While Tel Aviv is preparing for the September general elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under heavy criticism from US Democratic lawmakers and the Israeli opposition over barring two House Democrats, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, from entering the country.

Iranian vessel the Grace 1, which has been caught up in a heated diplomatic dispute between Tehran and the West, was given permission to leave Gibraltar on 15 August, with the local authorities confirming on Saturday that the US Department of Justice is still seeking to detain the tanker on a number of allegations.

Despite continuing tensions between Tehran and Washington both countries have denounced the option of going to war with each other. Iran has repeatedly cautioned the US that if it decides to attack the country, the whole region might turn against it.

The rocket fire followed protests along the Gaza Strip border earlier on Friday, where Palestinians reportedly hurled stones and other objects at Israeli soldiers, causing them to respond with tear gas.

The US is busy with the creation of a ‘maritime security coalition’ to patrol the waters in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, but so far, only the UK and Israel have expressed interest in joining.

A spokesman for the Yemeni military group said Friday, that its militants launched drone attacks on Saudi Arabia's Abha international airport.

The footage relates to the 2006 war between the Israeli Defence Forces’ (IDF) and the Lebanon-based paramilitary group Hezbollah which killed more than 1,300 people and ended in a UN-brokered ceasefire.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar on Friday struck a hangar with Turkish drones and ammunition near the town of Abu Kammash in the west of the country, according to the media center of the LNA's Karama Operations Room.

Israel on Thursday announced its decision to block a planned visit by Democratic congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar – vocal supporters of the international pro-Palestinian movement BDS – after President Donald Trump said the Jewish State would be showing "great weakness" by allowing them in.

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran's oil tanker Grace 1, released on Thursday from Gibraltar after being held there for over a month, will head to the Mediterranean Sea under a new name, Adrian Darya, the deputy head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, Jalil Eslami, said on Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian military has registered 35 attacks by militants in Syria's provinces of Aleppo and Latakia, located in the Idlib de-escalation zone, in the course of the past 24 hours, Maj. Gen. Aleksei Bakin, the head of the Russian Defence Ministry's centre for Syrian Reconciliation, said.

On Thursday, the British overseas territory of Gibraltar released the seized Iranian supertanker Grace 1, despite a last-minute appeal by Washington to turn over custody of the oil tanker to US naval authorities instead.

US President Donald Trump’s call for Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) to be denied entry into Israel appeared to become reality on Thursday after Omar tweeted a statement against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu ahead of the duo’s trip next week. However, Israel faces mounting opposition from Americans to let them in.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd Mahdi, following a mysterious blast that hit a munitions depot in Baghdad, has ordered the air defences to immediately bring down any aerial vehicle that will violate the country's airspace, the government’s press service said on Thursday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has enjoyed significant support amongst the public despite certain legal challenges. Having narrowly won but failed to secure a majority in the last election, the prime minister has been reviewing candidates to take his place.

According to the Syrian state-run broadcaster, Syrian air defence systems destroyed a hostile projectile early on Friday in the sky above the city of Masyaf in the province of Hama. There have been no reports about damage or casualties so far.

Last week, Israeli media reported that Foreign Minister Israel Katz had met with an unnamed “high ranking persona” from the United Arab Emirates to discuss the “Iranian threat,” with Tel Aviv committing to provide intelligence and unspecified other forms of assistance to the US-led ‘maritime security coalition’ being formed in the Persian Gulf.

Earlier, a senior Iranian army commander alleged that US warships had been “pushed to stop” 200 nautical miles from the Strait of Hormuz, and had begun withdrawing from the region “due to the [Iranian] Armed Forces’ deterrence power.” The US military did not comment on the claim.

BENGHAZI (Sputnik) - Airstrikes on Libya's Zuwara International Airport that were carried out by the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, were aimed at Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles, LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari said in a statement obtained by Sputnik.

The move comes amid heightened violence between Israel and the Palestinian Authority which saw clashes between Israeli police and Muslim worshippers during prayers at a major East Jerusalem mosque to mark the Eid al-Adha holiday last week.