Iran War LIVE: Israeli strikes on Lebanon render negotiations meaningless, says Iranian President

Egypt's Prime Minister said Thursday that the recent energy-saving measures will be loosened starting Friday through April 27, pushing back the time when businesses must close to 11 pm from 9 pm.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey sees signs both sides are willing to compromise, including on Iran’s nuclear program and uranium enrichment. Speaking in Ankara, he said there had been “certain changes” in negotiating positions and cited a global consensus that attacks on Iran were a “mistake” as reason for cautious optimism.

The NATO secretary-general said Tehran and Moscow have been working together on military technology, and alleged Iran has been sowing chaos in the region. “Particularly when it comes to Iran and Russia, it is drone technology, it is other military technology,” Rutte said while giving a talk at the Reagan Centre in Washington. “And the Russians are returning with money. And the money is being spent for Iran to create utter chaos," as per The Associated Press (AP).

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said that he has instructed his cabinet to begin direct talks with Lebanon "as soon as possible" to disarm Hezbollah and establish "peace relations" between the two countries. This comes a day after Israel launched deadly strikes on Lebanon across Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and the southern part of the country, which killed over 200 people. According to news agency AFP, Israeli media outlets reported that Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the US, would represent the country in the talks.

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Iran will allow no more than 15 ​vessels a day to ‌pass through the Strait of Hormuz under the ceasefire agreement ​it agreed with the ​United States, Russia's TASS ⁠news agency reported. Each passage will also require Iran's approval and compliance with a specific protocol, the report added. 

Iran has issued a sharp warning to Israel, stating that continued attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon will invite explicit costs and strong retaliation. Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that Lebanon and Iran-aligned groups are officially part of the ceasefire framework and that any violations will be met with a firm response. He added that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also reiterated that this position remains non-negotiable, urging all sides to extinguish the fire immediately.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian ​said on ‌Thursday that Israeli strikes on ​Lebanon ​violate the ceasefire agreement ⁠and would ​render negotiations ​meaningless. "The repeated aggression by the Zionist entity against Lebanon is a flagrant violation of the initial ceasefire agreement and a dangerous indicator of deceit and lack of commitment to potential accords. The continuation of these aggressions will render negotiations meaningless; our hands will remain on the trigger, and Iran will never abandon its Lebanese brothers and sisters," he added. 

Iran’s parliament speaker warned on X that continued Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon would bring “explicit costs and STRONG responses.” Like other Iranian officials, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf insisted that the two-week ceasefire extended to Lebanon, something denied by both Israel and the US. "Ceasefire violations carry explicit and STRONG responses. Extinguish the fire immediately," he wrote.

The main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria returned to service today, five days after the Israeli military warned of plans to strike it, alleging that Hezbollah was using it to smuggle military equipment. Both Lebanese and Syrian authorities denied the claim. The threatened strike never took place. Lebanese officials have said that the US and Egypt interceded to halt it. Syria’s port and customs authority announced the “resumption of normal traffic flow” at the crossing known as Masnaa on the Lebanese side and Jdeidet Yabous on the Syrian side, “following the elimination of the risks that necessitated its temporary closure.”

Hezbollah has said it carried out 3 attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, marking a renewed escalation in the region.

According to a report by Iran International, the group said the strikes were in response to Israeli attacks earlier in the week and what it described as violations of the ceasefire.

The development comes amid growing tensions over the truce, with Hezbollah warning it could resume operations if Israeli strikes continue in Lebanon.

According to Iranian media reports, Reza Jafar Zadeh, deputy coordinator of the Western Regional Command of the army’s ground forces, has been killed in Kermanshah in recent days.

Air France has extended the suspension of its flights to several key destinations in the Middle East until May 3, citing ongoing security risks linked to the conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran.

Major airlines have largely halted operations in the region since the war began, following US Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.

In a statement, Air France said flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai and Riyadh would remain suspended until May 3, 2026, inclusive, or until May 4 for departures from Dubai.

The airline added that any resumption of services would depend on a reassessment of the rapidly evolving security situation on the ground.

Beijing said on Thursday that Lebanon’s sovereignty should not be violated after Israeli strikes on the country threatened a fragile truce. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular press conference that Lebanon’s sovereignty and security must be respected, and that the safety of civilian lives and property should be ensured.

She added that China was urging restraint from all sides and called for efforts to de escalate tensions and stabilise the regional situation.

Indian ship Green Asha has arrived in Mumbai after successfully crossing the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel was carrying 15,000 tonnes of LPG and reached the port amid ongoing tensions in the region.

Pakistan’s foreign minister, in a call with his Saudi counterpart, stressed the need for full respect for the ceasefire involving the United States, Israel and Iran, the ministry said in a statement.

