<\/p>\n
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on the village of Qlaileh, as seen from the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Hussein Malla\/AP<\/p>\n
Backdropped by ships in the Strait of Hormuz, damage, according to local witnesses caused by several recent airstrikes during the U.S.-Israel military campaign, is seen on a fishing pier in the port of Qeshm island, Iran, Monday, April 13, 2026.<\/p>\n
Asghar Besharati\/AP<\/p>\n
A young girl carries a portrait of a killed Hezbollah fighter at a mass grave where civilians and Hezbollah fighters killed in Israeli airstrikes are temporarily buried in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, April 14, 2026.<\/p>\n
Mohammed Zaatari\/AP<\/p>\n
In this photo released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, meets with Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir in Tehran, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Iranian Foreign Ministry via AP)<\/p>\n
AP<\/p>\n
Girls chase bubbles next to their family’s tents used as shelter after fleeing Israeli bombardment in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburbs, in Beirut, on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.<\/p>\n
Bilal Hussein\/AP<\/p>\n
A 10-day ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump and agreed on by Lebanon and Israel appeared to be holding in Lebanon early Friday, potentially boosting efforts to extend a ceasefire between Iran, the United States and Israel.<\/p>\n
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It was unclear whether a lasting deal would be reached between the U.S. and Iran before the ceasefire ends next week, but the pause in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah could be an indication some progress has been made.<\/p>\n
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An end to Israel\u2019s war with Hezbollah was a key demand of Iranian negotiators. Israel has not been fighting with Lebanon itself, but rather with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group inside Lebanon, which said in a statement that \u201cany ceasefire must be comprehensive across all Lebanese territory and must not allow the Israeli enemy any freedom of movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to the ceasefire \u201cto advance\u201d peace efforts with Lebanon, but said Israeli troops would not withdraw.<\/p>\n
Pakistan\u2019s army chief met Thursday with Iran\u2019s parliament speaker as part of international efforts to press for an extension to the ceasefire that has paused almost seven weeks of war.<\/p>\n
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Mediators are pushing for a compromise on three main sticking points: Iran\u2019s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for wartime damages, according to a regional official involved in mediation efforts.<\/p>\n
Reopening the strait is a key demand by the U.S. and the international community as a global energy crisis worsens daily because of the key oil route’s closure. The leaders of France and the U.K. will gather dozens of countries Friday to push forward plans to reopen the strait, although the U.S. will not be included.<\/p>\n
The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,100 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed.<\/p>\n
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US envoy says ceasefire with Hezbollah is \u2018beginning of a road\u2019<\/p>\n
Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey, told a diplomacy conference Friday that the \u201cbrilliance\u201d of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire in Lebanon was that it ended \u201csenseless killing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe brilliance of what happened yesterday is it stopped senseless killing and President Trump and Secretary Rubio stepping in strongly and saying we need a time out,\u201d Barrack said at the conference in Antalya, southern Turkey.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis is just the beginning of a road and the ceasefires are so delicate because everybody\u2019s been equally untrustworthy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody is in atrophy over this idiotic war. So will the ceasefire stick? What will we do? It\u2019s baby steps,\u201d Barrack said.<\/p>\n
Pakistan leader supports Israel and Hezbollah ceasefire<\/p>\n
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday welcomed a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.<\/p>\n
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Sharif said in a post on X that the agreement was \u201cfacilitated through bold and sagacious diplomatic efforts led by President Donald Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sharif is attending a diplomacy forum in Turkey and expressed hope the ceasefire would pave the way for sustainable peace.<\/p>\n
He said Pakistan reaffirms its unwavering support for Lebanon\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity and will continue to back efforts aimed at achieving lasting regional peace.<\/p>\n
Beirut official says Israeli strikes hit neighborhood 62 times<\/p>\n
A local government official in Beirut\u2019s southern suburb of Haret Hreik said Israel struck the neighborhood 62 times over the past six weeks.<\/p>\n
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Haret Hreik Deputy Mayor Sadek Slim said 26 buildings were completely destroyed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been able to clear up the rubble of the partially damaged buildings, but for those totally destroyed we will need special equipment,\u201d Slim said in a news briefing under a bridge on a busy intersection.<\/p>\n
