April 17: US official stresses Israel ‘preserves right to self-defense’ after Trump said it was barred from striking in Lebanon

S&P 500 and Nasdaq close day at new highs as oil prices tumble

Major Wall Street indices rocket to fresh records after Iran’s announcement reopening the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices sharply lower.

The broad-based S&P 500 gained 1.2 percent to 7,126.07, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 1.5 percent to 24,468.48. Both end at records for the third straight day.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 1.8 percent to 49,447.92.

Iran protests continued US blockade at same time Iranian navy chief claims it’s ’empty words’

The commander of the Iranian navy, Shahram Irani, says that US President Donald Trump “has blockaded his friends” and not Iran, as the US said its blockade will remain in place after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial traffic.

In a statement carried by Mizan, Iran’s official judiciary news agency, the navy chief says Trump’s blockade is just “empty words” and that no one is listening to him, while also denouncing it as “piracy and maritime theft.”

A spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry, meanwhile, says the blockade is a violation of the ceasefire agreement.

In comments published by Iranian state media, Esmail Baghaei says the strait is still under the supervision of Iran, which is serious about its commitments. But if the US violates its own commitments, then Iran “will take the necessary reciprocal measures.”

“No leniency will be shown in this regard,” Baghaei says.

US official stresses Israel ‘preserves right to self-defense’ after Trump said it was barred from striking in Lebanon

After US Donald Trump declared Israel was “PROHIBITED” from bombing Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, a US official tells The Times of Israel that the “ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel clearly states that Israel will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets but preserves its right to self-defense against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.”

Disputing Trump, Iran says its enriched uranium stockpile ‘not being transferred anywhere’

Centrifuges line a hall at the Uranium Enrichment Facility in Natanz, Iran, in a still image from a video aired by the Islamic Republic Iran Broadcasting company on April 17, 2021, six days after the hall had been damaged in a mysterious attack. (IRIB via AP)

Iran’s foreign ministry says the country’s stockpile of enriched uranium will not be transferred “anywhere,” denying an earlier claim by US President Donald Trump that the Islamic Republic agreed to hand it over.

“Iran’s enriched uranium is not going to be transferred anywhere,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei tells state TV.

Trump posted on his Truth Social platform earlier today that “The U.S.A. will get all Nuclear ‘Dust,’ created by our great B2 Bombers,” referring to nuclear material buried by US strikes last year.

US Treasury sanctions Iraqi militias supported by Iran

The US has imposed sanctions on seven senior commanders of Iraqi militias that are supported by Iran, including groups like Kataeb Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq, for allegedly planning and carrying out attacks on US personnel and coalition forces in the region.

Officials have said the move is part of a broader effort to counter Iran’s influence in Iraq and deter further violence against U.S. interests.

The action also signifies a US strategy of using economic pressure, not just military force, to target Iran’s network of allies, while warning global banks and firms to stop doing business with anyone tied to these groups.

“We will not allow Iraq’s terrorist militias, backed by Iran, to threaten American lives or interests,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent says. “Those who enable these militias’ violence will be held accountable.”

Group of ships seen moving from the Gulf, according to ship tracking data

A group of around 20 ships, including container ships, bulk carriers and tankers, was seen moving in the Gulf towards the exit via the Strait of Hormuz on Friday evening, ship tracking data shows.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday the Strait of Hormuz was open following a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.

Most Israelis think Netanyahu should not be country’s next prime minister — poll

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, April 14, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Most Israelis think Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should not be the country’s next prime minister, according to a new poll aired on Channel 12.

At the same time, Netanyahu would defeat all four of his top political rivals in head-to-head matchups, the poll indicates.

The specific findings, while indicative of current levels of support, are essentially academic since Israel’s prime minister is not directly elected. Rather, the party leader deemed by the state president to be best able to form a majority coalition in the 120-seat Knesset after election votes are counted is tasked with doing so. Israel’s next elections must be held by late October.

When asked to choose between Netanyahu and former prime minister Naftali Bennett, 41% of respondents said Netanyahu should be the next premier, while 34% said Bennett should be the next premier and 25% said someone else or that they’re unsure.

When matched up against Yashar chief Gadi Eisenkot, 42% say Netanyahu should be the next prime minister, compared to 36% who said Eisenkot and 22% who said someone else or that they’re unsure.

When matched up against Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid, 42% said Netanyahu should be the next premier, 27% said Lapid and 31% said someone else or that they weren’t sure.

When matched up against Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman, 42% said Netanyahu should be the next premier, 24% said Liberman and 34% said they’re not sure.

But when separately asked whether Netanyahu or someone else should be the next prime minister, 56% said someone else, 36% said Netanyahu and 8% said they weren’t sure.

Fifty-three percent of Israelis are fearful for the future of Israeli democracy, while 42% say they’re not fearful and 5% say they’re not sure, the poll finds.

Fifty-six percent of Israelis think internal divisions are the biggest threat to Israel’s independence, compared to 39% who say security threats are the biggest threat and 5% who said they’re not sure.

Forty-five percent of Israelis say the government’s Independence Day torch lighting ceremony is political, compared to 32% who say it is nationally unifying and 23% who are unsure.

Forty-six percent of respondents say the Israelis selected by the government to light torches at the ceremony aren’t representative of them, compared to 20% who say they are and 34% who say they’re not sure.

IDF says troops killed Palestinian ‘terrorist’ who crossed Gaza ceasefire line

The IDF says troops stationed in the southern Gaza Strip killed a Palestinian “terrorist” who crossed the ceasefire line earlier today.

Reservists of the Negev Brigade “identified a terrorist who crossed the Yellow Line and approached the troops in a manner that posed an immediate threat,” the IDF says, adding that “immediately after the identification, the troops eliminated the terrorist to remove the threat.”

Aoun says talks with Israel aren’t sign of weakness, nor a compromise on sovereignty

A photograph released by the Lebanese Presidency on April 17, 2026, shows Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun delivering a televised address to the Lebanese people from the Baabda Presidential Palace, east of the capital Beirut. (Lebanese Presidency)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says his country is no longer an “arena” for anyone’s wars after a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war went into force.

“We are confident that we will save Lebanon… we have reclaimed Lebanon and Lebanon’s decision-making power for the first time in nearly half a century,” Aoun said in his first speech to the nation since the truce, adding: “Today, we negotiate for ourselves… we are no longer a pawn in anyone’s game, nor an arena for anyone’s wars, and we never will be again”.

“Now, we all stand before a new phase,” Aoun says. “It is the phase of transition from working on a ceasefire to working on permanent agreements that preserve the rights of our people, the unity of our land, and the sovereignty of our nation.”

He adds that direct talks with Israel are “not a sign of weakness nor a concession… negotiations do not mean, and will never mean, giving up any right, conceding any principle, or compromising the sovereignty of this nation.”

Significant differences remain between Iran-US, including on nuclear issues, senior Iranian official says

Significant differences between Iran and the United States remain to reach a deal aimed at ending the war, a senior Iranian official tells Reuters, adding that keeping the Strait of Hormuz open is “conditional on US adherence to the terms of a ceasefire.”

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, says that “no agreement has been reached on the details of the nuclear issues,” and serious negotiations are required to overcome differences.

He says Tehran hopes that a preliminary agreement could be reached in the coming days with mediator Pakistan’s efforts, with the possibility of extending the ceasefire to “create space for more talks on lifting sanctions on Iran and securing compensation for war damages”.

“In exchange, Iran will provide assurances to the international community about the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme,” he says, adding that any other “narrative about the ongoing talks is a misrepresentation of the situation.”

US envoy appears to knock Israeli policy in Syria, while insisting that normalization possible

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks in a panel during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, in Antalya, southern Turkey, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Riza Ozel)

US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack appears to knock Israel’s policy in Syria while praising the new Syrian regime’s conciliatory approach toward Israel, predicting that the two countries will soon agree to normalize relations.

Barrack points out that Syria hasn’t fired a shot at Israel since the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime at the end of 2025. Nonetheless, Israel immediately invaded southern Syria and established a buffer zone, defending the move as necessary to protect Israeli cities from rogue militant actors.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa “has said time and time again that there are no issues with Israel. ‘We don’t want an adversarial issue with Israel. We don’t want to be at war with Israel. We want to work towards a non-aggression agreement and a normalization,'” Barrack says during a live interview at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum.

“Israel has taken the point of view of taken that the Druze in southern Syria are actually cousins of (the Druze in) Israel,” Barrack says, recalling the IDF’s decision to invade Syria to try and defend the Druze population who underwent atrocities at the hands of regime-linked Islamist forces.

“The Sweida incidents, which were very, very difficult at the beginning of the al-Sharaa regime, led the Israelis to come across the border to protect their newfound Israeli cousins who were Druze,” he recalls.

Explaining Israel’s rationale, Barrack says that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu no longer cares about borders when taking steps he believes are necessary to protect Israel after Hamas’s October 7 attack.

Despite Israel’s aggressive actions in Syria, Barrack says the Sharaa government “was brilliant and not engaging in that fight.”

“The incursions are constant. Israel is coming across those lines every time they see a convoy because there’s still no trust between the two entities as to [whether Israel can] rely on the Syrian military establishment… to actually create a calm barrier,” Barrack says.

