Iran is carrying out desperate attempts to violate the naval blockade on Yemen."

Gaza militants fired at least one rocket at southern Israel on Thursday night as Israel wound up celebrations marking the anniversary of its creation, the Israeli army said.

Warning sirens sounded in "the southern communities of Sderot and Gevim following a rocket attack originating from the Gaza Strip. No damage reported," a military statement said.

Jordan's 20-year-old crown prince on Thursday called for measures to prevent the world's youth from being "lured into the dark world" of Islamic extremists as he became the youngest person ever to chair a Security Council meeting.

Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah presided over the debate on the role of youth in countering violent extremism during Jordan's monthly presidency of the 15-member council.

Thousands of Arab Israelis marched in protest Thursday as their Jewish compatriots partied, each group in its own way marking the 67th anniversary of Israel's founding.

The anniversary of Israel's declaration of independence on May 14, 1948 is celebrated according to the Jewish calendar, this year falling on April 23.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday informed the Security Council that he plans to appoint Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed as his new envoy to lead peace efforts in Yemen.

Ban said in a letter that Cheikh Ahmed would "build on the achievements" of Jamal Benomar, who resigned last week after losing support from Gulf countries for his mediation efforts. 

The death toll from fighting in Yemen since late March has now topped 1,000, including nearly 50 children, the World Health Organization said Thursday.

The U.N. health agency said at least 1,080 people had been killed in the country, including 48 children and 28 women, and a further 4,352 people had been injured in the violence between March 19 and April 20.

Saudi Arabia executed two of its nationals Thursday, bringing to 67 the number of Saudis and foreigners executed in the kingdom this year despite activists' concerns.

Sulaiman al-Jahni, convicted of trafficking amphetamines, was executed in the northern region of Jawf, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

Pakistan's prime minister expressed "solidarity" with Saudi Arabia during a visit on Thursday after his parliament refused to send forces to help a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, a Pakistani official said.

Nawaz Sharif arrived with a powerful delegation including army chief General Raheel Sharif and Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, who met King Salman and other top government officials.

A lawyer representing Palestinians attacked on Thursday a ruling by the Israeli Supreme Court that he said could enable confiscation of east Jerusalem property owned by residents of the occupied West Bank.

The April 15 decision brings such assets within the scope of the 1950 "Absentee Property Law," which places in state custody all property inside Israel owned by Arabs who were living outside the state at the time of its founding in 1948.

Shopping malls in Saudi Arabia have tightened security after the interior ministry issued a warning over possible attacks.

At the upscale Kingdom Center Mall in central Riyadh, security guards inspected bags and scanned visitors with metal detectors before they entered, an Agene France Presse reporter witnessed.