Gunfire reported in Beirut as truce comes into effect – as it happened
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Australia’s prime minister has been forced to rebuff another bout of criticism from its most important ally, reiterating there has been no direct US requests for military support in the Middle East.
As Lebanon and Israel agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, Donald Trump told reporters in Washington that Australia had not supplied military aid to help reopen the strait of Hormuz.
“I’m not happy with Australia because they were not there when we asked them to be there,” he said.
They were not there having to do with Hormuz. So I’m not happy. I’m not happy with them.”
Anthony Albanese responded by saying the US administration had not asked for additional assistance in the region, Australian Associated Press reports.
The prime minister told reporters on Friday:
There’s been no new requests at all, and indeed President Trump has himself said that he has got this, and he has made that position clear. There’s been no change.
My job is to engage constructively with the US administration. That’s what we do.”
Australia had deployed an E-7A Wedgetail surveillance plane to the Middle East after a request from Gulf countries for defences from missile attacks, Albanese said.
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Stocks stay up and oil under $100 amid peace hopes
Asian stocks were poised for a second week of strong gains and oil prices were pinned below $100 a barrel with investors hopeful for a near-term resolution to war in the Middle East.
With the Lebanon-Israel truce coming into effect and Donald Trump saying the next US-Iran meeting might take place over the weekend, oil prices were pushed lower, with Brent crude futures falling more than 1% to $98.14 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 1.6% to $93.15 a barrel.
In stocks, MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.6% but remained close to its highest since 2 March, the first trading day after the Iran war broke out.
The index is up 14.5% in April after dropping 13.5% in March, Reuters reports. Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.9% in early trading after hitting a record high on Thursday.
Almost all stock markets are back to levels before the war erupted in late February.
“I think equity markets are remaining positive and some solid US earnings have helped, but – and it’s a big but – we need to see some concrete evidence that peace is going to last,” said Nick Twidale, chief market strategist at ATFX Global.
And to me, that is a full reopening of the Strait [of Hormuz], or we could see some substantial corrections in global stocks in the coming days and weeks.”
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We’ve just launched a photo gallery of some of the many compelling images that have come in from Lebanon amid the latest bloodshed in the Middle East.
As it says, civilians have been bearing the brunt of the regional conflict.
The fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is taking effect while a two-week truce between Iran and the US continues and is due to expire next Wednesday.
Here are three of the images:
See the full gallery here:
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Under the Israel-Lebanon truce agreement, Israel reserves the right to defend itself “at any time, against planned, imminent or ongoing attacks”, the US state department has said. But otherwise Israel “will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets, including civilian, military and other state targets”.
The wording suggested Israel would maintain the freedom to strike at will, as it did in the months after the ceasefire that ended the previous war, the AP is reporting. This time, Hezbollah said it would respond to any strikes by Israel.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that Israeli shelling continued in the villages of Khiam and Dibbine about a half hour after the truce went into effect at midnight Friday local time (2100 GMT Thursday).
Israel’s military said it was looking into reports of shelling and artillery fire in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah kept firing rockets at northern Israeli towns and communities right up to the start of the ceasefire. Air raid sirens went off in some often-targeted border towns less than 10 minutes before midnight.
The Israel-Lebanon truce came after a meeting between the two countries’ ambassadors in Washington and a flurry of subsequent phone calls from Donald Trump and secretary of state Marco Rubio, according to a White House official.
The meeting on Tuesday was the first direct diplomatic talks between Lebanon and Israel in decades, and in the lead-up Hezbollah had called for Lebanon to pull out.
Trump spoke on Wednesday evening with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who agreed to a ceasefire with certain terms, according to the official, who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, the Associated Press reports.
Rubio then called Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, who got on board. Trump then spoke with Aoun, and again with Netanyahu.
The state department worked with both governments to formulate a memorandum of understanding for the truce.
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Trump says Iran war should end 'pretty soon'
Donald Trump has just said the war in Iran is going “swimmingly” and that it “should be ending pretty soon”.
He told supporters at an event in Las Vegas:
The war in Iran is going along swimmingly – we can do whatever we want.”
The US president said earlier that the next meeting between the US and Iran might take place over the weekend, adding to optimism that the Iran war could be nearing an end.
Trump was also quoted as saying that Iran had agreed to hand over its enriched uranium and not to possess nuclear weapons for more than 20 years.
“They’ve agreed to give us back the nuclear dust,” Trump said, referring to the uranium.
Iran’s nuclear activities were a sticking point at talks in Pakistan last weekend.
“We’re going to see what happens,” Trump said at the White House. “But I think we’re very close to making a deal with Iran.”
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Lebanese army claims Israel violating truce
The Lebanese army claimed early on Friday that Israel had committed violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon that took effect at midnight, including intermittent shelling of several southern Lebanese villages.
In a statement cited by Reuters, the army also called on citizens to hold off on returning to southern villages and towns.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Updated
The Lebanese army is reportedly urging citizens to delay returning to southern Lebanon towns and villages.
It also claimed there had been intermittent shelling on southern Lebanese villages after the ceasefire with Israel took effect.
Earlier, the Israeli military issued a warning via social media to southern Lebanon residents not to return south of the Litani River despite the ceasefire being in effect. It said the IDF would maintain its positions in the southern Lebanon “in the face of the ongoing terrorist activities of Hezbollah”.
Before that, Hezbollah called on displaced Lebanese residents to delay returning to their homes in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs before the truce began, urging caution amid what the Iran-backed militant group called Israel’s history of “breaking covenants and agreements”.
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Trump urges Hezbollah to act 'nicely' amid truce
Donald Trump says he wants Hezbollah to act “nicely” amid the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire and that there should be “no more killing”.
