![Rare ancient mosque discovered in Negev desert by Israeli archeologists](https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2022/06/22/5e22f135-b19f-4381-83b4-9389643bff42/thumbnail/1200x630/54893127f8f4b36a80b0ba33ad71af86/gettyimages-1241450282.jpg)
Rare ancient mosque discovered in Negev desert by Israeli archeologists
CBSN
Israeli archaeologists on Wednesday unveiled a rare ancient mosque in the country's south that the antiquities officials said sheds light on the region's transition from Christianity to Islam.
The remains of the mosque, believed to be more than 1,200 years old, were discovered during construction of a neighborhood in the Bedouin city of Rahat, the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a statement.
The mosque, in the Negev desert, contains "a square room and a wall facing the direction of Mecca" with a half-circle niche in that wall pointing south, the IAA said.
![](/newspic/picid-6252001-20250203123823.jpg)
Sydney, Australia — A shark bit and killed a 17-year-old girl swimming off an eastern Australian island on Monday, officials said, in the country's third reported fatal attack in just over five weeks. Paramedics rushed to Woorim Beach in Queensland to treat the teenager, who had sustained serious injuries to her upper body, an ambulance service spokesperson said.
![](/newspic/picid-6252001-20250201093110.jpg)
Tel Aviv — American-Israeli dual national Keith Siegel was among three hostages released by militants in the war-torn Gaza Strip on Saturday, more than 15 months after they were taken captive by Hamas. Siegel was freed in Gaza City about two hours after Israelis Yarden Bibas and Ofer Calderon were released in the southern city of Khan Younis. The Israeli military confirmed Siegel's transfer from militants to Red Cross personnel.
![](/newspic/picid-6252001-20250201033155.jpg)
Six Americans who had been detained in Venezuela in recent months were freed by the government of President Nicolás Maduro after he met Friday with a Trump administration official tasked with urging the authoritarian leader to take back deported migrants who have committed crimes in the United States.