Ten-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel comes into effect

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The Lebanese army reported Israeli "acts of aggression" in violation of the ceasefire deal which came into effect at midnight (9 pm GMT).

A number of Israeli strikes were reported on southern Lebanon as well as artillery shelling.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres welcomed the 10-day ceasefire announced Thursday between Israel and Lebanon, and urged "all actors" to fully respect the truce, his spokesman said.

"The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement of a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, and commends the role of the United States in facilitating" it, Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, adding he hoped the temporary halt to fighting would "pave the way for negotiations."

Guterres "urges all actors to fully respect the ceasefire and to comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, at all times," he said, a statement that may extend beyond Israel and Lebanon to the militant group Hezbollah.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he hopes militant group Hezbollah "acts nicely and well" during the 10-day ceasefire reached just hours earlier between Lebanon and Israel.

"I hope Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform as he arrived for a speech in Las Vegas. "It will be (a) GREAT moment for them if they do. No more killing. Must finally have PEACE!"

Gaza's civil defence agency said Thursday that Israeli fire killed four people, including one child, in different locations across the Palestinian territory.

Saleh Badawi, 9, "was killed and taken to Al-Maamadani Hospital after being hit by Israeli fire in the Zeitoun neighbourhood, southeast of Gaza City", in northern Gaza, Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman for the civil defence agency, told AFP.

He added that "two brothers" were killed earlier in the day "following an Israeli drone strike" near a school in Beit Lahia, also in the north, and another man, 38-year-old Mohsen Ouda Al-Dabbari, was "killed by Israeli fire" near Khan Yunis, in the south.

The Israeli military said its forces remain deployed in southern Lebanon after the ceasefire, urging residents not to move south of the Litani River.

An Israeli drone strike targeted a car in the southern Lebanese village of Haris early on Friday, shortly after a 10-day ceasefire came into effect.

Local media said Israeli artillery continued shelling areas in southern Lebanon even after the ceasefire started at midnight (2100 GMT).

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure told reporters Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz needs to reopen "but not at any price," adding that G7 leaders stand ready to mitigate the economic fallout from war.

"We need to make sure that we understand where the balance of risks is tilting in the next few weeks," Lescure said Thursday.

"We are meeting again in a month's time in Paris and we want to make sure that we monitor the situation, we evaluate the impact," he added.

"If we need to act, as we did with releasing inventories a few weeks back, we will," he said.

Lescure said "the general feeling was gravity" among the G7 when it came to the war. But he added of the Strait of Hormuz blockage: "We need this to open, but not at any price."

Heavy gunfire erupted in Beirut's southern suburbs as the truce with Israel came into effect.

Gunfire could be seen in the night sky, as local media reported that several RPGs were also fired in the area.

The southern suburbs - known as Dahyeh - have been under Israeli evacuation orders, and large parts lie in ruins due to heavy bombardment.

A 10-day ceasefire agreed between Israel and Lebanon took effect on Thursday after US President Donald Trump earlier announced the truce, adding that he hoped to host a historic meeting between the leaders of the two countries in the coming days.

The truce officially took effect at midnight local time in Israel and Lebanon (2100 GMT).

Hezbollah has not officially said if it will recognise the ceasefire but one of its lawmakers told AFP on Thursday that the group would respect it if Israeli attacks on its militants stopped.

Fighting resumed between Israel and Hezbollah on 2 March after a 15-month ceasefire which Israeli frequently violated.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he "welcomes" US President Donald Trump's announcement of a 10-day ceasefire with Israel, which was due to start at 2100 GMT on Thursday evening.

Salam said he welcomes the ceasefire, "which is a key Lebanese demand that we have pursued since the very first day of the war" between Hezbollah and Israel, after Trump announced the temporary truce following phone calls with the presidents of the two countries.

"As I congratulate all Lebanese on this achievement, I pray for mercy upon the martyrs who have fallen, and I affirm my solidarity with their families," Salam said, thanking a number of European and Arab states for their "efforts" to reach a ceasefire.

Germany welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that included the Iran-backed Hezbollah on Thursday, saying it hoped the truce could pave the way for a "future as good neighbours".

The 10-day truce announced by US President Donald Trump "can offer people on both sides of the border an important respite", Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said in a statement.

He said direct talks launched this week in Washington - the first since 1993 - opened the door to "a future as good neighbours" provided "Israel's legitimate security interests and Lebanon's right to territorial integrity and sovereignty" were both respected.

