Issued on: 04/04/2026 - 07:07Modified: 04/04/2026 - 22:39
US President Donald Trump on Saturday said Iran has 48 hours left to make deal or the US would unleash "Hell". His renewed threat in a social media post came as the US military conducted a frantic search for the missing crew member of an F-15E fighter jet shot down by Iran.
Egypt raises electricity prices for higher-use households, businesses from April
Egypt raised electricity prices for higher-use residential consumers and commercial users starting in April, the electricity ministry said in a statement on Saturday, citing a severe global energy crisis linked to the war in the Gulf region.
The ministry said lower-consumption households would not be affected and that the increases would target higher-use segments as part of efforts to ensure continued electricity supply across all sectors.
Iran command rejects Trump's 'helpless, nervous' ultimatum
Iran's central military command on Saturday rejected US President Donald Trump's threat to destroy the country's vital infrastructure if it does not accept a peace deal within 48 hours.
General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, in a statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said Trump's threat was a "a helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action".
And, echoing the religious language of Trump's social media post, he warned that "the simple meaning of this message is that the gates of hell will open for you".
Iran media says Soleimani family denies links to pair arrested in US
Iranian media on Saturday quoted two daughters of slain former Iranian covert operations chief Qassem Soleimani denying that two Iranian women arrested in the United States were their relatives.
Earlier, the US State Department had announced that a niece and a grand-niece of Soleimani had been arrested and stripped of their US residency. The statement identified the niece as Hamideh Soleimani Afshar. Her daughter was not named.
But, according to the Iranian news agency Fars, Soleimani's daughter Zeinab said: "The US State Department's claim is a lie: the people arrested in the United States have no connection to the family."
Israel army urges evacuation near Syria-Lebanon crossing ahead of strikes
The Israeli military said on Saturday it would strike an area near the crossing between Syria and Lebanon, urging residents to evacuate immediately.
"Due to Hezbollah's use of the Masnaa Crossing for military purposes and smuggling of combat equipment, the IDF intends to carry out strikes on the crossing in the near future," the military's Arabic-Language spokesman, Colonel Avichay Adraee, wrote on X.
"For your safety, we urge everyone near the crossing and anyone in the area marked in red on the map to evacuate immediately," he added, sharing the marked map on X.
Iran official says five killed in strikes on petrochemical hub
An Iranian official said five people were killed after US-Israeli strikes on Saturday that targeted a petrochemical hub in the southwest of the country, according to ISNA news agency.
"Five people were martyred following the American-Zionist enemy attack on some companies located in the Mahshahr Petrochemical Special Economic Zone," ISNA said, citing the deputy governor of Khuzestan province, Valiollah Hayati.
📸 Hundreds of Israelis call for ending Iran war
Carrying anti-war banners and chanting slogans against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hundreds of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday to protest the war with Iran.
Demonstrators gathered in a central square, holding signs that read: "Don't bomb - talk! End the endless war!" despite restrictions on mass gatherings imposed during the conflict with Iran.
"Police are trying to silence our voice," Alon-Lee Green, the co-director of Israeli-Palestinian grassroots group Standing Together, told AFP.
"We are here to demand an end to the war in Iran, the war in Lebanon, and the war in Gaza which is still going on, as well as an end to the pogroms in the West Bank.
"In Israel, there's always a war. So, if we're not allowed to demonstrate, we will never be allowed to speak," he added.
Green and several other protesters were soon detained by police, an AFP correspondent reported.
Israel preparing for attacks on Iranian energy sites, awaits US green light, official says
Israel is preparing to attack Iranian energy facilities but is awaiting a green light from the United States, a senior Israeli defense official said on Saturday, adding that any such attacks would likely come within the next week.
The comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum, sharpening focus on whether Washington would back further Israeli military action against Iran.
Israeli military says soldier killed in Lebanon fighting
The Israeli military said a soldier had been killed on Saturday in fighting in southern Lebanon, where its forces are engaged in clashes with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
"Sergeant First Class Guy Ludar, aged 21, ... fell during combat in southern Lebanon," the military said.
The latest fatality brings the number of Israeli soldiers killed in south Lebanon to 11 since the army began ground operations against Hezbollah last month.