The US president just posted on his Truth Social platform:
I hope Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time. It will be an GREAT moment for them if they do. No more killing. Must finally have PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.
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British prime minister Keir Starmer will say reopening the strait of Hormuz is a “global responsibility” as he chairs a gathering of world leaders in Paris with Emmanuel Macron on Friday.
The talks come as the 10-day ceasefire agreed by Lebanon and Israel could boost attempts to extend the ceasefire between Iran, the US and Israel.
Starmer will arrive in Paris late on Friday morning to co-host the virtual meeting with Macron and then have lunch with the French president.
About 40 countries and the International Maritime Organisation are expected to be on the call, PA Media reports.
Starmer is expected to tell the summit:
The unconditional and immediate reopening of the strait is a global responsibility, and we need to act to get global energy and trade flowing freely again.
Emmanuel Macron and I are clear in our commitment to establish a multinational initiative to protect freedom of navigation.
We must reassure commercial shipping and support mine clearance operations to ensure a return to global stability and security.”
British foreign secretary Yvette Cooper and defence staff chief Richard Knighton will join Starmer.
The Hormuz strait usually has a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied petroleum gas passing through but has been effectively shut by Iran amid US-Israeli attacks. Donald Trump has now begun a US blockade of Iran’s oil ports aimed at stemming Tehran’s fossil fuel income.
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UN chief calls for truce to be 'fully' respected
UN secretary general António Guterres has welcomed the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire and urged “all actors” to fully respect it, his spokesperson said.
Guterres also “commends the role of the United States in facilitating” the truce, Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, adding the UN chief hoped the temporary halt to fighting would “pave the way for negotiations”.
Guterres “urges all actors to fully respect the ceasefire and to comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, at all times”, said the statement, which was cited by AFP and may extend beyond Israel and Lebanon to the militant group Hezbollah.
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Here are some images coming in from Beirut amid Lebanese celebrations over the two-week ceasefire with Israel.
Gunfire reported in Beirut as truce comes into effect
Gunfire erupted in Beirut’s southern suburbs as the ceasefire with Israel came into effect, according to AFP journalists and AFPTV footage.
Lebanese state media also reported “heavy gunfire” accompanying the start of the 10-day truce, which was announced earlier by Donald Trump and came into force at midnight on Friday (2100 GMT Thursday).
Agence France-Presse journalists reported hearing shots ring out and RPGs erupting into the air shortly after midnight and continuing for well over half an hour, as red bullet traces took off into the sky.
AFPTV footage showed people returning to the city’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, some waving the Iran-backed movement’s yellow flag or carrying portraits of its slain leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed by Israel in 2024.
Videos circulating on social media showed queues of cars in several areas in the south as displaced residents returned to their homes.
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Israel warns southern Lebanese not to return south of Litani River
The Israeli military has issued an urgent warning to the people of southern Lebanon not to return south of the Litani River despite the ceasefire coming into effect.
Hezbollah earlier called on displaced Lebanese residents to delay returning to their homes in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs before the ceasefire came into force. The group also urged caution amid what it called Israel’s history of “breaking covenants and agreements”.
The Israel Defence Forces’ later “urgent message” on X was directed to “the residents of southern Lebanon”.
The post on X from the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Col Avichay Adraee, continued (in a translation):
With the entry of the ceasefire agreement into the implementation phase, the Israel Defense Forces continue to maintain their positions in southern Lebanon in the face of the ongoing terrorist activities of Hezbollah
Out of concern for your safety and the safety of your families’ members - until further notice - you are requested not to move south of the Litani River
Israel has said it will occupy the area under the Litani – about 30km from the Israel-Lebanon border – as part of its so-called buffer zone inside southern Lebanon.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Thursday he had agreed to the 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon to try to advance a peace accord between the countries, but said he would not agree to Lebanon’s demand to withdraw from all Lebanese territory.
“We are remaining in Lebanon in an expanded security zone,” Netanyahu said, due to the “danger of an invasion” and to prevent fire into Israel.
That is where we are, and we are not leaving.”
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The day so far
A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has come into effect, pausing fighting in a devastating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 2,100 Lebanese people and displaced over 2.1 million. The agreement was announced earlier by Donald Trump, who said he had spoken with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, and invited both leaders “for meaningful talks” at the White House. Both leaders welcomed the agreement. But how long the ceasefire will hold is the key question, as both Israel and Hezbollah have maintained their right to defend themselves if the truce is broken. Here’s our report.
Netanyahu called it a “historic” opportunity for peace, though he refused to withdraw his troops from southern Lebanon during the pause in fighting. “We are remaining in Lebanon in an expanded security zone,” Netanyahu said, due to the “danger of an invasion” and to prevent fire into Israel. “That is where we are, and we are not leaving,” he said. The Israeli PM maintained that his key demand was dismantling Hezbollah. He has previously declared his intention to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River – about 18 miles from the border – while Lebanon demands the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and for displaced residents to be able to return to their homes.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei welcomed the ceasefire and stressed that it was already part of the original Iran-US agreement brokered by Pakistan. Baghaei said Iran emphasised “from the outset” the need for a “simultaneous ceasefire throughout the region, including Lebanon”, and expressed his “solidarity” with the people and government of Lebanon. He called for the return of displaced residents to their homes and emphasised the necessity of the “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces from the south of the country – which, as I’ve said, Israel has refused to do.
The Lebanese army urged residents to “exercise restraint” in returning to their villages and towns in southern Lebanon ahead of the ceasefire coming into effect. The army added that even then residents should avoid areas that remain occupied by Israeli forces. It was followed by a similar statement issued by Hezbollah, urging caution amid Israel’s history of “breaking covenants and agreements”.
