The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Friday to set up a panel to identify who is behind deadly chlorine gas attacks in Syria, which the West blames on the Damascus regime.

Russia, Syria's veto-wielding ally, endorsed the measure as did the rest of the 15-member council -- a rare display of unity over how to address the conflict, which has left more than 240,000 people dead.

Ukraine on Friday reported the death of two soldiers in continuing clashes following failed talks on bringing an end to the 16-month war in the former Soviet country's pro-Russian east.

Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said seven servicemen were also wounded but gave no other details.

Several top diplomats have advised Lebanese officials to avoid moves that would hit the country's stability over a dispute on the appointment of top military and security officials, local newspapers reported on Friday.

Al-Joumhouria daily said that the diplomats, mainly U.S. Ambassador David Hale and Russia's Ambassador Alexander Zasypkin, delivered messages to several Lebanese officials on “the importance of respecting the current stability and not to involve the country in any adventure whose repercussions are not known.”

French President Francois Hollande said Thursday there would be "no difficulty" in finding new buyers for two Mistral warships that had been sold to Russia before Paris scrapped the deal.

Paris refused to deliver the warships to Moscow in response to Russia's alleged aggression in Ukraine last year.

Russian officials on Thursday steamrollered tonnes of cheese as they began a  controversial drive to destroy Western food smuggled into the crisis-hit country despite a public outcry. 

President Vladimir Putin last week signed a decree ordering the trashing of all food -- from gourmet cheeses to fruit and vegetables -- that breaches a year-old embargo on Western imports imposed in retaliation to sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.

The U.N. Security Council is expected to adopt on Friday a draft resolution that would set up a panel to determine who is responsible for deadly chlorine gas attacks in Syria, diplomats said.

A vote at the 15-member council was scheduled after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry won backing from Russia for the measure, in a rare sign of cooperation from the Damascus ally over how to address the conflict in Syria.

Ukraine on Thursday reported the death of five soldiers while pro-Russian rebels accused government troops of killing a civilian in clashes following failed talks on ending a 16-month conflict in the country's east.

Military spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk told reporters in Kiev that six servicemen had also been wounded in the past 24 hours of fighting across the eastern Russian-speaking provinces of Lugansk and Donetsk.

France's defense minister said on Thursday that "several" countries had expressed an interest in buying its Mistral-class warships, after Paris refused to deliver them to Russia because of the Ukraine crisis.

"A certain number of countries -- there are several -- have made their interest known for these boats," Jean-Yves Le Drian told RTL radio.

Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima underscored the importance of the Iran nuclear deal and disarmament in general, as Japan marked the attack's 70th anniversary.

"Needless to say, it's a very, very powerful reminder of not just the impact of war in a lasting way on people, on countries, but it also underscores the importance of the agreement we reached with Iran to reduce the possibility of more nuclear weapons," Kerry said on the sidelines of a regional diplomatic gathering in Kuala Lumpur. 

France said Wednesday it had agreed a compensation deal with Russia for failing to deliver two Mistral warships due to the Ukraine crisis, drawing to a close a months-long diplomatic and commercial spat.

The fate of the ships has long plagued Franco-Russian ties following Paris' decision in November to put the 1.2-billion-euro ($1.3-billion) deal on ice as the West slapped sanctions on Moscow over its annexation of Crimea and backing of rebels in Ukraine.