He added the two sides must now work on border security, civilian protection along the Blue Line and the safety of UN peacekeepers deployed with UNIFIL.

"Lasting security in the region will only be possible with the effective disarmament of Hezbollah," he said, adding it was now up to the Lebanese government to "implement this effectively".

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he is not happy with Australia for not assisting the U.S. with the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran stresses the need for a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon: Iranian media citing foreign ministry spokesperson

The Israeli military says it is striking launchers from which "Hezbollah launched rockets toward northern Israel a short while ago."

A 10-day ceasefire is to come into effect tonight.

Hezbollah on Thursday called on Lebanese residents to postpone their return to the country's south, the Bekaa, and Beirut's southern suburbs, ahead of a ceasefire with Israel scheduled to start at midnight local time (2100 GMT).

"In the face of a treacherous enemy accustomed to violating covenants and agreements, we call on you to be patient and to refrain from heading to the targeted areas in the south, the Beqaa, and Beirut's southern suburbs, until the situation becomes completely clear," the movement said in a statement.

The Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee, in a statement, also advised people to wait "until you are certain that a ceasefire has been officially declared and has come into effect" and urged people to "wait until morning" before taking to the roads.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry on Thursday welcomed US President Donald Trump's announcement of a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting militant group Hezbollah since last month.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the Kingdom's welcome of the announcement by... Trump of a ceasefire in brotherly Lebanon. It also commended the significant positive role played by President Joseph Aoun of the Lebanese Republic, the Lebanese government headed by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri," state news agency SPA reported.

Donald Trump said Thursday he expected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to visit the White House in coming days, after the US leader announced a ceasefire between the two countries.

"As of two hours from now, we have a ceasefire with Israel and Lebanon. And that'll be great. And they'll be meeting - probably coming to the White House - over the next four or five days," Trump told reporters.

Lebanon's army on Thursday urged people not to return to the country's southern villages and towns before a ceasefire with Israel takes effect at midnight local time (2100 GMT), and warned against approaching Israeli forces there.

In a statement, the army command also called on citizens to heed instructions of Lebanese soldiers deployed in the south, where Israeli troops have invaded across the border, and to beware of unexploded ordnance and "suspicious objects".

The U.S. State Department said a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon beginning 5 pm EST (2100 GMT) on Thursday may be extended by mutual agreement.

Once the ceasefire takes effect, the Lebanese government will take steps to prevent Hezbollah and all other non-state armed groups in its territory from carrying out any attacks, operations, or hostile activities against Israel, the U.S. State Department said in a statement whose text Washington said was agreed to by Israel and Lebanon.

"All parties recognise Lebanon's security forces as having exclusive responsibility for Lebanon's sovereignty and national defence; no other country or group has claim to be the guarantor of Lebanon's sovereignty," the statement reads.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday after announcing a 10-day Lebanon-Israel ceasefire that leaders of the two countries could meet at the White House over the next week or two. Trump spoke to both leaders as the ceasefire was announced. He said he was working on a longer term deal.

“It's very exciting. I think we're going to have a deal where we're going to have a meeting, first time in 44 years, and Lebanon will be meeting with Israel, and they're probably going to do it at the White House over the next week or two," Trump said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that if an Iran deal is reached and signed in Islamabad, he might go, and that Iran has agreed to almost everything.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran has agreed to hand over its store of enriched uranium and that the two sides were "close" to a peace deal ending six weeks of conflict.

"They've agreed to give us back the nuclear dust," Trump told reporters at the White House, using his name for the enriched uranium stockpile that the United States says could be used to build nuclear weapons.

"There's a very good chance we're going to make a deal."

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was not sure that the ceasefire with Iran needs to be extended.

"I'm not sure it needs to be extended," Trump told reporters at the White House. "Iran wants to make a deal and we're dealing very nicely with them."

He added that Iran has agreed to almost everything, saying: "We're very close to making a deal."

We will remain in Lebanon with an extensive security zone up to the Syrian border: Netanyahu

We have the opportunity to make a historic deal with Lebanon, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday evening, as both countries agreed to a 10-day ceasefire.

Hezbollah said on Thursday that the presence of Israeli troops on Lebanese territory would grant Lebanon and its people "the right to resist," adding in its first comment on a proposed truce that any ceasefire must not allow Israel freedom of movement within Lebanon.

