20/04/2026 – 18:25France ‘not specifically targeted’, Macron says of soldier’s Lebanon killing
President Emmanuel Macron said France was not specifically targeted in the killing of a French UN soldier in Lebanon, while blaming pro-Iranian group Hezbollah for the attack.
“It was Hezbollah, in fact, that targeted our soldiers,” Macron said of Saturday’s attack.
“They didn’t target them because they were French. They targeted them because they were on a mission to stand alongside the civilian population,” Macron told journalists in Gdansk, Poland.
20/04/2026 – 18:24EU to gauge member states’ willingness to take measures against Israel
The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the bloc will gauge the willingness of member states to take measures against Israel, after Spain re-upped demands to suspend a cooperation deal.
Foreign ministers from the 27-nation bloc are expected to discuss the matter at a meeting in Luxembourg Tuesday after a call from Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Attitudes towards Israel among key EU member states, hardened over its conduct in the war in Gaza, stiffened further after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and a new law on the death penalty for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
20/04/2026 – 18:01’Hierarchy of sovereignty’: Israel claims authority over ‘which Lebanese areas are inhabitable’
FRANCE 24’s Carys Garland welcomed Nadim Houry, Executive Director of the Arab Reform Initiative (ARI).
According to Houry, the “Yellow Line doctrine” is not a security measure, but rather a military tool for territorial control. Drawing on recent developments in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon, he argues that this doctrine operates as a legal façade for expanding occupation under the language of self-defence.
20/04/2026 – 17:58Lebanon state media reports Israeli drone strike in south
Lebanese official media said an Israeli strike hit a town in the country’s south despite a 10-day ceasefire in force between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
The state-run National News Agency said that “an enemy drone targeted the vicinity of the Litani River in the town of Qaqaiyat al-Jisr”, without immediately reporting casualties. Under the ceasefire, Israel reserves the right to act against “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks”.
20/04/2026 – 17:58Russia’s Lavrov spoke with Iran’s Araghchi, Moscow FM says
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.
Lavrov reiterated the need to uphold the ceasefire and stressed the importance of continued diplomatic efforts, while the Iranian side confirmed its readiness to do everything in its power to ensure the uninterrupted passage of Russian ships and cargo through the Strait of Hormuz.
20/04/2026 – 17:38Iran’s Pezeshkian says ‘deep historical mistrust in Iran towards US government conduct remains’
20/04/2026 – 17:19France’s Macron urges Iran, US to de-escalate amid Hormuz tensions
French President Emmanuel Macron called for the US and Iran to de-escalate amid increased tensions over the weekend over the Strait of Hormuz.
“Our position remains the same. We need to settle things through diplomacy. Everyone must calm down,” Macron said during a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The US has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran lifted and then reimposed its own blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.
Macron also said that France was not specifically targeted in the strait after Iran fired shots on ships on Saturday, including a container ship belonging to the CMA CGM. CMA CGM had described them as “warning shots” and said at the time the crew was safe.
20/04/2026 – 17:18Ceasefire at risk after US seizes Iranian ship, Iran shuns peace talks
The US-Iran ceasefire appears in jeopardy after the US said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Tehran vowed to retaliate, refusing for now to join new peace talks.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Washington has shown it was “not serious” about pursuing the diplomatic process and Tehran would not change its clearly stated demands, adding that it did not believe in deadlines or ultimatums when safeguarding national interests.
FRANCE 24’s International Affairs Editor Angela Diffley tells us more.
20/04/2026 – 17:15US negotiators will head to Pakistan for new talks with Iran soon
The US delegation will head to Pakistan “soon” for a new round of peace negotiations with Iran, a source familiar with the plan told AFP, as Iran said it had yet to decide whether to attend.
20/04/2026 – 17:15Seized Iranian ship likely carrying equipment deemed dual-use by US
The Iranian-flagged container ship Touska, which was boarded and seized by US forces on Sunday, is likely to have what Washington deems dual-use items that could be used by the military onboard, maritime security sources said.
The small container ship, which is part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) group that has been hit with US sanctions, was boarded on Sunday off the coast of Iran’s Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman and last reported its position at 13:08 GMT, according to ship-tracking data on the Marine Traffic platform.
The US Central Command said Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, and that the vessel was in violation of a US blockade.
