MIDDLE EAST LIVE 16 April: All eyes on mooted Israel-Lebanon talks

Amid reports of high-level talks later today between Israel and Lebanon, intense Israeli military strikes continued in southern Lebanese territory, including around the Hezbollah stronghold of Bint Jbeil. Hezbollah rocket fire continued into northern Israel also. In other developments, the US military announced on Wednesday that it had prevented 10 ships from navigating through the Strait of Hormuz, in line with its blockade of Iranian ports.