A Qatari diplomatic delegation has arrived in Damascus, the capital of Syria, to complete the procedures for reopening Qatar's embassy in Syria, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said.

The delegation met with representatives of "Syria's transitional government" and reaffirmed Qatar's commitment to supporting the Syrian people in their pursuit of security, peace, development, and prosperity, according to Al Ansari, news agency reported.

Al Ansari also noted that participants of the meeting also discussed ways to enhance the flow of Qatari humanitarian aid and assessed the urgent needs of the Syrian population during this critical phase.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar condemned the Israeli government's approval of a plan to expand settlements in the occupied Golan Heights.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the decision is a continuation of efforts to sabotage Syria's chances of restoring its security and stability, news agency reported.

The ministry stressed the need to respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The UAE warned in a statement by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the Israeli actions could exacerbate tensions in the region.

"The UAE categorically rejects all measures and practices aimed at altering the legal status of the occupied Golan Heights," the statement said, stressing that expanding Israeli settlements in Golan Heights poses a direct threat to the security, stability, and sovereignty of Syria.

Israel has inaugurated its first power plant that generates electricity from sea waves, Israel's Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure said in a statement.

Located at Jaffa Port in the Mediterranean city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, the power plant has an installed capacity of 100 kilowatts. It was developed by the Israeli energy company Eco Wave Power and built in collaboration with the French state-owned electricity utility EDF and the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality, with funding from the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, news agency reported.

The facility consists of 10 buoys installed along the breakwater at Jaffa Port, each connected to a patented energy conversion unit that allows for easy operation and maintenance.

The buoys rise and fall with wave movements, driving a hydraulic motor and generator onshore. The system is capable of generating electricity from waves as low as 60 cm in height.

Israeli warplanes launched multiple airstrikes, targeting former military arsenals across Syria, according to a war monitor.

The latest raids hit missile bases in Battalion 107 near Zama and weapons warehouses in rural Tartus, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday.

Earlier on Sunday evening, an Israeli jet reportedly struck radar installations at the Deir Al-Zour Military Airport in eastern Syria.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli aircraft targeted former munitions depots dug into mountains in Rural Damascus, causing a series of powerful explosions.

There were no reports of casualties.

These attacks are part of an ongoing military campaign by Israel that began on December 8, targeting any remaining military capabilities linked to Syria's former leadership, as the country's new authorities are working to stabilise the country's security situation.

Russia has evacuated some of its diplomats out of the Syrian capital Damascus while its embassy continues to function, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The diplomats were transported by a Russian Aerospace Forces flight from the Khmeimim Air Base in Syria to Moscow, the Ministry said on Sunday in a statement.

The flight also carried diplomats from Belarus and North Korea, it added as reported by news agency.

"On December 15, the withdrawal of part of the personnel of the Russian (diplomatic) representation in Damascus was carried out by a special flight of the Russian Air Force from the Hmeimim air base" in Syria, the Ministry's crisis situations department said on Telegram.

New Zealand's overseas visitor arrivals were 240,200 in October 2024, an increase of 14,200 from October 2023, with the biggest changes in arrivals from Australia, the United States, Singapore, and Britain, the statistics department Stats NZ said on Friday.

The total number of overseas visitor arrivals in October 2024 was 85 per cent of the 283,800 in October 2019, which was before the Covid-19 pandemic, Stats NZ said.

Of the 240,200 overseas visitor arrivals in October 2024, 46 per cent were from Australia, 9 per cent from the United States, 7 per cent from China, 5 per cent from Britain, 3 per cent from India, and 3 per cent from Germany, statistics show.

In terms of annual arrivals, New Zealand's overseas visitor arrivals were 3.25 million in the October 2024 year, an increase of 413,000 from the October 2023 year, with the biggest changes in arrivals from China, Australia, the United States, South Korea and Japan, Stats NZ said, news agency reported.

More than 1.1 million people have fled their homes across Syria since the recent hostilities erupted two weeks ago amid reports of food and fuel shortages, UN humanitarians have said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the United Nations and its partners continue humanitarian activities as the security situation allows, with some partners operating in a limited scope in the cities of Damascus, Tartous, Latakia and Raqqa. The world body is closely monitoring the situation.

In Syria's northwest, the lack of flour and fuel has shuttered Aleppo bakeries, the office said. There are limited vegetable supplies. Electricity outages are reported in some neighborhoods. Fuel prices remain high, news agency reported.

OCHA said hostilities near Tishreen Dam in the Aleppo governorate have extended electricity outages since Tuesday, affecting more than 400,000 people in some areas, such as Menbij and Kobani cities, disrupting access to water and other key services.

Russia hopes to keep its military bases in Syria as they are important in the fight against terrorism, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said late Thursday.

"I think there is general agreement that the fight against terrorism and the IS is not over, it requires collective efforts. In this regard, our presence played an important role in the fight against international terrorism," state-run RIA news agency reported, citing Bogdanov.

The Russian diplomat added that Moscow has established contacts with the political committee of Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group and discussed issues of ensuring the security of the Russian diplomatic mission and citizens in the country.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that he is "deeply concerned" by the recent and extensive violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, urging parties to de-escalate violence throughout the country, his spokesperson said.

At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others injured in Israeli attacks at residential houses in the refugee camp of al-Nuseirat in central Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources said.

Palestinian Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal told that the Israeli bombing targeted a residential block that contains the government post office building, which was sheltering displaced people.

Rescue operations are still ongoing amid a lack of equipment and heavy overflight by Israeli warplanes, Basal said, adding that the death toll could rise as many of the injured are seriously wounded, news agency reported.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the attacks.

Iran and Qatar called on Thursday for urgent efforts to end Israel's attacks on Syria's infrastructure and its ongoing occupation of the Arab state.

In a phone call, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani discussed the latest developments in Syria, stressing the need for continued bilateral and multilateral consultations to help stabilize Syria and form an inclusive political system with the participation of the Syrian people, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government, Israel has significantly increased airstrikes across Syria, along with ground operations targeting critical military infrastructure. The Israeli military has also crossed into the demilitarized buffer zone established under the 1974 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Syria, taking control of border areas,news agency reported.