Israeli attacks on Lebanon during its latest war with Hezbollah damaged or destroyed more than 50,000 housing units in the country, a government estimate found on Wednesday.

"Within about 45 days (of the war), we had 17,756 destroyed housing units and 32,668 damaged housing units," Chadi Abdallah, head of the National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS), told AFP.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon killed more than 2,400 people and displaced more than a million since Iran-backed Hezbollah drew the country into the Middle East war on March 2.

By Ahmed Rasheed, Maha El Dahan and Timour Azhari

BAGHDAD/DUBAI April 21 (Reuters) - The United States has halted a shipment of about $500 million in cash bound for Iraq and suspended parts of its security cooperation with Baghdad, in a move aimed at pressuring the Iraqi government over the actions of Iran-backed militias, Iraqi sources told Reuters.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Ali Sawafta and Haseeb Elwazeer

GAZA, April 22 (Reuters) - Palestinians in one of the only Gaza cities not overrun by Israeli ground forces during the war will vote this weekend in municipal elections that will feature some pro-Hamas candidates, offering a rare barometer of the militant group's popularity.

The vote in Deir al-Balah is part of Palestinian Authority municipal elections that Palestinians have cast as a display of national unity against a U.S. plan for Gaza that they believe intends to entrench their separation from the occupied West Bank.

By Jessica Donati

DAKAR, April 22 (Reuters) - The Trump administration is in talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo to resettle 1,100 Afghans who have been stranded in Qatar awaiting U.S. visas, according to an advocacy organisation that works on their behalf.

The discussions underscore the legal hurdles facing Afghans who fled the Taliban after U.S. immigrant visa processing for Afghan nationals was effectively halted, leaving them in limbo more than four years after the U.S. withdrawal from Kabul.

By Maya Gebeily and Pesha Magid

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, April 22 (Reuters) - Lebanese and Israeli envoys will meet for the second time in two weeks in Washington on Thursday, building on nascent contacts between the states, with Lebanon hoping for the extension of a shaky ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.

The 10-day, U.S.-mediated ceasefire is set to expire on Sunday. Underlining its fragility, Iran-backed Hezbollah said on Tuesday it had fired rockets at northern Israel in response to Israeli violations, while Israel also accused the group of breaches.

Israeli strikes killed five people, including a journalist, and wounded another in Lebanon on Wednesday, despite an ongoing ceasefire that Beirut will request an extension for in upcoming talks with Israel in Washington.

Ahead of the talks on Thursday, Israel called on the Lebanese government to "work together" with it against Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Since the outbreak of war between Iran, Israel and the United States, colourful murals have sprung up across capital Tehran and other major cities, rich in symbolism and themes of resistance and defiance.

Murals and banners have long been a defining feature of Iran's urban landscape, particularly in Tehran, where such paintings in central squares mirror the state's political messaging and foreign policy.

DUBAI/PARIS, April 22 (Reuters) - An Iranian opposition leader criticised European countries on Wednesday for doing too little to halt executions in Iran, after Tehran carried out another execution in what opponents say is a wartime crackdown on dissent.

The judiciary's news outlet Mizan reported on Wednesday that a man convicted of spying for Israel’s intelligence service and passing sensitive information had been executed.

By America Hernandez

PARIS, April 22 (Reuters) - The natural gas demand destruction currently resulting from the Iran war as governments implement measures to mitigate the crisis risks becoming structural if the conflict persists, the head of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum said on Wednesday.

Since the Middle East crisis began at the end of February, more than 500 million barrels of crude and condensate have been knocked out of the global market, according to Kpler data - the largest energy supply disruption in modern history.

By Sam Tabahriti

LONDON, April 22 (Reuters) - Britain should brace for a rise in cyberattacks linked to hostile states, the head of the country's cybersecurity agency said on Wednesday, as the government urged tech firms to help build defences powered by artificial intelligence.