Security Council to vote Thursday on Palestinian state UN membership

The UN Security Council will vote Thursday on the Palestinians` application to become a full member state of the United Nations, several diplomatic sources told media.

China`s Foreign Minister Wang Yi reassured Iran of continued cooperation across various domains, underscoring the resilience of their bilateral ties despite Tehran`s recent offensive against Israel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud discussed the latest developments in the region in a phone call Sunday.

The White House has warned Israel that the US will not participate in any retaliatory strikes on Iran, senior administration officials have said.

Iran`s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued a stern warning of retaliation following an Israeli airstrike in Syria that resulted in the deaths of senior military figures.

Iran`s consulate in Damascus, Syria, was destroyed on Monday in what both Syrian and Iranian media are attributing to an Israeli airstrike. This event marks a significant escalation in tensions in the Middle East, potentially setting Israel against Iran and its allies.

Iran`s relentless persecution of its Baha`i minority has sparked widespread condemnation, with human rights advocates branding it `a crime against humanity.` 

Saudi Arabia`s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan asserted on Saturday that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is a fundamental prerequisite for establishing diplomatic ties with Israel.

Saudi Arabia has informed the United States that it will not establish diplomatic ties with Israel until the recognition of an independent Palestinian state, according to a statement from the Saudi foreign ministry on Wednesday. 

A broad framework for a hostage release and potential ceasefire in the war between Hamas and Israel was agreed to among negotiators in Paris this weekend, according to an official familiar with the talks.

Saudi Arabia`s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan expressed on Tuesday that the kingdom could consider recognizing Israel under specific conditions. 

Iran`s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched ballistic missiles targeting what they claimed were Israeli `spy headquarters` in Iraq`s Kurdistan region and locations linked to ISIS in northern Syria. 

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman emphasized the imperative of halting Israel`s conflict in Gaza during discussions with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday.

The UN`s top court will hear submissions next week from South Africa and Israel after Pretoria opened a case for what it called Israel`s `genocidal` acts in Gaza.

A Palestinian priest said that it will be a `very sad` Christmas this year, as 3% of the Christian community in the Gaza Strip has been killed in the ongoing Israeli attacks on the besieged Palestinian enclave since 7 October. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence in the unimpeded progress of relations between Russia and Saudi Arabia during a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh.