WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that Iran will soon have a missile that can hit the United States is not backed by U.S. intelligence reports and appears to be exaggerated, according to three sources familiar with intelligence reports, casting doubt on part of his case for a possible attack on the Islamic Republic.

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least seven people on Friday, with the military confirming strikes throughout the territory in response to a "ceasefire violation" in the south.

It is the latest violence in the Palestinian territory to come despite a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas which came into effect in October.

The civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authorities, told AFP that a drone strike in the southern city of Khan Yunis shortly after midnight killed three people.

KABUL, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Pakistan struck targets inside Afghanistan's major cities overnight, Pakistani and Taliban officials said on Friday, as cross-border fighting intensified following months of tensions and skirmishes between the two countries.

Security sources in Pakistan said the strikes involved air and ground strikes against Taliban posts, headquarters and ammunition depots in multiple sectors along the border.

Both sides reported heavy losses, issuing sharply differing figures that Reuters could not independently verify.

KABUL, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Pakistani and Afghan border forces clashed on Thursday night after the Taliban launched what it called retaliatory strikes on Pakistani installations, sharply escalating tensions after days of cross-border hostilities.

Afghan forces opened fire on posts in Pakistan's mountainous northwest, sparking more than two hours of fighting before Pakistani troops retaliated, Pakistani officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

US President Donald Trump appears to be leaning toward strikes on Iran, but his administration is sending contradictory signals, alternating between threats and a willingness to talk -- and muddying its justification for intervention.

Opposition Democrats are meanwhile questioning the Republican president's objectives, demanding that Congress be consulted before Trump takes the country to war.

KYIV, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The next round of U.S.-brokered trilateral peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will likely take place in Abu Dhabi in early March, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday.

He made the remark in an evening address after talks in Geneva between U.S. and Ukrainian officials on post-war reconstruction.

(Reporting by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Chris Reese)

Feb 26 (Reuters) - White House envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were disappointed by what they heard from Iranians in morning negotiations Thursday in Geneva, Axios reported.

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Writing by Christian Martinez; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

By Feras Dalatey

DAMASCUS, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The United States has warned Syria against relying on Chinese technology in its telecommunications sector, arguing it conflicts with U.S. interests and threatens U.S. national security, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The message was conveyed during an unreported meeting between a U.S. State Department team and Syrian Communications Minister Abdulsalam Haykal in San Francisco on Tuesday.

By Andrew Chung

Feb 26 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to intervene in its effort to strip deportation protections from about 6,000 Syrians living in the United States.

The Justice Department in an emergency request asked the Supreme Court to lift a judge's November decision that blocked the administration's move to end Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Syrians while litigation challenging the move continues.

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The U.N. expert on the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, denounced on Thursday what she described as "toxic" attacks impacting her personal life and work, after a number of European states called for her resignation.

In recent weeks Germany, France, Italy and others have called for Albanese to step down over her criticism of Israel. Albanese, an Italian lawyer, said the remarks were taken out of context and misconstrued.