The state news agency Xinhua said the quake had a magnitude of 6.2. It reportedly damaged water, electricity, transport, communications and other infrastructure in the mountainous region.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is in Tel Aviv meeting with top officials to discuss Israel's combat operations in Gaza, including efforts to protect civilians there.
Israel’s government is facing calls for a cease-fire from some of its closest European allies as well as protesters at home. The deadly shooting of three hostages who waved a white flag has added to mounting concerns about Israel's wartime conduct.
A boat carrying dozens of Europe-bound migrants capsized off the coast of Libya, leaving more than 60 people — including women and children — dead, the U.N. migration agency said.
The U.S. and U.K. said their warships had shot down drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. Meanwhile, major shipping companies suspended operations in the area.
The three Israelis held by Hamas were shot and killed after an Israeli soldier misidentified them as a threat as they exited a building in Gaza, according to a preliminary report by Israel's military.
In a city synonymous with the birth of Jesus, Christmas is typically a time when Bethlehem is full of visitors. But with war raging, the city's Christian leaders have canceled public celebrations.
Activists with the group Jewish Voice for Peace stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the Franklin Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis, holding electric candles in the shape of a menorah and stopping traffic.
Russian President Vladimir Putin resumed his traditional year-end press conference, after canceling last year, when Russia was doing badly on the battlefield. He combined it with a call-in program.