By Steven Scheer

JERUSALEM, April 9 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long-running corruption trial will resume on Sunday, the courts' spokesperson said on Thursday, hours after Israel lifted a state of emergency imposed over its war with Iran.

Iran began targeting Israel with ballistic missiles and drones after Israel and U.S. President Donald Trump launched air strikes on Iran on February 28, citing the aims of preventing it projecting force abroad, ending its nuclear programme and encouraging the overthrow of its rulers.

April 9 (Reuters) - Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday that Israeli strikes on Lebanon violate the ceasefire agreement and would render negotiations meaningless.

Pezeshkian said Iran would not abandon the Lebanese people.

His comments come after Israel carried out its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since the conflict with Hezbollah broke out last month, killing more than 250 people on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Reuters;Editing by Alison Williams)

By Yuka Obayashi and Kentaro Okasaka

TOKYO, April 9 (Reuters) - Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) wants to start moving its vessels stranded near the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible but must first ensure safe passage and receive guidance from the Japanese government, its chief executive said on Thursday.

Although U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday, there is still no sign that Tehran has lifted its blockade of the strategic waterway, which has disrupted global energy supplies and snarled supply chains.

Buffeted by six weeks of war in the Middle East, airlines have scrambled to trim routes and costs as fuel bills explode and wary clients think twice about their travel plans, a situation that could persist even if a fragile truce holds.

Carriers have largely halted flights in the Gulf region, with Air France announcing this week that it was extending its suspensions until May 3 -- a decision a source said was made before this week's ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

DUBAI, April 9 (Reuters) - More than 3,000 people were killed throughout Iran during the war that began on February 28, Iran's forensic chief told state media on Thursday, adding that 40% of the dead needed forensic work to be identified and returned to families.

(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Alex Richardson)

BRUSSELS, April 9 (Reuters) - The ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran should extend to Lebanon, EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Thursday, adding that Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah must disarm.

"Israeli actions are putting the U.S.-Iran ceasefire under severe strain. The Iran truce should extend to Lebanon," Kallas said in a post on X.

"Israeli strikes killed hundreds last night, making it hard to argue that such heavy-handed actions fall within self-defence," she also said.

By Angelo Amante and Giuseppe Fonte

ROME, April 9 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday that restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz was of vital interest for her country and the European Union, as she pledged to work with partners to achieve that aim.

Following U.S.- Israeli attacks, Iran restricted traffic through the Strait to pressure its enemies, in a move that drove up energy prices as around a fifth of the world's oil and gas pass through the narrow waterway.

The Israeli military said on Thursday that an Al Jazeera journalist killed a day earlier in an Israeli strike in Gaza was a Hamas militant who had "operated under the guise of a journalist".

On Wednesday, the Qatar-based broadcaster said in a statement that it strongly condemned "the heinous crime of targeting and killing Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent Mohammed Wishah, following a strike on the vehicle in which he was travelling west of the Gaza Strip".

ROME, April 9 (Reuters) - European Union authorities should consider a temporary suspension of budget deficit rules if the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran flares up again, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told parliament on Thursday.

Meloni also said her government was ready to take every possible measure to prevent potential speculative behaviour on energy prices, including introducing windfall taxes on energy companies.

BEIJING, April 9 (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry said it hoped the "relevant parties can grasp this chance at peace and bring the region back to stability as soon as possible" after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in the weeks-long Middle East war.

China said it has maintained communication with all parties and "actively sought to promote reconciliation and prevent further fighting," foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a daily press briefing.