⢠Stocks surged following the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz amid a 10-day Israel-Lebanon ceasefire and President Donald Trump's blockade measures, signaling reduced energy supply constraints.
⢠The market reaction reflects investor optimism over improved shipping lanes and normalized energy flows, with financial commentators attributing the gains to Trump's diplomatic efforts.
⢠The reopening of this critical global shipping chokepoint addresses a major source of market volatility tied to Middle East tensions.
Lasting peace depends on resolving a border dispute dating back to 2000 and dealing with Hezbollahâs weaponsMiddle East crisis â live updatesIsraelâs security cabinet first heard about the ceasefire with Lebanon from a social media post by Donald Trump. Hezbollah first heard about the ceasefire from the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon. Each side shot off as many bombs, drones and rockets as they could before the ceasefire â imposed from above â came into effect.Despite the US president claiming it is the 10th war he has ended, the situation on the ground in Lebanon looks anything but stable. Continue reading...
Halt to seven weeks of fighting will be followed by first Israeli-Lebanese summit in decades. Plus, why are there so many false claims that some of cinemaâs most famous scenes were improvised?Good morning.Donald Trump has announced a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon, to be followed by a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese leaders next week, a deal that it is hoped will bring progress toward a parallel peace agreement between the US and Iran.What has Lebanon said? The Lebanese army warned people displaced from southern Lebanon about returning home because of intermittent shelling that was reported after the ceasefire came into effect.This is a developing story. Follow the liveblog here.What has Amazon said? It has called the claims in the lawsuit âentirely false and misguidedâ. The company said in a statement: âAmazon is consistently identified as Americaâs lowest-priced online retailer, and it is ironic that the attorney general seeks to have us feature higher prices in ways that would harm consumers and competition.â Continue reading...
⢠Donald Trump announced a major ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon while signaling progress toward a potential nuclear deal with Iran.
⢠The development represents a significant diplomatic initiative amid broader Middle East tensions and ongoing US-Iran negotiations.
⢠The ceasefire comes as regional dynamics continue to shift with multiple diplomatic channels active simultaneously.
AntĂłnio Guterres welcomes truce and says through spokesperson he hopes halt in fighting will âpave the way for negotiationsâHello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.United Nations chief AntĂłnio Guterres has welcomed the ceasefire announced on Thursday between Israel and Lebanon, urging âall actorsâ to fully respect the truce.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 more than 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 âfor meaningful talksâ 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. Hereâs our report.Netanyahu called it a âhistoricâ opportunity for peace, though he refused to withdraw his troops from southern Lebanon during the pause in fighting. âWe are remaining in Lebanon in an expanded security zone,â he said, due to the âdanger of an invasionâ and to prevent fire into Israel. âThat is where we are, and we are not leaving.â The Israeli prime minister maintained that his key demand was dismantling Hezbollah. He has previously declared his intention to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River â about 30km from the border â while Lebanon demands the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and for displaced residents to be able to return to their homes.Iranâs foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei welcomed the ceasefire and stressed it was already part of the original Iran-US agreement brokered by Pakistan. Baghaei said Iran emphasised âfrom the outsetâ the need for a âsimultaneous ceasefire throughout the region, including Lebanonâ, and expressed his âsolidarityâ with the people and government of Lebanon. He called for the return of displaced residents to their homes and emphasised the necessity of the âcomplete withdrawalâ of Israeli forces from the south of the country â which, as mentioned, Israel has refused to do.The Lebanese army urged residents to âexercise restraintâ 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 Israelâs history of âbreaking covenants and agreementsâ.The Israeli military issued an urgent warning to the people of southern Lebanon not to return south of the Litani River despite the ceasefire coming into force.In the hours before the truce took effect, Israel and Hezbollah continued to exchange fire. Just as the ceasefire came into force, the Israeli military said it had hit more than 380 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the past 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. Continue reading...
PM tells Guardian Australia Hezbollah should cease reprisals and confirms Australiaâs military surveillance aircraft will remain in regionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustraliaâs prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has urged Israel to stop its attacks on Lebanon and raised concern over its intensified military campaign on Beirut and the countryâs south after the ceasefire in the Middle East.Albanese also called on Hezbollah to cease attacks on Israel, reiterating his governmentâs belief that the Middle East ceasefire must include Lebanon. The prime minister also confirmed Australiaâs military surveillance aircraft would remain in the region for at least another month beyond its initial deployment. Continue reading...
