A tentative U.S.-Iran ceasefire is faltering as Israel pounds Beirut, Iran maintains its grip on the Strait of Hormuz and truce talks remain uncertain, with both Tehran and Washington claiming victory and exerting pressure.
Israeli strikes made Wednesday the deadliest day in Lebanon since the war began, with at least 203 people killed, according to the Health Ministry.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he had approved direct negotiations
with Lebanon, which gave no immediate response.
There are lingering disagreements over whether the ceasefire covers the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Iran is warning of “STRONG responses” if attacks on its militant ally don’t stop. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again on Wednesday in response to those strikes.
Talks on a permanent deal could begin soon in Islamabad, with Vice President JD Vance set to lead the U.S. delegation.
Here is the latest:
The NATO secretary-general said Tehran and Moscow have been working together on military technology, and alleged Iran has been sewing 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 Center in Washington. “And the Russians are returning with money. And the money is being spent for Iran to create utter chaos.”
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.
He warned that Israeli “provocations,” including its invasion of Lebanon, could threaten talks that are due to start Saturday in Pakistan.
Fidan said the region is “tired of occupations and wars,” urged reconciliation between Iran and Gulf states and said “international players” should be ready to curb Israel’s “expansionism.”
He also suggested the two-week ceasefire could be extended to allow talks to continue.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Thursday with the army chief, Asim Munir, ahead of further talks in Islamabad.
Sharif’s office said both men stressed the need for all parties to maintain the ceasefire.
In a joint statement, the countries also condemned “the unacceptable aggressive behavior” toward the soldiers and leaders of the U.N. force in Lebanon known as UNIFIL.
The statement was read by Indonesia’s U.N. Ambassador Umar Hadi, whose country recently had three of its peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon.
The statement said those responsible for attacks on peacekeepers must be held accountable, but did not identify any parties. A preliminary U.N. report blamed Israel for two of the killings and Hezbollah for one of them.
Noticeably missing from the list of signatories to the statement was the United States, Israel’s closest ally, which pushed for the U.N. Security Council to end the UNIFIL mission at the end of 2026.
The signatories reaffirmed support for UNIFIL, said attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes, and called on the parties to urgently return to the 2024 ceasefire,
The NATO secretary-general said his meeting with Trump a day earlier included a “frank” and “candid” exchange.
Rutte acknowledged that European allies “were a bit slow” to provide logistical support.
“In fairness, they were also a bit surprised,” Rutte said. “To maintain the element of surprise for the initial strikes, President Trump opted not to inform allies ahead of time, and I understand that.”
He said some European countries have since provided support, including bases and logistics, to assist the U.S. military.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said allies are not “whistling past the graveyard” and understand the need for major changes demanded by Trump, amid his threats of a U.S. withdrawal from the alliance.
Rutte, speaking at the Reagan Center a day after meeting Trump, said Europe is taking on a greater share of defense and moving toward a more balanced partnership.
He also acknowledged some allies were slow to assist in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and said they were caught off guard because Trump did not notify them in advance.
The Israeli prime minister says he gave the order in response to requests from Lebanon and that talks would focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between the neighboring countries.
He welcomed a call by Lebanon’s prime minister to demilitarize Beirut.
There was no immediate response from the Lebanese government to the announcement.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, the ministry said.
Lavrov welcomed the news of the Iran-U.S. ceasefire and “emphasized that Moscow firmly believes that these agreements, as announced by Pakistani mediators, have a regional dimension and, in particular, extend to Lebanon,” according to the ministry’s readout of the call.
Lavrov also expressed hope for successful peace talks and reiterated “Russia’s readiness to assist in finding solutions.”
Araghchi “thanked the Russian Federation for its principled position in the U.N. Security Council during the discussion of the situation in the Persian Gulf,” the readout said.
A day after Israel’s deadliest strikes killed over 200 people in Lebanon, Abdul Rahman Mohammad, a Syrian who lost family members in the Hay al-Sellom neighborhood, waited at Rafic Hariri Hospital morgue to retrieve the bodies of his mother, two sisters, brother and brother-in-law.
