- Key bridge, road destroyed -

The Israeli military destroyed a key bridge in southern Lebanon, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.

"Enemy aircraft carried out two consecutive strikes on the Qasmieh bridge, the last bridge between the Tyre and Sidon regions, completely destroying it," the NNA said.

Another strike hit a road linking Beirut to the Syrian capital Damascus, NNA said.

- Israel, Lebanon talks? -

US President Donald Trump said the leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak on Thursday in what would be a historic first, but there was no confirmation from either side.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun stressed the importance of a ceasefire before any talks, saying it "was a natural starting point.".

Trump's announcement comes as Washington pushes to ease hostilities following the first direct talks between the two countries in decades this week, when their ambassadors met in the US capital.

- Extra diesel -

Australia has secured more than 500,000 barrels of diesel from Brunei and South Korea, as the country looks to boost stocks hit by the Middle East war, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said

"I can announce that my government has secured an additional 100 million litres (26 million gallons) of diesel from two shipments. One from Brunei, where I was yesterday, and one from South Korea," Albanese told a news conference in Malaysia.

- Pakistan push for talks -

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he met with the Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, before a possible second round of US-Iran peace talks.

"I reiterated Pakistan's firm commitment to advancing its efforts to encourage both the U.S. and Iran towards an agreement aimed at lasting peace and stability in the region," Sharif posted on X.

- Iran warns US ships, soldiers -

Hardliner Mohsen Rezaei, a top military adviser to Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said Iran would take any invading US forces hostage and sink American ships enforcing a military blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

Battleships in the US fleet "can definitely be exposed to our missiles, and we can destroy them", Rezaei told state TV.

- Fresh oil sanctions -

United States officials issued new sanctions against Iran, targeting more than two dozen people involved in oil transport, along with companies and tankers that operate within the network of petroleum shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani.

Shamkhani is the son of security official Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, both of whom were killed February 28, the first day of US-Israeli attacks and the start of the Middle East war.

- Growing hunger fears -

The Middle East conflict could push millions more toward hunger as its economic fallout reverberates around the globe, the World Bank's chief economist told AFP.

"You have about 300 million people who suffer from acute food insecurity already," Indermit Gill said. "That'll go up by about 20 percent very, very quickly" as knock-on effects grow.

- Stock markets soar -

Japanese stocks hit a record high as Asian equities extended the week's rally Thursday on heightened optimism the United States and Iran will extend their ceasefire for further talks to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Major Wall Street stock indices finished at record highs Wednesday.

burs-ach/tw

CROWN HOLDINGS