Issued on: 16/04/2026 - 04:16Modified: 17/04/2026 - 02:58
A 10-day ceasefire agreed to by Israel and Lebanon went into effect on Thursday at 5pm EST. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had confirmed the ceasefire earlier in the day, adding that Israeli troops would remain in southern Lebanon to enforce a 10-kilometre “security zone”. Follow our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.
This liveblog is no longer being updated.
Trump says Iran was 'should be ending' soon
US 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.”
Lebanon army reports Israeli 'acts of aggression' in 'violation of ceasefire'
Lebanon's army reported “acts of aggression” by Israel that it said violated a ceasefire which took effect at midnight Friday local time.
Lebanon's army, in an X post early on Friday, called on residents in the south to exercise caution “in light of a number of violations” of the ceasefire agreement by “several Israeli acts of aggression.”
Lebanese army accuses Israel of ceasefire violations in south Lebanon
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 he hopes Hezbollah 'acts nicely' during ceasefire
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he hopes militant group Hezbollah “acts nicely and well” during the 10-day ceasefire reached just hours earlier between Lebanon and Israel.
“I hope Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform as he arrived for a speech in Las Vegas. “It will be (a) GREAT moment for them if they do. No more killing. Must finally have PEACE!”
IMF warns war in Iran could have severe global consequences
IMF economists warned Thursday that the war in Iran could have “very, certainly severe” consequences far outside the region – especially for energy-importing countries.
Countries in East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are among the countries most affected, as they rely on imports for food, fertiliser, and energy.
“Oil-impacted importers, particularly non-resource-rich and fragile states, face deteriorating trade balances, rising living costs and limited buffers to absorb future shocks,” warned Abebe Selassie, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Director for Africa, at a press conference Thursday.
“The human consequences are almost certain to be severe,” he added.
UN chief welcomes Israel–Lebanon ceasefire and urges compliance
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres welcomed the 10-day ceasefire announced Thursday between Israel and Lebanon, and urged “all actors” to fully respect the truce, his spokesman said.
“The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement of a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, and commends the role of the United States in facilitating” it, Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, adding he hoped the temporary halt to fighting would “pave the way for negotiations.”
Guterres “urges all actors to fully respect the ceasefire and to comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, at all times,” he said, a statement that may extend beyond Israel and Lebanon to the militant group Hezbollah.
French Finance Minister says Strait of Hormuz must open 'but not at any price'
French Finance Minister Roland Lescure told reporters Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz needs to reopen “but not at any price,” adding that G7 leaders stand ready to mitigate the war's economic fallout.
Finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of Seven advanced economies added in a statement released Thursday that “it is urgent to limit” the global economic cost of an enduring conflict in the Middle East.
“G7 members reaffirmed the pressing need to move toward a lasting peace,” the statement said, following the grouping’s Wednesday gathering in Washington.
Lebanon says IMF talks progressing despite war delays
Lebanese Finance Minister Yassine Jaber on Thursday said his government had good meetings with the International Monetary Fund and remained committed to working towards a lending programme.
Current events, including massive strikes by Israel on Lebanon, had delayed the process, Jaber told Reuters on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank spring meetings in Washington, but he added that officials were committed to moving forward on steps needed to secure a programme.
Gunfire erupts in Beirut's southern suburbs as ceasefire takes effect
Gunfire erupted in Beirut's southern suburbs as a ceasefire with Israel came into effect at midnight local time on Friday (2100 GMT Thursday), according to AFP journalists and AFPTV footage.
State media also reported "heavy gunfire" accompanying the midnight start of the 10-day truce, announced earlier by US President Donald Trump.
G7 says 'urgent' to limit global economic costs of prolonged Middle East conflict
G7 finance ministers and central bank governors said Thursday it was “urgent” to limit the global economic costs of a prolonged conflict in the Middle East.
“The conclusion was unanimous: it is urgent to limit the cost to the global economy of an enduring conflict,” they said in a statement after a meeting in Washington.
“G7 members reaffirmed the pressing need to move towards a lasting peace.”
10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon goes into effect
A 10-day ceasefire began in Lebanon which 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 towards 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.
Iran foreign ministry welcomes ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, state media reports
Iran's foreign ministry welcomed the truce agreed between Israel and Lebanon, calling it part of the earlier two-week ceasefire deal struck between the Islamic Republic and the United States to pause the Middle East war, state media reported.
Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei "welcomed the announcement of the ceasefire in Lebanon and noted that the cessation of the war in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire understanding between Iran and the United States, mediated by Pakistan", state news agency IRNA posted on Telegram.
Hezbollah urges Lebanese to postpone return to targeted areas before Israel truce
Lebanon has committed to stopping Hezbollah attacks in Israel ceasefire deal, US says
Trump expects Israeli and Lebanese leaders at White House in 'four or five days'
US President Donald Trump said he expected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to visit the White House in coming days.
"As of two hours from now, we have a ceasefire with Israel and Lebanon. And that'll be great. And they'll be meeting – probably coming to the White House – over the next four or five days," Trump told reporters.
Lebanese army tells citizens not to return south until Israel truce starts
Lebanon's army urged people not to return to the country's southern villages and towns before a ceasefire with Israel takes effect at midnight local time (2100 GMT), and warned against approaching Israeli forces there.
In a statement, the army command also called on citizens to heed instructions of Lebanese soldiers deployed in the south, where Israeli troops have invaded across the border, and to beware of unexploded ordnance and "suspicious objects".
Trump says he is not happy with Australia over lack of Hormuz support
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he is not happy with Australia for
not assisting the US with the Strait of Hormuz
Trump says next Iran meeting may happen this weekend
US President Donald Trump said that the next meeting between the United States and Iran may take place over the weekend.
He added that he is not sure the ceasefire needs to be extended.
Israel will keep 10-kilometre 'security zone' in southern Lebanon, Netanyahu says
Yesterday's key developments:
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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