Iran war live: Ceasefire starts in Lebanon as Trump says Tehran deal close

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.

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.

At the bombed Qasmiyeh bridge near the southern city of Tyre in southern Lebanon, long queues of families were seen waiting for bulldozers to restore the crossing so they could head home.

For some returnees, the short truce between Israel and the Lebanese government was a new source of hope.

“Our feelings are indescribable, pride and victory,” 37-year-old Amani Atrash was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.

Closer to the capital, Hussein Amdar, resident of Beirut’s southern suburbs, said the “feeling is really good”.

“Now friends have started calling me and the family so we can meet, to bring back the days before the war when we used to do gatherings,” he said.

• Celebratory gunfire and fireworks seen in Lebanon, where a 10-day-ceasefire was announced.
• Lebanon’s National News Agency has reported the first violation of the ceasefire after an ambulance was hit in the town of Kounine, close to the border with Israel, with casualties among the targeted medical workers.
• Tens of thousands of displaced Lebanese have started returning home to Beirut’s southern suburbs and towns and villages in southern Lebanon.
• Pakistan PM Sharif has welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire in Lebanon, saying he hopes it will lead to lasting peace.
• France’s President Macron has expressed his full support for the ceasefire in Lebanon, but expressed “concern that it may already be undermined by the continuation of military operations”.
• One Palestinian has been killed and two wounded after Israeli forces targeted a water desalination facility with a drone in the Shujayea neighbourhood of Gaza City.

Poland’s Deputy Energy Minister, Wojciech Wrochna, says reserves of jet fuel have not been released so far, as European airlines warn of shortages within weeks due to the war in Iran.

The head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, said on Thursday that Europe has “maybe six weeks or so of jet fuel left” and warned of flight cancellations “soon” if oil supplies remain halted.

The disruption is caused by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, where 20 percent of the world’s oil and LNG supplies are shipped during peacetime.

“There is no ⁠risk of a shortage of jet fuel, ⁠but the situation in ⁠Europe is ⁠difficult, and the international situation will show what will ‌happen next,” Energy Minister Milosz Motyka ‌added.

We’ve heard the Israeli army saying that within the next 24 hours, a line of separation will be established between them and the Lebanese military.

After that point, they will remain in their established positions, but they will continue clearing what they call Hezbollah infrastructure, which suggests they may continue to explode houses and other public buildings that they feel remain a threat.

The Israel Hayom news outlet reports that 56 per cent of Israelis believe the army should stay in southern Lebanon, but says that if elections were held today, Netanyahu’s party would lose two seats, from 28 to 26, suggesting the ceasefire is unpopular.

The Times of Israel says that anger is growing along the northern border over the ceasefire, with residents saying they’re paying the price in blood.

Meanwhile, The Jerusalem Post quotes a senior Israeli official who indicates this ceasefire happened very much at the behest of the US.

Tens of thousands of displaced Lebanese have started returning home to Beirut’s southern suburbs and towns and villages in southern Lebanon after a ceasefire with Israel started at midnight.

The return began at dawn on Friday amid cautious celebrations, following weeks of intense fighting. Roads north of Beirut were congested as large numbers drove back to the southern suburbs of the capital.

The coastal highway linking Beirut and Mount Lebanon with the southern cities of Sidon and Tyre also saw long lines of vehicles carrying returning families.

Some showed victory signs as they headed home.

The IMF has downgraded its global growth forecast for 2026 from 3.3 to 3.1 percent, citing the impact of the war and shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz on the world economy.

Bombing has damaged energy infrastructure across the Gulf, while critical exports such as oil, gas, chemicals and fertiliser remain stranded by Iran’s closure of the strait and the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.

In the worst-case scenario of a prolonged war, the IMF said global growth could fall to 2.5 percent in 2026, with low-income and developing economies hit hardest by soaring commodity and energy prices. The global shipping and logistics industry is facing a separate crisis.

Read more here.

Groups in Iran such as Explosive Media are using Lego figures and blocks to make and post viral videos online bolstering Tehran’s narrative amid the war against the US and Israel.

One video depicting multiple victims of US state aggression both at home and abroad has been viewed almost 150,000 times on the X platform.

The videos have ranged from sombre stories reflecting deeply on Shia-Muslim history to upbeat rap-style music videos, all set to motion with Lego-like brick figures.

The trend has also spread to Pakistan.

“These videos are ways of breaking through what is an information highway stacked against them generally in times of war,” said Fasi Zaka, an Islamabad-based social commentator.

Read the full report here.

The International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol has warned that “the market is underestimating the consequences of a prolonged closure” of the Strait of Hormuz and that energy prices will rise.

Birol said there had been no new deliveries of oil, gas or fuels to Asian markets, with supply gaps now starting to emerge.

He added that poorer countries could be hit hardest because of weaker currencies and more limited financial resources.

Birol also warned that shortages of refined products such as kerosene and diesel could emerge if crude oil cannot reach refineries, potentially causing flight disruptions, cancellations and industrial supply problems in some countries.

Armed Israeli settlers have set fire to two Palestinian-owned vehicles in the Majd al-Baa community, near Yatta in the occupied West Bank, according to the Wafa news agency.

In photos published in the report, only the charred remains of two chassis are visible after settlers sneaked into the area.

In Yatta, Israeli forces ransacked several shops, leaving them heavily damaged after blowing in their doors.

They moved on to an area west of Hebron, where they damaged a Palestinian home after forcing their way in to search it.

Pakistan PM Sharif has welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire in Lebanon, saying he hopes it will lead to lasting peace.

In a post on X, the prime minister said the ceasefire was facilitated through “bold” diplomatic efforts led by Trump.

Pakistan “reaffirms its unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon”, also saying that Islamabad would continue backing efforts aimed at securing durable peace in the region.

Sharif has been on a regional tour, arriving in Qatar on Thursday for talks with leaders as diplomatic efforts continue over a possible new round of US-Iran negotiations aimed at ending the war. That visit follows a stop in Saudi Arabia and before meetings in Turkiye.

It comes after Islamabad hosted the first round of US-Iran talks, with a second round of discussions expected in the coming days.

Pakistan is actively working to orchestrate getting both sides sitting down face to face.

Security on the ground in Islamabad is heightened. The signals are all there. Talks are ongoing. They’re fragile, but they’re highly controlled. We know that Pakistan is continuing to shuttle messages between Tehran and Washington. Behind the scenes, a lot is taking place, but in terms of active mediation and pushing for a second round, Pakistanis are remaining very optimistic.

They say they’ve talked to both sides, they see positive signals coming from both sides, and they’re hopeful that this could be the potential for a breakthrough sort of agreement.

France President Emmanuel Macron has expressed his full support for the ceasefire in Lebanon, but has “concern that it may already be undermined by the continuation of military operations”.

“I call for the safety of civilian populations on both sides of the border between Lebanon and Israel. Hezbollah must renounce its weapons. Israel must respect Lebanese sovereignty and stop the war,” Macron posted on social media.

Lebanon’s National News Agency earlier reported the first violation of the ceasefire after an ambulance was hit in the town of Kounine, close to the border with Israel.

The agency said there were casualties among targeted medical workers.