The area is gridlocked with traffic with people returning to check on their homes and Hezbollah supporters zooming around on scooters and waving the militant group\u2019s flag.<\/p>\n
French president praises ceasefire in Lebanon<\/p>\n
French President Emmanuel Macron said he supports the 10-day-ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel and called for its continuation.<\/p>\n
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\u201cHezbollah must renounce its weapons. Israel must respect Lebanese sovereignty and stop the war,\u201d he said Friday in a post on X.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also express my concern that it may already be undermined by the continuation of military operations,\u201d Macron said without elaborating on any specific operations.<\/p>\n
The Lebanese army reported Israeli shelling in some areas of southern Lebanon in the early hours of the ceasefire.<\/p>\n
German foreign minister says long-term accords needed after ceasefire<\/p>\n
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and thanked the U.S. for its role as a mediator.<\/p>\n
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What is needed now, Wadephul said, are long-term agreements on securing the border, protecting civilians on both sides of the Blue Line, and ensuring the safety of UNIFIL peacekeepers.<\/p>\n
He said the talks paved the way for a future reality in which the interests of both sides are equally taken into account: Israel\u2019s legitimate security interests and Lebanon\u2019s right to territorial integrity and sovereignty.<\/p>\n
Long-term security in the region can only be achieved through the effective disarmament of Hezbollah, Wadephul added.<\/p>\n
Displaced Lebanese return to scenes of destruction<\/p>\n
Relief at a ceasefire beginning in Lebanon on Friday was tempered by the destruction that many encountered upon returning to their homes.<\/p>\n
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In the southern village of Jibsheet, a trickle of residents returned to flattened apartment blocks and streets littered with chunks of concrete, twisted aluminum shutters and dangling electrical wires.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel free being back,\u201d 23-year-old Zainab Fahas said. \u201cBut look they destroyed everything: the square, the houses, the shops, everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the southern Beirut suburb of Haret Hreik, Ahmad Lahham, 48, waved the yellow Hezbollah flag. He stood on a mountain of rubble that was his apartment building and also housed a branch of Hezbollah\u2019s financial arm, Al-Qard Al-Hassan.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s pressure in its talks with the U.S. brought the truce, condemning Lebanon\u2019s direct talks with Israel, he said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cOnly the Iranians stood with us, no one else,\u201d he said, calling Lebanon\u2019s leaders \u201cthe leadership of shame.\u201d<\/p>\n
South Korea tanker passes through Red Sea route<\/p>\n
A South Korean-flagged tanker carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia\u2019s Yanbu port has safely exited the Red Sea, South Korean officials said.<\/p>\n
The passage marks the country\u2019s first such shipment since it began seeking alternative energy routes while Iran is largely blocking the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday described the passage as a \u201cvaluable accomplishment\u201d during the government\u2019s efforts to overcome challenges posed by the war.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries did not immediately say how many tankers would attempt to use the Red Sea route or when the vessel that passed would arrive in South Korea.<\/p>\n
Officials say 26 of South Korea\u2019s vessels remain stranded in the strait.<\/p>\n
Trump hails Israel-Lebanon ceasefire as \u2018historic day\u2019<\/p>\n
In two social media posts Thursday night, U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday could have been \u201ca historic day for Lebanon.\u201d<\/p>\n
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In a separate Truth Social message after the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon went into effect, Trump added that he hoped the Lebanon-based, Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group \u201cacts nicely and well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be an GREAT moment for them if they do,\u201d Trump added.<\/p>\n
Australia strikes deal with BP to underwrite fuel imports<\/p>\n
BP has become a fifth company to strike a deal with the Australian government to underwrite fuel imports at prices inflated by the Iran war.<\/p>\n
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the BP deal on Friday at Viva Energy\u2019s Geelong refinery, southwest of Melbourne, that was damaged by fire over Wednesday night. He said the damaged refinery continued to produce diesel and jet fuel at 80% capacity and gasoline as 60% capacity.<\/p>\n
Viva on Thursday secured 570,000 barrels of diesel underwritten by the government in shipments from Brunei and South Korea at prices that might otherwise be commercially unviable.<\/p>\n
Australia has sufficient fuel supplies contracted into May, but there are concerns that shortages could emerge in the months ahead.<\/p>\n
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