In the hours before the ceasefire took effect, Israel and Hezbollah continued to exchange fire. Just as the ceasefire came into force, the IDF said it had hit more than 380 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the last 24 hours, including rocket launchers, headquarters and Hezbollah members themselves. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on Lebanese towns and villages killed dozens of people, including an attack on the town of Ghazieh which killed at least seven people and wounded 33, the health ministry said on Thursday.
Israel-Lebanon ceasefire begins
The 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon - announced earlier by Donald Trump - has now come into effect, pausing a devastating conflict that has displaced more than 1.2 million Lebanese people and killed over 2,100.
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanon’s president Joseph Aoun reached the agreement after discussions with the US president, Trump said on Truth Social earlier. In a follow-up post, Trump said he had invited Aoun and Netanyahu to the White House for “meaningful talks”.
Aoun welcomed the agreement, while Netanyahu called it a “historic” opportunity for peace, though the Israeli PM has refused to withdraw his troops from southern Lebanon during the pause in fighting.
Israel and Hezbollah have continued to exchange fire in the hours leading up the ceasefire, with both parties maintaining their right to defend themselves if the truce is broken.
Updated
Iran welcomes ceasefire - but insists Israel must withdraw from Lebanon
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei has welcomed the ceasefire, according Iranian state media, and stressed that it was already part of the original Iran-US agreement brokered by Pakistan.
Baghaei said Iran emphasised “from the outset” the need for a “simultaneous ceasefire throughout the region, including Lebanon”, and expressed his “solidarity” with the people and government of Lebanon.
He called for the return of displaced residents to their homes and emphasised the necessity of the “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces from the south of the country – something Israel has refused to do.
Baghaei also credited Pakistan’s efforts over the past 24 hours in securing the 10-day pause.
Hezbollah urges displaced civilians to postpone return before ceasefire takes effect
Hezbollah has issued a statement calling on displaced Lebanese residents to delay returning to their homes in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs before the ceasefire comes into effect.
In the statement, carried by Lebanon’s National News Agency, the group urged caution amid Israel’s history of “breaking covenants and agreements”.
With the announcement of the ceasefire, and in the face of a treacherous enemy that is accustomed to breaking covenants and agreements, we call on you to be patient and not to head to the targeted areas in the South, the Bekaa and the southern suburbs of Beirut, until the course of events becomes fully clear.
We understand the extent of your longing to return to your villages and homes, and we appreciate the patience and steadfastness you have shown to the whole world. However, out of concern for your safety and your precious lives, we call upon you to be patient and endure.
It echoes a similar message issued by the Lebanese army urging residents to “exercise restraint” following the announcement of the ceasefire agreement.
Updated
We’re just under an hour out from the ceasefire going into effect at midnight local time, and the Israeli military has said it’s striking launchers from which Hezbollah launched rockets toward northern Israel.
The launchers fired rockets towards northern Israel “a short while ago”, the IDF said on Telegram. Minutes earlier, it said search and rescue forces were operating at sites in northern Israel “where reports of impacts have been received”.
Meanwhile, in the past few hours, Israeli forces have continued to strike Lebanon’s south, killing dozens of people.
An Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Ghazieh killed at least seven people and wounded 33, the health ministry said on Thursday, hours before the 10-day ceasefire is due to take effect.
Lebanese state media reported a “massacre against civilians” in the town, noting that rubble removal operations are ongoing, while the health ministry said its toll is “preliminary and not final”.
An Israeli air strike on the town of Adloun in the Sidon district killed three people and wounded 21 others. Israel also struck the town of Marjayoun, as well as the villages of Sajd and Hanaway, and the Burj Shemali Palestinian refugee camp.
Air raids were also reported in the Bint Jbeil district, which Israel had been attacking heavily in recent days, and several other towns, Al Jazeera reports.
Updated
Lebanese army urges caution in returning to southern Lebanon
The Lebanese army has urged residents to “exercise restraint” in returning to their villages and towns in southern Lebanon until the ceasefire agreement comes into force at midnight local time.
The army added that even then residents should avoid areas that remain occupied by Israeli forces.
The army also stressed the need for residents to follow instructions issued by deployed military units for their safety, and urged caution over potential unexploded ordnance and suspicious objects left behind from Israeli attacks, calling on residents to report them to the nearest military post.
Israel to preserve ‘right to self-defence’ in Lebanon under terms of ceasefire, says US state department
The US state department has issued an outline of the details of the ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that will begin at 5pm EST on Thursday.
It says that both parties, having met for face-to-face talks in Washington this week, “affirm that the two countries are not at war and commit to engaging in good-faith direct negotiations, facilitated by the United States”.
The ceasefire is described as “a gesture of goodwill by the Government of Israel, intended to enable good-faith negotiations toward a permanent security and peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon”.
It also “may be extended by mutual agreement” if negotiations show signs of progress and as “Lebanon effectively demonstrates its ability to assert its sovereignty” (i.e. curb Hezbollah).
However, it reiterates Israel’s right “to take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks”.
Once the ceasefire begins, the Lebanese government, with international support, “will take meaningful steps to prevent Hezbollah and all other rogue non-state armed groups” in its country, it goes on.
All parties involved in the ceasefire recognise the “exclusive responsibility for Lebanon’s sovereignty and national defense”, it says.
And finally, it states that Israel and Lebanon have asked that the US “further direct negotiations between the two countries with the objective of resolving all remaining issues”, including the demarcation of borders and a long-term peace deal.
Updated
Donald Trump says he expects leaders from Israel and Lebanon in “four or five days”.
Trump spoke to both leaders as the ceasefire was announced. He said he was working on a longer term deal.
“It’s very exciting. I think we’re going to have a deal where we’re going to have a meeting, first time in 44 years, and Lebanon will be meeting with Israel, and they’re probably going to do it at the White House over the next week or two,” Trump said, as reported by Reuters.