“In our opinion, Syria has been brilliant at not engaging adversarially against Israel.”They have time and time again said, ‘We’re available to talk,'” he continues, recalling the five rounds of talks he brokered between Syrian Foreign Minister Shobani and then-Israeli minister Ron Dermer.

“We got very close. It evaporated,” Barrack says of talks toward a non-aggression agreement between Israel and Syria.

“We’re dealing with five countries on five borders, two seas and in the midst we have a war, so it’s a time-out from these conversations,” he admits.

“We’ll get there. My bet is we’ll get to a non-aggression and normalization agreement with Syria sooner than Lebanon,” Barrack predicts.

US envoy cautions Israel against trying to box Turkey out of Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack speaks during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on April 17, 2026. (Screen capture/YouTube)

US Ambassador to Turkey cautions Israel against trying to box Ankara out of efforts to secure the ceasefire in Gaza, arguing that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has played a productive role in coaxing Hamas to cooperate.

During an interview at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, Barrack is asked about Israel’s fervent opposition to Turkey contributing troops to the International Stabilization Force tasked with securing Gaza in place of the IDF.

Barrack argues that both Turkey and Qatar have been able to play critical mediating roles between Israel and Hamas because they haven’t heeded calls from critics to outlaw the terror group.

Barrack says that US President Donald Trump called Erdogan hours before the Gaza ceasefire was reached last October, requesting his assistance in bringing two Hamas leaders on board.

“President Erdogan, [Foreign Minister] Hakan Fidan, [Intelligence chief] Ibrahim Kalin all spent that afternoon and brought those two Hamas leaders over,” Barrack recalls. “It could have never happened had they agreed with us that Hamas was a foreign terrorist organization and that you have to exclude them.”

“If you invited Turkey into that [ISF], they would help with avoiding what’s happening now, which is atrocities, violations. They can speak the language,” Barrack continues.

“I’ve been consistent [in telling] Israel that inclusion is the only answer. Exclusion is short-term,” he says.

Barrack then appears to call out those arguing that Israel’s critics are biased against Jews.

“The world is not antisemitic. I grew up as a Lebanese Catholic in a very Jewish neighborhood. Everybody’s done business with Jews. That’s not the issue. Zionism was a question as to a definition. But the strategic future of it cannot be this harsh,” the ambassador says.

He laments the “horrible rhetoric” being exchanged between the two countries and says, “We have to figure out a way to solve it.”

Lebanon president says future deal with Israel will not cede territory

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says that any future deal reached by the government would not cede any territory or undermine Lebanon’s national rights.

He avoids mentioning Israel by name, but it’s rather clear he’s referring to Beirut’s nascent talks with Jerusalem.

The televised address is his first speech since the US brokered a ceasefire to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah on Thursday.

The text of the deal says Israel and Lebanon would hold direct talks to produce a “peace between the two countries.”

Opposition group says Iran strikes kill three Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq

Drone and rocket strikes in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region have killed three Iranian Kurds, including two women fighters, an exiled opposition group says, blaming the attack on Iran.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran launched a new wave of missile and drone strikes today targeting… civilian camps of the PDKI,” killing one person and wounding another, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan says on X.

In a separate attack, two women fighters were killed and other fighters wounded, the party adds.

IDF says it captured strategic ridge in south Lebanon shortly before ceasefire

Just before the ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect, the IDF says it carried out a special operation in southern Lebanon during which troops seized control of a strategic ridge.

The Israeli Air Force’s elite Shaldag unit landed at the so-called Cristofani Ridge, several kilometers north of Mount Hermon, and established control in the area.

The military says the special forces landed in the area just minutes before the ceasefire took effect.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who approved the raid, observed the operation alongside IAF chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar at the IAF’s command center, the army adds.

Trump claims there are ‘no sticking points’ for Iran deal

US President Donald Trump tells AFP there are “no sticking points” left for a peace deal with Iran, adding that an agreement is “very close.”

Trump’s comments came after a series of social media posts in which he touted progress on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending Iran’s nuclear program.

“We’re very close. Looks like it’s going to be very good for everybody. And we’re very close to having a deal,” Trump says in a brief telephone call with AFP from Las Vegas.

“The strait’s going to be open, they already are open. And things are going very well.”

A first round of US-Iran talks in Pakistan last weekend ended without a peace deal, but Trump has said a second round could happen soon.

Trump has said the core US demand is that Iran should never be able to develop a nuclear weapon, and he said on Thursday that Iran had agreed to turn over its stock of enriched uranium.

Asked what the remaining sticking points for a deal were, Trump replied, “No sticking points at all.”

When asked why he was unable to declare a deal at this point after his string of optimistic posts, Trump said he wanted an agreement on paper.

“I don’t do that, I get it in writing,” Trump adds.

Pope condemns use of AI to fuel ‘polarization, conflict, fear and violence’

Pope Leo XIV warns against the use of AI to fan “polarization, conflict, fear and violence” and criticizes the “environmental devastation” caused by the extraction of rare earths to fuel the digital boom.

“The challenge posed by these systems is greater than it appears: it is not just about the use of new technologies, but about the gradual replacement of reality by its simulation,” he says in a speech at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaounde, Cameroon.

Pro-Palestinian Tufts University graduate targeted by Trump admin returns to Turkey

A Tufts University graduate who had been arrested by US immigration agents last year as part of the Trump administration’s targeting of pro-Palestinian campus activists has returned to her home in Turkey following a settlement with the government.

Lawyers for Rumeysa Ozturk announce the accord a week after President Donald Trump’s administration fired an immigration judge who had in January rejected the US Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to deport her.

The administration had been appealing that decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals, which is part of the US Department of Justice, and awaiting a ruling by a federal appeals court in its bid to overturn a judge’s decision that led to Ozturk’s release from immigration custody in May 2025.

Today’s settlement resolves all of the legal proceedings and allowed Ozturk to return to Turkey unhindered after completing her PhD program in child study and human development in February, her attorneys at the American Civil Liberties Union said.

“I am choosing to return home as planned to continue my career as a woman scholar without losing more time to the state-imposed violence and hostility I have experienced in the United States – all for nothing more than co-signing an op-ed advocating for Palestinian rights,” Ozturk says in a statement.

The former Fulbright scholar’s case was a high-profile example of an effort by the Trump administration to detain and deport non-citizen students with pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel views.

She was held for 45 days in a Louisiana facility after immigration authorities in March 2025 arrested her on a street in Massachusetts after the US Department of State revoked her student visa.

The sole basis authorities provided for revoking her visa was the editorial she co-authored in the Tufts student newspaper a year earlier, criticizing her school’s response to Israel’s war in Gaza.

The ACLU says the government settlement acknowledges Ozturk always had lawful status while in the United States.

Lebanese man says IDF strikes killed 12 of his relatives moments before ceasefire

Hassan Abu Khalil’s family miraculously survived six weeks of war in southern Lebanon, but tragedy struck in the final minutes before a ceasefire came into force. An Israeli strike late on Thursday killed 13 of his relatives, leaving him the sole survivor.

Abu Khalil, 36, stepped out to see friends just before midnight, when a US-brokered truce between Lebanon and Israel was meant to halt fighting that had raged since March 2 between Israel and terror group Hezbollah.

“I heard a very powerful strike, and when I came back to the neighborhood, I found this had happened,” Abu Khalil tells Reuters as he watched a bulldozer dig through the mountains of pulverized concrete that was once his home in the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre.

“In this building, more than 13 members of my family are missing under the rubble. What then, Israel? Just before the ceasefire, it was one massacre after another against us,” he says.

Later on Friday, Lebanon’s state news agency said rescue teams had recovered 13 bodies and pulled 35 wounded survivors from the ruins of the building that was hit the previous evening. It reported that 15 other people were unaccounted for.

The Israeli military does not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strike, but generally has said it has been targeting Hezbollah sites in Lebanon and takes measures to avoid civilian casualties.

Lebanon’s health ministry says 2,294 people have been killed between March 2 and Thursday, when the ceasefire came into force. The toll includes 177 children and 274 women.

Air Canada suspends NYC route over jet fuel costs

Air Canada says it is suspending flights to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport from June through October because of jet fuel cost increases caused by the Iran war.

“As jet fuel prices have doubled since the start of the Iran conflict and some lower-profitability routes and flights are no longer economic, we are making schedule adjustments,” Air Canada says in a statement.

The national carrier said its service to JFK would be paused from June 1 to October 25, but the airline will continue flying 34 times daily from six Canadian cities to New York’s LaGuardia Airport and Newark, New Jersey.

The suspended services include flights to JFK from Toronto and Montreal. Air Canada said it “plans to resume” those flights after October 25.

Around a fifth of the world’s jet fuel normally transits through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had blockaded since late February in response to Israeli-American air strikes.

Iran said Friday it was opening the strategic waterway for the duration of a Middle East ceasefire, but jet fuel shortages could persist even if the truce holds.

Trump claims Iran deal possible within next day or two, but his aides said to admit big gaps remain

US President Donald Trump believes a deal can be reached with Iran in the next day or two.

“The Iranians want to meet. They want to make a deal. I think a meeting will probably take place over the weekend. I think we will get a deal in the next day or two,” he tells Axios in a phone interview.

