Since President Donald Trump took office, the U.S. government has used its immigration enforcement powers to crack down on international students and scholars at several American universities who had participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations or criticized Israel over its military action in Gaza.

Trump and other officials have accused protesters and others of being "pro-Hamas," referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Many protesters have said they were speaking out against Israel's actions in the war.

Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Wednesday that overnight air strikes on Hodeida province killed four people in an attack they blamed on the United States.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Wednesday a major expansion of military operations in Hamas-run Gaza, saying the army would seize "large areas" of the Palestinian territory.

U.S. President Donald Trump vowed that strikes on Yemen's Houthis will continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping, warning the rebels and their Iranian backers of "real pain" to come.

"The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at U.S. ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

U.S. President Donald Trump may visit Saudi Arabia as soon as next month, he told reporters at the White House on Monday, in what could be his first overseas trip since his return to power.

"It could be next month, maybe a little bit later. And we're going to Qatar, also, and also we're going to possibly a couple of other countries. UAE is very important ... so we'll probably stop at UAE and Qatar," the Republican said.

The Israeli military on Monday issued sweeping evacuation orders covering most of Rafah, indicating it could soon launch another major ground operation in the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip.

Israel ended its ceasefire with the Hamas militant group and renewed its air and ground war earlier this month. At the beginning of March it cut off all supplies of food, fuel, medicine and humanitarian aid to the territory's roughly 2 million Palestinians to pressure Hamas to accept changes to the truce agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel's intensified military pressure on Hamas in Gaza has been effective, stressing the Palestinian group must lay down its arms.

"We are negotiating under fire... We can see cracks beginning to appear" in what the group demanded in its negotiations, Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting.

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has announced a new transitional government dominated by close allies and including one woman, replacing caretaker authorities in place since the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.

A top Hamas official said the group approved a new Gaza ceasefire proposal put forth by mediators, urging Israel to back it but warning the Iran-backed group's weapons were a "red line".

The U.S. embassy in Syria has warned its citizens of an "increased possibility" of attacks during the holiday marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in the coming days.

"The U.S. Department of State cautions U.S. citizens of the increased possibility of attacks during Eid al-Fitr holiday, which could target embassies, international organizations, and Syrian public institutions in Damascus," said a statement posted on the embassy website late Friday.