Qatar, which is home to the biggest US military base in the Middle East, has opened its own largest naval base amid ongoing tensions with Saudi Arabia, currently holding joint military drills with American forces.

Russia has rejected starting talks with Japan on the return of two disputed islands despite an agreement last year, in a move that could further delay the signing of a peace treaty, Kyodo news agency says.

The United Arab Emirates has dumped weapons into conflict zones throughout the Middle East. Given how unstable the situation in Libya remains and the more external actors involved, the more prolonged and bloody the conflict is likely to become.