A French-Algerian man suspected of carrying out a deadly shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels is appealing a court decision to extradite him to Belgium, his lawyer said on Saturday. 

"Mehdi Nemmouche was informed of the decision of the court of appeal in Versailles on Thursday and he filed an appeal notice the same day," lawyer Apolin Pepiezep told Agence France Presse.

Syrian rebels and Al-Qaida launched a counter-offensive Saturday to expel the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from Albu Kamal town on the Iraq border, a monitor said.

The operation came just days after some fighters from Al-Qaida's Syria franchise, Al-Nusra Front, pledged loyalty to ISIL in Albu Kamal, after it led an offensive in Iraq and seized chunks of territory

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Friday executed and crucified one of its own men for corruption in Syria, a watchdog and jihadist sites said.

Photographs posted on websites showed the body and bloodied head of a bearded man with a placard reading: "Guilty: Abu Adnan al-Anadali. Sentence: execution and three days of crucifixion. Motive: extorting money at checkpoints by accusing drivers of apostasy."

A suggestion by Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil Friday that refugee camps be set up along the country's border with Syria was swiftly rejected by Damascus's ambassador, Ali Abdul Karim Ali.

Bassil "met ambassadors from the powerful five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council today (Friday) and discussed with them the establishment of camps for Syrian refugees along the border," a ministry statement said.

Syrian rebels can help push back jihadists in Iraq, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday as Washington unveiled plans to boost Syria's opposition with $500 million in arms and training.

The top U.S. diplomat, who landed in the Red Sea city of Jeddah in the afternoon, also met Saudi King Abdullah a day after hosting urgent talks in Paris with the Saudi, Jordanian and UAE foreign ministers on the widening crisis in Iraq and Syria.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Saudi Arabia Friday to meet the Syrian opposition as Washington unveiled plans to provide some $500 million in arms and training to the rebels.

The top U.S. diplomat, who landed in the Red Sea city of Jeddah in the afternoon, will also meet Saudi King Abdullah, a day after hosting urgent talks in Paris with the Saudi, Jordanian and UAE foreign ministers to discuss the widening crisis in Iraq and Syria.

Syria's opposition government sacked the military command of the rebel Free Syrian Army late Thursday over corruption allegations, as the White House asked lawmakers for $500 million for moderate insurgents.

A statement by the opposition government said its chief Ahmad Tohme "decided to disband the Supreme Military Council and refer its members to the government's financial and administration committee for investigation".

Saudi security officials are expected to visit Beirut to identify the suicide bomber who blew himself up at Duroy Hotel in Beirut's Raouche area on Wednesday, pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat reported.

The newspaper quoted a Saudi security official as saying on Friday that the delegation would bring with it DNA samples to confirm the identity of the bomber.

U.S. President Barack Obama called on Congress Thursday to approve $500 million to train and equip the "moderate Syrian opposition" battling the forces of strongman President Bashar Assad.

In its overseas contingency operations request to Congress, the White House proposed the funding for "vetted elements of the Syrian armed opposition to help defend the Syrian people, stabilize areas under opposition control, facilitate the provision of essential services, counter terrorist threats, and promote conditions for a negotiated settlement."

Syria is more concerned with obstructing the United Nations than getting urgent aid to millions of its most needy, U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos told the Security Council on Thursday.

Amos was presenting the fourth U.N. report on humanitarian access in war-torn Syria, and stressed that 10.8 million Syrians were in desperate need of humanitarian aid -- but that workers were having trouble reaching about half of them.