“They were struck without any warning. This is Israeli brutality,” he said. “I’m just waiting for the Syrian embassy procedures so I can take them back to Syria.”
Dr. Mohamad El Zaatari, director of the public hospital, said the facility had treated 45 people, including 10 critical cases in intensive care.
“The situation is difficult and the numbers are large, but things are gradually taking the right path,” he said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged that the Iran war has become a “stress test” for NATO and said he doesn’t want it to burden trans-Atlantic relations further.
Merz said he and Trump discussed the alliance’s future in a phone call Wednesday and that he offered to discuss it again before a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, in July.
Merz said that “it is my firm intention to do everything to preserve the protection of NATO, including the United States of America, for Europe.”
He added that “this alliance, at least at present, cannot be replaced by anything, so I have a great interest in preserving it and developing it further with the American president.”
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that “the severity with which Israel is waging war there could cause the failure of the peace process as a whole, and that must not happen.”
He said that he and others had asked Israel on Wednesday to “end its further intensified attacks” and that his foreign minister had spoken twice to his Israeli counterpart.
Merz also spoke to Trump on Wednesday. The chancellor said on Thursday that the German government would start talking to Iran again, in consultation with the U.S. and its European partners, in the interest of making “our own contribution” to the success of peace negotiations.
Merz didn’t specify with whom Germany intends to speak or when.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed Hezbollah is seeking a ceasefire and said Israeli strikes killed more than 200 militants in the past day, bringing the total to over 1,400 in the current fighting.
The claims could not be independently verified.
Katz said Israel is prepared to respond forcefully if Iran launches attacks and will continue striking targets across Lebanon, including in the Litani area.
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, leader of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, described the announced ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran as a “big victory” for Iran.
In a video statement on Telegram on Thursday, he said Iran ultimately was able to “defeat the enemy.”
He also praised the militant Hezbollah group, saying that they are leading one of their biggest battles in Lebanon.
Al-Houthi added that his group was able to prevent Israel and the U.S. from using the Red Sea to attack Iran and confirmed launching strikes at Israel.
He also said that Iran’s decision to close the Strait of Hormuz was a major pressure tactic against the U.S. and its allies.
Lebanon reeled Thursday after the deadliest day in more than five weeks of renewed war between Israel and Hezbollah, as rescue workers in Beirut and elsewhere searched for survivors and bodies and Israel warned of escalation.
Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed at least 203 people and wounded more than 1,000, Lebanon’s health ministry said. Israel’s military said it targeted sites of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, but several strikes hit densely packed commercial and residential areas without warning during rush hour, leading to widespread civilian casualties.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called the attacks “barbaric.” Israel said the ceasefire in the Iran war doesn’t apply in its fight against Hezbollah.
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South Korea’s ambassador to Lebanon has urged its citizens in the country to leave as soon as possible, saying the scope and intensity of Israeli strikes are expanding to levels “incomparable to before.”
In a statement posted Thursday on the embassy’s website, Ambassador Geon Gyusuk noted that Israeli airstrikes were carried out simultaneously across Lebanon, including central Beirut and Zahle, and that Israel has warned of possible strikes in northern Beirut and other areas targeting Hezbollah.
“This means that even areas where many of our nationals reside, which had been considered relatively safe, can no longer be regarded as safe zones,” Geon said. “Choosing to ‘wait and see a little longer’ is becoming an increasingly dangerous option.”
He said commercial flights remain the fastest and safest option to leave the country, but warned they could be restricted or suspended at any time.
The Lebanese army said Thursday it cleared the Qasmieh bridge after Israel hit it on Wednesday, and deployed a unit nearby.
The bridge is the last direct crossing for most traffic into the coastal city of Tyre over the Litani River, the strategic line separating southern Lebanon from the rest of the country.
Israel has struck several bridges in the area, accusing Hezbollah of moving fighters and equipment, but the crossings are also vital for civilians and humanitarian aid. The strikes come as Israel seeks a “buffer zone” to protect its northern towns, raising fears of long-term occupation and displacement.
