Israel's military has long had a cozy relationship with Jewish settlers in the West Bank. Those ties are about to deepen.

For the first time, a settler will serve as chief of staff of Israel's military, becoming the enforcer of Israel's open-ended occupation of the West Bank, now in its 56th year.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced he will not run to lead the Conservative Party, ending a short-lived, high-profile attempt to return to the prime minister's job he was ousted from little more than three months ago.

His withdrawal leaves former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak the strong favorite to become Britain's next prime minister — the third this year — at a time of political turmoil and severe economic challenges. He could win the contest as soon as Monday.

Israel's Supreme Court on Sunday paved the way for the signing of a maritime border deal with Lebanon, after it rejected appeals that the pact requires parliamentary approval.

Saudi Arabia's powerful 37-year-old crown prince will not attend an upcoming summit in Algeria after his doctors advised him not to travel, the Algerian presidency said early Sunday.

Saudi Arabia offered no immediate acknowledgment of the comments by Algeria about the condition of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has quickly risen to power under his 86-year-old father King Salman. Much of the focus on the Al Saud royal family in recent years has been on King Salman's health, with analysts suggesting Prince Mohammed could rule the OPEC-leading nation for decades after ascending to the throne.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of "deliberately delaying" the export of grain from Ukrainian ports bound for countries in Africa and Asia.

"Today more than 150 ships are in a queue to fulfil contractual obligations for the supply of our agricultural products," Zelensky said in a video address.

Nasser Tabarani, a Palestinian refugee living in Lebanon, has tried twice to migrate by sea to a better life in Europe but was detained by troops both times and brought back to shore. He'd do it all over again, he said, since life has become unlivable for most Palestinians in crisis-hit Lebanon.

The 60-year-old father of seven said he borrowed a total of $7,000 to try and leave Lebanon and now has debts he can't pay back.

Israel carried out an airstrike on the Syrian capital of Damascus and its southern suburbs late Friday, in the first such attack in more than a month, state media reported. There were no casualties in the strikes.

The Syrian military said later that several Israeli missiles were fired toward some military positions near Damascus. It said Syrian air defenses shot down most of the missiles, adding that there was only material losses.

Yemen's Iran-backed rebels said they targeted a cargo ship Friday off an oil terminal in the war-wrecked Arab country's south to prevent pro-government forces from using it for oil exports. A Greek company owning the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker said it sustained no damage in the attack by explosive-laden drones.

The attack apparently targeting the Nissos Kea marks the first announced military action since a truce between the country's warring sides expired earlier this month. It also again signals potential danger for commercial ships that pass by or stop in Yemen.

A city in Iran that was the scene of a bloody crackdown last month awoke to new destruction on Saturday, state TV showed, after tensions erupted the day before.

In Zahedan, a southeastern city with an ethnic Baluch population, protests after Friday prayers left the city battered. Shops gaped open to the street, their windows smashed. Sidewalks were littered with broken glass. ATMs were damaged. Cleaning crews came out, sweeping debris from vandalized stores.

It seemed the natural and seemingly logical next step in Steven Gerrard's managerial journey, not that he would ever express it publicly himself.

After a successful 3 ½ years in a pressure-cooker environment at Scottish giant Rangers, he would — many presumed — spend a few seasons coaching Aston Villa to build enough Premier League experience to be the fitting replacement for Jurgen Klopp at his beloved Liverpool.