Issued on: 15/04/2026 - 02:24Modified: 23/04/2026 - 02:34
Israel's military chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir on Wednesday said he had ordered areas south of Lebanon's Litani River to be turned into a Hezbollah "kill zone" as troops pressed a major offensive there. Israeli strikes on Lebanon over the past six weeks have killed at least 2,167 people, including 172 children, the country's health ministry says. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
Oil prices up 4% on uncertain Iran-US ceasefire prospects
Lebanon will spare no effort in pursuing these crimes before relevant international bodies, says PM
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the targeting of journalists and the obstruction of relief efforts constituted "war crimes."
"Lebanon will spare no effort in pursuing these crimes before the relevant international bodies," he said on X.
UK police arrest two more after arson attacks on Jewish sites
UK counter-terrorism officers investigating a spate of arson attacks on Jewish and other sites in London have made two further arrests, bringing the total number to 25, police said Wednesday.
The capital's Metropolitan Police announced two new arrests as part of "a proactive investigation" into an "alleged conspiracy to commit arson at a venue related to the Jewish community".
Police said the latest arrests, of men aged 19 and 26 in Watford, north of London, were made on Tuesday. These suspects remain in custody.
The men were arrested on suspicion of planning an arson attack, but the Jewish community venue targeted was "unknown", police said.
Back-to-back Israeli strikes kill 4 Lebanese medics as Israel-Hezbollah war grinds on
The Israeli military on Wednesday killed four Lebanese rescue workers and wounded six others in three consecutive, targeted strikes, paramedic groups said, a stark illustration of the human cost of the Israeli military campaign against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon a day after it the two countries held historic talks in Washington.
The back-to-back Israeli attacks on the southern village of Mayfadoun, near the bigger town of Nabatiyeh, hit the first group of medics responding to a distress call from wounded civilians, a second group trying to assist their wounded colleagues and a third group rushing to aid the first two teams that had been targeted.
YouTube suspends pro-Iran channel posting Lego-style clips mocking Trump
YouTube has terminated a channel belonging to a pro-Iran group producing viral Lego-themed AI videos that ridicule US President Donald Trump, the Google-owned platform said Wednesday, sparking online criticism.
Explosive Media, a group of pro-Tehran creators that describes itself as independent but is widely suspected of ties to the Iranian government, has gained internet notoriety during the US-Iran war for animation videos that have racked up millions of views.
"We terminated the channel for violating our spam, deceptive practices and scams policies," a YouTube spokesman told AFP, without elaborating.
The channel was suspended on March 27, he added.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino: Iran 'for sure' playing in World Cup
Despite Iran's sports minister stating that the country cannot participate amid the war with the United States, along with President Donald Trump voicing concerns for the players' "life and safety," FIFA president Gianni Infantino is confident Iran will play in the FIFA World Cup this summer in North America.
"We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation, that would definitely help," Infantino told CNBC on Tuesday. "But Iran has to come, of course. They represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play."
Infantino said he was recently in Antalya, Turkey, to visit with the Iranian team at its training camp and said the team wants to participate in the World Cup.
"They should play -- sports should be outside of politics," Infantino said. "Now, OK -- we don't live on the moon, we live on planet Earth, but if there is nobody else that believes in building bridges and in keeping them intact and together, well we are doing that."
US warns that buyers of Iranian oil could be hit with sanctions
The United States on Wednesday threatened to sanction buyers of Iranian oil and said it believed China would pause such purchases as Washington enforces a maritime blockade on Iran.
"We have told countries that if you are buying Iranian oil, that if Iranian money is sitting in your banks, we are now willing to apply secondary sanctions," US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters at the White House.
The US maritime blockade on Iran began on Monday as the Iran war entered its seventh week. China previously bought more than 80% of Iran's shipped oil.
Israel-Lebanon peace talks: Future negotiations depend on 'confidence-building measures'
Speaking to FRANCE 24, Bilal Y. Saab, an associate fellow at Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa programme, said that Shiite group Hezbollah remained the central challenge in any peace negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.
Watch the full interview by clicking on the player below.
Trump would 'welcome' end of conflict in Lebanon, US official says
US President Donald Trump would "welcome" an end to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, but such an agreement is not part of peace talks with Iran, a senior US administration official said.
"The president would welcome the end of hostilities in Lebanon as part of a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
But "this is not something we have asked for nor is it part of the peace negotiations with Iran", the official added.