Speaking in a video message, the head of the U.S. military’s Central Command said Thursday his forces “remain present” in the Middle East as a two-week ceasefire has taken effect.
“Iran has suffered a generational military defeat,” U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper said. “The United States and Israel systematically destroyed Iran’s ability to conduct large-scale military operations for years to come.”
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced the decision on Thursday following Israeli strikes a day earlier that killed over 200 people.
He said the surge of attacks was a “blatant violation” of international and humanitarian law and undermines ongoing efforts to halt the war.
He added that the cabinet has also ordered security forces to tighten control over the capital by “enhancing the state’s full authority across Beirut and restricting arms to legitimate forces.”
The Israeli army on Wednesday accused Hezbollah members of moving north of the capital and blending into civilian areas.
Iran’s parliament speaker warned Thursday 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 U.S.
“Ceasefire violations carry explicit and STRONG responses,” he wrote. “Extinguish the fire immediately.”
Qalibaf has been discussed as a possible negotiator who could meet U.S. Vice President JD Vance this weekend for talks in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
A day after intense Israeli strikes pounded Lebanon’s capital, survivors recounted scenes of carnage as hospitals struggled to cope with a surge of casualties.
“I thought I was dead. What happened? A big flash of light was in my face and eyes, and I found someone flying over and landing next to me. He was dead,” said Rabee Koshok from his bed at the Makassed hospital in Beirut, recalling the moment of impact. “Suddenly, while we are walking, a rocket could come and hit us,” he added.
Wednesday marked the deadliest day in Lebanon in more than five weeks of renewed war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Wael Jarrosh, a doctor, said the hospital received around 70 injured patients within 10 minutes of the blasts.
“This has destroyed us psychologically,” Jarrosh said. “We have to stay prepared so that we can serve our families and the injuries that come in.”
The head of the United Arab Emirates’ major oil company on Thursday sharpened his rhetoric against Iran over the Strait of Hormuz being closed off, saying “the weaponization of this vital waterway, in any form, cannot stand.”
Sultan al-Jaber, the CEO of the state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. in the United Arab Emirates, said online that some 230 vessels “sit loaded with oil and ready to sail” through the Strait of Hormuz, now in a chokehold by Iran.
“They, and every vessel that follows, must be free to navigate this corridor without condition,” al-Jaber said. “No country has a legitimate right to determine who may pass and under what terms.”
He added: “Iran has made clear — through both its statements and actions — that passage is subject to permission, conditions and political leverage. That is not freedom of navigation. That is coercion.”
Lebanon’s health ministry said Thursday that at least 203 people were killed in widespread Israeli strikes in central Beirut and other areas of Lebanon on Wednesday. It said more than 1,000 were wounded.
The death toll Wednesday was the highest for a single day in Lebanon during more than five weeks of renewed war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah sites. However, several of the buildings that were struck without warning during the afternoon rush hour were in densely packed commercial and residential areas, leading to widespread civilian casualties. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called the strikes “barbaric.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that his country will continue its strikes against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon “with force, precision and determination,” as Israeli strikes continued across southern Lebanon on Thursday morning.
“Whoever acts against the citizens of Israel will be harmed,” Netanyahu wrote on his social media.
Israel intensified its strikes in Lebanon on Wednesday, saying that its fight with Hezbollah is not part of the two-week ceasefire deal with Iran. Hundreds were killed and wounded.
“I’ve given instructions today to our ambassador in Tehran to return during this time in which a hope for peace is rekindled,” Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told legislators Thursday.
Spain temporarily closed the embassy at the start of the war and evacuated its personnel.
Israel criticized Spain for the decision, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar calling the country “an eternal disgrace” on X.
China’s Defense Ministry has denied reports that it offered support to Iran’s military, including alleged intelligence on U.S. forces’ location amid the war.
“We firmly oppose the dissemination of speculative and insinuating false information targeting China,” Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said during a briefing on Thursday.
The Washington Post recently reported that some Chinese private companies, including some with ties to the People’s Liberation Army, had been marketing intelligence about the movements of U.S. forces during the war.