20/04/2026 – 17:02Iraq reopens Rabia border crossing to boost fuel oil exports via Syria
Iraq has reopened the Rabia border crossing with Syria after more than a decade to accelerate overland fuel oil exports and revive cross-border trade amid disruption to Gulf shipping, Iraqi border officials said.
The crossing, located in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province, will allow fuel oil shipments to be trucked through Syria while also reopening the route to commercial trade traffic that has been halted since the conflict that followed Syria’s civil war, officials said.
The head of Iraq’s Border Ports Commission, Omar al-Waeli, said reopening Rabia would ease pressure on fuel shipments to Syria by allowing more fuel oil trucks to cross, with most convoys currently backed up at the al-Waleed crossing in western Iraq, the only operating border point.
20/04/2026 – 16:57Vance has not departed for Pakistan yet, source familiar says
Vice President JD Vance is still in the United States and has not yet departed for Pakistan, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, as prospects for a second round of negotiations with Iran remain unclear.
President Donald Trump has said he would send a US delegation to Pakistan for additional talks before a ceasefire
is set to expire in the coming days. Iran is considering attending the peace talks, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, but no decision had been made.
It was unclear if other members of a US delegation were en route or already in Islamabad for talks.
The New York Post earlier reported that Vance, White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were on their way to the talks. The three participated in the first round of talks to end hostilities that began with US-Israeli
attacks on Iran on February 28.
20/04/2026 – 16:50EU to widen Iran sanctions to those who block Hormuz
The EU will expand the criteria of its Iran sanctions to include those responsible for blocking the Strait of Hormuz, two EU diplomats said.
“There was a political agreement among ambassadors that we indeed would change the criteria in Iran’s sanctions regime so that we could also list persons and entities that are responsible for the obstruction of the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” one of the diplomats said.
A second diplomatic source said the European External Action Service would need a few weeks to prepare any new listings. The EEAS is in charge of placing people and companies under sanctions while the European Commission handles sector-wide restrictions.
In January, the EU designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation and in March it listed Iranian officials for human rights violations.
20/04/2026 – 16:42Crude oil loadings from Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port fell 17% week-on-week, shipping data shows
Crude oil loadings from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu averaged about 3.5 million barrels per day in the week beginning April 13, Kpler data showed, 17 percent lower than the previous week, and their lowest since the second week of March.
20/04/2026 – 16:39US military blockade redirected 27 vessels since blockade
The US military has directed 27 vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port since the beginning of its blockade around the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command said in a statement on X.
20/04/2026 – 16:18’Israel never talked me into war with Iran’, Trump says
US President Donald Trump said that Israel did not persuade him to attack Iran, after news reports that Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu influenced the US president’s decision and criticism from right-wing commentators.
“Israel never talked me into the war with Iran, the results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, did,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Trump also said “the results in Iran will be amazing” in the post, which came as the US prepared to resume negotiations in Pakistan although Iran was undecided.
“And if Iran’s new leaders (Regime Change!) are smart, Iran can have a great and prosperous future!” Trump wrote.
20/04/2026 – 16:08Israel army warns Lebanese against returning to south
Israel’s military warned Lebanese civilians against returning to dozens of villages in southern Lebanon, claiming Hezbollah’s activities in the area were violating a ceasefire agreement struck last week.
Thousands of displaced residents have begun making their way back to parts of southern Lebanon since the truce between Israel and Lebanon took effect on Friday.
FRANCE 24’s Cyril Payen tells us more.
20/04/2026 – 16:05Israel military says armoured vehicle likely damaged by explosive device in southern Lebanon
The Israeli military reported that an armored vehicle was likely damaged on Sunday by an explosive device in southern Lebanon. No casualties were reported and the incident is under investigation.
20/04/2026 – 16:04EU proposes full resumption of cooperative agreement with Syria
The European Commission has proposed a full resumption of its 1978 cooperation agreement with Syria, deepening its engagement ahead of formal talks with Syria’s authorities in May, confirming a Reuters report published.
Syria, which had most Western sanctions lifted at the end of last year, is seeking broader integration into the international community under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who headed an alliance of Islamist rebel factions to oust former leader Bashar al-Assad at the end of 2024 after a 14-year war.
It is also emerging as a critical transit point, particularly amid the energy crisis triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The proposal will need to be formally adopted by the European Council.