Donald Trump: Nato has 'got themselves a problem'
US president Donald Trump has said that Nato has “got themselves a problem” for not being “there” for the United States.
While taking questions from reporters at the White House, Trump said: “We spend trillions and trillions of dollars on Nato, and when I ask them to get involved on a much smaller situation … they weren’t there for us … none of them. We were there [for] Ukraine … when they’ve had problems over the years we were there … I don’t think they’d be there for large problems and therefore I think they’ve got themselves a problem.”
Updated
Israeli troops will remain deployed to southern Lebanon amid the upcoming 10-day ceasefire with Hezbollah, and will act against any threat, the Times of Israel reports.
An official told the Ynet news site that “our forces will remain deep inside Lebanese territory”, and confirmed that the plan is to operate in a similar way to the November 2024 ceasefire agreement where IDF forces were permitted to strike if they believed any Hezbollah operatives were violating agreements.
The official said: “As in Gaza and as in Lebanon before Operation Roaring Lion, we will act not only against danger but also against an emerging threat and strike it immediately.”
The BBC reports that police in Pakistan have reportedly started to prepare for a visit by foreign delegations representing the US and Iran, however no official talks have been confirmed as of yet.
Traffic police in Islamabad have announced they will close all transport terminals in the city and neighbouring Rawalpindi for 10 days from 11pm tonight until 26 April. Heavy traffic is being banned from entering the city from 18 April, according to the outlet.
Trump says he would visit Lebanon 'at the right time'
US president Donald Trump has said he would visit Lebanon “at the right time”, and confirmed that a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon starting on Thursday would include Iran-backed Hezbollah.
“Today they’re going to be having a ceasefire, and that’ll include Hezbollah,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding, “at the right time I would visit Lebanon”.
Trump also said it’s “very important” for Pope Leo to understand that Iran is a threat to the world. This comes as the pontiff and president are feuding over the United States’ war on Iran.
Earlier today, the pope used a speech in Cameroon to decry leaders who use religion to justify wars. He also criticised leaders who spend billions on wars. “They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found.”
On Sunday, Donald Trump took aim at the pope and called him “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy” in a post on Truth Social. The US president’s comments have been widely condemned by Catholics and the international community, including Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
When asked by reporters on Thursday if he would meet with the pope, Trump said: “I don’t think that’s necessary.”
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Netanyahu confirms 10-day ceasefire - but says Israeli troops will remain in Lebanon
And Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has finally confirmed that he has agreed to the 10-day cease-fire with Lebanon to try to advance a peace accord with between the two countries.
“We have the opportunity to make a historic deal with Lebanon,” Netanyahu said, welcoming the pause “in order to try to advance the agreement” discussed during diplomatic talks in Washington on Tuesday.
The Israeli leader maintained that his key demand is that Hezbollah must be dismantled.
But, crucially, he said he would not agree to Lebanon’s demand to withdraw from all Lebanese territory.
“We are remaining in Lebanon in an expanded security zone,” Netanyahu said, due to the “danger of an invasion” and to prevent fire into Israel.
“That is where we are, and we are not leaving,” he said.
Updated
Further to that last post, in a written statement, Hezbollah ally and speaker of Lebanon’s parliament Nabih Berri urged Lebanese people to “postpone their return to their towns and villages until the situation becomes clearer, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.”
Hezbollah demands 'no freedom of movement for Israeli forces' during ceasefire and says Israeli invasion gives Lebanon 'right to resist'
A senior Hezbollah source has told Al Jazeera Arabic that any ceasefire must not allow Israeli forces unrestricted movement in Lebanon – and that as long as Israeli forces remain on Lebanese territory, the country retains the right to resist.
A ceasefire cannot include any freedom of movement for the enemy that would take us back to before March 2.
As long as the occupation remains on our land, Lebanon and its people have the right to resist by all means to force it to withdraw.
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Trump announces Israel-Lebanon ceasefire – podcast
Donald Trump has said Israel and Lebanon will begin a 10-day ceasefire. In a post on Truth Social, he said he had spoken to the leaders of both countries today and claimed this would be the “tenth war” he has “solved”. Israel reportedly has no plans to withdraw its military from southern Lebanon during the ceasefire, it has been reported.
In today’s edition of The Latest podcast, Lucy Hough speaks to senior international correspondent Julian Borger.
Netanyahu convenes security cabinet for urgent discussion of Lebanon ceasefire
We’ve yet to hear from Israel on the ceasefire announcement, after Donald Trump basically demanded a halt to fighting from Benjamin Netanyahu.
Shortly before the ceasefire was announced by the US president, though, Netanyahu convened his security cabinet for an urgent discussion on the ceasefire, Reuters reported citing a cabinet source. Some reports suggest those on the call had only five minutes’ notice.
I’ll bring you more on that – and any official comment from Israel on the ceasefire – as I get it.
Meanwhile, as we reported earlier, Israeli military sources have indicated that Israel has no intention of withdrawing its troops from southern Lebanon, where it has destroyed civilian infrastructure and announced plans to occupy, during any pause in fighting.
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Lebanese prime minister welcomes ceasefire announcement
Lebanon’s prime minister Nawaf Salam has welcomed the ten-day ceasefire agreement with Israel, which he notes Lebanon has demanded since the outbreak of the war.
Salam said the agreement was Lebanon’s “primary goal” in talks between Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in Washington on Tuesday.
He praised international efforts to secure the ceasefire, and said he hopes it will mean that Lebanon’s (1.2 million) displaced civilians will be able to return to their homes as soon as possible.
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The day so far
US president Donald Trump said on Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to begin a 10-day ceasefire at 5pm EST, signalling a pause in Israel’s conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah that has raged in parallel to the war with Iran. Trump’s statement, posted on Truth Social, did not specify which day the ceasefire would begin but a US official said it would start on Thursday.