US officials familiar with the negotiations tell Axios that while progress has been made, major gaps between the US and Iran remain.

Trump reiterates his demand for Israel to stop bombing Lebanon.

“Israel has to stop. They can’t continue to blow buildings up. I am not gonna allow it,” he tells Axios.

Maersk shipping group to assess Hormuz transit following Iran announcement

Danish shipping group Maersk says that any decision to transit the Strait of Hormuz would be based on risk assessments and close monitoring of the security situation, following Iran’s announcement on the opening of the strait.

US will enter Iran at ‘leisurely pace’ to recover its enriched uranium, Trump claims

US President Donald Trump says that the US will enter Iran at a “leisurely pace” to recover its enriched uranium and bring it back to the US, he says during a phone interview with Reuters.

IDF says troops who used marker to tag Palestinians showed poor judgment

After footage showing Palestinian women marked with a number on their hands by IDF troops in the West Bank went viral, the army issues a statement acknowledging that the soldiers showed poor judgment.

The incident in question took place earlier this week when the IDF says it allowed a number of Palestinians to return to the Jenin refugee camp to gather their belongings.

The IDF has been conducting a counterterror operation in the camp for months, displacing thousands of Palestinians who were living there.

The army says troops were trying to maintain an orderly return of the residents to the refugee camp, which the IDF has divided into sections that it identifies by a number and a letter.

The army claims writing the section of the camp to which each resident was from on their respective hand was the Palestinians’ idea.

Still, “this was a case of poor judgment,” the army says in a statement, insisting that proper conduct has been clarified and that lessons have been learned.

هكذا خرجت نساء مخيم جنين بعد تفقد منازلهن المدمرة بعد عام وأربعة أشهر من الغياب القسري." pic.twitter.com/CeFJbWOwxq

— قدس اليومية (@QUDnewS) April 13, 2026

Mine threat in parts of Hormuz not fully understood, US navy advisory says

The threat posed by mines in parts of the Strait of Hormuz is not fully understood and avoidance of the area by ships should be considered, a US navy advisory says.

“Status of TSS mine threat is not fully understood. Consider avoidance of that area,” says the advisory sent by the US navy’s US NCAGS agency to mariners and seen by Reuters.

The TSS refers to the so-called Traffic Separation Scheme, which was adopted by the ​UN’s shipping agency in ⁠1968 with agreement of countries in the region, and created a ship routing system that split sailing corridors through Iranian and Omani waters in the strait.

It is not immediately clear whether the advisory was sent before or after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz was open following the agreement of a ceasefire in Lebanon.

EU could release jet fuel stocks if Hormuz disruption persists

The European Union is prepared to coordinate a release of jet fuel stocks if disruption to the Strait of Hormuz persists, an EU spokesperson tells Reuters, even as Iran temporarily reopened the key waterway.

European airlines and regulators have warned of flight cancellations, grounded aircraft and disruption to summer holiday travel unless jet fuel supply bottlenecks from the Middle East linked to the Iran war ease soon.

Iran said on Friday it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping following a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. US President Donald Trump later said a US naval blockade of Iran’s ports would remain until a deal with Tehran is struck.

Shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd says it will avoid transiting the Strait of Hormuz while it assesses Iran’s announcement.

“There are no fuel shortages in the EU at present. We are, however, preparing for possible supply shortages of jet fuels,” the EU spokesperson says in a statement to Reuters, adding the bloc could release reserves if the strait remained disrupted.

“If the situation in the Strait of Hormuz continues, the EU will be preparing to launch a possible coordinated release of jet fuel stocks.”

The spokesperson adds that Iran’s announcement did not change current plans and said it would be clearer next week whether the strait remains open.

The comments, the EU’s most direct so far, follow a call earlier this week by Germany’s largest aviation lobby for the release of Europe’s strategic jet fuel reserves to support the sector.

The EU is also set to announce plans next week to optimize refinery capacity and address a looming jet fuel supply crunch, Reuters reported on Thursday.

US to delay weapons deliveries to some European countries due to Iran war, sources say

US officials have informed some European counterparts that some previously contracted weapons deliveries are likely to be delayed as the Iran war continues to draw on weapons stocks, five sources familiar with the matter say.

The delays underline the degree to which the war against Iran, which began with US-Israeli air strikes on February 28, has begun to stretch US supplies of some critical weaponry and ammunition.

The sources say several European countries will be affected, including in the Baltic region and in Scandinavia.

Some of the weapons in question were purchased by European countries under the Foreign Military Sales program, or FMS, but have not yet been delivered, the sources add. Those deliveries will likely be delayed, US officials told European officials in bilateral messages in recent days, the sources say.

Defense ministries of Estonia and Lithuania tell Reuters the US has informed their countries of ​possible delays in the delivery of US military equipment because ‌of the Iran war.

“America’s military is the most powerful in the world, and we will ensure that US forces and those of our allies and partners have what they need to fight and win,” a Pentagon spokesperson says. “For operational security reasons, we will not comment on any specific allied or partner requirements or ongoing efforts to support them.”

European officials complain the delays are putting them in a difficult position.

Under the FMS program, foreign countries purchase US-made weapons with the logistical assistance and consent of the US government. Washington has pushed European NATO partners to purchase more US-made materiel under President Donald Trump, including through the FMS program, as part of a bid to shift the responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense away from the US and onto European partners.

But such weapons deliveries are often delayed, causing frustration in European capitals, where some officials are increasingly looking at weapons systems made within Europe.

US officials say the weapons are needed for the war in the Middle East, and they fault European nations for not helping the US and Israel open the Strait of Hormuz.

Settlers said to torch vehicle, attempt to set warehouse ablaze in yet another West Bank attack

Footage shows masked settlers storming the West Bank village of Asira al-Qibliya during an attack on April 17, 2026. (Screen capture/X)

Palestinian media outlets report that settlers attempted to set fire to a warehouse and torched a vehicle in the village of Asira al-Qibliya, near Nablus in the northern West Bank.

Footage from the scene appears to show that only the entrance to the warehouse was damaged.

No injuries have been reported.

There are no reports of arrests, which are highly rare in instances of settler violence, even though they have been taking place on a daily basis.

مستوطنون يضرمون النار بمركبة وباب منزل في قرية عصيرة القبلية، جنوب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/mOHwkLAe2z

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) April 17, 2026

BREAKING: Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked the village of Asira al-Qibliya in the West Bank, setting a car and a home on fire in an attempt to burn a family alive.

Thankfully, the family noticed in time and managed to escape before the flames spread. pic.twitter.com/tuXM6fvpoJ

— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) April 17, 2026

After Trump declared Israel ‘PROHIBITED’ from bombing, IDF drone said to target motorcycle in south Lebanon

Lebanese media reports one killed in an Israeli drone strike targeting a motorcycle between the southern towns of Kounine and Beit Yahoun.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the incident, which comes amid a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon.

The development comes minutes after US President Donald Trump declared that Israel was “PROHIBITED” from bombing Lebanon.

The terms of the ceasefire do allow Israel to carry out defensive strikes against “planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.”

Trump claims Iran has agreed to never again close Hormuz

US President Donald Trump claims that “Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again.”

“It will no longer be used as a weapon against the World!” Trump adds, in yet another Truth Social post.

IDF says it accidentally carried out pre-ceasefire strike near its troops in Lebanon; no injuries were caused

During an airstrike ahead of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon yesterday, the IDF says a bomb mistakenly struck next to the ground troops.

According to the IDF, the Israeli Air Force had targeted a suspicious building next to the troops.

“Due to a human error, the munition did not hit the target and fell next to the forces,” the military says, adding that no injuries were caused.

The incident is under further investigation, the IDF adds.

Lebanon health ministry says 2,294 killed in Israeli attacks since March 2

Lebanon’s health ministry says that at least 2,294 people have been killed and 7,544 wounded in Israeli attacks since March 2, adding that the toll remains non-final pending debris removal, body recovery and DNA identification.

The ministry says 100 paramedics and health workers were among the dead, while nearly a quarter of those killed were women, children and medics, underscoring the heavy civilian toll from the fighting.

US President Donald Trump announced the 10-day ceasefire agreement between the governments of Lebanon and Israel on Thursday, fueling hopes that the parallel war between the United States and Iran could be nearing an end.

Passage through Hormuz needs to be coordinated with Guards, unfreezing assets is part of the deal, Iranian official says

All commercial ships, including US vessels, can sail through the Strait of Hormuz, although their plans need to be coordinated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, a senior Iranian official tells Reuters, adding that unfreezing Iran’s funds had been part of the agreement regarding Hormuz.

The official says transits would be restricted to lanes Iran deemed safe, adding that military vessels were still prohibited from crossing the strait.

UK’s Starmer says more than a dozen countries ready to join Hormuz defensive mission

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says that more than a dozen countries were ready to contribute assets to a defensive mission aimed at restoring the freedom of navigation of the Strait of Hormuz.

France and Britain chaired a meeting in Paris of 49 countries to discuss preparations for a possible multinational defensive mission to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow.

“We will take this forward with a military plan conference in London next week where we will announce more detail on the composition of the mission, and over a dozen countries have already offered to contribute assets,” Starmer tells reporters alongside the leaders of France, Germany and Italy.

