Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it had stopped firing on northern Israel and Israeli forces on Wednesday as part of a two-week ceasefire in the Middle East brokered between the United States and Iran. However, a Hezbollah lawmaker warned that the pause could collapse if Tel Aviv does not adhere to it.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated overnight that the ceasefire did not cover Lebanon, with the Israeli military continuing operations against Hezbollah positions.
“The battle in Lebanon continues, and the ceasefire does not include Lebanon,” military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X, while reiterating evacuation orders for residents in southern Lebanon.
This stance contradicts Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a key intermediary in U.S.-Iran talks, who said Lebanon would be included in the ceasefire.
Lebanese sources reported ongoing Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, including artillery shelling and a dawn airstrike near a hospital that killed four people. Another attack on the southern city of Sidon killed eight and wounded 22, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Israeli military confirm it completed a wide-scale and large strikes targeting command centres and military infrastructure of the Hezbollah across Beirut on Wednesday. It said that most of the infrastructure that was struck was located within civilian areas.
Hezbollah reportedly ceased attacks early Wednesday (8 April), though the group is expected to issue a formal statement clarifying its position on the ceasefire and Israel’s exclusion.
French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that Lebanon must be included in any regional ceasefire, highlighting the country’s fragile situation and France’s historic ties with Beirut.
Israel has issued evacuation orders affecting roughly 15% of Lebanese territory since 2 March, mostly in southern areas and suburbs south of Beirut. More than 1.2 million people have been displaced, according to local authorities.
“Hopefully a ceasefire will be reached, because Lebanon can’t take it anymore. The country is collapsing economically, and everything is collapsing,” said Ahmed Harm, a 54-year-old displaced resident from Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Warnings from the Israeli military indicate potential further attacks on Tyre and southern Beirut neighbourhoods.
Hezbollah lawmaker Ibrahim Moussawi told local media, “If the Israeli enemy does not adhere to a ceasefire, then no party will commit to it, and there will be a response from the region, including Iran.”
Lebanese officials confirmed that Beirut was not directly involved in the ceasefire negotiations and emphasised that only the Lebanese authorities are authorised to represent Lebanon in such talks.
Since 2 March, more than 1,500 people have been killed in Israel’s military campaign across Lebanon, including more than 130 children and more than 100 women. At least 400 Hezbollah fighters have been reported killed, while Israel has confirmed the deaths of at least 10 soldiers in southern Lebanon.
Israel has stated its intention to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, citing the creation of a “security zone” to protect northern residents.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed the U.S.-Iran ceasefire and reiterated efforts to ensure Lebanon’s inclusion in any lasting regional peace agreement.
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Iran said on Sunday (10 May) that it had sent its response to a U.S. proposal aimed at launching peace talks to end the war, as signs of tentative movement emerged around the Strait of Hormuz despite renewed security incidents across the Gulf.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has cited Azerbaijan as an example of what he described as a sovereign foreign policy, recalling remarks made by President Ilham Aliyev during talks in Yerevan, where he sharply criticised resolutions adopted against his country by the European Parliament.
Russia is holding a significantly scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May 2026, reflecting heightened security concerns and the ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
Centre-right leader Péter Magyar was sworn in as Hungary’s prime minister on Saturday, propelled into office on promises of change after years of economic stagnation and strained ties with key allies under his predecessor Viktor Orbán.
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A reported CIA assessment suggested Tehran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for months despite mounting sanctions and renewed Gulf attacks.
British paratroopers and military medics have been deployed to Tristan da Cunha after a suspected hantavirus case was confirmed, as first evacuation flights carrying passengers from the stricken MV Hondius cruise ship left Tenerife for Madrid and Paris.
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Indonesian rescue teams have located two Singaporeans who went missing after Mount Dukono erupted on Friday (8 May) on the island of Halmahera, though authorities say it remains unclear whether they are alive.
The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified files on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) on Friday (8 May), following an order from President Donald Trump. U.S. officials described as a push for “unprecedented transparency”.
President Donald Trump called Iran’s response to a US war proposal “totally unacceptable” after Tehran sent its reply through mediator Pakistan, according to IRNA. Qatar’s al-Thani also warned Iran against using the Strait of Hormuz as “a pressure tool”.
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A reported CIA assessment suggested Tehran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for months despite mounting sanctions and renewed Gulf attacks.
The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz, though both sides signalled they did not want escalation. The clashes come as Washington awaits Tehran’s response to a proposed deal to end the war while leaving key disputes, such as Iran’s nuclear programme, unresolved for now.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran remain far from a genuine ceasefire, as military posturing, sanctions and uncertainty over diplomacy continue to fuel fears of a broader regional confrontation.
Iran confirmed on Friday its Armed Forces responded to, what Tehran is calling, the U.S. Navy’s violation of the ceasefire. It said Iranian ships and civilian areas were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday evening.
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