For once, the debate gripping Washington is not about party politics.

It's about the White House fence. Is it high enough? Should it be electrified? Are tourists allowed to get too close to the building?

The U.S. military admitted Wednesday a bundle of ammunition and weapons dropped over the Syrian border town of Kobane drifted off course and likely ended up in the hands of Islamic State jihadists instead of Kurdish forces.

Officials said they had no reason to doubt the authenticity of a video posted online on Tuesday showing a masked gunman displaying a parachute and wooden crates full of grenades and rockets.

Washington on Tuesday named former senator, Gary Hart, whose 1988 presidential bid was scuppered by rumors of an alleged affair, as an envoy to talks on Northern Ireland's political stalemate.

Unveiling Hart's new role as his personal representative to the talks, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called him "one of our country's most respected and accomplished senior statesmen, creative and strategic thinkers, and my longtime friend."

Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji, who has attended a meeting of senior commanders from more than 20 Western and Arab allies involved in the campaign to defeat jihadists, has sparked controversy over Lebanon's role in the coalition against the Islamic State terrorist group.

An Nahar daily quoted Qahwaji as saying at the meeting, which was held in Washington on Tuesday, that Lebanon is one of the countries most involved in combating terrorists.

Islamic State jihadists have scored important advances in Iraq despite a sustained U.S.-led air campaign, Washington's envoy to the coalition fighting the group said Wednesday.

It was clear the IS group "has made substantial gains in Iraq" and that it would take time to build up local forces that could defeat them in Syria and Iraq, John Allen, a retired four-star U.S. general, told reporters.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry left for Cairo Saturday to back calls to aid the Gaza Strip, amid fears donors may fail to raise $4 billion needed to rebuild the Palestinian territory.

Egypt will be the first step on a fresh whirlwind tour for the 70-year-old top U.S. diplomat, who will also hold meetings in Paris and Vienna on the crisis in Ukraine and efforts to reach an Iran nuclear deal with a deadline just a few weeks away.

A man with a knife who scaled the White House fence and burst through the mansion's front doors is due in federal court Monday, after the incident sparked a wide-ranging security review.

Omar Gonzalez, 42, is facing charges of unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

The United States has discussed the threat posed by Islamic State militants with envoys from its traditional foe Iran on the sidelines of nuclear talks, the State Department revealed Friday.

"Discussion on this threat did arise on the margins of the meeting as they have from time to time," spokesman Jeff Rathke told reporters.

U.S. President Barack Obama has pledged a "relentless" war against the jihadist Islamic State, raising crucial questions about U.S. plans to aid rebel groups and carry out air strikes in Syria.

-- How is the Syrian regime likely to respond to U.S. air strikes and training of rebels?

A Lebanese military delegation recently arrived in Washington to discuss with senior officials security and intelligence coordination between the two countries.

Al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Tuesday that the delegation arrived in the U.S. last week and kicked off its meeting with senior security meetings on Monday.