Kuwait and Bahrain have both confirmed the first cases of coronavirus.
Health ministries of both countries confirmed that the infections - four people, including a Saudi and Bahraini national - were linked to recent travels to Iran, where the death toll from the COVID-19 has risen to 12.
Meanwhile, Iraq has shut its Safwan border crossing with Kuwait, amidst fears over the spread of coronavirus.
Pakistan strikes Afghanistan targets as clashes intensify
Pakistan has struck targets inside Afghanistan's major cities overnight, Pakistani and Taliban officials said on Friday, as cross-border fighting intensified following months of tensions and skirmishes between the two countries.
Hillary Clinton tells congressional panel she has no information on Epstein
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told a congressional committee on Thursday that she did not remember ever meeting the late convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein and had no information to share about his criminal activities.
US, Ukraine discuss post-war reconstruction as Russia pummels grid
Ukrainian and US officials met in Geneva on Thursday for talks on post-war reconstruction despite a deadlock in peace negotiations with Russia, which pounded infrastructure across Ukraine with drone and missile strikes overnight.
Israeli fire kills three people in Gaza as truce deal staggers
An Israeli airstrike killed two Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, the territory's health officials said, and the Israeli military said it killed a rebel who posed a threat to its forces in the south of the enclave.
Cuban forces kill 4 exiles who attacked from Florida speedboat
Cuban forces have killed four exiles and wounded six others who sailed aboard a Florida-registered speedboat on Wednesday and opened fire on a patrol, the government said at a time of heightened tensions with the US.
