World News Roundup: Syrian air defense intercepts missiles from Israel; Israel reverses ban, can visit Christmas sites and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Syrian air defense intercepts missiles from Israel: state media

The Syrian army's air defense system intercepted missiles coming from the direction of Israel that were aimed at targets on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, state media said on Sunday. Four cruise missiles were believed to have been launched across the coast through Lebanese airspace toward Syria, a source in the regional alliance supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told Reuters.

Israel reverses ban, Gaza Christians can visit Christmas sites

Christians in the Gaza Strip will be allowed to visit holy cities such as Bethlehem and Jerusalem at Christmas, Israel authorities said on Sunday, reversing a decision not to issue them permits. Israel tightly restricts movements out of the Gaza Strip, territory controlled by Hamas, an Islamist group that it considers a terrorist organization.

Modi says citizenship law not anti-Muslim as protests continue across India

Following days of violent, sometimes deadly protests across India against a new citizenship law critics say discriminates against Muslims, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a rally on Sunday for his Hindu nationalist party in the capital. New Delhi's state election early next year will be the first major electoral test for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party in the wake of the mass demonstrations seen after parliament cleared the Citizenship Amendment Act on Dec. 11.

Netanyahu accuses ICC of anti-Semitism in pursuit of war crimes probe

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the International Criminal Court of anti-Semitism on Sunday over its chief prosecutor's plan to pursue a war crimes probe in the Palestinian Territories. The right-wing leader, who is fighting for his political life in a March election, made the allegation with Judaism's holy Western Wall as a backdrop during a candle-lighting ceremony marking the start of the eight-day Hanukkah holiday.

Afghanistan's Ghani claims narrow win in preliminary presidential vote results

Afghanistan's incumbent President Ashraf Ghani won a slim majority of votes in a Sept. 28 election, delayed preliminary results showed on Sunday, after a poll that plunged the country into political crisis and was marred by allegations of fraud. The Independent Election Commission (IEC) said the total turnout in the presidential election was more than 1.8 million with Ghani securing 50.64% - enough to win the first round of voting - beating his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, who currently shares power with Ghani in a unity government.

Erdogan says Turkey cannot handle new migrant wave from Syria, warns Europe

Turkey cannot handle a fresh wave of migrants from Syria, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday, warning that European countries will feel the impact of such an influx of violence in Syria's northwest is not stopped. Turkey currently hosts some 3.7 million Syrian refugees, the largest refugee population in the world, and fears another wave from the Idlib region, where up to 3 million Syrians live in the last significant rebel-held swathe of territory.

NZ volcano eruption death toll rises to 17 after another person dies

New Zealand police said on Monday that one of those injured during the eruption of a volcano visited by tourists earlier this month died in an Auckland hospital, bringing the official death toll to 17 while two remain missing. "Police can confirm a further person has died in Middlemore Hospital last night … police were advised of the death shortly before 11 pm," said Police Deputy Commissioner John Tims in a statement.

Bolivia announces entry into Lima Group to resolve Venezuelan crisis

Bolivia on Sunday announced its entry into the Lima Group regional bloc that was set up to find a way out of the Venezuelan crisis. The Bolivian foreign ministry said in a statement that it hoped to "contribute to a peaceful, democratic and constitutional solution to the crisis in Venezuela, which must be guided by the Venezuelan people."

Clashes as police try to clear Hong Kong protesters after Uighur support rally

Hong Kong riot police pepper-sprayed protesters to disperse crowds in the heart of the city's financial district on Sunday after a largely peaceful rally in support of China's ethnic Uighurs turned chaotic. Dozens of police marched across a public square overlooking Hong Kong's harbor to face off with protesters who hurled glass bottles and rocks at them.

Croatian president, former PM in the presidential run-off on Jan. 5

The Socialist Democrats' candidate and former prime minister Zoran Milanovic came first in the first round of Croatia's presidential election, the State Electoral Commission said on Sunday after 99% of votes were counted. Milanovic got 29.5% of the votes ahead of incumbent center-right President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, the candidate of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), with 26.7%. Independent candidate Miroslav Skoro, a popular singer with conservative nationalist-leaning views came in third with 24.4% of votes.