War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

In a government shelter in the coastal city of Sidon, Mohammed al-Zein sees little to celebrate in the extension of a truce between Lebanon and Israel, saying he is still barred from returning to his southern hometown, AFP reports.

His village of Ayta al-Shaab, heavily bombed by Israel ever since the last conflict with Hezbollah in 2023, is located behind the “Yellow Line” established by the Israeli army, designating a ribbon of territory along the border a no-go zone for civilians.

“I felt nothing” when the truce was announced, Zein tells AFP. “As long as we do not return to our hometown, nothing matters.”

In Sidon, dozens of cars head south with bags and mattresses strapped to their roofs, but for others, the situation remains too uncertain to consider returning.

At the school-turned-shelter where Zein is staying, 40 per cent of the 600 people staying there have gone back home since the truce was extended, according to volunteer Nivine Hashisho.

But as some pack their bags on a recent visit, others are playing cards and having breakfast in the school playground, in no rush to leave just yet.

“We have to see the situation during the ceasefire, because we do not believe the Israelis,” says Izdihar Yassin, a 58-year-old woman staying at the shelter.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has posted a video on X in which he offered his first comment following the US president’s announcement that a ceasefire in Lebanon would be renewed for an additional three weeks, Al Jazeera reports.

“We are maintaining full freedom of action against any threat, including emerging threats,” The Times of Israel quotes him as saying. “We struck yesterday and we struck today. We are determined to restore security to the residents of the north.”

Several people have been wounded after Israeli artillery shelling hit the town of Yater in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports citing the state-run National News Agency.

Separately, Israeli air raids have been reported in the southern town of Taybeh and the outskirts of Bint Jbeil.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health has said the death toll since fighting between the Israeli army and Hezbollah broke out on March 2 has risen to 2,491 people killed and 7,719 wounded, according to Al Jazeera.

The Israeli military claims its forces killed six Hezbollah fighters in a southern Lebanese town during a clash that included a firefight, AFP reports.

According to the military, troops identified six fighters operating in the town of Bint Jbeil, an area that saw heavy fighting before a ceasefire was declared last week.

“Following the identification, an exchange of fire began between the terrorists and the soldiers, during which the soldiers eliminated two terrorists,” the military says.

“Subsequently, the soldiers struck the structure from which the terrorists had been operating. In the strike, the four remaining terrorists were eliminated.”

US President Donald Trump is sending his special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner to Pakistan to participate in talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi this weekend, two administration officials tell CNN.

Vice President JD Vance is not currently planning to attend but he will be on standby to travel to Islamabad if negotiations progress, CNN said.

The UN human rights office says it has documented patterns of attacks on civilians in populated areas and residential buildings in Lebanon and Israel that may amount to serious violations of international humanitarian law, Reuters reports.

The report covers the first three weeks of the latest escalation, which began after Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel on March 2, prompting Israel to respond with a large-scale military offensive.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented several cases in which Israeli strikes hit, and in some instances destroyed, multi-storey residential buildings, killing entire families in Lebanon, which may constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law, OHCHR spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan says.

The report cites the example of an Israeli strike on March 8 that hit a multi-storey residential building in the town of Sir el-Gharbiyeh, in the Nabatiyeh governorate. The strike killed at least 13 civilians inside the building, including five women, five men, two boys and a girl.

The Israeli military and Hezbollah did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment about the report.

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European leaders say it is still premature to consider lifting sanctions on Iran, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts, Al Jazeera reports.

EU Council President Antonio Costa tells a joint news conference in Cyprus that it is “too early” to discuss easing restrictions.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has echoed that position, signalling a cautious approach from Brussels.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Hezbollah of trying to “sabotage” Israel’s efforts to reach a peace agreement with Lebanon, AFP reports.

“We have started a process to reach a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon, and it’s clear to us that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage this,” he has said in his first remarks after a ceasefire with Lebanon was extended.

French President Emmanuel Macron has met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II on the sidelines of an EU meeting in Cyprus.

“As the countries of the Middle East and Europe face the consequences of the regional conflict, it is more necessary than ever to work together on a shared agenda of sovereignty, stability, and prosperity for the entire region,” Macron writes on X.

He adds that the Middle East is set to become a central link in supply routes to Europe, for the mutual benefit of both regions.

“France will play its part.”

Iran’s mission to the United Nations has issued a statement denouncing the US’ “illegal seizure” of Iran’s commercial vessel Touska on April 19, as Washington enforces its naval blockade around the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement posted on X, the mission says the ship was carrying “critical dialysis supplies and medical equipment” and claims the seizure constitutes “a flagrant breach of international law”.

