Turkey's intelligence services on Monday said PKK militants had withdrawn from four key bases in northern Iraq, confirming a move announced by the Kurdish group last week.

"Four PKK hideouts in the Metina and Baze regions of northern Iraq were evacuated as of October 8," security sources said in a statement carried by state news agency Anadolu that was widely understood to be from Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT).

The European Union on Monday established a mission to help train Lebanon's cash-strapped armed forces as it struggles to assert control in the country.

The move comes as the mandate for the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon is set to expire -- but the EU insists its mission is not a replacement.

Saudi Arabia's civil aviation body Monday extended the suspension of operations at Riyadh's international airport following a series of deadly Houthi attacks.

"The General Authority of Civil Aviation has announced the extension of the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh in order to complete the necessary procedures to verify the safety of the facilities and their operational readiness," the authority said in a statement, without specifying when operations would resume.

Saudi Arabia's energy minister acknowledged on Monday that the kingdom's infrastructure and resilience had been tested, as he vowed a firm response following a wave of deadly attacks by Yemen's Houthis.

The Houthi attacks over the weekend marked a sharp escalation in the Yemen war, where Saudi Arabia has long supported the internationally recognized government.

The European Union on Monday formally added almost 1,600 new individuals and entities to its sanctions blacklist over Russia's war on Ukraine, as it seeks to keep pressure on Moscow.

"This is the single largest expansion of our sanctions list since Russia started its war. Europe is again showing a united front. More than half are connected to the production chain for ballistic missiles," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

Iran said Monday it was "deeply concerned" by escalating attacks between Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia, after 14 people died in strikes on Riyadh's airport over the weekend.

"We are deeply concerned about the developments taking place in the Arabian Peninsula," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a weekly press conference, adding that Tehran was ready "to use our good offices to help facilitate dialogue between the parties".

Two men were killed in south Lebanon on Sunday, one by Israeli fire and the other by an explosive remnant of war, as they took part in the annual olive harvest, according to state media and local officials.

South Lebanon has been the scene of two wars since 2023 between Israel and Hezbollah, and Israeli troops still occupy a band of territory 10 kilometers wide running along the border.

Lebanese authorities arrested two suspected Hezbollah members accused of secretly transporting half-a-ton of explosives, a judicial source confirmed to AFP.

According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the two men were caught Thursday afternoon at a security checkpoint in Dahr al-Baidar in Lebanon's east, near a road linking the country with Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Donald Trump about Iran's position on a possible Mideast peace deal, the Kremlin said.

Donald Trump called for Ukraine to "get a new leader" after Volodymyr Zelensky slammed Washington's easing of Russian diesel sanctions, as the US president faces fuel price pressure weeks before midterm elections.