“Reopening the strait is a global necessity and a global responsibility,” he says.

Trump claims Iran removing all mines in Hormuz

US President Donald Trump continues firing off Truth Social this morning about the Iran conflict.

“Iran, with the help of the USA, has removed, or is removing, all sea mines,” Trump says in on post, referring to the Strait of Hormuz.

“Now that the Hormuz Strait situation is over, I received a call from NATO asking if we would need some help,” Trump claims in another post.

“I TOLD THEM TO STAY AWAY, UNLESS THEY JUST WANT TO LOAD UP THEIR SHIPS WITH OIL. They were useless when needed, a Paper Tiger!”

In a separate post, Trump writes, “Thank you to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar for your great bravery and help.”

In another post, Trump writes, “Again! This deal is not tied, in any way, to Lebanon, but we will, MAKE LEBANON GREAT AGAIN!”

“Thank you to Pakistan and its Great Prime Minister and Field Marshall, two fantastic people!” he writes next.

“A GREAT AND BRILLIANT DAY FOR THE WORLD!” Trump adds after that.

‘Enough is enough’: Trump says US has ‘PROHIBITED’ Israel from bombing Lebanon

US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, April 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

US President Donald Trump appears to deny an Axios report claiming that the US is discussing a deal with Iran in which Tehran would hand over its stockpiles of highly-enriched uranium in exchange for the release of $20 billion in frozen Iranian assets.

“The USA will get all Nuclear ‘dust’ created by our great B2 Bombers. No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form,” Trump writes on Truth Social.

He also tries to push back on Iran’s efforts to link the Lebanon ceasefire inked earlier this week with the Iran truce announced last week.

“This deal is in no way subject to Lebanon, either, but the USA will, separately, work with Lebanon, and deal with the Hezboolah situation in an appropriate manner. Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer,” Trump adds.

“They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the USA. Enough is enough,” he adds.

Vessels passing via Hormuz need IRGC permission, Iran military official says

Commercial vessels can pass through the Strait of Hormuz along a determined route with the permission of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy, Iran’s state TV reports, citing a senior military official.

Military vessels will not be allowed to pass through the strait, the official adds.

Kanye West concert in Poland will be canceled, newspaper reports

Kanye West performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, April 20, 2019, in Indio, California. (Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

Stadium managers in Poland say they will cancel a concert by US rapper Kanye West, local media reports, days after he postponed a show in France amid a furore over his past antisemitic comments and celebration of Nazism.

The decision by Slaski stadium in the western city of Chorzow, reported by Wyborcza newspaper on its website, comes just over a week after Britain blocked the 48-year-old from travelling to the country to headline a festival.

There is no immediate comment from the rapper, now known as Ye, who in January apologized for his behavior, which he attributed to untreated bipolar disorder, and renounced past expressions of admiration for Adolf Hitler.

Authorities in Poland had already signalled they would seek to ban the planned June 19 concert.

“In a country scarred by the history of the Holocaust, we cannot pretend that this is just entertainment,” Polish Culture Minister Marta Cienkowska said on Thursday.

More than 1.1 million people, most of them Jews, were murdered at the Auschwitz death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War Two. Nazi Germany killed more than 3 million of Poland’s 3.2 million Jewish population.

“The concert will not take place,” wyborcza.pl reports a representative of the stadium as saying. “We will inform the organizer in a few hours. Our lawyers are preparing a letter regarding this matter.”

Ye was barred from Australia last year after releasing a song promoting Nazism and advertising swastika T-shirts on his website.

He has performed in the United States and Mexico City this year, with further concerts planned in Europe and Asia.

Clarifications needed before any Strait of Hormuz transit, Norwegian shipowners’ association says

Several factors must be clarified before any transit through the Strait of Hormuz can be assessed, including the presence of sea mines, Iranian conditions and practical implementation, the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association says.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said earlier Friday that the Strait of Hormuz was open to all commercial vessels for the remainder of a Lebanon ceasefire accord, prompting commodity prices to fall while stock markets rose.

PM: We’ve begun long road to peace with Lebanon, but fight against Hezbollah not over

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a video statement from his Jerusalem office on April 17, 2026. (Screen capture/GPO)

The road to peace with Lebanon is long, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “but we have begun.”

“One hand holds a weapon; the other is extended for peace,” says Netanyahu in a video statement defending his decision to accept a 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon.

The line is strikingly similar to one used by former Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat, who in a 1974 UN General Assembly address said, “I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter’s gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.”

At US President Donald Trump’s request, says Netanyahu, “we are giving an opportunity to advance a combined diplomatic and military solution with the Lebanese government.”

But the fight against Hezbollah is not over, Netanyahu insists.

He argues that since October 7, 2023, Israel has removed the threat of Hezbollah infiltration and anti-tank fire, as well as 90% of Hezbollah’s rockets.

“I will say honestly, we have not yet finished the job,” Netanyahu continues. “There are things we plan to do regarding the remaining rocket threat and the drone threat, which I will not detail.”

Israel is also working to “dismantle” Hezbollah, he says, “but this will not be achieved tomorrow. It requires sustained effort, patience, and careful navigation in the diplomatic arena.”

US stocks open higher as oil prices tumble

Wall Street stocks rose early Friday, joining European markets in rallying after Iran’s reopening of the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices plunging.

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz will remain “completely open” as long as a ceasefire in the Middle East lasts, addressing a supply disruption that had pushed oil prices above $100 a barrel and sparked recession worries.

About 10 minutes into trading, the broad-based S&P 500 was up 0.8 percent at 7,098.05.

Trump: US to maintain blockade of Iran ships until agreement with Tehran reached

US President Donald Trump says the US naval blockade on Iran-linked ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz will remain in effect, despite Iran’s announcement that it is opening the channel.

“The Strait of Hormuz is completely open and ready for business and full passage, but the naval blockade will remain in full force and effect as it pertains to Iran only, until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete,” Trump writes in another ALL-CAPS Truth Social post.

“This process should go very quickly, in that most of the points are already negotiated,” Trump says, referring to a brewing deal with Tehran to permanently end the war.

US leading G20 initiative to ensure fertilizer access after Iran war disruptions, sources say

The US is urging G20 members and the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to take coordinated action to ensure fertilizer access amid disruptions in food trade supply chains caused by the war in the Middle East, two sources familiar with the matter say.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent views fertilizer and agriculture supply chains as of essential importance, and is encouraging collaboration among G20 members and the global financial institutions, the sources say on condition of anonymity.

The IMF and others have warned that supply chain disruptions caused by the war, especially to fertilizer at the start of the critical growing season, threaten to push 45 million more people into a position of food insecurity.

Several sub-Saharan African nations already are seeking help, and the IMF expects at least a dozen countries to negotiate new lending programs with the global crisis lender as a result of the war, which has also sent energy prices sharply higher.

The US is the current chair of the Group of 20 major economies, which includes Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, as well as the African Union and European Union.

The US views fertilizer as intrinsic to food security, and views the initiative as an action that G20 members “can immediately move on,” says one senior US official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.

Details of the plan were not immediately available, but Washington is emphasizing the need for agility and flexibility in policy responses and cooperation on fertilizer.

The United Nations has been pushing a separate initiative to create a humanitarian corridor through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure that fertilizer and other needed goods get through.

Israeli official: Discussions about Netanyahu WH visit have begun, but won’t happen before Independence Day

Discussions have begun about a visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House to meet with US President Donald Trump and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

The visit won’t happen before Israel’s Independence Day, says the official, which takes place on Wednesday.

Moments after announcing the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah yesterday, Trump said he would be inviting Netanyahu and Aoun to the White House “for the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983.”

Trump later said the meeting would likely be held in the next week or two.

After 48 days, IDF lifts all wartime restrictions across Israel as Lebanon ceasefire appears to hold

For the first time since February 28, when the US and Israel launched joint airstrikes on Iran, the Home Front Command says it is lifting all of its wartime restrictions across the country as the ceasefire with Lebanon appears to hold, as well as amid the ongoing truce in Iran.

All gathering restrictions are lifted nationwide, aside from communities on the Lebanon border, where gatherings will remain restricted to 1,000 people until Saturday at 8 p.m.

After Saturday at 8 p.m., the gathering restrictions in the Lebanon border communities will also be lifted, the military says.

Schools and workplaces will also be able to operate as usual across the country.

It marks the first time in 48 days that essentially all restrictions have been lifted.

Trump celebrates after Iran announces reopening of Hormuz ‘for full passage’

US President Donald Trump celebrates Iran’s announcement that it has opened the Strait of Hormuz.

“IRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE,” Trump writes in an all-caps Truth Social post.

Iran’s foreign minister announced earlier Friday that Tehran was allowing the safe passage of ships that coordinate with the Islamic Republic following the securing of a ceasefire in Lebanon.

War-ending proposal would see Iran hand over uranium stockpile for US release of $20 billion in frozen funds

The US and Iran are discussing a proposal to permanently end their war that includes Tehran handing over its stockpile of enriched uranium in exchange for Washington releasing $20 billion in frozen Iranian funds, Axios reports, citing two US officials and two other sources briefed on the talks.

