The chief of the Pakistani army travels to Tehran to restart talks

The Pakistani Army Chief is set to meet with Iranian officials in Tehran on Thursday to try to extend the ceasefire that ended nearly seven weeks of war between Israel, the United States, and Iran.

This meeting comes as US President Donald Trump announced that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon would meet later on Thursday to discuss ending the fighting between their countries.

If the meeting takes place, it would be the first time in over 30 years that the leaders of both countries have met directly. Both the Israeli and Lebanese governments have refused to confirm the meeting.

The White House stated that any further discussions would likely take place in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, although no decision has been made on resuming negotiations.

The ceasefire, which halted the fighting in the Middle East a week ago, is holding for now, despite the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and threats of Iranian retaliation against regional ports in the Red Sea.

Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator after hosting direct talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad, which officials say helped reduce the differences between the two parties.

Mediators aim to organize a new round of negotiations before the ceasefire expires next week.

Meanwhile, Israel and Lebanon continued to exchange fire on Thursday, with Hezbollah targeting northern cities in Israel with rockets and drones. Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon also intensified.

The fighting has resulted in at least 3,000 deaths in Iran, over 2,100 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel, and over a dozen in Arab states in the Gulf. Thirteen American soldiers have also been killed.