KABUL, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan's Taliban military entered its third day on Saturday, following overnight clashes as the international community expressed increasing concern about the conflict and called for urgent talks.

Pakistan's strikes on Friday hit Taliban military installations and posts, including in Kabul and Kandahar, in one of the deepest Pakistani incursions into its western neighbour in years, officials said.

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The United States said on Friday it supported Pakistan's "right to defenditself" against attacks from Afghanistan's Taliban rulers after Islamabad said earlier in the day that the neighboring countries were in "open war."

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers had said on Friday they were willing to negotiate after Pakistan bombed their forces in major cities.

Veteran Hollywood star Susan Sarandon on Friday praised the Spanish government's support for Gaza, saying it was "on the right side of history".

"I think Spain is doing an incredible job," Sarandon, her voice trembling with emotion, told reporters in Barcelona.

She lauded Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and actors such as Oscar-winner Javier Bardem for taking a strong public stand in support of Palestine.

"When you turn on the TV and see how strong Spain is and how clear you are morally on these issues, it makes you feel less alone," Sarandon said.

ROME, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Italy's foreign ministry on Friday urged its citizens to leave Iran and advised extreme caution across the Middle East, citing persistently unstable security conditions.

"Italians in (Iran) for tourism or whose presence is not strictly necessary are urged to depart," the ministry said in a statement, adding that travel to Iraq and Lebanon was also strongly discouraged.

It advised Italian nationals in Israel to exercise maximum caution and remain vigilant.

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he was not happy with Iran but more talks were expected on Friday on Tehran's nuclear program.

Speaking to reporters before a trip to Texas, Trump said he wants to make a deal with Iran but reiterated that Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

Talks over Tehran's nuclear program continued this week amid a massive U.S. military buildup in the region. Trump said he does not want to use military force in Iran but sometimes you have to.

The USS Gerald R. Ford -- the world's largest aircraft carrier -- is currently deployed in the Mediterranean Sea and is expected to take part in strikes against Iran if US President Donald Trump decides to launch them.

Washington has threatened military action against Tehran if talks fail to reach a replacement for the nuclear deal Trump tore up in 2018, and he has ordered the deployment of a massive military force -- including the Ford -- to the Middle East.

Below are some key facts about the aircraft carrier.

- Massive warship -

By Catherine Cartier, Eleanor Whalley and Maria Laguna

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Satellite images showed a rise in the number of military support aircraft including refuelling tankers at a Saudi airbase used by the U.S. military during a four-day period in February, as Washington built forces in the region amid tensions with Iran.

Saudi Arabia, a longstanding U.S. ally, told Iran last month it would not allow its airspace or territory to be used for military actions against Tehran, which held indirect negotiations with Washington on Thursday over its nuclear programme.

By Emma Farge

GENEVA, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Restrictions imposed by the Taliban are jeopardising the lives of women and their children who are sometimes denied emergency treatment, a U.N. human rights expert said on Friday.

Regulations require sick or injured women to adhere to a dress code, be accompanied by a male guardian and be treated by male medics, Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan Richard Bennett told a press briefing.

Bennett said women were frequently denied ambulance services without a male guardian.

By Francois Murphy

VIENNA, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog issued a confidential report on Friday urging Iran to let it inspect all its nuclear sites and pointing at Isfahan as a place of interest because of a new enrichment plant and near-bomb-grade uranium that was stored there.

The report was sent to members of the International Atomic Energy Agency ahead of a quarterly meeting next week of its 35-country board, amid nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, the latest round of which was held on Thursday with no breakthrough.

JERUSALEM, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Israel's Supreme Court on Friday temporarily blocked the government from shuttering the Gaza operations of dozens of aid organizations which petitioned the court in a dispute over new Israeli rules requiring them to name Palestinian staff.