Iran: With Lebanon ceasefire, Hormuz is ‘completely open’

Iran declares that the Strait of Hormuz is “completely open” for as long as the ceasefire in Lebanon lasts.

The US-backed ceasefire began late yesterday afternoon local time.

“In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of the ceasefire,” writes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on X.

However, he says that ships must sail “on the coordinated route as already announced” by Iran.

There has been a double blockade on the key waterway. Though it has attacked civilian ships in Hormuz, Iran has said the shipping lane is open to countries it approves, and that ships must pay a massive toll in order to transit.

Meanwhile, the US began blockading Iranian ports on Monday.

Oil prices tumble 5% on hopes for US-Iran deal

Oil prices fall sharply as investors awaited news of a possible extension to the Iran-US ceasefire after US President Donald Trump claimed a deal was close.

International benchmark Brent North Sea crude drop five percent to $94.42 a barrel, and the main US oil contract, West Texas Intermediate, sheds five percent to $89.95 per barrel.

UN claims average of 47 women and girls killed daily during Gaza war; expert refutes figures

Displaced Palestinian children walk through a rain-soaked tent camp following heavy rainfall in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, March, 26, 2026. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)

An average of at least 47 women and girls were killed each day during the war in Gaza, according to figures published by UN Women on Friday, and the agency warns that deaths have continued six months into a fragile ceasefire.

More than 38,000 women and girls were killed in Gaza between October 2023 and December 2025, according to the report by UN Women, an agency that focuses on gender equality.

The figures have not been independently verified.

“Women and girls accounted for a proportion of deaths far higher than those observed in previous conflicts in Gaza,” Sofia Calltorp, the agency’s humanitarian action head, tells reporters in Geneva.

The agency expresses concern that the killing of women and girls has continued since an October ceasefire, though it does not know exactly how many have died due to a lack of gender-aggregated data.

October’s ceasefire halted two years of full-scale war but left Israeli troops in control of a depopulated zone that makes ​up well over half of Gaza, with Hamas in power in the remaining, narrow, ​coastal strip.

More ⁠than 750 ​Palestinians have been killed since then, according to local medics, while armed Palestinian groups have ​killed four Israeli soldiers. Israel and Hamas have traded blame for ceasefire violations.

Israel says it aims to thwart attacks by Hamas and other terror groups.

UN children’s agency UNICEF says that children continued to be killed and injured at an alarming rate in Gaza, with at least 214 reported dead in the last six months.

Around one million women and girls are displaced in Gaza, UN Women says.

“Extensive damage to infrastructure has made it almost impossible for women and girls in Gaza to access their basic needs like healthcare,” says Calltorp.

Within hours of the report being published, an American policy analyst identified major holes in the UN agency’s methodology.

Israel Policy Forum senior policy associate Gabriel Epstein told The Times of Israel that the UN agency’s 38,000 figure was derived by applying projections regarding the gender and age breakdown from early in the war, rather than using more accurate and available figures from recent months.

All restrictions to be lifted from sports and cultural events starting Saturday night — minister

Maccabi Haifa players during an Israeli Premier League soccer match against Beitar Jerusalem at the Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem on February 10, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

Culture and Sport Minister Miki Zohar announces that, beginning on Saturday night, all wartime restrictions on sports and cultural events will be lifted, and they will be able to resume full activity.

The removal of restrictions comes days before Israel’s Memorial and Independence Days, which will be observed beginning on Monday evening and Tuesday evening, respectively. The announcement follows the onset of a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that began at midnight, and comes amid a two-week ceasefire in the Iran war.

“I have just concluded with my friend, Defense Minister Israel Katz, that beginning with the conclusion of Shabbat, all restrictions will be lifted. The public will return to sports fields as usual, culture will return to full activity — including all performances and events planned across Israel celebrating Independence Day,” Zohar posts on X.

First loaded Iranian oil tankers exit Gulf since US blockade, tracking firm says

Vessels and a boat at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman, April 12, 2026. (Reuters)

Three Iranian oil tankers carrying a total of five million barrels of crude have become the first such loaded vessels to leave the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz since a US blockade came into force, the tracking firm Kpler tells AFP.

The Deep Sea, Sonia I and Diona, all under US sanctions, passed the strategic strait yesterday after leaving Iran’s Kharg Island, having loaded on April 2, 8 and 9 respectively, according to the maritime data company.

Iran began blocking the strait, a key pathway for the global oil and natural gas supply, since the beginning of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28. Washington has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports since Monday, amid a ceasefire, intended to prevent Tehran from exporting its oil.

No Iranian tanker had left the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz with a cargo of crude oil since April 10.

Kpler used satellite imagery to track the ships, and confirms to AFP that they all crossed the strait on Wednesday.

Their destinations are unknown but these vessels have been systematically transporting their cargoes to the Singapore area for several years.

In that area, ship-to-ship transfers have been detected, moving the cargo to other tankers bound for China, according to data from Global Fishing Watch and Kpler.

The three ships each transferred cargoes of Iranian crude oil near Singapore in March.

The Deep Sea’s previous cargo was delivered by the Utopia Quest to the port of Yantai, northern China, on March 30.

The Diona’s cargo was delivered by the Indigo Ray on April 10 to the oil terminal at the port of Dongjiakou, also in northern China.

And the Sonia I’s cargo was transferred to the Adeline G, whose destination was unknown.

Kosovo to approve dozens of troops for Gaza’s International Stabilization Force

A Kosovo police officer stands guard near the Fadil Vokrri stadium, in Pristina on November 10, 2023. (Armend Nimani/AFP)

Small Balkan nation Kosovo says it wants to commit dozens of its security troops to an international force for Gaza because it appreciates what NATO-led peacekeepers have done for its own security since the 1998-1999 conflict with Serbia.

Today, Kosovo’s parliament is set to formally approve an earlier government decision to send the troops to the International Stabilization Force under a US-backed initiative following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last year.

The ISF is yet to deploy to help maintain peace and assist in rebuilding Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, which Kosovo has joined. Indonesia, Albania and Kazakhstan are among the other countries that have promised to participate in the ISF.

In Kosovo, contributing to the international force is seen as proof of how far the country has come after declaring independence from Serbia in 2008, a split which Belgrade still does not recognize but which the US and most of the EU do.

Belgrade’s brutal crackdown on Kosovo’s separatist rebels prompted a NATO intervention in 1999 that forced the Serb troops out of the territory and paved the way for the peacekeepers’ deployment.

“Our country has been a security consumer, meaning NATO countries have contributed to the security of the Republic of Kosovo,” Defense Minister Ejup Maqedonci tells The Associated Press. “Today we are entering a phase where we are becoming a provider, or exporter, of security.”

Maqedonci says the Kosovo contingent will consist of several dozen officers, including those from demining units. The troops will be tasked with providing humanitarian support, security assistance and other duties determined by the mandate of the Gaza force, Maqedonci adds.

“We are currently in the final preparations phase,” Maqedonci says. He says a US representative has helped with the preparation, including vaccination of troops, issuing of visas and other technical arrangements.

Kosovo currently has a security force of some 4,000 personnel that is being trained to become a small, professional military aligned with NATO.

London’s police search park near Israeli embassy, which was not attacked, after video threat to target it with ‘drones carrying dangerous substances’

As London’s Metropolitan Police officers, wearing protective clothing, search a park near Israel’s Embassy for suspicious objects, the Foreign Ministry stresses that all embassy workers are safe and that “the embassy was not attacked.”

“There is an increased police presence in Kensington Gardens and officers are assessing a number of discarded items,” says Scotland Yard, calling the protective suits a “precaution.”

“We do not believe there to be any increased public safety risk at this stage,” the Metropolitan Police adds.

The police add that their counterterrorism force is “aware” of a video posted last night, in which a group claims to have targeted the nearby Embassy of Israel with drones carrying dangerous substances.”

Scotland Yard confirms that Israel’s embassy was not attacked, but it is “carrying out urgent enquiries to determine the authenticity of the video and to identify any potential link between it and the items discarded in Kensington Gardens.”

Due to an ongoing police investigation, Kensington Gardens will be closed to the public today.

We respectfully ask that people avoid the area until further notice. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/ctfAiQpBED

— The Royal Parks (@theroyalparks) April 17, 2026

Aoun calls direct talks with Israel ‘crucial,’ says Lebanon working on IDF withdrawal

Lebanon President Joseph Aoun addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, September 23, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP/Pamela Smith)

Meeting a group of Lebanese lawmakers, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun endorses continued direct negotiations with Israel and says that his country is working to secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces, to bring back Lebanese citizens held by Israel and to solve border disputes.

Aoun says, “Direct negotiations are crucial… and a ceasefire is the gateway to proceeding with negotiations” with Israel.

The Lebanese Armed Forces “will play a fundamental role after the withdrawal of Israeli forces,” Aoun says, promising they will deploy to the Israeli border and will reassure residents of southern Lebanon, “after their return to their villages and towns, that there will be no armed forces other than the army and the legitimate security forces.”

The opportunity presented by the ceasefire, he says, “must not be squandered because it may not come again.”

Aoun’s comments come as Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that Israel would not be withdrawing from its positions in Lebanon.

AFP contributed to this report. 

