World News Roundup: Gaza-Israel conflict; Rohingya repatriation; Brexit divorce deal

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

U.S. designates son of Hezbollah leader a terrorist

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday designated Jawad Nasrallah, son of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, a terrorist and accused him of carrying out attacks against Israel in the West Bank. The department also blacklisted Al-Mujahidin Brigades (AMB), which it said had links to Hezbollah and had plotted a number of attacks against Israeli targets from a base in the Palestinian Territories.

U.S. lawmakers urge action over China's crackdown on minority Muslims

U.S. lawmakers will introduce legislation on Wednesday urging the Trump administration to respond to China's crackdown on minority Muslims, amid reports of mass detentions of ethnic Uighurs and others in the Xinjiang region. The legislation, to be introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives, requests actions including reports on the crackdown and consideration of the application of Global Magnitsky human rights sanctions on Chinese officials, according to a copy of the measure seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

Britain agrees Brexit divorce deal with EU, May's opponents vow to thwart it

Britain struck a draft divorce deal with the European Union after more than a year of talks, thrusting Prime Minister Theresa May into a perilous battle over Brexit that could shape her country's prosperity for generations to come. While Brussels choreographs the first withdrawal of a sovereign state from the EU, May, a far from secure leader hemmed in by opponents in government and her own Conservative party, must now try to get the deal approved by her cabinet and, in the toughest test of all, by parliament.

Gaza-Israel frontier calms as enemies warily ceasefire

Palestinian militants and Israel held their fire late on Tuesday following an Egyptian mediation effort, bringing a relative calm to the Gaza frontier after the fiercest rocket salvoes and air strikes since the 2014 war. The enemies made clear the pause was an armed stand-off rather than a long-term accommodation.

Mattis backs NATO as France, Germany voice support for EU military

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday that NATO was the cornerstone for the protection of Europe even as France and Germany called for an integrated European Union military. Asked whether he supported an EU military, Mattis told reporters: "We see NATO as the cornerstone for the protection of Europe in the security realm and we fully support nations doing more to carry the load."

El Chapo is a scapegoat for drug lord who bribed Mexico's president: lawyer

A lawyer for accused Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman told a New York jury in opening remarks that his client was a scapegoat for the real leader of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. "He's blamed for being the leader while the real leaders are living freely and openly in Mexico," attorney Jeffrey Lichtman said on the first day of Guzman's trial for drug smuggling in Brooklyn federal court, which is expected to last up to four months. "In truth he controlled nothing. Mayo Zambada did."

U.S. alone in opposing U.N. refugee text over sovereignty concerns

The United States was the only country on Tuesday to oppose an annual draft U.N. General Assembly resolution on the work of the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) because it said elements of the text ran counter to the Trump administration's sovereign interests. The resolution has generally been approved by consensus for more than 60 years. But this year Washington asked for a vote.

U.S. lays barbed wire at border as migrant caravan draws closer

Hundreds of Central American migrants planning to seek asylum in the United States moved toward the country's border with Mexico on Tuesday as U.S. military reinforced security measures, laying barbed wire and erecting barricades. Some 400 migrants who broke away from the main caravan in Mexico City arrived in the border city of Tijuana on Tuesday by bus, according to a Reuters witness. Larger groups are expected to arrive in the coming days, human rights organizations said.

Exclusive: U.N. will not help Myanmar with long-term camps for Rohingya - document

The United Nations' refugee agency will not provide humanitarian assistance to Rohingya Muslims who return to Myanmar if they are interned in camps, according to an internal position paper circulated days before the initial repatriation is due to start. The confidential briefing paper, dated this month and reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday, outlines the position of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on the repatriation process and reflects a desire not to be drawn into supporting long-term camps for the Muslim minority.

Days after visit, Trump blasts France's Macron as relations sour

U.S. President Donald Trump attacked his French counterpart on Tuesday in a series of tweets that underscored how much the once-friendly ties between the two leaders have soured, just two days after returning from Paris. In five posts sent on the same day that French officials marked the anniversary of the 2015 terrorist attacks that killed 130 people in Paris, Trump blasted the key U.S. ally over its near defeat to Germany in two world wars, its wine industry and Macron's approval ratings.

(With inputs from Reuters)