By Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Humeyra Pamuk and Erin Banco WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Days before a surprise U.S. ceasefire agreement with Houthis, U.S. intelligence started picking up indications the Yemeni fighters were looking for an exit after seven weeks of relentless U.

India and Pakistan engaged in the most intense fighting in decades with four days of escalating conflict that included fighter jets, missiles and drones packed with explosives. It ended almost as abruptly as it began.

President Vladimir Putin said, according to a translation by the BBC: "We are determined to have serious negotiations with Ukraine. The purpose is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and establish long-term, lasting peace with a historical perspective.

U.S. President Donald Trump was set to meet Syria's president in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday following a surprise announcement that the United States would lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government despite lingering concerns about its leaders' former ties to Al Qaeda.

Russia resumed mass drone attacks in Ukraine early on Sunday, after its self-declared three-day pause expired.

Ukraine's air force says Russia launched more than 100 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine in nighttime attacks.

Zain and Urwa, 12-year-old twins, died from injuries sustained in a shell explosion in Indian-administered Kashmir.

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday he was in favour of imposing new sanctions on Russia in the coming days if Moscow failed to respect a ceasefire, mentioning financial services and oil and gas as possible targets.

The agreement to release Edan Alexander came after talks between Washington and Hamas that did not include Israel.

The ceasefire had been expected to bring a swift end to weeks of escalating clashes triggered by the mass shooting of tourists last month that India blames on Pakistan.