Lebanon president calls talks with Israel sensitive, ceasefire entry point for negotiations

Joseph Aoun on Friday said that, direct talks with Israel are “sensitive and pivotal,” calls for unified national responsibility.

Aoun added that ceasefire with Israel is the entry point for negotiations.

According to him, focus is to ensure ceasefire stands, Israel withdraws from south Lebanon and detainees return.

Army will play an essential role after Israel withdraws from South Lebanon and it will reassure the returning of South Lebanon residents. Aoun says that army will ensure that no armed groups will be present.

Indian refiners line up cargoes after US ends waiver on Russian, Iranian oil

Indian oil refiners are doing their best to line-up oil cargoes to meet local demand, an Indian government official said on Friday, after the United States decided not to extend a waiver from sanctions on crude purchases from Russia and Iran. The US waiver for sanctioned Russian oil purchases expired on April 11 and the exemption on Iranian oil is due to end on April 19.

Israel says Hezbollah to disarm south of Litani after ceasefire end

Hezbollah to be disarmed south of Litani either through political means or military activity after ceasefire ends, said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday.

UK and France invites India to join initiative to ensure safe passage through Hormuz: Report

India says it has been invited by the UK and France to join their initiative aimed at restoring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, as reported by Al Jazeera.

The announcement came from India’s Foreign Ministry as international efforts intensify to restore safe navigation through the strategic waterway. The strait is one of the world’s most important shipping routes, carrying a significant 20 percent of global oil supplies.

Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi to discuss ways to end Iran war: Report

Foreign ministers of Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia will meet on the margins of a diplomacy forum in the southern Turkish province of Antalya on Friday to discuss regional issues including the Iran war, a Turkish diplomatic source said.

"The meeting is expected to include discussions on developing regional solutions to regional issues, particularly the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, within the framework of a regional ownership approach," the source said.

Ministers from the four countries held two meetings in March as part of efforts to broker an end to the Iran war. Turkey, a neighbour of Iran, has been in close touch with the U.S., Iran, and mediator Pakistan.

Displaced Lebanese return to scenes of destruction

Relief at a ceasefire beginning in Lebanon on Friday was tempered by the destruction that many encountered upon returning to their homes.

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.

"I feel free being back," 23-year-old Zainab Fahas said. "But look, they destroyed everything: the square, the houses, the shops, everything."

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's financial arm, Al-Qard Al-Hassan.

Iran's pressure in its talks with the US brought the truce, condemning Lebanon's direct talks with Israel, he said.

"Only the Iranians stood with us, no one else," he said, calling Lebanon's leaders "the leadership of shame."

South Korea tanker passes through the Red Sea route

A South Korean-flagged tanker carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port has safely exited the Red Sea, South Korean officials said.

The passage marks the country's first such shipment since it began seeking alternative energy routes, while Iran is largely blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday described the passage as a "valuable accomplishment" during the government's efforts to overcome challenges posed by the war.

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.

Officials say 26 of South Korea's vessels remain stranded in the strait.

French president praises ceasefire in Lebanon

French President Emmanuel Macron said he supports the 10-day ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel and called for its continuation.

Hezbollah must renounce its weapons. Israel must respect Lebanese sovereignty and stop the war," he said Friday in a post on X.

Three charged after attempted arson at Persian-language media office in London

British police said on Friday they had charged three people in connection with an attempted arson attack on the offices of a Persian-language media organisation in northwest London earlier this week.

Oisin McGuinness, 21, Nathan Dunn, 19, and a 16-year-old boy were all charged with arson with intent to endanger life, the police said. All three are British nationals.

Pakistan starts preparing for next round of US-Iran talks: Officials

Pakistan has started preparing to host the second round of high-stakes talks between the US and Iran during the next week for a landmark peace deal to end the war in West Asia that has crippled global energy supplies, officials said on Friday.

The US and Iran held rare direct talks in Pakistan over the weekend aimed at ending their conflict, but the talks ended early Sunday without any agreement.

Official sources in Pakistan on Friday said that a feverish diplomatic activity followed to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table. It was met with success as both continue to observe the temporary two-week ceasefire, allowing Pakistan to relaunch its mediatory push.

After working behind the scenes, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif embarked on a tri-nation tour on Wednesday, while Field Marshal Asim Munir landed in Tehran on the same day.

The Prime Minister, after discussion with the Saudi and Qatari leaders, reached Turkiye on Thursday night as the Field Marshal spent more than 24 hours in Iran meeting its political and military leaders.

Though nothing has been officially said about the outcome of talks between the Pakistani civil and military leaders, security officials back home suddenly became active on Thursday evening, authorities said.

According to officials in Islamabad, "preparations have started in Islamabad and neighbouring Rawalpindi as thousands of police and paramilitary personnel have started coming from other provinces."

Traditionally, the Islamabad administration seeks support from provinces to help in the work of law enforcement in case mega security arrangements are needed.

