Saudi Arabia has called for regional “stability”, warning of the effects of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war on global economic sentiment at the start of a summit attended by a host of Gaza mediators.

The Palestinian president said he expects Israel to attack the southern city of Rafah – where more than 1.5 million people are sheltering – in the coming days.

Remotely piloted MQ-9 Reaper drones cost around $30 million each.

The Kremlin shrugged off a trip to China by Blinken during which he raised concerns about Chinese support for Russia’s military, saying Moscow and Beijing would continue to develop their own ties.

US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, overnight announced $6bn in new military aid for Ukraine as Washington rushes to fill gaps left by months of stalled American assistance.

Russia will look for ways to overcome what it regards as any illegal sanctions the European Union imposes on its liquified natural gas (LNG) operations, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

The strikes hit “key technological facilities” at two refineries in the southern Krasnodar region.

Putin’s war in Ukraine is dependent on support from China, Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said during a visit to Beijing.

Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack.

NATO nuclear weapons would become a primary target for Russia if they were deployed to Poland, Kremlin officials have warned