Live

Beyond the ‘yellow line’: The displaced Lebanese who can’t go home

Beyond the ‘yellow line’: The displaced Lebanese who can’t go home
By Brian Osgood, Zaid Sabah, Heba Habib, Mariamne Everett, Stephen Quillen, Urooba Jamal, Federica Marsi and Lyndal Rowlands
Published On 21 Apr 2026

This live page is now closed. You can continue to follow our coverage here.

22 Apr 2026 - 00:00
 (00:00 GMT)

Our coverage continues

This live page is closing, but our 24-hour coverage of the conflict continues.

Join us for all the latest developments, analyses and reactions here.

Diggers remove the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli attacks as they look for survivors buried underneath in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 21 [Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP]
21 Apr 2026 - 23:50
 (23:50 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

This live page will be closing soon, but our coverage will continue on a new page.

Here are some of the day’s top developments:

  • Trump says the United States is extending ⁠its ⁠ceasefire with Iran at mediator Pakistan’s request to allow more time for Tehran to put forward its proposal.
  • Iran has yet to formally respond to the US president’s announcement about the extension of the two-week ceasefire, which was due to end on Wednesday.
  • Trump also said that he has directed US forces to continue to blockade Iranian ports.
  • Iranian officials have previously said they would not negotiate while the US blockade continues.
  • Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Trump for extending the ceasefire, saying it will allow ongoing diplomatic efforts to proceed.
  • Israel wounded six people in southern Lebanon and demolished homes in the town of Khiam, in violation of a 10-day ceasefire.
21 Apr 2026 - 23:40
 (23:40 GMT)

WATCH: Iran sets conditions as tensions persist

Iran has set a key condition for entering talks, insisting that the blockade on its ports must be lifted before any negotiations can begin.

Watch our video report below:

21 Apr 2026 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)
Analysis

Blockades can be lawful in wartime, expert says

The US military’s actions against Iranian-linked vessels, namely the attack over the weekend on the cargo ship named the Touska, have raised questions over legality.

The US and Iran are operating in “an awkward space, where the law doesn’t give you a clean yes-or-no answer” on whether the ceasefire was violated, said Jason Chuah, a law professor at the City University of London and the Maritime Institute of Malaysia.

“The United States seems to take the line that the conflict never fully switched off – that there is still a state of armed conflict,” Chuah said.

“By saying that, it can keep doing things like enforcing a blockade and even using limited force at sea.”

21 Apr 2026 - 23:20
 (23:20 GMT)

Macron calls Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, Hezbollah to disarm

The French president has shared a post on social media voicing support for Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and the people of Lebanon, while calling on Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanon, and for Hezbollah to cease attacking Israel.

“France supports Lebanon in its efforts to address the humanitarian crisis and meet the needs of the displaced population,” Macron wrote in a social media post shared in both French and Arabic, after Salam visited the Elysee presidential palace in Paris.

“The lasting stability of Lebanon and the region will only be achieved through a political agreement between Israel and Lebanon that ensures the security of both countries, respects the unity of Lebanese territory, and lays the foundations for normalising relations between them,” Macron added.

He said that this would require Hezbollah “to cease targeting Israel and to stop claiming that it substitutes for the state in exercising its powers”.

“It also requires an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, the disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese, with the support of the international community, and the reconstruction of the country in a way that enables the return of the displaced population,” Macron added.

There is currently a temporary 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon. However, Israeli forces have remained in southern Lebanon, where the creation of a “Yellow Line” similar to the military zones seen in Gaza has cast doubt on the agreement.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron, right, shakes hands with Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the end of a joint declaration media event at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Tuesday [Ludovic Marin/AFP]
21 Apr 2026 - 23:17
 (23:17 GMT)
Houthi

UN chief welcomes US ceasefire extension as ‘important step’ towards de-escalation

We have a statement from Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres, regarding the ceasefire extension announced by the US.

In the statement, Dujarric said Guterres welcomed the move, calling “an important step toward de-escalation and creating critical space for diplomacy and confidence-building between Iran and the United States”.

The spokesman further said, “We encourage all parties to build on this momentum, refrain from actions that could undermine the cease-fire, and engage constructively in negotiations to reach a sustainable and lasting resolution.”

Regarding the diplomatic process, Dujarric remarked that Guterres fully supports Pakistan’s efforts in facilitating further talks. He concluded by noting that the secretary-general “hopes that these efforts will contribute to creating conditions conducive to a comprehensive and durable resolution to the conflict”.

21 Apr 2026 - 23:10
 (23:10 GMT)

No official response from Tehran to Trump extending ceasefire

By Almigdad Alruhaid

Reporting from Tehran, Iran

The keyword here in Tehran right now is mistrust, and this is what has been shaping the past few days.

We haven’t received any kind of official response to the ceasefire announced by Donald Trump, even though the US president extended the ceasefire for the coming days, without exactly mentioning the deadline for these extensions.

At the same time, we have been hearing that Iranian officials are seeking an end to the naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, and also a cessation of hostilities against Iranian commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman.

This message comes from different officials here in Iran, especially from Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister, as well as Iran’s ambassador to the United States, linking the continuation of the naval blockade to the potential to move forward with any kind of negotiation and talks.