In a written statement, Hezbollah ally and speaker of Lebanon's Parliament Nabih Berri urged Lebanese to "postpone their return to their towns and villages until the situation becomes clearer, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement."

Most of the displaced are from southern Lebanon.

An Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Ghazieh has killed at least seven people and wounded 33, the health ministry said Thursday, hours before a 10-day ceasefire between the two countries is scheduled to take effect.

Lebanese state media reported a "massacre against civilians" in the town, noting that rubble removal operations are ongoing, while the health ministry said its toll is "preliminary and not final".

‼️بين قناريت والغازية pic.twitter.com/jMTHCRvZik

— LebyNews (@lebynews) April 16, 2026

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed on Thursday a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, and reiterated that Europe would continue to call for the respect of Lebanon's territorial integrity.

"I welcome the announced 10 day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, mediated by President Trump. This is a relief, as this conflict has already claimed far too many lives," wrote von der Leyen on X.

"Europe will continue to call for the full respect of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. And we will keep supporting the Lebanese people through substantial humanitarian aid," she added.

The ceasefire announcement was also welcomed by the European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas.

"A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will provide urgently the cessation of hostilities, the needed relief for civilians who have suffered a lot over the last few weeks. We hope that both parties also confirm this ceasefire. A ceasefire must be now used to step back from the violence and also create space for negotiations for a more lasting peace," said Kallas, speaking while on a trip to Morocco.

The Middle East war has created an "unprecedented shock" for the region's economies with no guarantee of a quick recovery, a senior International Monetary Fund official has told AFP.

Five of the Gulf's eight oil- and gas-producing countries face a contraction this year, the IMF said in a regional report published on Thursday.

Growth in the others - Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman - will slow but remain in positive territory, it said.

Predictions of a rebound next year hinge on how the conflict ends, Jihad Azour, IMF chief for the Middle East and Central Asia, said in an interview.

"It's an unprecedented shock for the region," Azour said in a phone interview of the war.

The US House of Representatives on Thursday rejected a Democratic effort to curb President Donald Trump's authority to wage war in Iran, dealing the opposition another setback in its campaign to force Congress back into decisions over military action in the Middle East.

The 214-213 vote, with one abstention, was held after Democrats forced the issue onto the floor. It came as unease over the six-week conflict continued to spread on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers wary of rising costs, an unclear endgame and the risk of a wider war.

The measure would have required Trump to end US military operations against Tehran unless Congress explicitly approved them, invoking the 1973 War Powers Resolution that limits presidential freedom to conduct prolonged hostilities without lawmakers' consent.

Dozens of Palestinian children have been unable to go to school in the Israeli-occupied West Bank this week because of barbed wire erected by Jewish settlers across the path they normally use.

Dozens of children tried on Monday to get to school in the small village of Umm al-Khair near the city of Hebron for the first time since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began. They found their way blocked by barbed wire which villagers said had been placed there by Israelis from the nearby Carmel settlement.

Khalil Hathaleen, head of the Umm al-Khair village council, said the barbed wire prevented children from the outskirts of the village taking their usual safe path through a valley to the school in the village centre.

Otherwise, he said, the children would have to walk along a road which he described as dangerous, because it passes closer to the settlement.

"We insist on using the main path that our children have always taken," he said, accusing Jewish settlers of trying to take over the land so that they can expand their settlement.

Tehran is "cautiously optimistic" about its negotiations on ending hostilities with the United States, the Iranian ambassador to the UN said on Thursday, expressing hope for a "meaningful outcome."

"Despite our deep mistrust of the United States, stemming from its repeated betrayal of diplomacy, we nevertheless entered the negotiations in good faith and remain cautiously optimistic," Amir Saeid Iravani said during a meeting of the UN General Assembly.

He added that if Washington adopts "a rational and constructive approach...these negotiations can lead to a meaningful outcome."

Mediated by Pakistan, efforts are underway to organise a second round of negotiations between Tehran and Washington to bring a lasting end to the war, following a first round in Islamabad last weekend.

Senior Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the group had been briefed on a possible short-term ceasefire to start on Thursday night by Iran's ambassador to Beirut.

Fadlallah spoke to Reuters minutes before US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire would start at 5:00PM US eastern time (2100 GMT). When asked whether Hezbollah would abide by a possible truce, Fadlallah said everything depended on Israel halting all forms of hostilities.

