AGENCIES

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday ordered his ministers to begin direct talks with Lebanon, but ruled out a ceasefire with Hezbollah amid mounting concern that ongoing Israeli strikes could unravel the fragile US-Iran truce.”

His move came as international concern over the strikes that killed at least 303 people on Wednesday. Hezbollah said it was engaged in close-quarters combat against Israeli forces on the ground in the south Lebanon town of Bint Jbeil.

Trump announced a ceasefire in the six-week-old Iran conflict late on Tuesday, just hours before a deadline after which he threatened to destroy Iran’s entire civilisation.

In Pakistan, authorities were preparing for the first round of US-Iran talks, locking down parts of the capital, Islamabad. However, the fighting in Lebanon put enough doubt on the participation of the Iranian side. It’s In

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