By Ece Toksabay

ANKARA, May 30 (Reuters) - Turkey's ousted opposition leader Ozgur Ozel showed he can still command strong support on Saturday, drawing a crowd of thousands in Ankara despite a court ruling that removed him from office and dealt a blow to President Tayyip Erdogan's challengers.

After addressing supporters - estimated in the tens of thousands by the private Anka news agency and media outlets close to the opposition - Ozel led a march through the capital following last week's ruling that removed him as leader of the main opposition CHP.

Lebanon's prime minister accused Israel on Saturday of pursuing a "scorched-earth policy" in his country's south, urging a halt to the fighting as Israel carried out fresh airstrikes and issued evacuation warnings for more than a dozen locations.

A day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces had advanced deeper into Lebanon, his counterpart Nawaf Salam warned the country was facing a "dangerous" escalation, and called for "a swift and real ceasefire".

The United States warned on Saturday it was "more than capable" of resuming its war with Iran after President Donald Trump said any peace deal must adhere to his red lines, including Tehran never being able to develop nuclear weapons.

The White House had signaled Trump was close to a decision on a potential deal, though Tehran denied there was a final agreement on ending the conflict.

US sources had told AFP the deal was waiting on Trump's sign-off, but he made no decision after a White House Situation Room meeting on Friday.

SINGAPORE, May 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. is ready to restart attacks on Iran if a deal cannot be reached, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday, as negotiators from Washington and Tehran worked to bridge major differences blocking an agreement.

"Our ability to recommence if necessary...we are more than capable," Hegseth said in Singapore.

"Our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe, so we're in a very good place," he added.

May 29 (Reuters) - The United States issued new counter-terrorism sanctions on Friday targeting Iranian individuals and entities, among others, a notice on the Treasury Department website showed.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Daphne Psaledakis)

May 29 (Reuters) - The heads of the International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organization warned on Friday that the war in the Middle East was straining global energy supplies and hitting vulnerable economies hardest.

The U.S.-Israel war on Iran has disrupted trade, rattled financial markets and raised concerns over global energy supplies, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil and gas shipments.

By Francois Murphy

VIENNA, May 29 (Reuters) - Iran and the United States are in discussions to extend their ceasefire so as to start negotiations on issues including Tehran's nuclear program, where Washington insists Iran must not be able to make a nuclear weapon.

While much of Iran's uranium enrichment infrastructure was destroyed or badly damaged when Israel and the U.S. bombed it in June, a large part of the highly enriched uranium it amassed is thought to have survived. That is the biggest U.S. concern ahead of nuclear talks.

Lebanon is seeking an international force to replace a decades-long United Nations peacekeeping mission whose mandate ends this year following US and Israeli pressure, even as the latest Israel-Hezbollah war continues.

Concerns over the possible exit of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) with no alternative come with Israeli troops occupying south Lebanon's border areas, and as Israel and Lebanon hold direct negotiations seeking to end decades of hostilities.

By Rami Ayyub and Maya Gebeily

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT, May 29 (Reuters) - Israeli forces have advanced to positions north of Lebanon's Litani River, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, as Israel escalates attacks against Hezbollah militants after warning thousandsmore Lebanese to flee their villages.

The Israeli advance came as the U.S. military hosted Israeli and Lebanese defence representatives in Washington on Friday to pursue a U.S.-brokered plan to forge peace between the two countries and disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah.

May 29 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post that he would be meeting in the White House Situation Room on Friday to make a final decision on a deal with Iran.

He also listed what a potential deal would need to include: Iran agreeing not to develop a nuclear weapon, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the removal of any sea mines, the lifting of the U.S. blockade on Iran and the removal and destruction by the U.S. of Iran's highly enriched uranium.