Syria’s Sharaa: Golan is occupied Syrian territory, working toward deal based on 1974 ceasefire

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives at the General Plenary of Leaders at the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Para State, Brazil, on November 6, 2025. (Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP)

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa says in an interview at the Antalya Forum, a conference in Turkey, that any recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights is illegitimate and harms the rights of the Syrian people.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed it. Much of the international community does not recognize Israel’s sovereignty there, with the exception of the United States.

“The Golan is the right of the Syrian people, and no country will give up part of its land,” Sharaa says.

At the same time, Sharaa adds that negotiations with Israel are taking place in several stages. In the first stage, talks are focusing on an agreement that would see Israel withdraw to the 1974 ceasefire lines that took hold after the 1973 Yom Kippur War and that served as the effective border between the two countries for the following half-century.

Sharaa took power after an Islamist coalition he led ousted Syria’s longtime dictator, Bashar al-Assad, in late 2024. Following that ouster, Israel stationed troops in parts of Syria near the border to create a buffer zone.

According to Sharaa, the deal under discussion is largely based on a commitment to the 1974 agreement, with the Golan remaining under Israeli control.

“That agreement held for 50 years until Israel violated it after the fall of the Assad regime,” Sharaa said. “Later, if this succeeds, we will enter long-term negotiations to resolve the issue of the occupied Golan.”

Katz: Ceasefire with Hezbollah is temporary, IDF not withdrawing from positions in Lebanon

Defense Minister Israel Katz speaks at a cadets' graduation ceremony at the Bahad 1 officers' school in southern Israel, February 19, 2026. (Screenshot/Israel Defense Forces)

Defense Minister Israel Katz stresses that the 10-day Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire that began at midnight is “temporary,” that the IDF is not withdrawing from territory in Lebanon and that Israel’s remaining missions in that country will be completed, by force if necessary.

“The IDF holds and will continue to hold all the areas it has cleared and captured,” says Katz in a statement. “The ground maneuver into Lebanon and the strikes against Hezbollah throughout Lebanon have achieved many accomplishments, but they have not yet been completed.”

“We are inside Lebanon in the midst of a war against Hezbollah, with a temporary freeze and a 10-day ceasefire,” Katz says of the agreement announced on Thursday afternoon.

“The goal we defined — dismantling Hezbollah’s weapons through military or diplomatic means — was and remains the objective of the campaign,” he says, “to which we are committed. At present, a significant diplomatic lever has also been created through the direct involvement of the US president and a commitment to this goal, while applying pressure on the Lebanese government.”

Trump has touted direct talks between Lebanon and Israel in the wake of the ceasefire.

Katz boasts that over 1,700 Hezbollah fighters have been killed — noting somewhat awkwardly that the figure is more than twice the tally of the 2006 Second Lebanon War, which was widely seen as falling short of its goals — and that the buffer zone along the border has been cleared of both Hezbollah operatives and residents.

“It will continue to be cleared of terrorist infrastructure, including the destruction of houses in Lebanese border villages that had effectively become terrorist outposts,” he says.

He acknowledges that the new security zone in south Lebanon that stretches up to the Litani River still has enemy fighters and weapons in it, and says it will be cleared through a diplomatic arrangement or by returning to fighting.

“If hostilities resume, any residents who return to the security zone will have to evacuate in order to allow the mission to be completed,” he says, stressing that Israel will also strike Hezbollah targets north of the Litani River.

Tzipi Hotovely, former envoy to the UK, to be tapped to head PM’s public diplomacy office

Israeli Ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely is interviewed by Sky News on December 13, 2023. (Screen capture/X)

Tzipi Hotovely, the former Israeli ambassador to the UK, will be tapped as the head of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office, filling a position that has been vacant for some two years.

The last head of the directorate, Moshik Aviv, resigned in May 2024 and has yet to be replaced, even as Israel has fought wars on several fronts and faced severe and mounting global criticism among both allies and adversaries.

Her appointment is expected to be brought before the cabinet for approval in the coming week, according to Hebrew media reports.

Hotovely, a member of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud Party and former deputy foreign minister, has drawn backlash for her remarks over the years, including for saying in 2017 that American Jews “never send their children to fight for their country,” a statement for which she later apologized.

Hotovely served as Israel’s ambassador in London from 2020 to 2025. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, is slated to take over the UK posting but was prevented from doing so because he is under investigation in connection with a probe into a classified document leak.

The restrictive conditions on Braverman were lifted last month, allowing him to soon take up the post.

Levin doubles down on refusal to have judicial appointments ‘forced’ on him

Justice Minister Yariv Levin at the annual Jerusalem Conference of the 'Besheva' group in Jerusalem, February 16, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Justice Minister Yariv Levin doubles down on his stated refusal to have judicial appointments “forced” on him by cooperating with the Judicial Selection Committee, and says he’ll unilaterally publish a list of the judges he wants to promote.

In a lengthy social media post, Levin also says he’ll increase the number of judges on family, traffic and juvenile courts.

The post continues a long-running feud between Levin and High Court President Isaac Amit, whose authority Levin doesn’t recognize and whom the justice minister has refused to work with.

Levin has refused to convene the Judicial Selection Committee, despite dozens of vacancies throughout the court system.

Levin, who has sought to weaken the court system via a sweeping judicial overhaul, last convened the committee in January 2025. He has sought to avoid doing so again until after this year’s election, when a new law will take effect that increases politicians’ influence over judicial appointments.

In February, the High Court of Justice ordered Levin to justify his refusal to convene the committee. At the time, he said at a right-wing conference, “I will not enable and will not agree to a situation in which they force appointments on us that do not reflect the public.”

His post today used similar language, vowing, “I will not allow the attempt to force upon me the appointment of judges to the High Court, as long as the boycott on the worthy candidates I have proposed continues.”

He added, “I will publish for the record the candidacies of presidents of magistrates’ courts for appointment to the district court.”

Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi to discuss ways to end Iran war, source says

Foreign ministers of Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia will meet on the margins of a diplomatic forum in the southern Turkish province of Antalya today to discuss regional issues including the Iran war, a Turkish diplomatic source says.

“The meeting is expected to include discussions on developing regional solutions to regional issues, particularly the US-Israel-Iran war, within the framework of a regional ownership approach,” the source says.

Ministers from the four countries held two meetings in March as part of efforts to broker an end to the Iran war. Turkey, a neighbor of Iran and member of the NATO alliance, has been in close touch with the US, Iran, and mediator Pakistan.

EU to restore Syria relations, strengthen trade and security ties, document shows

Syria's President Ahmad al-Sharaa, left, receives European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, center, and European Council President António Costa, right, upon their arrival at the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, January 9, 2026. (European Commission via AP)

The European Union plans to deepen its engagement with Syria by relaunching formal political contacts and paving the way for closer economic and security ties, according to a document seen by Reuters, marking the latest step in a broader policy shift after years of frozen relations.

The background paper, produced by the bloc’s diplomatic arm and circulated to EU member countries this week, says the EU will fully resume its 1978 cooperation agreement with Syria and begin a High-Level Political Dialogue, an EU term for formal and structured talks, with the country’s transitional authorities on May 11.

In a notable policy adjustment, the EU also says it will “reframe and adapt” its sanctions regime to maintain leverage while engaging with Syria’s leadership and targeting spoilers of the transition, according to the paper.

Syria, which had most Western sanctions lifted at the end of last year, is seeking broader integration into the international community under interim 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 devastating 14-year civil war.

The paper outlines plans to step up economic engagement, including a framework for trade and investment, mobilizing private sector funding and supporting reforms to improve Syria’s business environment through a new technical assistance hub.

It also says the EU will work with authorities on facilitating the “safe, voluntary and dignified return” of refugees and displaced people.

Europe hosts over 1 million Syrian refugees and asylum seekers, roughly half of whom are in Germany. Their return has been on top of the agenda in most discussions between European capitals and Damascus since Assad’s ouster in late 2024.

On security, the paper says the EU could support training for Syrian police and institutional capacity-building in the interior ministry, alongside cooperation on counterterrorism and efforts to address drug trafficking and organized crime.

The document also underscores EU backing for implementing an agreement struck in January between Damascus and Kurdish-led authorities in the northeast, which includes integrating local institutions into the state and expanding rights for Syrian Kurds as part of a broader political transition.

Hezbollah says ‘finger on the trigger’ in case Israel violates truce

Hezbollah says it is keeping its “finger on the trigger” in the event of Israeli violations of a ceasefire that went into effect overnight.

In a statement, the Iran-backed terror group said, “The fighters will keep their finger on the trigger because they are wary of the enemy’s treachery.”

The 10-day ceasefire, brokered by US President Donald Trump, comes after some six weeks of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which began attacking Israel on March 2, days after the beginning of the US-Israeli war with Iran. In response, Israel carried out heavy strikes against the terror group and expanded its ground presence in Lebanon.

18-year-old suffers heat stroke at Jerusalem marathon, is in serious condition

An 18-year-old who competed in the Jerusalem marathon suffered a heat stroke and is in serious condition, Hebrew media report, citing the Magen David Adom emergency medical service.

Eleven others are lightly hurt and being treated for dehydration and fatigue. All of those injured were brought to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in the city.

Jerusalem’s full marathon was canceled due to the heat wave sweeping Israel, but a half-marathon and shorter races took place.

