Egypt, U.S., Qatar, Israel to discuss Gaza truce in Rome

Delegations from Egypt, the United States, Qatar, and Israel will meet Sunday in Italy's capital Rome to continue the Gaza truce talks, Egypt's Al-Qahera News TV channel reported on Friday.

The Rome meeting comes within the framework of the mediators' continued efforts to reach a truce agreement in the Gaza Strip, the TV channel reported citing a high-level source.

The source added that an Egyptian security delegation is participating in the Rome meeting, which aims to achieve a ceasefire, ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, facilitate the freedom of movement for Gaza's citizens, and secure the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing.

The latest round of negotiations was held in Cairo and Doha earlier this month, but little progress had been made.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday visited former U.S. President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for talks and offered measured optimism about progress toward a cease-fire deal for Gaza.

Netanyahu said that Israel was eager to wrap up a U.S.-mediated deal for a cease-fire and release of hostages in Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

Netanyahu's visit followed an address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, a White House meeting with Biden and a separate meeting with Harris.

Conflict intensified

The U.S.-British naval coalition launched three air strikes on Houthi-held Yemeni airport in the port city of Hodeidah on Friday, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported. 

The television network did not provide further details.

Local residents said on social media that the strikes hit Houthi targets.

These airstrikes occurred shortly after four other strikes carried out by coalition forces targeted the Yemeni island of Kamaran in the Red Sea, as reported by the Houthi television. Local residents said on social media platforms that the strikes hit Houthi military targets on the island.

There was no immediate comment from the coalition.

Meanwhile, two Hezbollah members were killed on Friday in an Israeli strike on a Lebanese village in southern Lebanon, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua.

The sources, who spoke anonymously, said that an Israeli warplane fired two air-to-ground missiles targeting the vicinity of the southeast village of Markaba in southern Lebanon, killing two Hezbollah members. The two killed men were Abbas Hussein Hammoud and Fadl Nour al-Din.

They added that a civil defense ambulance transported their bodies to a hospital in the border area, and several houses adjacent to the targeted point were damaged.

Military sources said that Israeli warplanes and drones carried out on Friday four raids on four towns and villages in the eastern sector of the border area, and Israeli artillery shelled nine towns and villages with about 45 shells, causing material damage and the outbreak of several fires that the Civil Defense worked to extinguish. 

Hezbollah announced in separate statements that air defense units fired anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli warplanes inside Lebanese airspace in the southern region, forcing them to retreat and withdraw behind the Lebanese border with occupied Palestine.

In this context, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon spokesman Andrea Tenenti expressed on Friday concern over the increasing intensity of the conflict across the borderline and the potential risks of a sudden, wider conflict that is difficult to control.

He called on all concerned parties to cease fire and return to the full implementation of Resolution 1701, which is ultimately the path to stability and peace.

(With input from agencies)