IDF tells residents of southern suburbs of Beirut to flee after announcing continued combat and ground operations
The Israeli military told people in the southern suburbs of Beirut to flee, moments after announcing its forces are continuing “combat and ground operations” against Hezbollah.
In its third time it has told people in Lebanon to flee since the US-Iran ceasefire was announced, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) urged residents of seven Beirut neighbourhoods to flee their homes.
The order covers a large swathe of the Lebanese capital, where hundreds of thousands of people have already become displaced following repeated IDF warnings to leave the area.
“The IDF continues to operate and strike at military infrastructure belonging to the terrorist organisation Hezbollah across the southern suburbs,” the IDF Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said on X.
“The IDF has no intention of harming you; therefore, for your own safety, you must evacuate immediately.”
The Israeli government said it accepts the two-week ceasefire agreement reached last night between the US and Iran, but that it does not include Lebanon, contrary to a statement by Pakistan. Hezbollah has yet to publicly announce its position.
Key events
UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper desrcibed the ceasefire as “a vital step” towards security and stability in the Middle East.
She said a swift resolution was the best way to improve security and ease the economic impacts caused by the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz.
She said the proposed talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan must lead to a “full end to the conflict and ensure that Iran does not continue to threaten the strait or its neighbours”.
“I also call for an urgent end to hostilities in Lebanon,” she added.
Ship movements resume in strait of Hormuz after ceasefire announcement, says MarineTraffic
Some of the first ships to sail through the strait of Hormuz since the ceasefire announcement have been detected, according to tracking data analyst MarineTraffic.
Two vessels, including the Greek-owned bulk carrier NJ Earth and the Liberia-flagged Daytona Beach, have crossed the strait today, MarineTraffic said in a post on X.
It said:
Early signs of vessel activity are emerging in the strait of Hormuz following a ceasefire announcement, which includes a temporary reopening of the strategic waterway to allow for negotiations. According to MarineTraffic data, hundreds of vessels remain in the region, including 426 tankers, 34 LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) carriers, and 19 LNG (liquefied natural gas) vessels, many of which had been effectively stranded during the disruption.
More on the proposed US-Iran talks in Islamabad – reportedly taking place this Friday – the Pakistani prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said he had a “warm and substantive conversation” with the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian today.
In a post of X, Sharif said:
I conveyed my deep appreciation for the wisdom and sagacity of the Iranian leadership in accepting Pakistan’s offer to host peace talks in Islamabad later this week to work jointly for the return of peace to the region.
President Pezeshkian reaffirmed Iran’s participation in the upcoming negotiations and expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s efforts, while conveying his best wishes for the people of Pakistan.
Pakistan remains committed to working closely with all its friends and partners to advance peace and stability in the region and beyond.
Lebanon president calls for inclusion of his country in ‘regional peace’
The president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, welcomed the US-Iran ceasefire and said he hoped his country will be included in the regional truce.
The Israeli government and military said the fighting in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah militants would continue, with Israeli strikes reported in the country since the US-Iran ceasefire was announced.
In a statement posted online by the Lebanese presidency, Aoun said Lebanon would continue efforts “to ensure that the regional peace includes Lebanon in a stable and lasting manner”.
Vance: Iran ceasefire a ‘fragile truce’
US vice-president JD Vance has acknowledged that the Iran ceasefire remained a “fragile truce”, as he sought to dispute Iran’s declared victory in the war.
Speaking in the Hungarian capital city of Budapest, where he is supporting prime minister Viktor Orbán’s reelection bid, Vance said some Iranians “are basically lying about what we have accomplished militarily” and “about the nature of the agreement”.
He said
This is why I say this is a fragile truce. You have people who clearly want to come to the negotiating table and work with us to find a good deal, and then you have people who are lying about even the fragile truce that we’ve already struck.
The president … has told me and he’s told the entire negotiating team, the secretary of state, the special envoy, Steve Witkoff, he said: go and work in good faith to come to an agreement. … If the Iranians are willing, in good faith, to work with us, I think we can make an agreement; if they’re going to lie, if they’re going to cheat, if they’re going to try to prevent even the fragile truce that we’ve set up from taking place, then they’re not going to be happy.
My colleague, Jakub Krupa, has more over on the Europe live blog, where he is reporting reactions to the ceasefire deal from around continent and other Europe-related news. You can follow those updates here:
Pakistan PM says Iran has confirmed it will take part in talks in Islamabad
In a statement released by his office, the Pakistani prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said he has got confirmation from Iran that it will participate in talks in Islamabad.
Sharif said the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, confirmed Iran will take part in negotiations with the US that seek to resolve the conflict.
Earlier, Sharif said he invited delegations for talks on Friday in the Pakistani capital. While Iranian state media reported that the talks may be extended, it said negotiations with the US do not amount to the end of the war.