Reuters has reported that China’s largest chipmaker had sent equipment used to make chips to Iran’s military, citing U.S. sources.
“China has always been open and aboveboard on the Iran issue, maintaining an objective and impartial stance,” Zhang said, adding that the country has never engaged “in any activities that could incite conflict.”
The main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria returned to service Thursday, 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 U.S. 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.”
Travelers had been rerouted to another crossing in the north, making the trip from Beirut to Damascus several hours longer.
The chief of Iran’s nuclear agency said Thursday that protecting Tehran’s right to enrich uranium is “necessary” for any ceasefire talks with the United States.
Mohammad Eslami, who leads the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, made the remarks to journalists, including one from The Associated Press, in Tehran, Iran, during commemorations for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“It is a part of the necessary (things) that nobody speaks about,” Eslami said, referring to the U.S. refusal to acknowledge enrichment as one part of Iran’s 10-point plan for a permanent ceasefire.
The U.S. and Iran are due to meet in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, for talks this weekend.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had a call with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on Thursday.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said European and other partners are “finalizing” plans to set up a mission to escort ships in the Strait of Hormuz as soon as fighting effectively ends.
Barrot said Thursday “planning for this mission is currently being finalized between French military officials and countries that have volunteered,” speaking on France Inter radio.
Shipping traffic will likely be able to cross the strait safely once an agreement is reached between the belligerents and “with an escort system,” he said.
“Work is well advanced” for the mission to be deployed “once calm has been fully restored,” he said.
On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said about 15 nations are ready to participate in such a mission.
In a speech to Parliament on Thursday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni warned that any extra Iranian duties in the Strait of Hormuz would have “unpredictable economic consequences,” stressing that a full restoration of freedom of movement is needed in the area.
Meloni indicated that as the most critical point of the agreement between the U.S. and Iran.
“Full restoration of freedom of movement in the Strait of Hormuz is needed, and it must not be subject to any restrictions, as appears to have happened in recent hours,” she said.
The Italian prime minister also suggested that, if the crisis in Iran worsens, the European Union should consider suspending the stability and growth pact — a set of rules governing public finances within the EU.
Britain’s foreign minister said Lebanon must be included in a Middle East ceasefire, adding Israel’s continuing attacks on the country are causing mass displacement and dire humanitarian consequences.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Sky News she is “deeply troubled about the escalating attacks that we saw from Israel in Lebanon yesterday.”
She told the BBC the attacks are “completely wrong.”
Britain and other European countries have called for Israel to stop its strikes on Lebanon and for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.
Cooper said it’s “crucial” that Iran is not allowed to apply tolls in the strait.
Israel said Thursday it killed an aide to Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem in its intense airstrikes that hit Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, on Wednesday.
It identified the man killed as Ali Yusuf Harshi, a secretary and nephew to Kassem.
Hezbollah did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister said his country will allow ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with “international norms and international law” once the United States ends its “aggression” in the Middle East and Israel stops attacking Lebanon.
Saeed Khatibzadeh told the BBC on Thursday that Iran had closed the strait after U.S. ally Israel committed an “intentional grave violation of the ceasefire.”
He said, “You cannot have a cake and eat it at the same time. That was the message that Iran sent quite clearly, crystal-clearly, to Washington and to the Oval Office last night.”
Khatibzadeh added: “Definitely we are going to provide security for safe passage, and it is going to happen after the United States actually withdraws this aggression. Does it mean that Iran is going to control the Strait of Hormuz in terms of letting ship by ship to go through that?
“I think that we have shown to everybody that energy security is pivotal for Iran, is pivotal for this body of water in the Persian Gulf, and we are going to be abided by the international norms and international law.”
Mourners across Iran began mourning ceremonies Thursday, marking the 40th day after the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the Iran war.
In Iran’s capital, Tehran, mourners wearing black began their rally from Jomhouri Eslami Square to the neighborhood of the office of Khamenei, 86.
Iranian state television aired similar commemorations in other cities. It said the ceremonies will continue into the night.
Khamenei’s body has yet to be buried since his death Feb. 28.
His son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, now serves as Iran’s supreme leader.
