The Palestinian Authority on Thursday slammed a decision by the United States to refuse visas for its officials to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York next week, a move which includes President Mahmoud Abbas.

In a statement, the Palestinian foreign ministry called it "an unjustified measure that runs counter to efforts to rebuild trust, develop Palestinian–U.S. relations, and create the necessary political climate for implementing the two-state solution and achieving peace and stability".

Saudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors and has turned to regional and Western allies for assistance as its standoff with Houthi rebels in Yemen drags on, two regional officials said Wednesday.

The officials said the Saudis have asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air-defense support to the region to help defend against missiles and drones fired by Houthis and other Iran-backed groups.

As Houthi rebels closed in, Eshraq Abdel Gelil and her husband fled their home, walking through the mountains before catching a ride to a nearby city. Four months pregnant, she feared another miscarriage.

They are among more than 125,000 people who have fled as the Iran-backed rebels have advanced down the Red Sea coast to a key maritime chokepoint. The offensive, linked to the wider Iran war, has threatened Saudi oil exports, pushed up global fuel prices and rattled markets.

Lebanon on Wednesday returned to Egypt dozens of pharaonic artefacts that had been seized from the Beirut port years earlier.

"Thirty-seven antiquities... were seized from Beirut port in 2020, having arrived from an Arab port," Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh said during a handover ceremony at the Beirut national museum.

Saudi strikes in Yemen killed one person and targeted three telecommunications towers on Thursday, according to Houthi media.

"Saudi enemy warplanes targeted three telecommunications towers" in Taiz province, while one civilian was killed and another injured in strikes on the town of Abs, Almasirah television said.

Yemen's Houthis on Wednesday said they targeted an Aramco facility in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu as well as an air base in southern Saudi Arabia in response to Saudi airstrikes.

Military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi Arabia had launched more than 450 air strikes this week, and that in response, the Iran-backed group "targeted the Aramco facility in Yanbu with dozens of ballistic missiles and drones" causing fires, as well as "the Khamis Mushait air base".

Israel's defense minister said Wednesday it was only a matter of time before Israel resumes full-scale war in Gaza and moves to force out its two million Palestinians.

Israel Katz, who is known for outspoken remarks, was responding to criticism from another right-wing contender ahead of October 27 elections.

China's foreign minister Wang Yi said Beijing was willing to "safeguard" Iran's rights during talks with his counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday, as Beijing seeks to mediate in Tehran's war with the United States.

"China is also willing to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with Iran, and safeguard Iran's legitimate rights and interests," Wang told Araghchi as they met in the Chinese capital.

The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen's Houthis accused the rebels on Wednesday of targeting Islam's holy city Mecca, sparking outrage across the Muslim world and deepening the conflict roiling the region.

Fresh fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government has dragged in Riyadh, with the Houthis declaring a maritime blockade on the kingdom and targeting its ships in the Red Sea.

At least 20 people, including five children, died, and dozens remained missing on Wednesday after a Gaza apartment building collapsed from damage sustained in earlier Israeli strikes, the territory's civil defense agency said, giving an updated toll.

The bodies of "20 martyrs have been recovered from the rubble of a building that collapsed... Among the dead are five infants, while dozens of people remain trapped beneath the debris," said Mahmoud Bassal, the spokesperson for the civil defense agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority.