The two countries have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948, and Netanyahu later stressed that there was no ceasefire<\/a> between them. In a video statement, the Israeli leader said Israel will keep striking Hezbollah until security is restored in northern Israel.<\/p>\n Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n There was no immediate response from Lebanese authorities. But Israel-Lebanon negotiations were expected to begin next week at the State Department in Washington, according to a person familiar with the plans.<\/p>\n The prospect of talks appeared to bolster the tentative ceasefire in the Iran war that has staggered under the weight of Israel\u2019s bombardment of Beirut, Tehran\u2019s continued chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz<\/a> and uncertainty over whether planned peace talks can find common ground.<\/p>\n Lebanese civil defense workers search for victims in the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike a day earlier in central Beirut, Lebanon. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n Netanyahu\u2019s announcement came amid disagreement over whether the ceasefire deal included a pause in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, and a day after Israel pounded Beirut with airstrikes that resulted in the deadliest day in Lebanon since the war began on February 28.<\/p>\n Israel has fought multiple wars and launched several major invasions over the years, most recently sending in large numbers of troops last month in response to Hezbollah fire on Israel\u2019s northern border communities.<\/p>\n The launch of direct peace talks is a significant achievement, though reaching a deal will be difficult after decades of hostilities, Hezbollah\u2019s continued presence and longstanding disagreements over the exact route of their shared border.<\/p>\n The talks in Washington are expected to be handled on the American side by the US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, and on the Israeli side by the Israeli ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the delicacy of the situation.<\/p>\n It was not immediately clear who would represent Lebanon.<\/p>\n Axios first reported the timing and location of the talks.<\/p>\n After declaring victory with the ceasefire announcement, both Iran and the US appeared to apply pressure on each other. Semiofficial news agencies in Iran suggested forces have mined the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for oil that Tehran has closed. President Donald Trump warned that US forces would hit Iran harder than before if it did not fulfil the agreement.<\/p>\n Questions also remained over what will happen to Iran\u2019s stockpile of enriched uranium at the heart of tensions, how and when normal traffic will resume through the strait, and what happens to Iran\u2019s ability to launch future missile attacks and support armed proxies in the region.<\/p>\n Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a message on Telegram that the decision to accept a ceasefire was made unanimously by senior government leaders and approved by the supreme leader. He said the ceasefire “is not a sign of weakness but a way to solidify Iran’s proud victories”.<\/p>\n A government supporter weeps during a mourning ceremony marking the 40th day since the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n Despite the fragile and disputed nature of the ceasefire, it appeared to have halted weeks of missile and drone attacks by Iran on its Gulf Arab neighbours and Israel, with no new launches reported Thursday. There were no reports of strikes by the US or Israel targeting Iran.<\/p>\n Israel had vowed to continue striking Hezbollah in Lebanon.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, warned Thursday that continued Israeli attacks on the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon would bring “explicit costs and STRONG responses” in a social media post.<\/p>\n Qalibaf has been discussed as a possible negotiator who could meet US Vice President JD Vance this weekend in Islamabad. The White House has said Vance would lead the delegation for talks starting Saturday.<\/p>\n Iran had said Israel\u2019s ongoing attacks on Hezbollah were violating the ceasefire agreement. Netanyahu and Trump have said it was not.<\/p>\n Hours before opening the way for talks with Lebanon, Netanyahu said Israel would continue striking Hezbollah “with force, precision and determination”.<\/p>\n Lebanon\u2019s health ministry said more than 300 people were killed and more than 1000 wounded in Israeli strikes in central Beirut and other areas of Lebanon that Israel said targeted Hezbollah, which joined the war in support of Tehran.<\/p>\n Israel said it killed an aide to Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem, Ali Yusuf Harshi. Hezbollah did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n A New York-based think tank warned that the ceasefire “hovers on the verge of collapse” following Israel\u2019s strikes Wednesday.<\/p>\n Lebanon\u2019s state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli strike overnight killed at least seven people in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military did not immediately acknowledge the strike.<\/p>\n Oil prices remain high amid uncertainty over the strait<\/p>\n Semiofficial news agencies in Iran published a chart suggesting the country\u2019s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard put sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz during the war \u2014 a message that may be intended to pressure the United States.<\/p>\n The chart<\/a>, released by the ISNA news agency and Tasnim, showed a large circle marked “danger zone” in Farsi over the route ships take through the strait, through which 20% of all traded oil and natural gas once passed.<\/p>\n (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n Only a trickle of ships have transited since the war began after several were attacked, and Iran threatened to hit any that it deemed connected to the US or Israel. Ships appeared to continue to avoid the strait even after the ceasefire.<\/p>\n The chart suggested that ships travel through waters closer to Iran\u2019s mainland near Larak Island, a route that some ships were observed taking during the war. It was dated from February 28 until April 9, and it was unclear if the Guard had cleared any mines since then.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, told the BBC that his country will allow ships to pass through the strait in accordance with “international norms and international law” once the United States ends its “aggression” in the Middle East and Israel stops attacking Lebanon.<\/p>\n The head of the United Arab Emirates\u2019 major oil company, Sultan al-Jaber, said some 230 ships loaded with oil were waiting to get through the strait and must be allowed “to navigate this corridor without condition”.<\/p>\n![\"Israeli](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/israeli-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-BAOYDTJKGZEK3J4ERFP7EO5RWA.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Lebanese](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lebanese-civil-defense-workers-search-for-victims-in-the-rub-Y4RBXT5EI5BCZGEM3JHES73E3U.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/a-government-supporter-weeps-during-a-mourning-ceremony-mark-KBU4JLG2ZNCY5MRAJ22YQR7CRA.jpg\")
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