LUANDA, April 19 - Pope Leo on Sunday decried the intensification of the war in Ukraine, calling "for the weapons to fall silent and for the path of dialogue to be followed."

The pope made the appeal after a Mass outside Angola's capital Luanda that drew roughly 100,000 people.

The first U.S. pope also praised the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, to end fighting between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah, as a "reason for hope."

(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Jane Merriman)

ATHENS, April 19 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Greece next week to renew a security pact between the two countries against the backdrop of the war in Iran, a Greek government official said on Sunday.

France and Greece, long-standing NATO allies, signed a security and defence agreement in 2021, which required them to come to each other's aid if attacked and included the purchase of three French-made frigatesand around 24 Dassault-made Rafale fighter jets by Athens.

By John Irish and Parisa Hafezi

PARIS/DUBAI, April 19 (Reuters) - European allies fear an inexperienced U.S. negotiating team is pushing for a swift, headline‑grabbing framework deal with Iran that could entrench rather than resolve deeper problems, diplomats with past experience dealing with Tehran said.

They worry Washington, eager to claim a diplomatic win for President Donald Trump, could lock in a superficial agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions relief, then struggle through months or years of technically complex follow‑on talks.

Turkey said on Sunday it remained "optimistic" that a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States that expires on Wednesday, would be extended, allowing more time for talks between the sides.

Pakistan is leading preparations for more high-level US-Iran peace talks after a first round ended without agreement last weekend,

Turkey, alongside Egypt, has expressed strong support for the Pakistan-led initiative on prolonging negotiations and preventing a return to hostilities.

The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Israel says soldier hitting Jesus statue image authentic -

The Israeli army said Monday that it had determined an image circulating on social media that shows a soldier in south Lebanon hitting a statue of Jesus Christ is authentic and depicts one of its troops.

The image appears to show an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer to strike the head of a statue of a crucified Jesus that had fallen off of a cross.

DUBAI, April 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has no justification to deprive Iran of its nuclear rights, the Iranian Student News Agency quoted Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as saying on Sunday, as Washington and Tehran continue to face disagreements over nuclear issues.

"Trump says Iran cannot make use of its nuclear rights but doesn't say for what crime. Who is he to deprive a nation of its rights?" Pezeshkian was quoted as saying.

(Reporting by Dubai NewsroomEditing by Tomasz Janowski)

Israel said its military had been instructed to use "full force" against threats in Lebanon despite a truce, and vowed to level homes allegedly used by Hezbollah, with state media reporting demolitions were underway on Sunday.

Some displaced residents have rushed back to their homes in the south but others are hesitant, uncertain about the durability of the 10-day truce that came into effect on Friday, halting weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

(Corrects day to Sunday in first paragraph)

SYDNEY, April 19 (Reuters) - Australia's most decorated soldier, charged with ​war crimes related to Afghanistan deployments more than a decade ago, on Sunday publicly denied the allegations against him and said he was proud of his service.

Ben Roberts-Smith, 47, freed this week on bail, is charged with five counts of war crimes over the alleged murder of five unarmed Afghan civilians between 2009 and 2012. Each charge carries a ​maximum jail term of life.

On the banks of Iraq's Tigris River, Haidar Kazem mourned 300 tonnes of the fish he had carefully raised in ponds wiped out by a flood of polluted water.

Water supplies in Iraq, the eastern half of what is known as the region's fertile crescent and which the United Nations ranks among the countries most affected by climate change, are in a dire state.

"In just two hours, my entire project was gone -- fish I had spent a year-and-a-half raising. I am back to zero," the 43-year-old fish farmer told AFP.

By Trevor Hunnicutt, Ariba Shahid and Muhammad Al Gebaly

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD, April 19 - Iran's top negotiator said recent talks with the U.S. had made progress but gaps remained over nuclear issues and theStrait of Hormuz, while President Donald Trump cited "very good conversations" with Tehran despite warning against "blackmail" over the key shipping channel.

Neither side offered any specifics about the state of negotiations on Saturday, days before a fragile ceasefire in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran is set to expire.