Iraqi officials say jihadists have blown up Mosul's iconic leaning minaret and the mosque where the Islamic State group's leader appeared in 2014 and urged Muslims to join his "caliphate". 

Qatar's emir congratulated Saudi Arabia's newly-appointed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday and called for "brotherly relations" between the two countries, currently locked in a bitter diplomatic dispute.

President Emmanuel Macron says France is no longer pushing for the departure of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a shift in French policy throughout the Syrian war.

Macron said in an interview with eight European newspapers published on Thursday that he wants to work more closely with Russia for a solution in Syria and says foreign powers were too focused on Assad as a person.

Closer ties between Saudi Arabia and U.S. President Donald Trump's administration helped pave the way for a succession shake-up making a 31-year-old prince the kingdom's de facto ruler, analysts say.

On Wednesday King Salman, 81, named his son Mohammed bin Salman crown prince and heir to the throne after firing Mohammed bin Nayef, whose counter-terrorism expertise had made him a favorite of previous American administrations.

Israel's defense minister on Thursday accused Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas of trying to spark a fresh conflict between the Jewish state and Abbas's longtime rivals Hamas.

The scene in Syria's besieged rebel-held town of Douma is almost surreal -- tables laden with food to break the Ramadan fast are surrounded by the crumbling carcasses of bombed-out buildings.

The Islamic State jihadist group on Wednesday blew up Mosul's iconic leaning minaret and the adjacent mosque where their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his only public appearance in 2014, a top Iraqi commander said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed "concern about the funding of terrorism" to the emir of Qatar on Wednesday, calling for dialogue to end Doha's row with Arab states.

Saudi Arabia and its allies have drawn up a list of demands to be presented to Qatar, the United States said Wednesday, as President Donald Trump discussed the regional crisis with new Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The latest moves came as Washington stepped up its efforts to resolve the thorny row between Qatar -- home to the biggest U.S. air base in the Middle East -- and its neighbors, led by Riyadh.

Mohammed bin Salman, named Saudi crown prince on Wednesday, becomes first in line to the throne as the historically conservative nation faces challenges at home and turmoil abroad.