Israel continues invasion of Lebanon as Gulf states report no strikes (VIDEOS/PHOTOS)
There have been no reports from Gulf countries of any Iranian strikes on their infrastructure on Thursday after Washington and Tehran agreed to a two-week ceasefire.
The sides, however, are still far from reaching a sustainable peace deal, with Iran demanding that Lebanon be included in the truce framework. Israel has meanwhile continued strikes inside the neighboring country, with the US and the Jewish State insisting that Lebanon was never part of the deal.
The continued Israeli military action – which West Jerusalem says is aimed against Hezbollah – triggered international backlash, with the UK, France, and several Middle East nations insisting that Lebanon be included in the truce. The demand was also backed by Pakistan, which acts as the key intermediary in the peace process.
US President Donald Trump has said that American forces “will remain in place in, and around, Iran” until Tehran fully complies with the ”real agreement.”
The exact outlines of the potential deal remain, but Iranian media shared a plan envisaging non-aggression, Tehran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, acceptance of uranium enrichment, stopping Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, and lifting all the sanctions. The US previously opposed many of the terms.
Trump has also once again lashed out against NATO over the perceived lack of support in the Iran war. According to the Wall Street Journal, Washington is considering pulling out its troops to ”punish” states that were most reluctant to participate.
Shipping traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz also remains limited and under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – which has published a map of ”designated routes” due to the risk of mines.
Key developments:
- Israeli strikes in Lebanon and Gaza killed at least three journalists on Wednesday, though West Jerusalem insisted that one of them was a “Hamas operative.”
- US Vice President J.D. Vance said he has seen three different ten-point demands from Iran, which have contributed to ”misunderstanding,” claiming that the first draft was ”probably written by ChatGPT” and went straight ”in the garbage.”
- Oil industry executives are pressing the White House to oppose Iran’s plan to charge tolls on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Politico.
Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here.
09 April 2026
09:53 GMTThe IDF claims it has killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, the personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, in a strike on Beirut.
- 09:14 GMT
In an analysis piece for RT, Middle East expert Murad Sadygzade has presented the case for why Iran can be considered the victor from the ceasefire with the US – and how the limits of American power have been exposed by its latest Middle East misadventure.
“In the eyes of many outside observers and much of global public opinion, Iran now appears to be the clear winner of the present battle,” Sadygzade writes.
“It absorbed the blow, answered with force and dignity, refused capitulation, and most importantly, gradually shifted control over the very logic of a war imposed upon it.
“The US and Israel had expected to define the rules of the conflict and then present any compelled Iranian retreat as proof of their own victory. What happened in practice was the opposite. Iran not only refused externally imposed terms, but also raised the cost of war to a point where the American military campaign became a political liability for the US itself.”
You can read Sadygzade’s full analysis of the current state of play and his thoughts on how the situation could pan out here.
- 08:36 GMT
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has announced that his country would reopen its embassy in Iran amid reinvigorated hopes of a peaceful settlement.
“I’ve instructed our ambassador in Tehran to return, to take up his post again and reopen our embassy, and for us to join in this effort for peace from every possible quarter, including from the Iranian capital itself,” he said, as cited by Reuters.
- 08:11 GMT
US-Israeli strikes on Tehran have damaged not only mosques, but also a synagogue in the central part of the city. The Jewish minority in Iran – which is legally recognized and has parliamentary representation – is estimated to number 8,000-15,000.
RT’s Saman Kojouri reports from the scene.
- 07:54 GMT
At least three journalists were killed on Wednesday in Israeli strikes in Lebanon and Gaza, including Al-Manar host Susan Khalil, Sawt al-Farah radio presenter Ghada Al Dayekh, and Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Wishah.
The Israeli military, however, claimed that Wishah was a Hamas operative acting under the guise of a journalist.
- 07:41 GMT
None of the Gulf states has reported strikes on its infrastructure since Wednesday, with Thursday morning ushering in a tentative lull in fighting after the declaration of the US-Iran ceasefire.
- 07:08 GMT
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper believes Lebanon must be included in a US-Iran peace deal, according to a preview of a speech seen by Reuters. She also pushed back against the notion of Iran establishing a toll system in the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that “freedom of navigation means navigation must be free.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has meanwhile condemned Israeli strikes on Lebanon, also stressing that the conflict in the area must be stopped as part of the US-Iran peace deal.
- 07:06 GMT
Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets across the country to commemorate 40 days since the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes early in the conflict.
- 06:52 GMT
Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, has deleted a post on X in which he said Tehran’s delegation would arrive in Islamabad this evening for “serious talks” on the proposed ten-point peace deal.