📸 In pictures: Mass protest in Iraq against US-Israeli war on Iran
Tens of thousands of supporters of Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr rallied in Baghdad and across the country on Saturday, condemning Israel and the United States and demanding an end to the war.
The massive crowds came as the Middle East war was due to enter its sixth week after strikes launched by the US and Israel against Iran on February 28.
Iraq has been unwillingly drawn into the conflict, with strikes targeting US interests on its soil as well as attacks against pro-Iran groups in the country.
Tens of thousands of men and some women packed into the streets around Baghdad's central Tahrir Square on Saturday, waving the national flag and chanting: "No, no to Israel" and "No, no to America".
Iran says Iraq exempt from any Strait of Hormuz restrictions
Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya joint military command said Iraq would be exempt from any restrictions on transit through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reported on Saturday, signaling preferential treatment for Baghdad as Tehran tightens control over the strategic waterway.
📸 In pictures: Israeli authorities inspect damage in Petah Tikva
Israeli authorities inspect damage at an apartment building struck by an Iranian missile in Petah Tikva, Israel. Photos by Maya Levin / AP
Several blasts over Jerusalem after Iran missiles detected
Several loud explosions were heard over Jerusalem on Saturday after the Israeli military warned it had detected missiles inbound from Iran.
AFP journalists heard at least six blasts, more than a month into a conflict that was triggered by Israel and the United States striking Tehran.
Earlier in the day five Israelis were wounded in missile attacks on Tel Aviv and parts of central Israel, according to the rescue services.
🎥 'A very tough stretch for NATO over US war on Iran'
Spencer P. Boyer, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy tell FRANCE 24 about the dangers of escalation under conditions of uncertainty, the enduring complexity of POW diplomacy, and the strategic consequences for alliances such as NATO.
US agents arrest niece of slain Iranian general Qassem Soleimani after Rubio revoked green card
US federal agents have arrested the niece and grand-niece of late Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked their lawful permanent resident status, the State Department said on Saturday.
"Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement," the State Department said in a statement after Rubio revoked their green cards.
Trump says Iran has 48 hours to make deal or US will unleash 'Hell'
Donald Trump issued new threats against Iran on social media, warning Tehran to make a deal, open up the Hormuz strait or "all Hell would reign down on them" (the US leader probably meant "rain down").
🎥 Israel issues evacuation warnings for Tyre in south Lebanon
Israel's military issued an evacuation warning for several neighbourhoods in and around Tyre in south Lebanon Saturday, after the health ministry reported a hospital damaged in strikes on nearby buildings.
Despite Israel's evacuation orders, some residents decide to stay in their own home, reports Olivia Bizot, FRANCE 24' special correspondent in Lebanon.
Israeli forces destroy 17 UN peacekeeper cameras in south Lebanon
Israeli forces destroyed 17 surveillance cameras linked to the United Nations peacekeepers' main headquarters in southern Lebanon in 24 hours, a UN security official told AFP on Saturday.
Since the start of the Israel-Hezbollah war on March 2, the UN force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been caught in the crossfire in the country's south, with Hezbollah launching attacks on Israel and its troops, and Israeli forces pushing into border towns.
The official, who requested anonymity, said "17 of our headquarters' cameras have been destroyed by the Israeli army" in the coastal town of Naqura.
Iran says new air defence system used to target US fighter jet
Iran used a new air defence system on Friday to target a US fighter jet, Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya joint military command said on Saturday.
A spokesperson for the joint military command said the country would "definitely achieve full control" over its airspace, according to Iranian state media.
How US aviators train to survive behind enemy lines
Iran Guards say targeted Israel-linked vessel in Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday they targeted an Israel-linked ship in the Strait of Hormuz in a drone attack, setting it on fire.
"A drone struck the vessel ... linked to the Zionist regime in the Strait of Hormuz; the ship caught fire," the Guards naval forces posted on X, adding that the ship was called the MSC Ishyka
Yesterday's key developments:
The Israeli military said it had begun striking "Hezbollah infrastructure sites" in Lebanon's capital Beirut.
Trump briefed on downed plane as both US and Iran race to find pilot.
Trump asked lawmakers to approve a massive $1.5 trillion defence budget for 2027, as the United States faces rising costs from its war with Iran and mounting global security commitments.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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