Health Ministry warns Israelis to take precautions due to air pollution from dust storm

The beach in Tel Aviv during a dust storm, February 14, 2026. (Erik Marmor/Flash90)

Israelis should take precautions today and tomorrow as regions across the country experience high to very high levels of pollution, the Health Ministry warns.

The pollution results from a dust storm coming out of North Africa, according to Hebrew media reports. It comes on the heels of a heat wave that is expected to break in the coming days.

The ministry advises everyone in the country to avoid strenuous outdoor activity, and says that the elderly, pregnant women, children and those with chronic illness should avoid spending extended periods of time outdoors.

3 charged after arson attempt at London office of outlet linked to Iran’s opposition

British police say they have charged three people in connection with an attempted arson attack on the offices of a Persian-language media organization in northwest London earlier this week.

Oisin McGuinness, 21, Nathan Dunn, 19, and a 16-year-old have all been charged with arson with intent to endanger life, the police say. The three, all British, face the charges after an ignited container was thrown towards the premises of the parent company of Iran International, Volant Media, on Wednesday evening, landing in a car park.

Iran International, a London-based television station aligned with the Iranian opposition, said a suspicious vehicle was denied entry to its London site shortly before the incendiary device was thrown.

Sharaa: Syria-Israel talks haven’t reached dead end, serious about making a deal

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during the opening day of the Doha Forum, an annual diplomatic conference, in Doha on December 6, 2025. (Mahmud HAMS / AFP)

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says in an interview with the Turkish news agency Anadolu that negotiations between Syria and Israel have not reached a dead end, but are facing significant difficulties due to what he described as Israel’s insistence on remaining in Syrian territory.

He says Israel has treated Syria with “great brutality,” referring to Israeli strikes on Syrian bases and troops holding parts of the country.

He adds that Syria is serious about reaching a security agreement with Israel in order to maintain regional stability.

Democrat Analilia Mejía, harsh Israel critic, wins New Jersey special election to Congress

Analilia Mejia, the Democratic candidate running for New Jersey's 11th congressional district, talks to a passerby in Morristown, New Jersey, March 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Democrat Analilia Mejía wins a New Jersey special election for the US Congress, defeating Republican Joe Hathaway on a message of standing up to US President Donald Trump and defending progressive policies.

Mejía, 48, a former head of the Working Families Alliance who had support from Vermont US Senator Bernie Sanders, will fill the seat previously held by Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill and serve until January.

She narrowly beat a more moderate opponent, Tom Malinowski, in a February Democratic primary that saw the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC spend $2.3 million against Malinowski, who supported conditions on military aid to Israel.

Mejia has been harsher in her criticism of Israel and, unlike Malinowski, refers to the two-year war against Hamas in Gaza as a “genocide.”

The Associated Press called the race for Mejía minutes after the polls closed yesterday.

Mejía later spoke in Montclair to an enthusiastic crowd of supporters who called out in unison with her that she was an “unbought, unbossed, sassy new member of Congress.”

Republicans criticized her throughout the campaign as too far to the left. She pushed back against those arguments, calling for better health care and education and attacking billionaires for having a “stranglehold” on the economy.

Her speech echoed Sanders, also a harsh critic of Israel, who congratulated her in a social media post and said she would be a “great progressive addition” to Congress.

Hathaway, 38, tried to use Mejía’s progressive credentials to his advantage, as national Republicans cast her as a socialist. After her victory, he congratulated Mejía and wished her well. He added that he still believes the district is looking for “balanced, pragmatic” leadership, not “far-left policies.”

The two could go head-to-head again in November’s election for a full two-year term.

Macron worries truce ‘undermined,’ calls on Hezbollah to disarm, Israel to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech next to the submarine 'Le Temeraire' at the nuclear submarines' Navy base of Ile Longue in Crozon, France, March 2, 2026. (Yoan Valat/Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron voices full support for the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire but says he is concerned that it “may already be undermined by ongoing military operations,” which he does not specify.

“I call for the safety of civilians on both sides of the border between Lebanon and Israel,” he writes on X. “Hezbollah must lay down its arms. Israel must respect Lebanese sovereignty and end the war.”

A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon took effect at midnight local time.

Harry and Meghan meet survivors of Bondi Beach attack

Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle speak with Elon Zizerb (right), Bondi beach terror attack survivor, during a meeting with volunteer first responders from Bondi Surf Bathers' Life Saving Club in Sydney on April 17, 2026. (Jonathan Brady / POOL / AFP)

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle visit Australia’s Bondi Beach to meet survivors of last year’s deadly terror shooting at a Hanukkah event.

Naveed Akram and his father Sajid, who was shot dead by police at the scene, are accused of opening fire on the Hanukkah celebration at the Sydney beach in December in an antisemitic shooting spree.

Harry and Meghan toured Bondi on the last day of their whistle-stop trip down under, walking the sand barefoot, flanked by first responders from the Bondi Beach Surf Lifesaving Club.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, met with volunteer first responders from the Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club during a visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney on the fourth day of their royal tour of Australia.#GettyVideo #PrinceHarryandMeghanAustralia… pic.twitter.com/NLdVt0S08c

— Getty Images Entertainment (@GettyVIP) April 17, 2026

They later spoke with Jewish community leaders and survivors of Australia’s worst mass shooting in three decades.

Photos showed the couple listening intently as they spoke to survivor Elon Zizerb, who was shot multiple times while shielding his children.

Harry and Meghan have largely received a warm welcome in Australia, although some critics have questioned the use of taxpayer money to provide security protection for the pair.

The couple stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and later relocated to North America following a bitter royal family rift.

Global leftist leaders gather in Spain to mobilize against far right

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gestures as he speaks during a press conference in Beijing, China, April 14, 2026. (AP/Ng Han Guan)

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will spearhead gatherings of the global left in Barcelona today and tomorrow, in a bid to defend multilateralism and mobilize left-wing movements against the far right.

The meetings, organized by Spain and left-wing political networks, come as US President Donald Trump’s swift cuts to humanitarian aid, military interventions and threats to abandon NATO have shaken the status quo of international relations and prompted a rethink of global allegiances.

Borne out of a wake-up call for European socialists after the far-right surge in EU elections in 2024, the aim of the so-called “Global Progressive Mobilization” starting today is to mobilize advocates of left-wing ideas, culminating in a declaration of common actions on goals from defending democracy to the green transition, organizers said.

A second gathering on Saturday — entitled “In defense of democracy” — is organized by the Spanish government and is the fourth installment of a summit launched by Lula and Sanchez in 2024.

Both leaders are harsh critics of Israel and of the Trump administration, with Sanchez having been particularly outspoken over the Iran war, and both face growing far-right challenges in upcoming election races.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has also clashed with Trump and is a staunch critic of Israel, will attend, as will Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, marking the first visit to Spain by a Mexican president since 2018 after years of tension over the legacy of Spanish colonial rule.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

European countries have capacity to clear mines in Hormuz — French defense minister

French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin speaks at an event near Athens, January 29, 2026. (AP/Petros Giannakouris)

European countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands and France have mine clearance capacity that could help secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz, French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin tells French TV station TF1.

“There are capabilities to provide fully supported escort services — that is to say, in no way offensive, of course — for ships to ensure safe passage through the strait; that is what will be debated today in Paris,” she adds.

France and Britain are set to chair a meeting today of around 40 countries aimed at signaling to the United States that some of its closest allies are ready to play a role in restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Strait typically carries about 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows.

Report: Lebanese return to the south after country’s army repairs bridge

Displaced people returning to their villages following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel cross the damaged Qasmiyeh bridge near Tyre, south Lebanon, April 17, 2026. (AP/Mohammed Zaatari)

Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen channel, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, reports that the Lebanese army has repaired and reopened the al-Qasmiyeh bridge, which had been destroyed by Israel, following the onset of a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict at midnight.

The army has also opened up new routes to allow residents to pass, after the IDF blew up the main bridges over the Litani River during the conflict and issued sweeping evacuation orders for southern Lebanon.

According to the report, there is heavy congestion on roads leading to southern Lebanon due to the large number of people seeking to return to their homes in the area.

📌 العمل على إعادة فتح الطريق عند جسر القاسمية – صور pic.twitter.com/RpCnf3MbmF

— Al Jadeed News (@ALJADEEDNEWS) April 17, 2026

Thousands, including ex-hostage, compete in Jerusalem marathon; full race nixed due to heat wave

Thousands of runners take part in the annual Jerusalem marathon on April 17, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Thousands of runners compete in a half-marathon and shorter runs in Jerusalem, after the capital’s full marathon was canceled due to the heat wave sweeping Israel.

Race times were also moved up to mitigate risks from the high temperature.

Former hostage Rom Braslavski, who was released in October after two years of captivity in Gaza, kicked off the marathon’s 10K race.

The half-marathon took runners past the Knesset, the city center, into the Old City and through southern Jerusalem.

Haimro Alame won the men’s half-marathon with a time of 1:07:31, and Mentamir Bikyia won the women’s half with a time of 1:24:29, according to Hebrew media reports.

