PARIS, April 15: The latest developments in the Middle East war:
- Hezbollah fires on Israel -
Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah fired about 30 rockets into northern Israel early Wednesday, the Israeli military said, just hours after the start of Lebanese-Israeli talks in Washington.
Hezbollah said Tuesday that it had targeted 13 northern Israeli towns with rockets shortly after the talks began.
- Pakistan shuttle diplomacy -
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will embark on a four-day diplomatic blitz to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey on Wednesday, the foreign ministry said, as the country engages in feverish diplomacy ahead of potential new US-Iranian peace talks.
The trip comes after US President Donald Trump hinted Tuesday that a second round of talks could happen in Pakistan "over the next two days", after the first round failed to reach a deal at the weekend.
- Targeted strike -
An Israeli strike hit a car around 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Beirut, in Saadiyat, Lebanese state media reported.
War in the Middle East: latest developments
The strike came hours after Lebanon and Israel agreed to hold direct negotiations.
Israel's ongoing military campaign against Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon is one of the key unresolved issues in talks to end the broader war.
- Iranian sailors repatriated -
Sri Lanka has repatriated 238 Iranian sailors stranded in the South Asian country after their warship was torpedoed by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean on March 4, a minister told AFP.
- Trump says war 'close to over' -
Trump said the war with Iran is "very close to being over" in an interview with FOX Business's "Mornings with Maria" to air on Wednesday.
- 'Completely halted' -
US Central Command said American forces "have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea".
Maritime tracking data on Tuesday indicated that several ships that had visited Iran's ports had passed through the Strait of Hormuz, despite the United States imposing a blockade on Iranian shipping.
Analysts say Trump is aiming not only to choke off Iranian revenue but also to pressure China, the biggest buyer of Iran's oil, to push Tehran to reopen the crucial strait.
- China-Russia meeting -
China's President Xi Jinping met with Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov in Beijing, Chinese state media reported.
Lavrov said Russia could "without a doubt" make up for China's energy shortages as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is choked by the war, Russian state media reported.
- Iran must commit to 'no nuclear weapon' -
US Vice President JD Vance said Trump told Iran that the United States would "make Iran thrive" if it committed to "not having a nuclear weapon".
At the heart of any renewed US-Iran diplomacy is the dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme, with Trump launching the war saying the Islamic republic was developing an atomic bomb -- which it denies.
"That's the kind of Trumpian grand bargain that the president has put on the table. Man, we're going to keep on negotiating and try to make it happen," Vance told an event in the US state of Georgia hosted by the conservative group Turning Point USA.
- Israel, Lebanon agree to direct talks -
Israel and Lebanon agreed to hold direct negotiations after "productive discussions" between the two sides in Washington, the State Department said Tuesday.
The announcement came after Israeli and Lebanese envoys held more than two hours of talks mediated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue," a State Department spokesman said.
- US not renewing Iran oil sanctions relief -
The US Treasury Department said Tuesday it does not plan to renew a temporary easing of sanctions on Iranian oil that aimed to cushion war-related supply shocks.
"The short-term authorization permitting the sale of Iranian oil already stranded at sea is set to expire in a few days and will not be renewed," the Treasury Department said in a statement.
It added that it is "maintaining maximum pressure" on Tehran.