Israel has no plans to withdraw its military from southern Lebanon during the announced ten day ceasefire, it has been reported. An Israeli security official confirmed the position, according to Reuters.
Senior Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the group had been briefed on a possible short-term ceasefire to start on Thursday night by Iran’s ambassador to Beirut. Fadlallah spoke to Reuters minutes before US president Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire would start at 5pm US eastern time.
Iran wants to hold the US and Israel accountable for the assassination of its leaders, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Ismail Baghaei, told Russia’s Ria Novosti news agency. “We must do this. And I believe that it is not only Iran, but the entire international community that is calling for those responsible to be held to account,” he said.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen welcomed on a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, announced by US president Donald Trump, and reiterated that Europe would continue to call for the respect of Lebanon’s territorial integrity. “I welcome the announced 10 day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, mediated by President Trump. This is a relief, as this conflict has already claimed far too many lives,” wrote von der Leyen on X.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz said he intends to discuss US participation in any potential mission to secure the strait of Hormuz in talks co-hosted by France and Britain. The video conference is scheduled for Friday, and the French president’s office has said it aims to bring together “non-belligerent countries” ready to contribute to a “purely defensive mission”.
More than 10,000 American troops are helping enforce the blockade on Iranian ports, and while no ships have yet been boarded, the US military said Thursday that it is warning Iran-linked ships that it could fire warning shots or escalate to other force if they try to outrun the Navy. Thirteen vessels have turned around rather than confront a naval blockade that began earlier this week, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon.
The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, has warned Iran to choose “between a bridge to the future and an abyss of isolation and destruction”, saying his country could strike harder if threats persist. Speaking at a memorial ceremony, Katz said targets not yet hit by Israel would be “even more painful”, according to Israeli media reports.
An Israeli airstrike has destroyed the last bridge connecting southern Lebanon to the rest of the country, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency. The Israeli military struck the Qasmiyeh Bridge over the Litani river, destroying it completely, the news agency reported.
Pope Leo XIV has said the world is being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” who spend billions on war, in comments that will be seen as another sharp escalation in his almost week-long feud with the White House over the US-Israel war on Iran. The first American-born pontiff did not mention Donald Trump by name, but used his speech in Cameroon on Thursday to denounce world leaders who invoke religion to justify violence against other nations.
In the US, the House of Representatives backed Donald Trump’s military campaign against Iran on Thursday, narrowly voting to block a Democratic-led resolution aiming to stop the war until hostilities are authorised by Congress.
The measure was defeated by 214 to 213 in the Republican-majority chamber, a day after a similar measure was blocked in the Senate for the fourth time. The vote was almost exclusively along party lines, with every Republican except one opposing the resolution, and one voting present. One Democrat voted against it.
Federal law requires congressional approval to continue military actions for more than 60 days. The US-Israeli war on Iran began on 28 February. Some Senate Republicans signalled yesterday that they may reassess their thinking on this issue if the war reaches 60 days.
Updated
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen welcomed on a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, announced by US president Donald Trump, and reiterated that Europe would continue to call for the respect of Lebanon’s territorial integrity.
“I welcome the announced 10 day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, mediated by President Trump. This is a relief, as this conflict has already claimed far too many lives,” wrote von der Leyen on X.
“Europe will continue to call for the full respect of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. And we will keep supporting the Lebanese people through substantial humanitarian aid,” she added.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz said he intends to discuss US participation in any potential mission to secure the strait of Hormuz in talks co-hosted by France and Britain.
The video conference is scheduled for Friday, and the French president’s office has said it aims to bring together “non-belligerent countries” ready to contribute to a “purely defensive mission”.
The strait, a key route for global oil and gas shipments, has been largely closed since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Donald Trump says he has invited the leaders of Israel and Lebanon to the White House for the countries’ first high-level talks since 1983.
Writing on Truth Social, he said:
In addition to the statement just issued, I will be inviting the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, to the White House for the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983, a very long time ago.
Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly!
Hezbollah lawmaker says ceasefire depends on Israel halting all forms of hostilities
Senior Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the group had been briefed on a possible short-term ceasefire to start on Thursday night by Iran’s ambassador to Beirut.
Fadlallah spoke to Reuters minutes before US president Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire would start at 5pm US eastern time.
When asked whether Hezbollah would abide by a possible truce, Fadlallah said everything depended on Israel halting all forms of hostilities.
Updated
Israel has no plans to withdraw its military from southern Lebanon during the announced ten day ceasefire, it has been reported.
An Israeli security official confirmed the position, according to Reuters.
Trump announces Israel-Lebanon 10 day ceasefire
US president Donald Trump has said Israel and Lebanon will begin a ten day ceasefire from 5pm EST.
In a post on Truth Social, he said he had spoken to the leaders of both countries today and claimed this would be the “tenth war” he has “solved”.
He wrote:
I just had excellent conversations with the Highly Respected President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel. These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST.
On Tuesday, the two Countries met for the first time in 34 years here in Washington, D.C., with our Great Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. I have directed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, together with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Razin’ Caine, to work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a Lasting PEACE.
It has been my Honor to solve 9 Wars across the World, and this will be my 10th, so let’s, GET IT DONE!
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Lebanese president Joseph Aoun held a phone call with Donald Trump on Thursday during which he thanked the US leader for his “efforts” to secure a ceasefire with Israel, the presidency in Beirut said.
“President Aoun reiterated his thanks for the efforts Trump is making to achieve a ceasefire in Lebanon and to secure lasting peace and stability as a prelude to implementing the peace process in the region,” the statement said.
The call comes after Aoun rejected a US request for a “direct call” with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to an official Lebanese source, and a day after Trump announced an expected call between the two countries’ “leaders”.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hussein Hajj Hassan told AFP on Thursday that the Lebanese government’s decision to hold direct negotiations with Israel was a “grave error”, urging Beirut to stop making concessions to Israel and the United States.
