TEHRAN -- Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Friday demanded a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran's blocked assets prior to the commencement of negotiations with the United States.
He made the remarks in a post on social media platform X while elaborating on Iran's preconditions for taking part in the talks to ease tensions in the Middle East, which are expected to take place in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the warring parties. (Iran-US-Talks)
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BEIRUT -- Lebanon and Israel agreed on Friday to hold an initial meeting next Tuesday at the U.S. State Department in Washington to discuss a ceasefire and the date for starting U.S.-mediated negotiations, the Lebanese presidency said.
On Friday night, Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad and Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter spoke by phone after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called for direct talks with Israel amid escalating Israeli attacks on Lebanon in an initiative, according to a statement posted by the presidency on the X platform.
(Israel-Lebanon-Negotiations)
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BEIRUT -- The death toll from Israel's Wednesday strikes on Lebanon has risen to 357, with 1,223 people injured, Lebanon's Health Ministry said on Friday.
In a statement, the Emergency Operations Center at the Ministry of Public Health said the figures remain preliminary, as rescue teams continue clearing rubble and recovering human remains. (Lebanon-Death Toll-Israel)
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BEIRUT -- Hezbollah fighters launched a missile attack on Friday targeting an Israeli military naval base at the port of Ashdod in southern Israel, according to a statement by the group.
The group said that the attack was in response to what it described as repeated Israeli violations of a ceasefire agreement and ongoing strikes on Beirut. (Lebanon-Israel-Attack) ■
