The United States has significantly scaled down a planned joint military exercise with Israel most likely because of disagreements on how to deal with Iran's nuclear ambitions, Time magazine has reported on its website

Citing "well-placed sources in both countries", the magazine said Washington was slashing by more than two-thirds the number of U.S. troops going to Israel, and reducing the number and potency of missile interception systems that will be used in the exercise dubbed Austere Challenge 12, which is scheduled for October.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has told the new U.N. special envoy for Syria that Beijing is increasingly concerned about the worsening situation in the conflict-ridden Middle Eastern country.

Yang made the comments late Friday during a telephone conversation with Lakhdar Brahimi, according to a statement posted on the ministry's website.

Syrian rebels launched deadly attacks on the military Saturday in a campaign increasingly targeting its air power, as President Bashar Assad's traditional ally Russia said it was "naive" to expect him not to fight back.

Rebel fighters captured the main air defense building in Albu Kamal on the Iraqi border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Right said, adding that "preliminary reports" suggested they had seized ground-to-air missiles that could boost their ability to down government aircraft.

Russia said Saturday it would be "naive" for outside powers to expect Syrian President Bashar Assad to withdraw his troops first from cities and then wait for the opposition to follow suit.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said such a demand on the regime amounted to a call for "capitulation" that Western and Arab nations had no right to make.

The next summit of the Non-Aligned Movement will be held in Caracas in 2015, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro announced Friday, shortly after the closure of this year's event in Iran.

"It has been decided that the 17th summit (will be held) in Caracas in 2015," Maduro said in an interview with VTV state television in Tehran.

The United States urged Syria on Friday to confirm it is detaining an American freelance journalist who has been missing in the country for more than two weeks.

Austin Tice, 31, is believed to be held by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to The Washington Post and McClatchy Newspapers, who called this week for his release.

Canada expanded sanctions against Syria Friday, praised Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi for slamming Syria's regime as "oppressive" and warned Russia over its support for Syria.

Canada added 50 names to a list of people and organizations linked to Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime to be targeted by sanctions. It is Canada's 10th tightening of sanctions against Syria in the past year.

More than 100 Turkish journalists on Friday staged a protest to demand the release of two Turkish reporters reportedly being held by the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Gathering in front of the Syrian embassy in Ankara, protestors unfurled banners reading "Syria, give our colleagues back," "Don't kill journalists," and "Journalist is not the target."

A Syrian deputy foreign minister slammed Turkey on Friday for training and facilitating the passage of "terrorists," according to a television interview given during a summit of non-aligned states in Iran.

Turkey had a particularly "destructive role" in the conflict, Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad told Iran's Arabic-language Al-Alam television.

Syrian civilians are living in a constant state of fear, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Friday, warning of a fast deteriorating humanitarian situation across large parts of the country.

"People fear for their lives every minute of the day," said Marianne Gasser, head of the ICRC in Syria.