Israel and Lebanon agreed on Tuesday to begin direct talks following a landmark meeting between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States, weeks after Hezbollah pulled Lebanon into the Middle East war with rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer Iran.
“Direct negotiations with the enemy are a grave sin and a grave error,” Hajj Hassan said from his parliamentary office.
The Lebanese army said that Israeli strikes that destroyed the Qasmiyeh bridge over the southern Litani River have cut off the area from the rest of the country.
“In the context of the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon, the Qasmiyeh-Tyre coastal bridge was targeted and destroyed, with the aim of separating the area south of the Litani from its north and isolating it,” the army said in a statement, adding that the strikes killed one person and wounded three others, among them “a soldier from the unit stationed on the bridge”.
Pope Leo XIV has said the world is being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” who spend billions on war, in comments that will be seen as another sharp escalation in his almost week-long feud with the White House over the US-Israel war on Iran.
The first American-born pontiff did not mention Donald Trump by name, but used his speech in Cameroon on Thursday to denounce world leaders who invoke religion to justify violence against other nations.
Lebanese president Joseph Aoun rejected a US request for a direct phone call with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, an official source told AFP.
“The Lebanese president refused a direct call with Netanyahu and informed [US secretary of state] Marco Rubio of this,” adding that “the American side was understanding”, the source said.
US president Donald Trump said Wednesday the “leaders” of the two countries would speak the following day.
Israeli troops being prepared for Lebanon ceasefire - report
A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is expected to begin at 7pm local time today, according to IDF officials.
High-ranking IDF commanders have been given orders to prepare forces currently deployed in southern Lebanon for the truce, Haaretz reports.
They have been informed that the ceasefire would begin some time between 7pm and midnight.
We have some images coming through the newswires of the bridge over the Litani river in Qasmiyeh in southern Lebanon that was hit by an Israeli airstrike. Lebanese media reported that it was the last remaining bridge linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country. Earlier today the Israeli military ordered people south of Zahrani river – a short distance from the Litani – to leave their homes and head north.
The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, has warned Iran to choose “between a bridge to the future and an abyss of isolation and destruction”, saying his country could strike harder if threats persist.
Speaking at a memorial ceremony, Katz said targets not yet hit by Israel would be “even more painful”, according to Israeli media reports.
Moments after Pope Leo delivered a speech in Cameroon denouncing leaders for using religion to justify war (see post at 12:55), Pete Hegseth has again used Biblical language and scripture to describe the US military campaign in Iran. He likened the rescue mission of American crew members whose fighter jet was shot down by Iran as a “miracle” and compared the press to the Pharisees, who challenged Jesus in the Bible, because of “the relentless negative coverage” of the war.
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Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, said a ceasefire in Lebanon was “as important” as in Iran, according to a statement posted on Telegram.
In a telephone conversation with his Lebanese counterpart, Nabih Berri, the Iranian official said Tehran was “seriously seeking to force the enemies to establish a permanent ceasefire in all conflict areas in accordance with the agreement” reached with the US on 8 April, adding: “A ceasefire in Lebanon is as important to us as a ceasefire in Iran.”
Asked whether there is any update on the welfare of the new Iranian supreme leader, Hegseth says his status “remains the same”.
He adds that Mojtaba Khamenei is believed to be alive, wounded and disfigured.
Caine tells reporters that the United States would pursue any vessel attempting to provide support to Iran, adding that enforcement would occur in Iranian territorial seas as well as and international waters.
He says that 13 ships have “made the wise choice to turn around” and that, as of this morning, the US has not boarded any ships.
He adds:
If you do not comply with this blockade, we will use force.
Joint chiefs of staff chairman Dan Caine says the US military remains ready to re-engage in combat “at literally a moment’s notice”.
He says the blockade covers Iran’s ports and coastlines and applies to all ships, regardless of which flag they are sailing under.
“This includes dark fleet vessels, carrying Iranian oil,” he says.
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US to maintain blockade 'for as long as it takes', says Hegseth
Hegseth says that the US is reloading “with more power than before” and says it is giving Iran the choice of doing things “the easy way or the hard way”.
He says Iran’s energy industry is not destroyed “yet” and that threatening to shoot at commercial ships “is not control, it’s piracy”.
The Pentagon chief adds:
For as long as it takes, we will maintain the blockade.
He is now attacking the “legacy, Trump-hating press” for not being patriotic enough for his liking…
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Hegseth warns Iranian regime that the US is 'watching you'
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is speaking in DC this morning, warning Iran’s leadership that the US is “watching you”.
“While you are digging out of bomb-hit facilities, we are only getting stronger,” he says. “You only have what you have – you know that and we know that.”
Addressing the Iranian regime directly, he says they can “move things around” but that is exposing theirselves to the American’s “watchful eye”.
“You like to say publicly, Iran, that you control the strait of Hormuz but you don’t have a navy,” Hegseth adds.
Lebanese president holds call with Rubio
The Lebanese presidency said Jospeh Aoun held a call with US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
In a statement posted on social media, it said the Lebanese president thanked Rubio “for the efforts Washington is undertaking to reach a ceasefire and its support at all levels”.
In turn, Rubio “affirmed his continuation of the ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire as a prelude to establishing peace, security, and stability in Lebanon”.
The statement made no mention of any possible talks between Aoun and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, despite comments by Donald Trump that the leaders of Lebanon and Israel would speak today.
Pope decries leaders who use religion to justify war amid feud with Trump
Amid a feud with Donald Trump over the US’s war on Iran, Pope Leo has used a speech in Cameroon to decry leaders who use religion to justify wars.
“Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” said the pope, who is on a four-country tour of Africa.
He made similar remarks last month when he said God ignores the prayers of leaders who wage war and have “hands full of blood”, which was widely interpreted as a veiled swipe at US defence secretary Pete Hegseth, who has used religious language and urged prayer in Jesus’s name for violence against enemies.
On Sunday, Donald Trump took aim at the pope and called him “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy” in a post on Truth Social. The US president’s comments have been widely condemned by Catholics and the international community, including Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
In Cameroon, Pope Leo also criticised leaders who spend billions on wars. “They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found.”
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A spokesperson for the Lebanese presidency said it was “not aware of any call” taking place between Joseph Aoun and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to CNN.
The spokesperson added that if such a call were to happen then there would be an announcement.
The confusion over whether Israel and Lebanon are expected to speak stems from a social media post this morning by Donald Trump, in which he claimed the leaders of the two countries would talk today, without providing any details on where or how they would communicate.
Lebanese president calls for ceasefire before talks with Israel
The president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, has stressed the importance of a ceasefire before any direct negotiations with Israel but did not confirm reports of a possible talks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The ceasefire that Lebanon is calling for with Israel will be the natural starting point for direct negotiations between the two countries,” he said in a statement posted on social media.
“Lebanon is keen to de-escalate the situation in the south and across all Lebanese regions, so that the targeting of innocent and defenceless people—women, men and children—comes to an end, and the destruction of homes in Lebanese villages and towns ceases.”
He added that negotiations would be conducted “solely by the Lebanese authorities”, the implication being that the Iran-backed Hezbollah group would not be involved.
Aoun said the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese territory “is an essential step towards consolidating the ceasefire” and that it would enable the Lebanese army to redeploy to the two countries’ shared border.
Israel destroys last bridge connecting southern Lebanon to rest of country - report
An Israeli airstrike has destroyed the last bridge connecting southern Lebanon to the rest of the country, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency.
The Israeli military struck the Qasmiyeh Bridge over the Litani river, destroying it completely, the news agency reported.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has not immediately commented on the report, but it targeted the bridge on 23 March after accusing Hezbollah of using it to move fighters and weapons into the country’s south.
The IDF has issued repeated warnings in recent weeks to people in southern Lebanon to flee their homes and head north of the Zahrani river, which is located about 10 miles north of the Litani.
Iran wants to hold the US and Israel accountable for the assassination of its leaders, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Ismail Baghaei, told Russia’s Ria Novosti news agency.
“We must do this. And I believe that it is not only Iran, but the entire international community that is calling for those responsible to be held to account,” he said.
Israel has killed a number of Iran’s most powerful figures since the start of the war, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader, and Ali Larijani, a top national security official.
Marco Rubio to join call between Israel and Lebanon leaders - report
The Lebanese TV channel Al Jadeed has reported that efforts are under way to arrange a call between Israel, Lebanon and the US.
Citing diplomatic sources, Al Jadeed reported that mediators are attempting contact between Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, with US secretary of state Marco Rubio to also join the discussion. Rubio hosted the first talks in decades between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington on Tuesday.
There has been no official confirmation of talks, although an Israeli minister told local media this morning that Netanyahu will speak to Aoun today. Lebanese officials however, have said privately that they were unaware of any such call.
In a statement shared on social media, Aoun said the ceasefire that Lebanon is “demanding with Israel” will serve as a “natural entry point for direct negotiations between the two countries”. He did not address reports about a call with the Israeli prime minister.
Iran has stopped all petrochemical exports to prioritise domestic supply and prevent shortages of raw materials, Reuters reported.
The state-owned National Petrochemical Company ordered firms to suspend exports until further notice.
Some petrochemical production hubs in Iran have been targeted by Israeli strikes in recent weeks, while a US naval blockade is preventing ships from using Iranian ports.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said no dates have been decided for a second round of talks between the US and Iran.
Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief, is in Iran as part of ongoing mediation efforts to renew negotiations as the deadline for the fragile US-Iran ceasefire looms.
Reuters news agency reported a senior Iranian official as saying Munir’s visit “was effective in reducing differences in some areas” but added that fundamental disagreements remained between the warring parties, specifically over Iran’s nuclear programme.
“More hopes have been created for extending the ceasefire and holding a second round of talks,” the official said.
“The fate of Iran’s highly enriched uranium and the duration of Iran’s nuclear restrictions are among the highly disputed issues for which no solution has yet been found.”
Netanyahu will speak to Lebanon president, Israeli minister says
A member of Israel’s security cabinet, Galia Gamliel, said the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will speak to the Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun, today, according to Israeli media.
The conversation will take place “after so many years of a total disconnect in the dialogue between the two states, and this move will hopefully, in the end, lead to prosperity”, she told the Israeli Army Radio, the Times of Israel reported.
Several media outlets, however, have reported Lebanese officials as saying they were unaware of any contact or meeting with Israel.
Military adviser to Iran supreme leader threatens to sink US ships
The military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader warned that Tehran would sink American ships in the strait of Hormuz if the US decided to “police” the narrow waterway.
Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who was named as a military adviser by Mojtaba Khamenei last month, also threatened to take American soldiers hostage if they came ashore and “demand one billion dollars for each captive”.
“[Donald] Trump wants to become the police of the strait of Hormuz, but we will under no circumstances back down from our ten conditions in the short negotiations over a maritime blockade,” he told state TV last night, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
“Extending the ceasefire is not in our favour at all; this is my personal opinion. The pressures must be intensified, Our launchers are now locked onto the ships and we will sink them all.
“A ceasefire will only have meaning when all our agreements and rights have been met and a statement has been submitted to the security council [of Iran].”