It is not in the interest of the United States that Russia is the winner of the Iran war, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said on Thursday in Washington.

"It's not in our interest and it cannot be in the interest of the United States," he said in a joint statement with the finance ministers of Ukraine and Norway on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund spring meetings.

More than 10,000 American troops are helping enforce the blockade on Iranian ports, and while no ships have yet been boarded, the US military said Thursday that it is warning Iran-linked ships that it could fire warning shots or escalate to other force if they try to outrun the Navy.

Thirteen vessels have turned around rather than confront a naval blockade that began earlier this week, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon.

Vessels that approach the blockade, which is being enforced in Iran's territorial seas and international waters and not in the Strait of Hormuz, are given a warning, Caine said.

"Any ship that would cross the blockade would result in our sailors executing pre-planned tactics designed to bring the force to that ship, if need be, board the ship and take her over," he said.

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire starting on Thursday, US President Donald Trump said after speaking to Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun.

"These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST," Trump said on his Truth Social network, without mentioning Lebanon's Hezbollah movement.

The Archbishop of Canterbury on Thursday expressed solidarity with Pope Leo XIV in calling for peace in the Middle East.

Archbishop Sarah Mullally, who assumed her role as head of the Church of England in January, said she stood with the pope in his "courageous call for peace". Leo's comments have drawn the ire of US President Donald Trump, who last weekend criticised the pope for being "terrible for foreign policy".

"As innocent people are killed and displaced, families torn apart, and futures destroyed, the human cost of war is incalculable," Mullally said in a statement. "It is the calling of every Christian, and of all people of faith and goodwill, to work and pray for peace."

Though she ddidn'tmention Trump by name, Mullally said that Christians must “"rge all those entrusted with political authority to pursue every possible peaceful and just means of resolving conflict.’’

In addition to heading the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The communion is an association of Christian churches, including the Episcopal Church in the United States, that together have more than 100 million members.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejected a US request for a direct phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, an official source told AFP.

"The Lebanese president refused a direct call with Netanyahu and informed (US Secretary of State) Marco Rubio of this," adding that "the American side was understanding", the source said.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday the "leaders" of the two countries would speak the following day.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun held a phone call with Donald Trump on Thursday during which he thanked the US leader for his "efforts" to secure a ceasefire with Israel, the presidency in Beirut said.

"President Aoun reiterated his thanks for the efforts Trump is making to achieve a ceasefire in Lebanon and to secure lasting peace and stability as a prelude to implementing the peace process in the region," the statement said.

The call comes after Aoun rejected a US request for a "direct call" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to an official Lebanese source, and a day after Trump announced an expected call between the two countries' "leaders".

The Lebanese army said Thursday that Israeli strikes that destroyed the Qasmiyeh bridge over the southern Litani River have cut off the area from the rest of the country.

"In the context of the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon, the Qasmiyeh-Tyre coastal bridge was targeted and destroyed, with the aim of separating the area south of the Litani from its north and isolating it," the army said in a statement, adding that the strikes killed one person and wounded three others, among them "a soldier from the unit stationed on the bridge".

China's Foreign Minister said on Thursday that the priority is to push the US and Iran back to negotiations, citing the "serious impacts the protracted conflict has had on international energy security and the security of shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz."

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks during a meeting with his Italian counterpart, Antonio ​Tajani, in Beijing.

China is willing to enhance cooperation and coordination with Italy over international and regional issues, said Wang, who called both countries "ancient civilisations that cherish peace," according to a summary of the meeting released by Wang's ministry.

At least two large oil tankers entered the Gulf, apparently bound for Iran in defiance of Washington's blockade on Iranian ports, news agencies and tracking data indicated Thursday.

A trickle of ships has passed the Strait of Hormuz over the past two days, though the US military said Wednesday that its blockade of vessels going to or from Iranian ports had been fully implemented during the first 48 hours.

On Thursday, two very large crude carriers (VLCC), the RHN and the Alicia, were near Iran's coast in the Gulf, having passed the strait after the US imposed its blockade on Monday, according to data from maritime tracking firm Kpler.

US regional command CENTCOM said more than 10,000 personnel were deployed for the blockade "against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas".

