Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extended by 3 weeks as tensions rise in Strait of Hormuz - BERITAJA

(L-R) US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Israel Ambassador to US Yechiel Leiter, US Vice President JD Vance, US President Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lebanon Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa perceive to questions from the media during a gathering pinch Lebanon Ambassador to the US and Israel Ambassador to the US, astatine the White House successful Washington, DC connected April 23, 2026. US President Donald Trump met Lebanese and Israeli envoys astatine a caller information of bid talks Thursday, pinch Beirut seeking a one-month hold of a shaky ceasefire group to expire. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Israel's subject said Friday it struck respective Hezbollah sites successful confederate Lebanon aft the Iran-backed militant group fired into Israel, a time aft President Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to widen their ceasefire by 3 weeks.

The hold was announced astatine the White House connected Thursday, wherever ambassadors from some countries met for high-level negotiations. Hezbollah was not progressive successful the talks.

But the ceasefire appeared vulnerable from the start. Hezbollah's latest rocket occurrence into bluish Israel came aft an Israeli airstrike killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil Wednesday while she was reporting successful confederate Lebanon. Khalil's decease makes her the eighth journalist killed by Israel successful Lebanon successful the past 2 months, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The conflict successful Lebanon has killed about 2,300 people, according to the Lebanese government, and displaced about 1.2 million.

The Lebanon ceasefire is besides tied to broader U.S. efforts to widen a abstracted ceasefire pinch Iran. Iran has insisted that the fighting successful Lebanon stay paused successful bid to proceed bid talks pinch the United States.

Earlier this week, Trump said he was extending indefinitely a ceasefire pinch Iran, hours earlier it was group to expire.

Iran dismissed the hold arsenic "meaningless" and said the continued U.S. naval blockade connected Iranian ports is simply a usurpation of the deal. Iran negotiators opportunity they will not return to the negotiating array until the blockade is lifted.

Tensions person besides escalated successful caller days successful the Strait of Hormuz, a cardinal waterway for world lipid shipments. The U.S. subject connected Thursday said it seized a tanker transporting lipid from Iran successful the Indian Ocean, a time aft Iran took power of 2 commercialized ships successful the Strait of Hormuz.

President Trump said connected social media he ordered the Navy to "shoot and termination immoderate boat" laying mines successful the strategical waterway. He added that the U.S. would triple the level of minesweeping successful the strait.

Here are the latest updates connected Day 56 of the conflict successful the Middle East:

Strait of Hormuz | Journalist killed | Pope Leo | Drone attacks

Trump says he's successful nary hurry to extremity warfare arsenic Hormuz situation deepens

BANDAR ABBAS, IRAN - APRIL 22: A boy walks adjacent a man pinch a sportfishing nett arsenic ships are anchored adjacent the shoreline connected April 22, 2026 successful Bandar Abbas, Iran. Bandar Abbas is simply a larboard metropolis and the superior of Hormozgan Province, on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. Earlier today, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said it had attacked and seized 2 ships adjacent the Strait of Hormuz arsenic it tried to asseverate power complete the captious waterway. The incidents came the time aft U.S. President Donald Trump announced an hold of a ceasefire betwixt his state and Iran, and aft Iran refused to be the latest projected information of bid talks successful Islamabad. Getty Images/Getty Images Europe

Getty Images/Getty Images Europe

President Trump connected Thursday said he was successful nary hurry to scope a woody to extremity the U.S.-Israeli led warfare pinch Iran, moreover arsenic tensions grew successful the Strait of Hormuz.

"I don't want to rush. I want to return my time," Trump told reporters, adding that he was prepared to hold for "the champion deal" to extremity the war.

Trump besides dismissed the thought that he would usage a atomic limb against Iran.

"Why would I usage a atomic limb wherever we've totally, successful a very accepted way, decimated them without it?" Trump said. " A atomic limb should ne'er beryllium allowed to beryllium utilized by anybody."

Trump's comments came arsenic he ordered the U.S. Navy to "shoot and termination immoderate boat" trying to laic mines successful the Strait of Hormuz, according to a station connected societal media.

A Washington Post report published this week, which BERITAJA has not independently verified, cited a Pentagon appraisal shared pinch Congress that said it could return up to six months to afloat clear the strait of mines. Trump has disputed the assessment, saying U.S. minesweepers are already clearing the waterway.

The threat unsocial has had a tremendous effect connected world shipping. Some vessels pinch links to Iran made attempts to move done the strait, but others are staying distant aft Iran attacked 3 ships pinch gunfire earlier this week and seized 2 more. Around 20,000 seafarers person besides been stuck aboard their ships since the commencement of the war.

"There are a important number of tanker shipowners that [are keeping] their vessels distant from the Middle East," Basil Karatzas, who heads the maritime consulting institution Karatzas Marine Advisors, told BERITAJA.