UK top official to step down over ex-envoy Mandelson’s failed vetting — reports

Former UK ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, is pictured as he leaves his residence in central London on February 21, 2026. (JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

A top UK foreign ministry official will step down, local media report, as the British government faces fresh pressure over its past appointment of an associate of Jeffrey Epstein as US ambassador.

The UK Foreign Office’s Permanent Under-Secretary Olly Robbins will leave his role after losing the confidence of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, media including the Press Association (PA) news agency and BBC report.

Calls by opposition politicians for the prime minister himself to resign also intensified yesterday as the government confirmed that its former Washington envoy Peter Mandelson had been appointed to his role after failing a background security check.

Starmer has faced repeated questions about his judgment in selecting Mandelson, who was sacked last year only months into the post over his ties to the late convicted US sex offender Epstein.

Opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch writes on X that “Starmer has betrayed our national security. He should go.”

The prime minister has accused Mandelson of lying about the extent of his ties to Epstein during the vetting process for his Washington posting.

Following an investigation published by The Guardian newspaper, a government spokesperson confirms that foreign ministry officials made the decision to allow Mandelson’s appointment to proceed “against the recommendation of UK Security Vetting.”

But the spokesperson says neither Starmer nor the foreign minister “was aware” of this “until earlier this week.”

Starmer sacked Mandelson as ambassador after documents released by a US Congressional committee revealed new details about the depth of his ties to Epstein.

Police have opened an investigation into allegations of misconduct in office by Mandelson, who was arrested and bailed in February.

He has not been charged and denies criminal wrongdoing.

The force is investigating Mandelson over allegations he leaked sensitive documents to Epstein when he was a government minister, including during the 2008 financial crash.

Footage shows settlers setting fire to two vehicles in southern West Bank

Palestinian media outlets publish footage of settlers setting fire overnight to two vehicles in the South Hebron Hills area of the southern West Bank. No injuries have been reported.

No arrests have been carried out either. Prosecution for such incidents of settler violence against Palestinians is highly rare.

ירי מלבנון, הפסקת אש בלבנון, בדרום הר חברון הלילה אירוע כמעט שגרתי: שני כלי רכב הוצתו, ע"פ הדיווח בידי מתנחלים. אין נפגעים pic.twitter.com/RoliFumjmQ

— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) April 17, 2026

Trump continues to tout Lebanon ceasefire: ‘A historic day. Good things are happening!’

US President Donald Trump continues to revel in the ceasefire he brokered between Israel and Lebanon.

“May have been a historic day for Lebanon. Good things are happening!” Trump writes in his 29th Truth Social post of the day.

Trump says at Las Vegas event that Iran war ‘should be ending pretty soon’

US President Donald Trump speaks at a roundtable event about no tax on tips, April 16, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

US President Donald Trump says at an event in Las Vegas, Nevada, that the war in Iran is going “swimmingly” and that it “should be ending pretty soon.”

Lebanese army claims Israel shelling several south Lebanon villages in breach of truce

Israel has committed violations of a ceasefire in Lebanon that took effect at midnight, including intermittent shelling of several southern Lebanese villages, the Lebanese army says early Friday.

In a statement, the Lebanese army calls on citizens to hold off on returning to southern villages and towns. There is no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

IDF says rocket sirens were activated in north due to false detection

Rocket sirens were activated in Natu’a due to a false detection, the IDF says.

Marwan Barghouti was beaten by prison guards three times in recent weeks, his lawyer alleges

Marwan Barghouti in court, April 3, 2003 (Flash90)

An attorney for prominent Palestinian security prisoner Marwan Barghouti says he discovered during a recent visit with his client that he was severely beaten three separate times by Israeli guards in recent weeks.

“On April 8 in Ganot Prison, he was severely beaten and left bleeding for more than two hours. He requested medical care and was denied treatment,” Ben Marmarelli says in a statement.

“On March 25, he was assaulted during his transfer from Megiddo to Ganot. On March 24, in Megiddo Prison, guards entered his cell with a dog, forced him to the ground, and the dog repeatedly attacked him,” he says.

“These are not isolated incidents. They form a clear pattern of escalating abuse: violence, medical neglect, and treatment that places him at immediate risk,” Marmarelli writes.

“He had a great deal to say. Above all, he wanted to know more about his family and the Palestinian people,” says the lawyer.

Marmarelli’s report sparks widespread condemnations from Palestinian Authority officials.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas “expressed his strong condemnation of the repression, abuse, and brutal assaults endured by Palestinian detainees in Israeli occupation prisons, which violate their human dignity,” his office says in a statement.

Barghouti, seen by many Palestinians as a potential successor to Abbas, has been incarcerated since 2002. He is serving five cumulative life terms plus 40 years in prison for helping plan terror attacks during the Second Intifada that killed five civilians.

Trump tells Hezbollah to ‘act nicely and well’ during truce with Israel

US President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One, April 16, 2026, at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

US President Donald Trump cautions Hezbollah against misbehaving, not long after the ceasefire in Lebanon enters into effect.

“I hope Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time. It will be an GREAT moment for them if they do. No more killing. Must finally have PEACE!” Trump writes in what is his 27th Truth Social post on Thursday alone.

Despite truce, rocket warning sirens sound in moshav along Lebanon border

Rocket warning sirens sound in Netu’a, a moshav along the Lebanon border, indicating an attack by Hezbollah despite the ceasefire that took effect just over two hours ago.

Amid celebratory gunfire, residents who fled Hezbollah’s Beirut stronghold start returning after truce takes effect

Tracer rounds illuminate the night sky as people fire live ammunition and fireworks into the air following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, in Beirut, Lebanon, early April 17, 2026. (AP/Hassan Ammar)

Gunfire erupted in Beirut’s southern suburbs after a ceasefire with Israel came into effect at midnight, according to AFP journalists and AFPTV footage.

State media also reports “heavy gunfire” accompanying the start of the 10-day truce, announced earlier by US President Donald Trump.

AFP journalists heard shots ring out and RPGs erupting into the air shortly after midnight and continuing for well over half an hour, as red bullet traces took off into the sky.

AFPTV footage shows people returning to the city’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, some waving the Iran-backed terror movement’s yellow flag or carrying portraits of its slain leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed by Israel in 2024.

Videos circulating on social media show lines of cars in several areas in the south as displaced residents return to their homes.

Trump seems to sour on Mamdani over new NY tax proposal after appearing to establish warm ties

President Donald Trump hosts New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President Donald Trump seems to turn on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after the pair surprised many by appearing to have established a warm working relationship.

“Sadly, Mayor Mamdani is DESTROYING New York! It has no chance!” Trump writes on Truth Social, a day after New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a proposed tax backed by Mamdani on second homes of non-full time state residents worth over $5 million.

“The United States of America should not contribute to its failure. It will only get WORSE.”

“The TAX, TAX, TAX Policies are SO WRONG. People are fleeing. They must change their ways, AND FAST. History has proven, THIS ‘STUFF’ JUST DOESN’T WORK,” Trump writes.

Iran’s top negotiator claims credit for Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire

FILE: In this handout picture provided by Ihe Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (ICANA), Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, dressed in an IRGC uniform, chairs a session in Tehran on February 1, 2026. (ICANA News Agency/AFP)

Iran’s top negotiator and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf tries to take credit for the Lebanon ceasefire.

“The ceasefire was nothing but a result of Hezbollah’s steadfastness and the unity of the Axis of Resistance,” Ghalibaf says in a statement on X.

The US and Israel have sought to frame the truce as the result of a separate channel of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, while Tehran and Pakistani mediators have insisted that Hezbollah was supposed to be covered by the truce reached last week between the US and Iran.

Tehran had threatened to upend its truce with the US if Israeli strikes against Lebanon did not cease.

“We are true to our word,” Ghalibaf says.

كما قلتُ ليلة أمس أيضاً، إن وقف إطلاق النار لم يكن إلا نتيجة لصمود حزب الله واتحاد محور المقاومة؛ وسوف نتعامل مع وقف إطلاق النار هذا بحذر، وسنبقى معًا حتى التحقق الكامل للنصر.

أشكر الجهود الوسيطة لدولة باكستان والجنرال عاصم منير لإقرار وقف إطلاق النار هذا.

إنّا على العهد… https://t.co/6f3CIa3jNH

— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) April 16, 2026

Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah now in effect

As midnight arrives, the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has now entered into effect, according to the timeline provided by US President Donald Trump earlier.

Sirens sounded minutes ago in northern communities, as the terror group carried out launches minutes before the deadline, firing a barrage of five rockets at the Galilee Panhandle. According to the IDF, most of the rockets were intercepted and one struck an open area.

The IDF says it struck over 380 Hezbollah targets in the south of the country in the past day.

The targets included Hezbollah operatives, command centers, and several rocket launchers used in attacks on Israel, according to the military.

The IDF says it remains “on high alert and will act in accordance with the directives of the political echelon.”

צה"ל תקף ביממה האחרונה יותר מ-380 מטרות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בדרום לבנון: הותקפו משגרים, מפקדות ומחבלים מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה

צה"ל תקף ביממה האחרונה יותר מ-380 תשתיות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במטרה לסייע לפעילות הכוחות הקרקעיים הפועלים בדרום לבנון.

בין התשתיות שהותקפו:… pic.twitter.com/HthIWy4kHE

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 16, 2026