Hezbollah leader rejects talks between Lebanese government and Israel

Hezbollah's leader Naim Qassem has rejected talks between Israel and the Lebanese government, describing them a "fruitless". It comes ahead of Lebanese officials travelling to Washington to negotiate with Israeli and US officials on Tuesday. The Lebanese government banned the Iran-backed Hezbollah's military activities in early March, days after the start of war with Israel, with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun criticising the group for dragging the country into the wider regional war.