Issued on: 18/04/2026 - 07:01Modified: 18/04/2026 - 22:58
Iranian Revolutionary Guards' navy warned on Saturday that any ship approaching the Strait of Hormuz would be treated as a target. The standoff over the waterway escalated again as Iran reversed its reopening and fired on ships attempting to pass. Earlier, a French peacekeeper died and three others were wounded in southern Lebanon, France's President Emmanuel Macron and UNIFIL said, blaming Hezbollah. Read about the day’s events as they unfolded on our liveblog.
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Israeli army carried out demolitions in south Lebanon town, state media reports
Israeli forces carried out demolitions in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, the scene of intense fighting with Hezbollah prior to the recently agreed 10-day truce, Lebanese state media reported.
"The Israeli enemy is repeating its house detonating operations in the town of Bint Jbeil," Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said, also reporting demolitions in other border towns where Israeli troops are present.
Bint Jbeil, located around five kilometres north of the Israeli border, had been the scene of heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah for days before the truce went into force at midnight on Thursday.
Iran's Quds Force chief Qaani visits Iraq, says senior official
Iranian commander Esmail Qaani arrived in Baghdad to meet political leaders and representatives of armed factions and to discuss the Middle East war and its impact on Iraq, a senior Iraqi official told AFP.
Political deadlock over the nomination of Iraq's next prime minister would also be on the agenda, the official said of Qaani's first reported trip abroad since a US-Iran ceasefire began.
Qaani, whose visits to Iraq are rarely announced, heads the Quds Force, the foreign operations branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
Iran reports 3,468 dead in war with US, Israel
Iran's state-run Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs said that the war with the US and Israel had killed more than 3,400 people in the Islamic republic.
Foundation head Ahmad Mousavi was quoted by the ISNA news agency as saying that 3,468 "martyrs ... fell during the recent conflict".
A previous toll from the head of the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization issued on April 12 said 3,375 people in Iran had been killed in the war.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said on April 7 that at least 3,636 people had been killed, including 1,701 civilians – among them at least 254 children – as well as 1,221 military personnel and 714 people whose status had not been classified.
Iran Guards say any ship approaching Hormuz will be 'targeted'
The navy of Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned that any ship approaching the Strait of Hormuz would be treated as a target.
"We warn that no ship, of any kind, should leave its anchorage in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. Any attempt to approach the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted," said the statement published on the Guards' official Sepah News website.
Hezbollah chief says truce can't be one-sided, vows to respond to Israel attacks
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said that the ongoing 10-day truce with Israel cannot be one-sided, vowing that his fighters would respond to Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
"A ceasefire means a complete cessation of all hostilities. Because we do not trust this enemy, the resistance fighters will remain in the field with their hands on the trigger, and they will respond to violations accordingly," Qassem said in a statement read out on TV.
"There is no ceasefire from the side of the resistance only, it must be from both sides."
Iran Guards navy orders vessels not to move from anchorage in Gulf, says approaching Strait of Hormuz considered cooperation with ‘enemy’
Israel army says air force 'eliminated terrorist cell' in south Lebanon
The Israeli military said that its air force had eliminated a "terrorist cell" operating near its troops in southern Lebanon, despite the ceasefire there.
"The IDF eliminated a terrorist cell operating in proximity to IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon, in the area of the forward defence line dedicated to preventing imminent threats to Israel's northern communities," it said, without specifying how many suspected militants were killed.
Netherlands to activate first phase of energy crisis plan, ANP reports
The Dutch government will activate the first phase of an energy crisis plan on Monday, Dutch news agency ANP reported, citing government sources.
It is the first time the government will have activated the plan, which was designed during the energy crisis triggered by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
UNIFIL sheds light on southern Lebanon attack that killed French soldier
A French soldier was killed in southern Lebanon, while serving with UNIFIL, the United Nations peacekeeping force.
UNIFIL deputy spokesperson Tilak Pokharel was FRANCE 24’s guest this afternoon to explain what happened and what is currently known about those responsible.