⢠Iran has laid out preconditions for ceasefire negotiations with the United States, including a truce in Lebanon and the release of frozen Iranian assets before substantive talks can proceed.
⢠The Iranian position reflects the broader regional conflict dynamics, with fighting extending beyond US-Iran direct confrontation to proxy conflicts in Lebanon and other Middle Eastern locations.
⢠These conditions complicate already delicate negotiations in Pakistan, as the US and its allies assess whether such demands can be accommodated within broader regional security frameworks.
⢠Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has authorized direct negotiations with Lebanese representatives, marking a potential diplomatic breakthrough in the broader Middle Eastern conflict landscape alongside US-Iran ceasefire talks.
⢠The parallel diplomatic tracks suggest efforts to compartmentalize various conflicts within the region and create opportunities for broader de-escalation beyond direct US-Iran confrontation.
⢠These negotiations involve coordination with US authorities, reflecting Washington's strategic interest in achieving regional stability across multiple conflict zones simultaneously.
⢠US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire on April 8, 2026, ending 38 days of intense conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran involving major military exchanges.
⢠Iran maintained leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route, while the US pushed Iran to negotiations based on Tehran's 10-point framework against Washington's 15-point demands on nuclear activity and regional influence.
⢠Israel rejected parts of the ceasefire scope and continued operations in Lebanon, prompting Iran to warn of withdrawal if attacks persist, highlighting the truce's precarious nature amid high regional tensions.
Strikes that killed more than 200 people spark outrage amid global efforts to salvage truceMiddle East crisis â live updatesIsraelâs devastating bombardment of Lebanon in the hours after a US-Iranian ceasefire was announced has been widely condemned amid global efforts to salvage the truce.More than 200 people were killed by Israeli bombing including strikes with heavy munitions on densely populated areas, which drew outrage from the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international humanitarian organisations. Continue reading...
Israel claims attacks on densely populated residential areas that killed more than 200 people were aimed at Hezbollah membersMiddle East crisis â live updatesWhat was the point of Israelâs surprise mass strikes on Lebanon that killed more than 200 people and drew widespread international condemnation?Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials have claimed the largest strike against Hezbollah during the month-long war against Iran was carefully aimed at members of the armed group, but the attacks appeared to be as much a piece of violent spectacle to benefit Netanyahu as militarily useful. Continue reading...
Iran and mediator Pakistan assert ceasefire included Lebanon but Israel and US disagree. Plus, how Korean fried chicken took over the worldGood morning.The fate of the two-week ceasefire in the Iran conflict looked in peril as both sides gave divergent versions of what had been agreed, Israel intensified its bombing campaign in Lebanon and Iran halted the passage of oil tankers because of an alleged Israeli ceasefire breach.What has Iran said? In a sharply worded statement, Iranâs parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Israel and the US had violated several clauses of the provisional ceasefire, and he decried Israelâs aggressive bombing of Lebanon and a US demand that Iran should have no right to enrich its own uranium.This is a developing story. Follow our liveblog here.What was said in the video about Mamdani? The videos feature the organizationâs founder, Yisrael Yaacob Ben Avraham, describing Mamdani as a âMuslim terroristâ and a âcancerâ, and his election as a âharbingerâ of âa creeping Islamic takeover of Americaâ. Continue reading...
Foreign secretary to address City leaders in London as Israel intensifies bombing and Vance says Lebanon is not part of dealMiddle East crisis â live updatesLebanon must be included in the ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran, the British foreign secretary will say, as a two-week pause in the conflict hangs in the balance.Addressing an event at the Mansion House in London, Yvette Cooper is expected to say there âmust be no return to conflictâ after the ceasefire announced by the US president, Donald Trump, late on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Joint statement calling for aid worker protections amid worsening humanitarian crisis also signed by Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Sierra Leone and the UKAustralia says Lebanon must be included in the Middle East ceasefire and has led a group of other countries in expressing deep concern about âthe worsening humanitarian situation and displacement crisis in Lebanon.âOvernight, Israel carried out its largest attack on Lebanon since its war with Hezbollah began, killing at least 254 people and wounding 837, an assault that prompted Iranian officials to warn Tehran could withdraw from the ceasefire agreed with the US this week. Continue reading...