The disruption goes beyond oil. Helium, fertilizer and aluminum, which are each captious elements for manufacture and farming, person been held up successful the Gulf, causing world shortages and driving up costs.

Rights groups telephone for investigation into Lebanese journalist's death

Press state groups are calling for an world investigation into the decease of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil, who was killed earlier this week successful an Israeli airstrike while reporting successful confederate Lebanon.

Lebanese officials said Khalil and different journalist took shelter successful a location aft a adjacent conveyance was targeted, but the building was past struck arsenic well. Medics said they were capable to rescue a wounded journalist, but came nether occurrence and were forced to retreat earlier they could prevention Khalil. She later died nether the rubble. The Israeli subject said it was responding to an "imminent threat" and was reviewing the incident.

Relatives and friends of Amal Khalil, a seasoned analogous for the regular newspaper Al-Akhbar who was killed successful a reported Israeli airstrike successful confederate Lebanon, mourn astatine her location successful the colony of Bisariyeh connected April 23, 2026. An Israeli airstrike killed the Lebanese journalist and wounded different connected April 22, while they were moving adjacent the separator pinch Israel, according to their employer and rescuers. MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

The Committee to Protect Journalists said Israel's failure to let aesculapian crews to scope Khalil successful clip "may represent a warfare crime."

"Journalists are civilians and protected nether world law," CPJ's Jodie Ginsberg said successful a statement. "Israel's blatant disregard for specified norms — and the world community's nonaccomplishment to clasp them accountable — is abhorrent."

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel of targeting journalists.

"Israel's targeting of media workers successful the southbound while they transportation retired their master duties is nary longer isolated incidents, but has go an established attack that we condemn and reject, arsenic do each world laws and conventions," Salam wrote successful a station connected societal media.

At slightest 8 journalists have been killed by Israel successful Lebanon since the commencement of the conflict, according to CPJ.

Pope Leo urges U.S. and Iran to return to talks

Pope Leo XIV called connected the United States and Iran to return to the negotiating array Friday, calling for renewed talks to extremity the war.

Pope Leo XIV speaks to journalists aboard the papal formation from Malabo to Rome, connected April 23, 2026, astatine the extremity of his 11-day pastoral sojourn to Africa. ANDREW MEDICHINI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

ANDREW MEDICHINI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Speaking to reporters aboard the papal level aft a travel to Africa, Leo urged leaders to adopt what he called "a civilization of peace."

He called the negotiations betwixt Iran and the United States "complex," but urged each sides to stay committed to dialogue.

He said he was carrying a photograph of a young Muslim Lebanese boy killed successful Israel's caller attacks against Hezbollah successful Lebanon. The aforesaid kid had been photographed holding a motion welcoming the pope during his sojourn to Lebanon past year.

"When conflicts arise," Leo said, "the mobility is really to beforehand the values we judge successful without the deaths of truthful galore innocents."

Drones target Iranian Kurdish guidance bases successful Iraq, officials say

The Kurdistan Freedom Party, known arsenic PAK, said respective drones deed 1 of its bases successful Erbil province, Iraq, precocious Thursday, wounding 3 fighters.

Iran and Iran-backed Iraqi militias person continued to onslaught Iranian Kurdish guidance bases passim a ceasefire betwixt the U.S. and Iran that began April 8. Kurdish authorities officials opportunity those attacks person killed astatine slightest 5 group since then.

TEHRAN, IRAN - APRIL 23: A constabulary serviceman stands holding a emblem successful Valiasr Square beneath a mural of the precocious Ayatollah Ali Khamenei connected April 23, 2026 successful Tehran, Iran. Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced an hold of the existent ceasefire betwixt his state and Iran, contempt Iran declining to be the latest projected information of bid talks successful Islamabad. The attraction of the warfare has shifted mostly to the Strait of Hormuz, wherever some sides are trying to asseverate power complete the captious maritime route. Majid Saeedi/Getty Images Europe

Majid Saeedi/Getty Images Europe

President Trump extended the ceasefire pinch Iran indefinitely earlier this week, but Iranian officials person maintained that the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports violates the truce.

PAK, which was trained on pinch Iraqi Kurdish fighters by U.S. forces to conflict the militant group ISIS, called connected Trump to protect Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, wherever the U.S. has bases.

Drone attacks were besides reported successful Kuwait, wherever the country's defense ministry said "two sites astatine its bluish onshore separator centers" were targeted by "two fiber-optic wire-guided explosive drones" from Iraq.

In a societal media post, authorities said the drones caused worldly damage, but nary casualties.

Kat Lonsdorf successful Beirut, Lebanon, Jane Arraf successful Amman, Jordan, Ruth Sherlock and Rebecca Rosman successful London, and Jackie Northam contributed reporting to this story.