US, Iran to hold talks in Islamabad amid Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon

At least 19 people, including 12 members of the Lebanese State Security, were killed and several others wounded on Friday following a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting southern and eastern Lebanon, according to official sources, reported Xinhua.

Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported that the city of Nabatieh experienced "the most intense attack since the start of the current war," as Israeli warplanes carried out heavy strikes targeting multiple neighborhoods and streets, causing extensive damage.

It added that strikes hit the vicinity of the government serail, destroying buildings and resulting in casualties.

The Lebanese presidency reported that an initial count confirmed 12 security personnel were killed during the attacks.

Rescue teams have transported the wounded to hospitals as search and debris-clearing operations continued.

In the Iqlim al-Tuffah area, an Israeli strike hit a car wash in the center of the town of Jbaa, killing six people, the report said.

Another person was killed in a strike on the town of Ansar in eastern Lebanon.

A Lebanese security source told Xinhua that Israeli warplanes and drones carried out about 42 airstrikes on various locations across southern and eastern Lebanon over the past hours.

Lebanon has witnessed escalating military tensions since early March amid broader regional instability.

Hezbollah previously announced the launch of rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel on March 2, marking the first such attack since a ceasefire was declared in November 2024, prompting Israel to carry out airstrikes targeting Beirut, its southern suburbs, and other areas.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that the negotiation delegations from the United States and Iran would hold talks on Saturday to find a peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict.

A temporary ceasefire has been announced, and the next and hard phase is for permanent peace via talks, Sharif said in an address.

The Pakistani leadership will make the best of its efforts to make the talks a success, he added.

A high-level Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf arrived in Islamabad on Saturday to participate in the upcoming talks with the United States, Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The delegation also includes Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi.

According to the statement, the Iranian delegation was received upon arrival by Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, along with National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Syed Asim Munir and Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi.

Ishaq Dar expressed hope that the parties would engage constructively and reiterated Pakistan's willingness to continue facilitating efforts toward a lasting and durable solution to the conflict.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has stepped up pressure ahead of U.S.-Iran talks set for Saturday in Islamabad, Pakistan, claiming on Friday that Iran has "no cards" other than short-term "extortion" with the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran on Friday declared that its armed forces remain at full readiness, just as during the 40-day "asymmetric battle," given the "frequent breaches of promises" by the United States and Israel.

"The Iranians don't seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social Friday. "The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!"

Earlier on Friday, Trump told New York Post that the outcomes of negotiations with Iran will be clear "in about 24 hours," threatening that U.S. warships are being reloaded to resume strikes on Iran if the talks fail.

On the same day, in a statement carried by Iranian media, Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, stressed that Iran will in no way give up on its legitimate rights and will not let go of the "criminal aggressors" that attacked the country.

The "criminal" U.S. and Israeli leaders and their "defeated" military commanders have no right to threaten Iran's people and the "invincible" resistance front, the headquarters said.

It warned if the "enemies" continue their attacks on Hezbollah and the "oppressed" people of Lebanon, Iran's armed forces will give a "crushing and painful" response to them.

It also said Iran will move the management of the Strait of Hormuz into a new phase and maintain the initiative to dominate the waterway.

The United States, Iran and Israel have all claimed victory in the war. Analysts believe the current ceasefire is fragile and that competing interests and long-standing differences would make it difficult to reach a permanent peace deal in the upcoming negotiations.

Lebanon, Israel agree to US-mediated talks

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.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michael Issa, who is currently in Washington, also participated in the discussion.

The statement noted that the United States has tasked its State Department with mediating between the two sides, after a series of international and regional contacts conducted by Aoun.

The upcoming meeting is expected to focus on formalizing a ceasefire announcement and on agreeing on a timeline for starting negotiations between the two countries.

Vance warns Iran not to "play" US before leaving for talks in Pakistan

U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Friday left Washington for Islamabad, Pakistan, warning Iran not to "play" the United States in the upcoming negotiation, which he expects would be "positive."

