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Heres a round-up of Al Jazeeras Middle East coverage this week.

Cross-border violence between Israel and Lebanon, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen meets the Houthis, and Irans hijab crackdown. Heres your round up of our coverage, written by Abubakr Al-Shamahi, Al Jazeera Digitals Middle East and North Africa editor.

First, there were the reports of a single rocket flying across the border from Lebanon into Israel. Then another. And then the news that more than 30 had been launched. The majority were intercepted by Israel, but the attack led to the most violent confrontation between Lebanon and Israel since 2006, a sign that the increasing violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories is threatening to spread across the region.

[READ:What does the status quo at Al-Aqsa mean?]

The rockets were fired in retaliation for Israeli police attacks on Palestinian Muslims worshipping at Al-Aqsa Mosque.Israel responded with aerial attackson Lebanon and theGaza Stripbut, interestingly,they were limited, and did not hit targets belonging to the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah. Thats because Israel accused Palestinian fighters based in Lebanon of being behind the rocket attack, and not Hezbollah. But the Iran-backed Shia group has control over security in southern Lebanon, and its very hard to imagine an aerial assault, launched on Israel from their territory,without their explicit approval.

So, why did Israel not take things further and go after Hezbollah? One theory suggests its the lack of appetite for a regional conflict although Israel continues to hit targets in Syria. Or, maybe its the difficult domestic situation for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whos been facinghuge protestsagainst his government. And then it gets weird,with the Pentagon suggesting that Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, has actually supported those protests, which are aimed at preventing Netanyahu from weakening the judiciary.

[READ:Noam Chomsky on Palestine, Israel and the state of the world]

On the ground there was more death in Israel, and the occupied West Bank. On April 7 in Tel Aviv an Italian tourist was killedafter being rammed by a car, whiletwo Israeli sisters were killed after being shot by Palestinians near a settlement in the occupied West Bank their mother also later died from her injuries. On April 10, Israeli forces killeda 15-year-old Palestinian boy as settlers, led by several government ministers,marched to an illegal settlementnear Nablus.

[READ:How Israel pays settlers to report Palestinian construction]

Meanwhile, as Christians of various denominations celebrate Easter, there is a growing spotlight on the increasing difficulties they face in the Holy Land. In Jerusalem, Christians say thatviolence against them has increasedunder the current far-right Israeli government, and the Greek Orthodox churchpublicly criticised Israeli authoritiesfor restrictions placed on the number of Christians allowed to attend Easter services. [Christianity] is the biggest religion in the world and yet Christians are being kept out of their quarter of the holy city on the holiest day of the year for them, one Anglican chaplain told Al Jazeera.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, diplomatic initiatives are being aimed at easing certain regional rivalries, particularly afterSaudi Arabia and Iran agreed to work towards fully restoring relations. But I still did a double-take when I saw photos of theSaudi ambassador to Yemen meeting the Houthisin the rebel-held capital, Sanaa. The visit was the first for a Saudi ambassador to Yemen since the beginning of Riyadhs military involvement inYemens warin 2015, and is a clear sign that the Saudis and the Houthis are growing ever closer to a deal, in large partthanks to Omani mediation.

[READ:Syrias FM becomes first top official to visit Saudi Arabia since 2011]

Theres now talk of a soon-to-be announced agreement, including another ceasefire, an end to import restrictions, more flights to Sanaa and, most significantly, a Saudi withdrawal from Yemen.

The Saudis have been trying to extricate themselves from Yemen for a while now, and these negotiations seem to be a big step in that direction. But does that mean an end to the devastating war in Yemen? Theresa lot of hope, particularly with abig prisoner swapexpected in the coming days. But the Saudis and the Houthis are not the only parties in this war. The Yemeni government and the southern separatists will want to have their say, too. Ignoring them, or the millions of Yemenis worried about a full Houthi takeover, wont make Yemens war go away.

There are now troubling signs in Iran even though anti-government protests that started in September have died down. Those protests started after a woman died in police custody after being accused of failing to adhere to Irans dress code. Many women refused to wear their mandatory headscarves in protest, and the sight of unveiled women has become increasingly common in some parts of Tehran. The authorities have now decided that that has gone too far, and areinstalling surveillance cameras to identify womennot wearing the hijab. In response, some Iranian women have beenposting photos onlineof themselves without a headscarf, defying authorities.

[READ:Will Azerbaijan-Iran tensions lead to war?]

Moza Almatrooshi is baking bread. But theres a crowd watching, because this is art.The chef and artists performance at Art Dubaiwas designed to highlight the people who make the staple food of billions of people worldwide, and the intersection of art and food.

[READ: Ramadan recipes: In Sudan, a dish called fuul completes the iftar table]

Turkeys economy tops agenda asErdogan launches election manifesto|Kuwaits political crisisleaves opponents waiting for new era |Israel signs $400m deal to sell anti-tank missiles to Greece|Iraq demands Turkey apologiseover Sulaymaniyah airport attack |At least 30 missing after two boats sink off the Tunisian coast|Canada repatriates 14 citizens from ISIL camps in Syria|UAE court dismisses South African request to extradite billionaire Gupta brothers| 20 years after the US invasion,where are Iraqs stolen antiquities?|Sudans pro-democracy activists stage proteststo mark anniversary of President Omar al-Bashirs overthrow |Egyptian traditions endangered by rampant inflation|Egypt denies leakabout supplying Russia with 40,000 rockets |Algeria law controlling media close to passing|Qatar and Bahrain end dispute, restore ties| Fears in Sudan asarmy and paramilitary force face off|

Im Fedha, the first presenter in Kuwait who works with artificial intelligence at Kuwait News. What kind of news do you prefer? Lets hear your opinions. |Fedha, a virtual news presenter, using AI technology,has been unveiledby the Gulf regions oldest English-language daily newspaper. Is this the end of the world (or my world, at least)?

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Middle East round-up: Rockets fly between Lebanon and Israel - Al Jazeera English