Israel's defence minister warned Iran on Thursday against rejecting a US proposal focused on renouncing "nuclear armament" and vowed to stage "even more painful" strikes on new targets if it did so.

"Iran is standing at a historic crossroads: one path is renouncing the ways of terror and nuclear armament... in line with the US proposal, the other leads to an abyss," Israel Katz said.

"If the Iranian regime chooses the second path, it will quickly discover there are even more painful targets than those we have already struck," he said.

China has assured the United States that it will not send weapons to Iran during the ceasefire in the Middle East war, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Pentagon briefing on Thursday. 

Top US General Dan Caine on Thursday told reporters that the United States would pursue any vessel attempting to provide support to Iran, adding that enforcement would occur in Iranian territorial seas as well as international waters.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hussein Hajj Hassan told AFP on Thursday that the Lebanese government's decision to hold direct negotiations with Israel was a "grave error", urging Beirut to stop making concessions to Israel and the United States.

"Direct negotiations with the enemy are a grave sin and a grave error... and serve no interest for the country," Hajj Hassan said from his parliamentary office, urging authorities to halt "this series of useless concessions".

The United States will prevent all shipping from entering or exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz for "as long as it takes," US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday, the fourth day of the blockade.

"Let me be clear, this blockade applies to all ships, regardless of nationality, heading into or from Iranian ports," General Dan Caine, the top US military commander, said at a press conference with Hegseth.

US forces in the Middle East are postured to restart combat operations immediately if Iran doesn't agree to a peace deal, top American military officials said on Thursday. As part of a campaign to pressure Tehran to sign an agreement, US military forces are mounting a blockade on all ships seeking to enter or leave Iran.

"You, Iran, can choose a prosperous future, a golden bridge, and we hope that you do for the people of Iran," Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Pentagon briefing.

"But if Iran chooses poorly, then they will have a blockade and bombs dropping on infrastructure, power and energy."

Hegseth, addressing the Iranian leadership, said "this is not a fair fight, and we know what military assets you are moving and where you are moving them to."

General Dan ​Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said US forces were "ready to resume major combat operations at literally a moment's notice."

The Israeli military is preparing for a possible ceasefire in Lebanon expected to take effect later today, according to statements from Israeli army officials cited by Haaretz.

Senior commanders have reportedly been instructed to ready forces currently operating in southern Lebanon for a halt in fighting, with the truce anticipated to begin around 7:00PM. local time.

However, officials indicated there may be some flexibility in the timing, with the ceasefire window potentially extending until midnight.

The preparations come amid growing international pressure to de-escalate, though it remains unclear whether all parties have formally agreed to the terms or how durable any ceasefire will be once it takes effect.

US military forces have widened their shipping blockade on Iran to include cargoes deemed contraband, and any vessels suspected of trying to reach Iranian territory will be "subject to belligerent right to visit and search", the US Navy said in an advisory on Thursday.

"These vessels, regardless of location, are subject to visit, board, search, and seizure," the Navy said in an updated advisory after a blockade was imposed on Monday.

Contraband items included weapons, weapons systems, ammunition, nuclear materials, crude and refined oil products, as well as iron, steel and aluminium.

Iran's prominent speaker of parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told his Lebanese counterpart on Thursday that a ceasefire in Lebanon was "as important" as in Iran, according to a statement posted on Telegram.

In talks to end the war between Iran and the United States, Ghalibaf said Tehran has "been striving to compel our enemies to establish a permanent ceasefire in all the conflict zones, in accordance with the agreement.

For us, a ceasefire in Lebanon is just as important as a ceasefire in Iran," he said, in a phone conversation with Nabih Berri.

An Israeli strike Thursday targeting a car on the road linking the Lebanese capital Beirut to the Syrian capital Damascus killed one person, the state-run National News Agency reported.

The attack happened in the Dahr al-Baidar area in the mountains east of Beirut, the NNA said.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday stressed the importance of a ceasefire before any direct negotiations with Israel, ahead of possible talks with Israel's leader that Beirut has not confirmed will take place.

"The ceasefire requested by Lebanon with Israel is the natural starting point for direct negotiations between the two countries," Aoun said in a statement.

His comments came after US President Donald Trump announced the "leaders" of Israel and Lebanon would talk on Thursday, which an Israeli minister confirmed.

The Israeli military carried out two strikes against a key bridge in the south of Lebanon on Thursday, destroying it, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.