"As the president of the United States (Donald Trump) said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive," Vance told reporters before boarding Air Force Two.

"We're going to try to have a positive negotiation. The president gave us some pretty clear guidelines, and we're going to see," said Vance.

The U.S. negotiation team includes Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. It would be the highest-level meeting between the United States and Iran since 1979, The New York Times said.

Iran demands ceasefire in Lebanon, release of Iran's blocked assets

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.

"Two of the measures mutually agreed upon between the parties have yet to be implemented: a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran's blocked assets prior to the commencement of negotiations," said Qalibaf, stressing that, "These two matters must be fulfilled before negotiations begin."

Also, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday called on the United States to fulfill its commitments under the ceasefire regarding the necessity to stop Israel's attacks against Lebanon, the official news agency IRNA reported.

He made the remarks in a phone call with Iran's proposed ambassador to Lebanon, Mohammad Reza Sheibani, on Friday afternoon, while condemning Israel's ongoing "military aggressions and crimes" against Lebanon and underlining the full support and solidarity of the Iranian government and people for and with Lebanon's "legitimate resistance" against Israel.

Araghchi said Lebanon and the necessity to stop Israeli attacks on the Arab state has been included in the temporary ceasefire.

WH to ask Iran to release detained US citizens

The White House intends to request the release of U.S. citizens detained in Iran as part of upcoming negotiations aimed at ending the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, The Washington Post reported on Friday.

The negotiations are set to begin in Pakistan on Saturday, the report further said, citing sources briefed on the plans.

It remains unclear how U.S. negotiators will pressure Iran to release the detained Americans, according to the sources cited. Some have expressed concern that if the negotiations face challenges, the request may be delayed.

It is believed there are at least six U.S. citizens in Iranian custody, according to the report.

The White House declined to comment. "These are ongoing discussions and the United States will not negotiate through the press," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the newspaper.

The U.S. negotiation team is led by Vice President JD Vance, along with Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Pro-Iran rallies held in N. Yemen amid regional tensions

Tens of thousands of people rallied in Houthi-held areas in northern Yemen on Friday, voicing solidarity with Iran, Lebanon, and Palestine amid regional tensions.

Large crowds gathered in the country's capital, Sanaa, and other areas, heeding a call by the Houthi leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.

A statement issued by the organizers praised "Iran's victory" following 40 days of confrontation with the United States and Israel.

The statement also warned that continued Israeli escalation in Lebanon risks reigniting a broader conflict.

On Thursday, Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) renewed its warning to the Houthis over the consequences of "military adventurism."

In a statement, the PLC accused the Houthi group of aligning with Iranian interests and attempting to use Yemeni territory as a platform to target maritime shipping routes and international interests.

Death toll from Israel's Wednesday strikes on Lebanon rises to 357

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.

It noted that the large number of unidentified body parts requires time for DNA testing to confirm victims' identities before a final toll can be determined.

The ministry added that the overall death toll from Israeli attacks since March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets toward Israel, has climbed to 1,953, with 6,303 people injured.

Kuwait says several National Guard members injured in drone attacks

Kuwait said Friday it had monitored and intercepted seven hostile drones that entered its airspace over the past 24 hours and several members of its National Guard were injured in the attacks, which it blamed on Iran.

The Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the drone attacks caused "significant material damage" to several vital facilities affiliated with the Kuwait National Guard and injured several members, who are currently receiving treatment and are in stable condition.

The ministry described the incidents as "heinous Iranian aggression."

Earlier in the day, Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the drone attacks, carried out on Thursday evening, attributing them to Iran and its affiliated groups.

No party has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Iran said earlier in the day that its forces "have not launched any missiles at any country during the ceasefire hours up to this time."

The incident comes ahead of planned U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday. The ceasefire follows joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 and subsequent attacks by Tehran and its regional allies on U.S. and Israeli interests in the region.