RIYADH -- Foreign ministers and senior diplomats from regional and Western countries convened here on Sunday to discuss coordinated efforts to support Syria.

The meeting, chaired by Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, focused on the lifting of sanctions on Syria, the Saudi Press Agency reported. (Saudi Arabia-Syria-Meeting)

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JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden discussed over phone progress in negotiations aimed at securing the release of hostages in Gaza on Sunday, Netanyahu's office said.

Netanyahu briefed Biden on a mandate given to negotiators in Qatar to advance efforts for the hostages' release. A high-level Israeli delegation arrived in Doha earlier on Sunday, including Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet security head Ronen Bar, and the military's hostage affairs coordinator Nitzan Alon. (Israel-U.S.-Gaza Ceasefire)

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BEIRUT -- Three people were killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a group of people near the Shebaa Farms in southern Lebanon, a Lebanese military source said on Sunday.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that an Israeli drone fired an air-to-ground missile at the Bastra area south of the town of Shebaa, resulting in the fatalities. (Lebanon-Israeli Strikes-Deaths)

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GAZA -- Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel have made progress toward a ceasefire agreement, Palestinian officials said on Sunday.

"We are not far from a ceasefire agreement if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responds positively to the main issues under discussion," said Tahir al-Nono, a senior Hamas official, in comments to Xinhua. Al-Nono added that Hamas remains "flexible" in working with mediators to end the conflict, emphasizing the group's main goal is "ending the war." (Israel-Hamas-Ceasefire Talks) Enditem

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