Two of the three French soldiers wounded in Lebanon in serious condition, says Foreign Affairs Ministry
Two of the three French peacekeepers wounded in Lebanon during the ambush that claimed the life of a French soldier are in serious condition, according to a statement from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The attack on French troops deployed as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in addition to claiming the life of Staff Sergeant Florian Montorio, “also left three French soldiers wounded, two of them seriously,” according to the ministry spokesperson quoted in a statement.
US military prepares to board Iran-linked ships in coming days, WSJ reports
The US military is preparing in coming days to board Iran-linked oil tankers and seize commercial ships in international waters, the Wall Street Journal reported citing US officials.
No signs of regime collapse as Iran weathers weeks of war
Despite foreign calls for regime change, analysts say Iran’s leadership remains entrenched, as economic pressure, repression and war damage deepen tensions inside the country.
Two Indian-flagged ships attacked while crossing Strait of Hormuz, government confirms
Two Indian-flagged vessels carrying crude oil were attacked while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, India's Ministry of External Affairsconfirmed in a statement.
Tehran's ambassador to New Delhi, Mohammad Fathali, was called in for a meeting with India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri during which Misri conveyed India's deep concern at the shooting incident involving two Indian-flagged ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Misri urged the ambassador to convey India's views to the authorities in Iran and resume at the earliest the process of facilitating India-bound ships across the Strai
Hormuz tensions highlight pressure tactics in US-Iran negotiations
H. A. Hellyer, senior fellow in geopolitics at the Royal United Services Institute, was FRANCE 24’s guest and analysed the renewed tensions between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz as a strategy of mutual pressure amid ongoing negotiations.
While talks are set to continue in Islamabad, both sides are using leverage, particularly the US blockade of Iranian port, to strengthen their positions, making any quick breakthrough unlikely.
Death of French UNIFIL soldier: more from FRANCE 24's correspondant in Beyrouth
A French soldier was killed and three others wounded while clearing a road in southern Lebanon in an attack that UNIFIL peacekeepers and French officials said was likely carried out by Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Renée Davis, FRANCE 24's correspondant, has the latest from Beyrouth.
Hezbollah denies involvement in attack on UN peacekeepers
Hezbollah denied it was involved in a deadly attack on United Nations peacekeepers (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon, after France accused the group of being behind the incident.
"Hezbollah denies any connection to the incident that occurred with UNIFIL forces in the Ghandouriyeh-Bint Jbeil area, and calls for caution in making judgments and assigning responsibilities regarding the incident pending the Lebanese army's investigations to determine the full circumstances of the incident," the group said in a statement.
One peacekeeper was killed and three others wounded from the French battalion, with Paris blaming Hezbollah.
Iran says reviewing 'new proposals' from US
Iran's top national security body said that the country was reviewing "new proposals" received from the US, even as it warned that its negotiators would cut no compromises with Washington.
"In recent days, with the presence of the commander of the Pakistani army in Tehran as an intermediary and mediator in the negotiations, new proposals have been put forward by the Americans, which the Islamic Republic of Iran is currently reviewing and has not yet responded to," the Supreme National Security Council said in a statement.
It went on to say that Iran's negotiating delegation "will not make even the slightest compromise, retreat or leniency, and will defend with all its strength the interests of the Iranian nation".
📸 In pictures: After the ceasefire in Lebanon, displaced people return home
A family reunites, after crossing the bridge linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country, following the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel in Qasmiyeh, Lebanon, on April 18, 2026. © Louisa Gouliamaki, Reuters
Displaced people make their way back to their homes after crossing the bridge linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country, following the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel in Qasmiyeh, Lebanon, on April 18, 2026. © Louisa Gouliamaki, Reuters
Displaced people cross a destroyed bridge while returning to their villages on the second day of a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel in Qasmiyeh, near Tyre city, southern Lebanon, on April 18, 2026. © Bilal Hussein, AP
Turkey says no talks with Iran yet to extend gas contract
Turkey wants to extend a natural gas supply contract with Iran that is due to expire in the coming months, but negotiations have not yet begun due to the ongoing war in the Middle East, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.
Speaking to a small group of international media on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Bayraktar said Ankara remains interested in securing Iranian gas to ensure supply continuity.
"There's no negotiation right now, but we might sit and discuss a potential extension," Bayraktar said.
Iran says its control over the Strait of Hormuz 'includes the payment of costs related to security, safety, and environmental protection services'
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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