“This coercive and unlawful act endangers lives, undermines freedom of navigation, and places vulnerable patients at grave risk,” it says. “The perpetrators must be held accountable.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says he is embarking on his “timely” regional tour of Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow to “closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments”.

“Our neighbours are our priority,” he adds in a post on X.

Despite actors like Israel seeking to reignite the flames of war, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Ankara is following the process with “cautious optimism”, Anadolu reports.

Speaking at the ‘Century of Turkiye — Strong Hub for Investment’ event at the Dolmabahce Presidential Office in Istanbul, Erdogan says neither the region nor the world can return to the past, adding, “the repercussions of fractures caused by such a major tremor will become clearer over time.

“By successfully managing one of the biggest security crises of recent years, Turkiye has once again confirmed and cemented its status as an island of stability in its region,” Erdogan states.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says the European Union is willing to gradually ease sanctions on Iran if a comprehensive agreement is reached, Reuters reports.

“The easing of sanctions can be part of a process, and no one has objected to that,” says Merz at an EU summit in Nicosia.

“It is, so to speak, part of the contribution we can make to advance this process and, hopefully, lead to a lasting ceasefire.”

United States Central Command says that a naval blockade of Iranian ports continues, and that 34 vessels have been redirected by American forces in the region.

Lebanon’s National News Agency is reporting three Israeli air strikes on the town of Deir Aames, after Israel warned its residents to evacuate, Al Jazeera reports.

The strikes come amid a 10-day ceasefire, which US President Donald Trump said would be extended for an additional three weeks.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has expressed cautious optimism, saying there is a chance to steer the country out of its current crisis, Al Jazeera reports.

Salam has told Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Anba that momentum must be seized despite ongoing challenges.

“There is a glimmer of hope in Lebanon that we must seize and strengthen in order to reach solutions, despite the difficulty and sensitivity of this stage,” he said in comments carried by Lebanon’s official National News Agency.

Nawaf says the government is working to rally domestic and international backing, particularly from Arab states.

“The government is working to mobilise all elements of internal strength and external support, foremost among them the support of our Arab brothers, to extricate Lebanon from its predicament, end the Israeli occupation of our country, and restore security and prosperity to all parts of Lebanon,” he adds.

Indonesia has once again strongly condemned an Israeli attack in Lebanon that caused the death of a fourth Indonesian peacekeeper, Reuters reports citing the foreign ministry.

The peacekeeper sustained severe injuries due to an artillery explosion from an Israeli tank on March 29, with the ministry announcing that he succumbed earlier today. Three other Indonesian peacekeepers were also killed in the attack.

Indonesia urged the UN to conduct a thorough, transparent and accountable investigation into the deaths of its Unifil peacekeepers.

The immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz without restrictions is “vital” for the world, European Council President Antonio Costa says after talks with regional leaders, including from Lebanon and Syria, AFP reports.

“The Strait of Hormuz must immediately reopen without restrictions and without tolling, in full respect of international law and the principle of freedom of navigation. This is vital for the entire world,” Costa told a news conference in Cyprus.

Mehdi Tabatabaei, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s spokesperson, has called American dominance in Iran a “shattered dream”, suggesting the US is waging the war to distract from domestic issues.

“A troubled economy, an anxious society, and a murky domestic political landscape; to escape this crisis, it (the US) has resorted to big lies and chosen the wrong path,” Tabatabaei says on X.

“If it had even a slight understanding of Iran’s history and the condition of its people, it would not have made such a major mistake.”

The Israeli military claims that Hezbollah shot down one of its drones in south Lebanon, hours after a ceasefire between Israel and the group was extended, AFP reports.

“A short while ago, an IDF remotely piloted aircraft was downed in southern Lebanon following the launch of a small surface-to-air missile by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation,” the military has claimed in a statement, indicating the incident is under review.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has urged Nato allies to stick together, after a report that the United States was mulling action against Spain over its refusal to support operations against Iran, AFP reports.

“Nato must remain united. I believe it is a source of strength,” Meloni tells reporters as she attends an EU summit in Nicosia, Cyprus.

“We must work to strengthen Nato’s European pillar … which must clearly complement the American one,” she adds.

Oil prices slides on hopes of fresh peace talks aimed at ending the war, with Iran’s foreign minister expected later in Islamabad, AFP reports.

After jumping more than two percent, international benchmark Brent North Sea crude shows a loss of 0.5 per cent at $104.57 a barrel. The main US contract, West Texas Intermediate, falls 1.1pc to $94.80.