10-day ceasefire agreed on by Israel and Lebanon goes into effect

A 10-day truce began in Lebanon on Friday that could pause fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group and boost attempts to extend the ceasefire between Iran, the United States and Israel after weeks of devastating war.

US President Donald Trump announced the agreement as a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. However, Israel has not been fighting with Lebanon itself, but rather with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants inside the country, who were not formally part of the agreement.

Barrages of gunshots rang out across Beirut as residents fired into the air just after midnight to celebrate the beginning of the truce.

Displaced families began moving toward southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs, despite warnings by officials not to attempt to return to their homes until it became clear whether the ceasefire would hold.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to the ceasefire "to advance" peace efforts with Lebanon, but said Israeli troops would not withdraw.

Israeli forces have engaged in fierce battles with Hezbollah in the border area as they pushed into southern Lebanon to create what officials have called a "security zone." Netanyahu, in his video address, said it will extend 10 kilometres (6 miles) into Lebanon.

"That is where we are, and we are not leaving," he said.

Hezbollah said that "Israeli occupation on our land grants Lebanon and its people the right to resist it, and this matter will be determined based on how developments unfold" - a stance that could complicate the ceasefire.

Officials say the US and Iran are making progress

Even as the US blockade on Iranian ports and renewed Iranian threats strained the ceasefire, regional officials reported progress, telling AP the United States and Iran had an "in-principle agreement" to extend it to allow for more diplomacy. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.

But tensions simmered.

The commander of Iran's joint military command, Ali Abdollahi, threatened to halt trade in the region if the US does not lift its naval blockade, and a newly appointed military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he does not support extending the ceasefire.

Trump extends White House invitation

Lebanon has insisted on a ceasefire to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah before engaging in more talks, while vowing to commit to disarming the group.

Israel and Lebanon have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948, and Lebanon remains deeply divided over diplomatic engagement with Israel.

Trump also invited the leaders of Israel and Lebanon to the White House for what he said would be "the first meaningful talks" between the countries since 1983.

"Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly," Trump wrote on social media.

Lebanon and Israel signed an agreement in 1983 saying Lebanon would formally recognise Israel, and Israel would withdraw from Lebanon. The deal fell apart during Lebanon's civil war and was formally rescinded a year later.

A Hezbollah official said the ceasefire was a result of Iran's negotiations with the US, in which Iran had insisted Lebanon be included in its own ceasefire, and came about through efforts by mediator Pakistan. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly.

Israel reserves the right to defend itself

The US State Department said that according to the agreement, Israel reserves the right to defend itself "at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks." But otherwise, Israel "will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets, including civilian, military, and other state targets."

The wording suggested Israel would maintain the freedom to strike at will, as it did in the months following the ceasefire that ended the previous war. This time, Hezbollah said it would respond to any strikes by Israel.

It's unclear when the 1 million people displaced by the war will be able to safely return.

Lebanon's state-run National News agency reported that Israeli shelling continued in the villages of Khiam and Dibbine about half an hour after the truce went into effect. Israel's military said it was looking into reports of shelling and artillery fire in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah kept firing rockets at northern Israeli towns and communities right up to the start of the ceasefire. Air raid sirens went off in some often-targeted border towns less than 10 minutes before midnight.

Oil price falls on deal hopes

Oil prices fell in early trade on Friday and Asian stocks headed for a second week of strong gains on optimism the Middle East conflict could be nearing an end, even though the critical Strait of Hormuz, an artery for a fifth of the world's oil and gas supply, remains effectively closed.

The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.8% as investors locked in profits after a blistering rally this month, with the index close to its highest since the Iran war broke out.

Japan's Nikkei slipped 1% after hitting a record high on Thursday and almost all stock markets were back to pre-war levels.

Brent crude futures declined to $98.17 a barrel at 0434 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell to $93.47 a barrel, trimming gains from the previous session.

France and Britain will chair a meeting on Friday of around 40 countries aimed at signalling to the United States that some of its closest allies, many chided by Trump for failing to act, are ready to help restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow.

Iran has largely closed the strait to ships other than its own and Washington this week imposed a blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports. Analysts said the blockade could prevent roughly 2 million barrels per day of Iranian crude from reaching its primary buyer China.

Only a trickle of vessels have passed through the strait since the war started, compared to an average 130-plus each day before the conflict.

Lebanese army reports Israeli 'ceasefire violations'

Israel has committed violations of a ceasefire in Lebanon that took effect at midnight, including intermittent shelling of several southern Lebanese villages, the Lebanese army said early on Friday.

In a statement, the army called on citizens to hold off on returning to southern villages and towns. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Trump says war in Iran should be ending 'pretty soon'

U.S. President Donald Trump said at an event in Las Vegas, Nevada, that the war in Iran is going "swimmingly" and that it "should be ending pretty soon."