Middle East crisis live: Hezbollah says fighters are clashing with IDF north of Israeli-held buffer zone

Ground troops clash in close combat north of Litani river following huge bombing raid and Netanyahu’s pledge to take control of new areas

Donald Trump will host the 12th cabinet meeting of his second term on Wednesday as talks on ending the nearly three-month war with Iran reach a crucial stage amid conflicting signals over whether an agreement is close.

The gathering had originally been scheduled to take place in the bucolic setting of Camp David, the presidential retreat that had previously been the site of sensitive Middle East negotiations, including the historic Israeli-Egyptian peace accords.