The Guardian and Reuters reports that Russian-led air strikes killed at least 18 people – including an entire family – in Syria’s Idlib province, where a major government offensive to clear out rebels has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing toward the border with Turkey, residents and rescuers have said.

BBC News, The Independent and Reuters report that Saudi Arabia has denied that its crown prince was responsible for hacking Amazon boss Jeff Bezos’ phone, as a message from a phone number used by the prince has been implicated in a major data breach, according to reports.

BBC News, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The Telegraph reports that Lebanon has formed a new government, ending months of deadlock that have left the country adrift as an economic crisis deepens. Saad Hariri resigned as prime minister in October in response to mass protests over corruption and mismanagement. Reuters reports that Lebanon’s new cabinet is due to meet for the first time on Wednesday, bearing a message of support from the United Nations as ministers begin the urgent task of addressing an unprecedented economic crisis.

BBC News , The Guardian reports that Iran has confirmed that two Tor-M1 surface-to-air missiles were fired at the Ukrainian airliner that crashed near Tehran earlier this month, but added the ‘impact’ of the missiles was still being assessed. The Telegraph reports that Iran requires international help to decode the black boxes of the passenger jet apparently shot down by its surface-to-air missiles, officials said today, amid growing frustration that Tehran is not releasing the flight recorders for independent analysis.

The Times and Associated Press reports that two protesters have died in Iraq as police fought running battles with anti-government demonstrators during a third consecutive day of clashes.

The Financial Times reports that demonstrators blocked main trade routes in southern Iraq for a second day in a sign that the four month old protests are set to continue despite the threat of reprisals from Iraqi militias galvanised by the US killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

The Independent reports that an Iranian student with a valid visa to study in the US was detained without explanation or direct access to legal counsel and threatened with imminent deportation as the country celebrated Martin Luther King Day, his lawyers said.

The Independent reports that an Iranian politician offered a $3 million reward to anyone able to assassinate US President Donald Trump and said Iran could avoid threats if it had nuclear arms, ISNA news agency reported on Tuesday amid Tehran’s latest standoff with Washington.

The Times reports that a former British diplomat who has promoted a series of conspiracy theories, including that Israelis might have been behind the Salisbury poisoning, has been invited to address SNP activists.

The Times reports that President Erdogan has said that Turkey will start oil exploration in Somali waters at Mogadishu’s invitation in a new sign of Ankara’s drive for influence beyond its own borders.

Reuters reports that oil prices dropped on Wednesday as the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) forecast of a market surplus in the first half of this year was enough to cancel out concerns about military disruptions that have slashed Libya’s crude output.

In The Independent, Ahmed Aboudouh argues that Russia and Turkey share an overarching goal with regards to their respective activity in Libya, namely undermining European influence over any conflict settlement able to resolve the country’s worsening civil war.

In The Independent, Richard Hall writes that Lebanese demonstrators angry at the political paralysis within the country are demanding a new political system, rather than ‘new faces’ to paper over identical structural problems.