"Enemy aircraft carried out two consecutive strikes on the Qasmieh bridge, the last bridge between the Tyre and Sidon regions, completely destroying it," the NNA said.

Pakistan's powerful army chief met Iran's parliament speaker on Thursday, Iranian state television said, after Pakistani mediators travelled to Iran to press efforts to end the war with the United States and Israel.

"Field Marshal Asim Munir, Commander of the Pakistan Army, who travelled to our country yesterday, met and held talks with Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf ... this Thursday morning, March 27," the report said.

Pakistan's prime minister, the key mediator in the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, arrived in Qatar on Thursday as he pushed for a second round of peace talks between Washington and Tehran.

The office of Shehbaz Sharif said in statements that his delegation had arrived in Doha after a trip to Saudi Arabia and he was expected to meet with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The pair would "exchange views on Pakistan's ongoing efforts for regional and global peace", his office said.

Turkey said on Thursday it would continue supporting peace talks between the United States and Iran and called on the sides to be "constructive" in negotiations to end the war.

Turkey, a NATO member and neighbour of Iran, has been in close touch with the US, Iran, and mediator Pakistan and has repeatedly called for fighting to stop.

"We will continue to provide the necessary support for the ongoing ceasefire to turn into a permanent truce and eventually lasting peace, without becoming more complex and difficult to manage," the Turkish Defence Ministry said at a weekly briefing.

Ankara hopes "the parties will be constructive in the ongoing negotiation process," it said.

Iran halted all petrochemical exports to prioritise domestic supply and prevent shortages of raw materials, the economic newspaper Donya-e-Eqtesad reported on Thursday, due to disrupted production after Israel struck several petrochemical hubs.

The instruction was issued on April 13 by a senior National Petrochemical Company official overseeing downstream industries, and told petrochemical firms to suspend exports until further notice.

The export ban primarily aims to stabilise domestic markets and ensure supply to industries following damage caused by recent attacks.

Iran and the United States have made some progress as they push for an agreement under Pakistani mediation, but more than halfway through a two-week truce, big splits remain, including over Tehran's nuclear ambitions, a senior Iranian official said on Thursday.

"The trip of the Pakistani army chief to Tehran was effective in reducing differences in some areas, but fundamental disagreements still remain in the nuclear field.... More hopes have been created for extending the ceasefire and holding a second round of talks," the senior official said.

"The fate of Iran's highly enriched uranium  and the duration of Iran's nuclear restrictions are among the highly disputed issues for which no solution has yet been found."

The European Union is drafting plans to tackle a looming jet fuel supply crunch and maximise refinery output, officials said.

European airlines have warned of jet fuel shortages within weeks as a result of the Iran war, disrupting travel ahead of summer. Europe is more dependent on jet fuel imports, with some 75 percent from the Middle East, than for any other transport fuel.

From next month, the European Commission will introduce EU-wide mapping of refining capacity for oil products and introduce measures "to ensure that existing refining capacity is fully utilised and maintained", a draft proposal seen by Reuters said.

The EU is also working on measures targeting jet fuel supply, but those are still in development, officials familiar with the proposals said. The Commission declined to comment on the draft plans, which are due to be published on April 22.

Lebanon is "not aware" of any upcoming contact with Israel, an official source told AFP, after US President Donald Trump said the leaders of the two countries would speak on Thursday.

"We are not aware of any planned contact with the Israeli side, and we have not been informed of any through official channels," the source said.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social network earlier that Washington was "trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon. It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will speak with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Gila Gamliel, a member of Israel's security cabinet, told Israel's Army Radio on Thursday.

A Lebanese official told Reuters that the Lebanese government had "no information" about any upcoming contact with Israel's leadership.

Pakistan’s army chief is set to meet with Iranian officials in Tehran on Thursday in a bid to ease tensions in the Middle East and arrange a second round of negotiations between the United States and Iran after almost seven weeks of war.

The White House said any further talks would likely take place in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, though no decision had been made on whether to resume negotiations.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Wednesday that Iran will "for sure" participate in the 2026 World Cup despite the war in the Middle East.

"Iran is coming for sure. We hope that by then the situation will be a peaceful situation, that would definitely help," Infantino told an economic conference organized by broadcaster CNBC.

"But Iran has to come, they represent their people, they have qualified, the players want to play," he said of the team's upcoming matches scheduled in the United States in June.