The US blockade of ships using Iranian ports in the Gulf came into effect on Monday evening as a counter to Iran’s near-total closure of the strait of Hormuz since the start of the war. The US Central Command (Centcom) said it stopped 10 vessels from sailing out of Iranian ports during the first 48 hours of the blockade, but ship tracking data indicated at least three ships sailing from Iranian ports crossed the strait of Hormuz, though some vessels later turned back.
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Lebanese officials 'unaware' of meeting with Israel - reports
Some news outlets have reported Lebanese officials as saying they were unaware of any contact or meeting with Israel, after Donald Trump said on social media that Israeli and Lebanese leaders would speak to each other today.
AFP news agency reported an official source in Lebanon saying: “We are not aware of any planned contact with the Israeli side, and we have not been informed of any through official channels.”
Al Jazeera also reported an official source in Lebanon saying “there is no information” about a possible phone conversation between Lebanese and Israeli leaders or a second meeting between their ambassadors in Washington following Tuesday’s talks.
In a Truth Social post, the US president said Israeli and Lebanese leaders will hold talks, but he did not provide any other details and it was not clear if he meant the countries’ heads of state or other officials. There has been no official confirmation of a meeting from Israel or Lebanon.
This morning the Israeli military issued another order telling people in southern Lebanon to flee the area due to “ongoing” airstrikes against what it described as Hezbollah targets, in its second such warning in 24 hours.
Avichay Adraee, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Arabic language spokesperson, have told people south of the Zahrani river to flee their homes, saying: The airstrikes are ongoing as the IDF operates with great force in the area.”
Here are some of the latest images coming in from the Middle East amid growing optimism that the Iran war may be near an end, with a key Pakistani mediator in Tehran and the Trump administration talking up hopes for a deal that would open the strait of Hormuz.
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The European Union is drafting plans to tackle a looming jet fuel supply crunch and maximise refinery output, officials say.
European airlines have warned of jet fuel shortages within weeks as a result of the Iran war, disrupting travel ahead of summer.
Europe is more dependent on jet fuel imports – with some 75% from the Middle East – than for any other transport fuel, Reuters reports.
From next month, the European Commission will introduce EU-wide mapping of refining capacity for oil products and introduce measures “to ensure that existing refining capacity is fully utilised and maintained”, a draft proposal says.
The EU is also working on measures targeting jet fuel supply, but those are still in development, officials familiar with the proposals said. The EC declined to comment on the draft plans, which are due to be published on 22 April.
Jet fuel prices have soared since the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz and European airlines are warning of price hikes, cancellations and grounded planes if the war does not end soon.
Donald Trump said in comments aired on Wednesday that the war with Iran could end soon, telling the world to watch out for an “amazing two days”, while US forces imposing a blockade turned back vessels leaving Iranian ports.
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The US defence secretary and the chair of the military’s joint chiefs of staff will hold a press conference on Thursday morning US time about the US-Israel operation against Iran, the US defence department has said on social media.
Pete Hegseth and Gen Dan Caine would hold the presser on Operation Epic Fury at 8am ET (1200 GMT), it said.
Asian stocks mostly gained while oil prices steadied on Thursday over expectations of an extension of a ceasefire in the Iran war and hopes for more talks between the US and Iran.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 jumped 2.4%, while South Korea’s Kospi climbed 2%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose and the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.6%.
China on Thursday reported 5% economic growth for the January-March quarter, an acceleration from the previous quarter, the Associated Press reports
While economists say China has largely shrugged off the initial impacts from the Iran war, some are warning its massive export engine could be hit more significantly in the coming months on slower global economic growth.
Taiwan’s Taiex was trading 0.9% higher, while Australia’s S+P/ASX 200 edged down 0.1%.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.
Donald Trump says the leaders of Israel and Lebanon will hold talks on Thursday, after the countries’ first face-to-face diplomatic negotiations in decades.
“Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon,” the US president posted on Truth Social on Wednesday. “It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow.”
Trump did not say who would be involved or give more detail. The Financial Times said a ceasefire could be announced soon, citing Lebanese officials.
Reports earlier said Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was weighing a possible truce with Lebanon after pressure from Washington.
Meanwhile, the White House denied reports the US had requested an extension to its ceasefire with Iran, set to expire next week. Talks between them were “productive and ongoing”, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, and the US “feels good about the prospects of a deal”.
The US also announced it was tightening sanctions against Iran’s oil industry. Oil transport infrastructure would be targeted with sanctions on more than two dozen people, companies and ships that operated within the network of petroleum shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the Treasury department said.
In other developments:
Pakistan’s army chief met with Iran’s foreign minister in Tehran on Wednesday in the latest diplomatic move to ease Middle East tensions and arrange a second round of US-Iran negotiations. Trump said earlier that the war was “very close to over”.
Leavitt said a second round of US-Iran talks would “very likely” take place in Islamabad again and that Pakistan was “the only mediator” in the discussions.
Major Wall Street stock indices extended an upward climb on optimism about a US-Iran agreement.
Israel’s security cabinet met to discuss a ceasefire after the Israel-Lebanon talks mediated by the US in Washington on Tuesday. But the Israeli military continues to strike the country, with Netanyahu saying Israel was about to “overwhelm” the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, calling it a Hezbollah stronghold.
Four Lebanese rescue workers were killed in consecutive Israeli strikes in the southern Lebanon village of Mayfadoun on Wednesday, paramedic groups said. Six others were wounded.
The US military’s Middle East command Centcom said it stopped 10 vessels from sailing out of Iranian ports during the first 48 hours of the US naval blockade. But ship tracking data indicated at least three ships sailing from Iranian ports crossed the strait of Hormuz, though some vessels taking the route later turned back.
The finance ministers of 11 countries including the UK and Japan called for “coordinated emergency support” from the IMF and World Bank to help countries hit by disruptions from the Middle East war.
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