Iran president says ceasefire in line with ‘general principles desired by Tehran’
The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said the ceasefire announced this morning is in line with “the general requirements desired” by Tehran.
A translation of his post on X reads:
The ceasefire, with the acceptance of the general principles desired by Iran, was the fruit of the blood of our martyred leader, the great Khamenei, and the result of the participation of all the people in the arena. From today, we will continue to stand together, whether in the field of diplomacy, in defence, on the streets, or in the realm of public service.
He joins other Iranian officials who have declared the ceasefire deal a win for Iran. Mohammad Reza Aref, Iran’s first vice president, wrote on X that “the era of Iran has begun”, while Iran’s supreme national security council said the US has “suffered an undeniable, historical, and crushing defeat”.
IDF tells residents of southern suburbs of Beirut to flee after announcing continued combat and ground operations
The Israeli military told people in the southern suburbs of Beirut to flee, moments after announcing its forces are continuing “combat and ground operations” against Hezbollah.
In its third time it has told people in Lebanon to flee since the US-Iran ceasefire was announced, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) urged residents of seven Beirut neighbourhoods to flee their homes.
The order covers a large swathe of the Lebanese capital, where hundreds of thousands of people have already become displaced following repeated IDF warnings to leave the area.
“The IDF continues to operate and strike at military infrastructure belonging to the terrorist organisation Hezbollah across the southern suburbs,” the IDF Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said on X.
“The IDF has no intention of harming you; therefore, for your own safety, you must evacuate immediately.”
The Israeli government said it accepts the two-week ceasefire agreement reached last night between the US and Iran, but that it does not include Lebanon, contrary to a statement by Pakistan. Hezbollah has yet to publicly announce its position.
Oman foreign minister urges both sides to return to negotating table
Oman’s foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, who mediated indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the US before the war, said the ceasefire meant “for now the world has stepped back from disaster”.
“But there’s no room for complacency,” he said in a post on X. “Serious negotiations now required for lasting peace. Oman will support this work for the vital and urgent purpose of strong and enduring regional security.`”
Here are some of the latest images from across the Middle East:
Will the ceasefire see a resumption of pre-war shipping on the strait of Hormuz?
Lisa O’Carroll
Last night, 1,441 ships were stuck on either side of the strait of Hormuz , according to shipping software company AXSMarine, which tracks global vessel movements.
The majority – 959 – were in the Gulf, west of the strait, with 621 to the east either waiting to enter the gulf to load up with gas, oil, chemicals or dry bulk or with deliveries for gulf states.
No ships carrying liquified natural gas have passed the strait since the war started on 28 February, according to AXSMarine’s data.
A significant number on both sides were “spoofing” or had gone “dark”, turning off communications to hide their exact location and try and protect themselves from projectiles.
In the last two weeks up to 6 April, just 51 tankers traversed the strait with 15 carrying crude oil and 9 carrying chemicals.
This compares to 51 daily movements before the war.
Before last night’s ceasefire, Iran had announced that ships owned by five nations (China, Russia, India, Iraq and Pakistan) would be allowed to transit. Malaysian and Thai vessels were granted access after diplomatic talks. On 2 April, Iran said it would allow Philippine-flagged vessels to cross following further negotiations.
While the Israeli military said it will push on with its ground invasion of southern Lebanon, sources told Reuters that Hezbollah has halted its attacks against northern Israel and on Israeli troops.
Three Lebanese sources close to the group told the news agency that Hezbollah is likely to issue a statement outlining its formal position on the US-Iran ceasefire and on Israel’s assertion that Lebanon is not included.
The Lebanese army, meanwhile, has urged displaced families to delay their return home to the south of the country, warning of ongoing Israeli attacks.
Israeli military ‘continues fighting and ground operations’ against Hezbollah in Lebanon, IDF says
The Israeli military said it “continues fighting and ground operations” in Lebanon against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
In a statement on social media, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it carried out extensive strikes on launch sites across Iran overnight before halting fighting after the ceasefire was announced.
“In accordance with political directives, the IDF has contained the fighting in the campaign against Iran and remains on high alert for defence, ready to respond to any violation,” the IDF said.
It added that in Lebanon, “the IDF continues its combat and ground operations against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation”.
‘Now it’s time for diplomacy, legality and peace’, says Spanish PM
Sam Jones
Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, who has been perhaps the most outspoken western critic of Trump’s war in Iran, has issued a blunt reaction to the ceasefire announcement on X, saying his administration “will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket”.
He said:
Ceasefires are always good news – especially if they lead to a just and lasting peace. But this momentary relief cannot make us forget the chaos, the destruction, and the lives lost.
The Spanish government will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket.
What’s needed now are diplomacy, international legality, and PEACE.
