US President Donald Trump has announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, stating on social media that “the United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah”. Trump also suggested that the leaders of Lebanon and Israel could meet at the White House “in the near future”.
In a separate development, Trump ordered the US military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz. He repeated the claim that the US has “total control” over the strait, a statement that has been met with scepticism following the seizure of two container ships by Iranian commandos and a US report warning it could take six months to clear the strait of mines.
Trump said a peace deal with Iran had not been reached because its leadership was “in turmoil”, but added that the US would not use a nuclear weapon against Iran. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian rejected the notion of internal division, saying there were no “hardliners” or “moderates” in Iran. Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi stated that Iran’s institutions “continue to act with unity, purpose, and discipline”.
International outrage followed the killing of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil, 43, in an Israeli strike. Lebanon’s prime minister described the attack as a “war crime”. Colleagues said Israeli forces prevented rescuers from providing life-saving assistance as they attempted to dig her out of rubble.
Global stocks mostly fell on Thursday as investors tempered optimism for a quick end to the Middle East war. However, Japan’s Nikkei share average rose on Friday, poised for a third consecutive weekly gain, driven by enthusiasm over tech sector earnings. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.47% to 59,416.49, briefly breaking through the 60,000 mark for the first time.
Pope Leo XIV urged the US and Iran to return to talks and condemned capital punishment, calling for a “culture of peace”. Meanwhile, Italy rejected a suggestion to replace Iran at the upcoming World Cup, and the US said it had no objections to Iranian players participating but would not allow those with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to attend.