Inclusion of Lebanon is significant difference in interpretation of truce agreed at 11th hour on TuesdayMiddle East crisis â live updatesThe fate of the two-week ceasefire in the Iran conflict looked uncertain on Wednesday as both sides gave divergent versions of what had been agreed, Israel intensified its bombing campaign in Lebanon and Iran halted the passage of oil tankers because of an Israeli ceasefire âbreachâ.Iran and Pakistan, which brokered the 11th-hour truce, both asserted that the ceasefire included Lebanon. Israelâs prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, disagreed and Israeli forces unleashed their heaviest attack of the war so far on more than 100 targets in Beirut and across the country. Continue reading...
Israeli military announces further action against Hezbollah, contradicting statements from Pakistan and IranMiddle East crisis â live updatesIsrael said its military operations in Lebanon would continue despite Donald Trumpâs ceasefire announcement, with Israeli forces carrying out strikes and telling civilians in the south of the country to leave the areas they are targeting.The office of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that Trumpâs two-week pause âdoes not include Lebanonâ amid reports of continued artillery and drone strikes, directly contradicting statements made by Iran and Pakistan, which has been mediating in the conflict. Continue reading...
Pakistanâs PM had said the ceasefire would cover Lebanon; Iran says passage through the strait of Hormuz will be allowed for the next 2 weeks. Follow the latest newsUS and Iran agree to provisional ceasefire with Tehran saying it will reopen strait of HormuzIran war ceasefire announcement â what we know so farIsrael supports Donald Trumpâs decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, but said the ceasefire does not include Lebanon, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahuâs office said on Wednesday.The office said Israel backed the US move, provided Tehran immediately opens the strait of Hormuz and stops attacks against the United States, Israel and countries in the region.Iranâs Supreme National Security Council said it had conditionally accepted a two-week ceasefire if attacks agains Iran are halted.Iranâs foreign minister said passage through the strait of Hormuz will be allowed for the next 2 weeks under Iranian military management.Iranian state media said negotiations with the US would be held in Islamabad to finalise details of an agreement, with the aim of âconfirming Iranâs battlefield achievementsâ. Talks will begin on Friday 10 April and may be extended, state media reported. State media also reported that talks with the US do not amount to the end of the war.Pakistani prime minister Shebaz Sharif announced that Iran, the US and their allies agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon. Sharif has been a key figure in attempting to reach a diplomatic solution between the two warring parties. In his statement, Sharif invited delegations to Islamabad on âFriday, 10th April 2026, to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputesâ.Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli welcomed the ceasefire but said fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon was not part of it.Trump said Iran had proposed a âworkableâ 10-point peace plan. According to Iranian state media, the ten-point proposal includes a number of conditions that the US has in the past rejected. Among them are controlled transit through strait of Hormuz coordinated with Iranian armed forces and withdrawal of all US forces from regional bases. The plan would also require the lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions, payment of full compensation to Iran and release of all frozen Iranian assets.Iranian state media also said the 10-point plan for securing an end to the war would require Washington to accept its uranium enrichment program, a previous red line for the Trump administration.Even as the ceasefire was proposed, missile alerts continued in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Israel. Continue reading...
⢠The Israeli Defense Forces' 91st "Galilee" Division conducted raids in eastern southern Lebanon, killing several Hezbollah operatives as Israel prepares for potential ceasefire negotiations and discussions on Hezbollah's disarmament.
⢠Military operations are designed to reduce missile and drone fire toward Israel and continue systematic destruction of the Iranian regime's ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle infrastructure.
⢠The raids occur amid parallel diplomatic preparations for Lebanon ceasefire talks, signaling Israel's dual-track military and negotiation strategy in the broader regional conflict.
Israel conducted air raids and sent ground troops into Lebanese border areas, breaching the 2024 ceasefire, in response to Hezbollah missile launches. Strikes targeted areas after the killing of Iranian leaders in prior US-Israeli actions. Hezbollah, backed by Iran, retaliated with missiles at Israel amid the broader regional war. The intensified conflict shows no signs of abating, with US Central Command confirming related operations.