The heads of Arab league countries meeting in Egypt this weekend, agreed to establish a joint Arab military force, in an attempt to combat Shi’ite militants in Yemen, reports the Associated Press. 

A resolution passed at the Arab summit, mandated a joint Arab defence force that could be deployed at the request of any Arab nation facing a security threat.

A Saudi led 10 nation coalition is currently performing airstrikes in Yemen to aid efforts to tackle advances by Houthi militants in the region.

Syrian rebels captured the key Syrian city of Idlib from government forces, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The monitoring group said that the Ahrar al-Sham, Jund al-Aqsa and Nusra Front groups had taken the city on Saturday.

The Syrian government has not confirmed the loss, with state television saying, "The army is fighting fierce battles to restore the situation back to what it was."

The Libyan government made fresh calls for a UN arms embargo on the country to be lifted as a measure to help combat the advance of Islamic State militants in the region.

Speaking at an a meeting of the Arab League leaders in Egypt on Saturday, the president of Libya’s internationally recognised parliament, Aquila Saleh, said,

“Those who oppose or delay the arming of the Libyan army that you are giving an opportunity to Daesh terrorists to flourish in Libya and not spread beyond it.”

United Nations staff were pulled out from Yemen on Saturday after a third day of Saudi-led air strikes to tackle advances of Houthi militants left the area inhabitable.

Saudi Arabia’s navy evacuated dozens of diplomats from the region amidst attempts to quash the advances of Iranian allied Shi’ite Houthi fighters, reports Reuters.

A total of eighty-six diplomats and Saudi nationals were shipped out of Yemen through the Red Sea.

Nigeria’s army announced it has recaptured the town of Gwoza, thought to be the headquarters of Boko Haram.

The group have suffered a serious of setbacks in recent months and have lost a large amount of the territory it held since Nigeria's neighbours, Cameroon, Chad and Niger sent troops to help it earlier this year.

"These successful operations have culminated in the dislodgment of terrorists from towns and communities in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states," military spokesperson Chris Olukolade said.

Seven former policemen in Chad have been sentenced to life imprisonment for torture, in the first trial of former president Hissene Habre's accomplices.

Under Mr Habre's rule from 1982 to 1990 thousands of people are thought to have been killed and tortured. He is currently being held in Senegal awaiting a war crimes trial.

The Saudi air force has led air attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen, as Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi left the country and arrived in Riyadh.

Iran has described the air strikes as "dangerous", while Saudi Arabia said it was "defending the legitimate government" of President Hadi.

Reports say at least 13 civilians died in air strikes in the capital Sanaa.

On Wednesday, the Saudi ambassador to the US, Adel al-Jubair, announced the beginning of the air strikes.