“We demand urgent international action to stop Israel’s violations of international law,” the statement said. Condemning Israeli strikes on Lebanon, it added, “We strongly condemn the ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon.”

Iran's negotiators will arrive in Islamabad on Thursday night for talks on the conflict with the United States and Israel, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan said.

In a post on X, Reza Amiri Moghadam said the delegation would arrive in Islamabad for “serious talks based on 10 points proposed by Iran.”

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the US Iran ceasefire should be extended to cover Lebanon, where Israeli attacks have continued.

She also stressed that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz must remain toll free, rejecting Iran’s move to impose transit fees on vessels using the key route.

US President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that American ships, aircraft and military personnel, along with additional weapons and ammunition, would remain deployed in and around Iran until a final agreement is fully implemented.

He warned that if the deal is not honoured, the United States would respond with overwhelming force, adding that such a scenario was unlikely. Trump also stressed that the agreement requires Iran to have no nuclear weapons and for the Strait of Hormuz to remain open and secure.

He added that US forces are currently regrouping and preparing, while expressing confidence in the country’s military strength and readiness.

Oil prices climbed while global stock markets fell on Thursday as concerns grew over the fragile US-Iran ceasefire, after Tehran warned it could resume hostilities following a major Israeli bombardment of Lebanon.

Markets had moved sharply in the opposite direction on Wednesday, with equities surging and crude prices dropping after US President Donald Trump announced a 2-week pause in the conflict and Iran signalled it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz as negotiations progressed.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to expand their ceasefire agreement to include Lebanon.

After speaking with both leaders, Macron said he hoped the truce would be respected across all areas of conflict, stressing that including Lebanon is essential for the ceasefire to be credible and lasting.

US President Donald Trump lashed out at what he described as “failing” and “fake” media outlets over reports of a supposed 10 point plan related to Iran ceasefire negotiations.

In a post on Truth Social, he claimed that reports by The New York Times and CNN about the plan were completely fabricated and intended to undermine those involved in the peace process. He described all 10 points as a "made-up hoax" and criticised the outlets in strong terms

Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for launching rockets at northern Israel, marking its first attacks since the United States brokered a 2 week ceasefire agreement with its patron, Iran.

In a statement, the group said the strikes, including one that triggered overnight sirens, were carried out in response to what it described as Israeli violations of the ceasefire, following Israel’s largest attack on Lebanon in the conflict on Wednesday.

The Israeli Air Force carried out its largest wave of airstrikes so far against Hezbollah on Wednesday, the military said, after signalling it would continue operations against the Iran backed group in Lebanon, the Times of Israel reported.

The escalation came despite a 2-week ceasefire with Tehran that had taken effect just hours earlier, with Israeli officials maintaining that the truce does not apply to their campaign in Lebanon. 

A senior Iranian official has said the country will “punish” Israel in response to what it described as a crime in Lebanon and a violation of ceasefire terms, according to Al Jazeera.

The official stated that the ceasefire applies to the wider region and accused Israel of repeatedly breaking commitments, adding that it would only be deterred by force.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Fars news agency, citing an unnamed military source, reported that Tehran is preparing a response to what it sees as Israel’s breach of the ceasefire.

The White House said in an X post that the United States had achieved every objective on schedule and exactly as planned from the very beginning.

It claimed that Iran’s navy had been destroyed, its defence industrial base annihilated, and its nuclear weapons ambitions denied. The statement also asserted that Iran’s ability to threaten the region had been systematically dismantled.

Israeli forces have launched another strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, according to Al Jazeera. The attack follows earlier Israeli bombardment of several towns in southern Lebanon, including Safad al Battikh, Majdal Selem, Chaqra and Kherbet Selem.

US President Donald Trump is “clearly disappointed” with several NATO allies for not backing the US and Israel’s war on Iran to the extent he had hoped, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said after meeting him on Wednesday.

Rutte noted that while many allies provided support, some fell short, contributing to Trump’s frustration.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy has announced alternative routes through the Strait of Hormuz to help vessels avoid potential sea mines, according to Iranian state media.

In a statement reported by the ISNA news agency and cited by Al Jazeera, the force advised ships planning to transit the strait to coordinate with the IRGC Navy and follow designated corridors.

For entry, vessels are instructed to move from the Sea of Oman to the north of Larak Island before continuing into the Gulf. For exit, ships should travel from the Gulf to the south of Larak Island and then proceed towards the Sea of Oman.

Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes killed 182 people on Wednesday, the highest single-day death toll in the Israel-Hezbollah war as airstrikes continued despite the US and Iran agreeing to a 14-day ceasefire.

US President Donald Trump posted a message on Truth Social criticising NATO, saying the alliance failed to support the United States when it was needed and would likely do so again in the future.

In the same post, he also referenced Greenland, describing it as a large and poorly managed territory, and emphasised his point by urging people to remember it.