They will not govern Israel, but Arab-majority lists could be the kingmakers in Israel's close-fought elections next week, guided by a voter base fed up with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The United States appears to be preparing to resume large-scale strikes against Iran, but there is unlikely to be a military solution for either side in the devastating conflict, experts say.

The United States could strike Iran as soon as this weekend, a U.S. envoy said, after mounting threats by both Washington and Israel.

Iran has "substantially increased" its efforts to target Americans in the Middle East and beyond, U.S. national intelligence chief Jay Clayton has warned.

Iran said on Saturday that U.S. military ships would never be allowed to enter the Gulf "under any circumstances" and President Donald Trump will "take that dream to his grave".

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week, Iranian media reported.

Clashes between protesters and police erupted in two Tunisian towns after the deaths of men in incidents locals say involved security forces, media reported Friday.

At least seven people were killed in a shooting inside a church in Karak governorate in southern Jordan, a security source told state TV on Friday.

The source told the official Al-Mamlaka broadcaster that "at least seven people died in the shooting at Hammoud Church in Karak, while about 10 others were wounded, some of them critically" when two unidentified gunmen opened fire inside the church, according to authorities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday warned of an imminent large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank and vowed to displace some residents of Hebron after Palestinian gunmen wounded five Israelis.

Israeli forces "will enter the neighborhood from which the terrorists came, evacuate the residents, go from house to house, and destroy the terrorist infrastructure", Netanyahu said during a visit to Hebron, according to his office.

Turkey hosted meetings Friday with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and European nations — the UK, France, Germany and Italy — to discuss conflicts in the Middle East and efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is expected to press for diplomacy to ease tensions between the United States and Iran, stress the importance of freedom of navigation through Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandab Strait and reaffirm Turkey’s support for Saudi Arabia in the face of Houthi attacks.