India said on Thursday it has supplied seven Arab countries with its COVID-19 vaccine.

Direct telephone service has been launched between the United Arab Emirates and Israel on Sunday, marking the first concrete step of a US-brokered diplomatic deal.

Israel’s agreement to establish diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates marks a watershed moment in its relations with Arab countries, but the Palestinians say it puts a just resolution of the Middle East conflict even farther out of reach.

Lebanon’s cash-strapped government is hoping to secure investments from China after facing a worsening economic crisis and with little chance of Western or Arab countries providing assistance.