US and Israel have 'identical goals' on Iran, Netanyahu says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel and the US are fully aligned in their objective to contain Iran.
"Our American friends keep us constantly updated on their contacts with Iran. The objectives of the United States and our own are identical," he said in a televised speech.
"We want to see enriched material removed from Iran; we want to see the elimination of enrichment capability within Iran; and, of course, we want to see the (Hormuz) strait reopened," he added.
UAE Summons Iraqi charge d’affaires over attacks launched from Iraqi territory
The United Arab Emirates summoned the Iraqi chargé d’affaires and handed him a formal protest note over what it described as attacks launched from Iraqi territory, according to a statement.
Israel PM says 'dismantling Hezbollah' first goal of Lebanon talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country's top priority was to secure the "dismantling" of Hezbollah in its first direct talks with Lebanon in decades.
"In the negotiations with Lebanon, there are two central objectives: first, the dismantling of Hezbollah; second, a sustainable peace ... achieved through strength," he said.
Will the Gulf ever be the same? Trump, Iran and the Arabian Peninsula
How has the US-Israeli war on Iran changed the future of the resource-rich Gulf States that have long enjoyed a reputation as hubs of stability in a turbulent region?
Watch The Debate by clicking on the player below.
Israel military continues to strike Hezbollah, Netanyahu says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the military continues to strike at Hezbollah and alleged Israeli forces were about to "overwhelm" Bint Jbeil.
In a video statement, Netanyahu said he has instructed the military to continue reinforcing the security zone in southern Lebanon.
On Iran, Netanyahu said the US keeps Israel updated and the two countries are aligned. Should the ceasefire with Iran fail, he said, "we are prepared for any scenario."
US targets several vessels, entities under new Iran-related sanctions
The United States issued new Iran-related and counter-terrorism sanctions on Wednesday, targeting three individuals, 17 entities, and nine vessels, according to a notice posted to the US Treasury Department's website.
Iran can go up to two months without oil exports before cutting output, analysts say
Iran can withstand a complete halt in oil exports of up to two months before being forced to curb production, analysts said, after the US began blocking shipping in and out of the country's ports on April 13.
The blockade could prevent roughly 2 million barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian crude from reaching its main buyer China.
Any Iranian production shutdowns would add to more than 12 million bpd of supply already disrupted by the regional war, tightening markets further and lifting oil prices.
With its exports blocked, Iran faces having to divert crude into onshore storage tanks. Once those tanks are filled, the OPEC member would be required to curb upstream output.
Consultancy FGE NextantECA estimates Iran has about 90 million barrels of available onshore crude storage capacity, out of total capacity of roughly 122 million barrels.
"Iran can sustain current production of around 3.5 million bpd for roughly two months without exports, extendable to around three months with a modest 500,000 bpd production cut," FGE NextantECA said in a note.
'The deterrence of the US navy is working': What we know about Washington's blockade
A trickle of ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz Tuesday and Wednesday as a US blockade appeared to further curb traffic in the trade route already paralysed by Iranian forces, marine tracking data showed.
FRANCE 24's International Affairs Editor Kethevane Gorjestani talks about what we know so far about the US blockade.
Israel army chief orders 'Hezbollah kill zone' south of Lebanon's Litani River
Israel's military chief of staff said he had ordered areas south of Lebanon's Litani River to be turned into a Hezbollah "kill zone" as troops pressed a major offensive there.
"I have ordered that all of the area of south Lebanon up to the Litani (River) line be turned into a Hezbollah terrorist kill zone," chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said on a visit to troops operating in the area.
Israeli strikes on Lebanon over the past six weeks have killed more than 2,100 people, including 172 children, the country's health ministry says.
'They feel forsaken now': Reports of possible ceasefire rattle Israelis in country's north
FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky speaks from Jerusalem on the response to reports that a ceasefire in Lebanon may be in the works.
China FM tells Iran Beijing supports 'momentum of peace talks', state media reports
China's top diplomat told his Iranian counterpart that Beijing "supports maintaining the momentum of the ceasefire and peace talks" in a phone call on Wednesday, as negotiators from Pakistan landed in Tehran to discuss a second round of US-Iran talks.
Peace talks are "in the fundamental interests of the Iranian people and are also the shared hope of regional countries and the international community," Wang Yi said, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.
He said China was willing to continue to play a "constructive role" towards peace in the Middle East after a first round of Iran-US talks in Islamabad at the weekend failed to reach an agreement.
Yesterday's key developments:
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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