There is also a message from Araghchi calling the blockade on Iran an act of war and an act of piracy.

So, overall, Iran is not closing the door to negotiations, but until this moment, we haven’t received any official statement or an official response to Trump extending the ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

21 Apr 2026 - 23:01
 (23:01 GMT)

Oil prices edge higher despite US announcing Iran ceasefire extension

US crude futures have risen in early trade, even after the US announced an indefinite extension of its ceasefire with Iran.

The gains come as market uncertainty persists over the success of future peace talks and the fact that the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed.

US West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbed as high as $90.70 a barrel. As of 22:15 GMT, the benchmark was trading at $90.26, up 59 cents or 0.7 percent, following a 2.8 percent surge during Tuesday’s session.

21 Apr 2026 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

Iran’s military ‘ready and on the trigger’ if US attacks

Iran’s military says it would immediately strike “pre-designated targets” if the US launches any new attack.

The warning came from Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command, following what he described as repeated threats by US President Trump and military commanders.

“Our capable and powerful forces have long been in a state of 100 percent readiness and are ready and on the trigger,” Zolfaghari said.

In the event of “aggression and any action against the Islamic Republic of Iran”, Iranian forces will “immediately and powerfully attack pre-determined targets”.

The statement came after Trump said the US would extend its ceasefire with Iran after a request from Pakistani officials, and that the US naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place.

21 Apr 2026 - 22:50
 (22:50 GMT)
Analysis

Tehran views US naval blockade as continued hostility

We have more analysis from Abas Aslani, a senior researcher at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies, regarding the recent developments in the US war on Iran.

Speaking from Tehran, Aslani said, “We have not had any official confirmation, reaction or comment on the ceasefire extension that was unilaterally announced by the United States.

“But what they are saying is that Iran did not request” a ceasefire extension, he noted.

“However, whether Iran publicly announces any agreement to that extension or not, the point is that Tehran considers the continuation of the naval blockade as [a] continuation of the hostility against the country.

“One thing is clear: that if the naval blockade is in place, Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz,” Aslani added. “And secondly, Tehran will try to break the naval blockade, if necessary, by force.”

Aslani continued: “I think [the] first step could be somehow in relation to the seized vessel, and Iran can somehow reciprocate that. And this might somehow create a situation we might be witnessing of escalating tensions.

“The extension might be providing some opportunity for the country for new talks. But I think what is clouding the atmosphere is the [US] naval blockade as well as the United States trying to somehow pressure Tehran.

“Tehran has been somehow hesitant toward engaging in dialogue under active military threats, coercion or actions like naval blockade, and I think this can also complicate the negotiating process.”

21 Apr 2026 - 22:40
 (22:40 GMT)

US vice president’s Pakistan trip ‘not happening today’

US President Trump’s ceasefire extension came hours before the truce was set to expire.

It also came as the White House said Vice President JD Vance would not be going to Pakistan for what had been expected to be a second round of peace talks with Iranian officials.

“The trip to Pakistan will not be happening today. Any further updates on in-person meetings will be announced by the White House,” a White House official said in a statement.

The US president has cast the breakdown in the ongoing talks as being due to Iranian infighting, adding that Pakistan’s leaders asked him to extend the truce.

US Vice President JD Vance speaks at a news conference [Jacquelyn Martin via Reuters]
21 Apr 2026 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

Iran condemns US for ‘piracy’ in Sea of Oman

Iran’s permanent mission to the UN has condemned the US for conduct bearing “the hallmarks of piracy” after US military forces attacked an Iranian commercial vessel in the Sea of Oman.

“On 19 April 2026, in the vicinity of the coasts of Iran in the Sea of Oman, US military forces carried out a hostile and unlawful attack against the Iranian commercial vessel Toska,” Iran said in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the presidency of the UN Security Council.

“This attack against a civilian vessel constitutes a grave and manifest violation of the fundamental principles of international law,” the mission said.

“The deliberate intimidation and psychological terror inflicted upon the crew and their families further compound the egregious nature of this act. Such conduct bears the hallmarks of piracy in nature and amounts to a dangerous escalation that severely endangers the safety and security of vital shipping lanes.”

21 Apr 2026 - 22:20
 (22:20 GMT)

Iranian-US congresswoman says threats against her meant to distract from ‘failing, illegal war’

Yassamin Ansari, the only Iranian-US Democrat in the US Congress, says she has been facing threats after speaking out against the war, despite also being “unequivocal” in her “opposition to the brutal Islamic Republic regime”.

“These attacks aren’t about truth; they’re the product of desperation from those trying to distract from a failing, illegal war,” Ansari said in a post on social media.

The threats and doxxing have also affected her staff and family, Ansari said, including the use of “AI-generated images” and “flat-out lying that my parents and I are not US citizens”.

“My family has personally experienced the regime’s brutality,” Ansari said, adding that this has partly informed her views as “a proud American speaking out for human rights and democracy”.

“It is also why I know the costs of freedom and stand firm against Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth’s illegal war,” she said, noting that 75 percent of her constituents in Arizona are also opposed to the war.

US Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari, a Democrat from Arizona [File: Ted Shaffrey/AP Photo]
21 Apr 2026 - 22:10
 (22:10 GMT)
Analysis

For Iranian officials, attending talks under naval blockade would be ‘sign of weakness’

We’ve been speaking to Abas Aslani, a senior researcher at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies, about the recent ceasefire extension announcement by the US president and how the Iranian leadership is making decisions.

Aslani said that the US somehow “misinterprets the institutional deliberations here in Tehran as a fracture or division”.

“But there’s a clear path for decisions … of this magnitude”, Aslani continued, “and that is the Supreme National Security Council, which is composed of the president, speaker of the parliament, judiciary chief, members of the cabinet and high-ranking commanders. They make a decision, and normally, the leader endorses that decision.”

Aslani said this is not something that is being decided unilaterally by one individual or a faction, but rather, “a decision made on consensus”.

“In the case of going to Islamabad and negotiating with the US, there has been a unity among different officials – from reformists to conservatives, from the cabinet to establishment,” Aslani said. “All agree on not going to Islamabad by the time that the United States lifts the naval blockade.”

Iranian officials “think attending the talks with the naval blockade in place will be a sign of weakness”, he said.

“And they will be a green light to the United States to break the terms of the ceasefire, or somehow to backtrack from the framework of the negotiations, which will not somehow be conducive for meaningful discussions.”

21 Apr 2026 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)
Analysis

Pressure now on Pakistan to deliver tangible progress

Security and defence analyst Anza Saqib Akhund says extending the ceasefire “raises the stakes” for both the United States and Iran.

“It increases the opportunity for diplomacy, but also the consequences for failure,” Akhund told Al Jazeera from Lahore, Pakistan.

“In my opinion, the US can maintain pressure without firing the first shot, while Iran avoids immediate confrontation and gains space to push for sanctions relief narratives domestically.”

The extension opens up the potential for a future scenario of informal “two-track” negotiations between the US and Iran, Akhund added.

“This could evolve into a longer stabilisation phase, possibly even incremental agreements on maritime conduct or deconfliction mechanisms. But if negotiations stall, the eventual breakdown will be sharper, because both sides will have used this extra time to reposition militarily and politically.”

This also places more focus on Pakistan as the mediator, she said.

“This buys Islamabad more diplomatic relevance, but also puts pressure on it to deliver tangible progress, not just a prolonged dialogue.”

21 Apr 2026 - 21:50
 (21:50 GMT)

Trump’s truce extension opens window for extended diplomacy

By Alan Fisher

Reporting from Washington, DC

Trump said Vice President JD Vance was on his way to Islamabad and would arrive there soon with Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, and the team.

It turns out Vance hadn’t actually left Washington, DC. Instead, he was waiting to get confirmation that the Iranians were actually heading there.

In the last few hours, there was an ongoing discussion, and at some point, obviously, Trump spoke to the Pakistanis and then issued his Truth Social post saying the ceasefire was effectively being extended. There was no deadline for that.

Which then begs the question: who was Trump speaking to at the end of last week when he said so many things had actually been agreed and they expected the deal to be done, possibly by the end of the weekend?

If Trump is reading the replies to that Truth Social message, he might get a little concerned. People are saying, and this is a kind of overwhelming view of a lot of MAGA supporters: “Don’t give them too much time. They’re rearming. They’re working on getting a bomb. They’re very close to doing it.”

All of these things that Trump has been talking up over the last 10 years, that they could be just a few weeks away from a bomb, have now become the accepted wisdom among many MAGA supporters, even though all the independent analysts, including the United States’s own intelligence service, will tell you that Iran wasn’t working towards a nuclear weapon.

But this does open the window for extended diplomacy, for discussions to work out where the common grounds are.

21 Apr 2026 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

US to continue to apply ‘maximum’ financial pressure on Iran: Treasury secretary

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said the US will continue to “apply maximum pressure” to “systematically degrade” Iran’s ability to generate, move and repatriate funds.

“Any person or vessel facilitating these flows—through covert trade and finance—risks exposure to U.S. sanctions,” he wrote in a social media post.

21 Apr 2026 - 21:40
 (21:40 GMT)

Tehran calls on UN to condemn US seizure of Iran-flagged vessel

The Iranian mission to the UN has sent a letter to the world body asking the Security Council to issue a “firm and unequivocal” condemnation of the US attack and seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship near Iran’s coast in the Sea of Oman on Sunday.

“This constitutes a grave breach of international law, a clear violation of the ceasefire, and an act of aggression marked by the hallmarks of piracy,” the mission posted on X.

“Such reckless conduct directly endangers international navigation and undermines maritime safety and security.”

21 Apr 2026 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)
Analysis

‘Ticking time bomb’ in LNG supply over Hormuz closure

The best outcome for the Strait of Hormuz is there’s some sort of negotiated agreement between the US and Iran, but it would still not be as good as before the war, an energy analyst says.

“The best case scenario is not going to be quite as good as what we had before because it seems like regime change is essentially off the table,” Seb Kennedy, an independent energy analyst and founding editor of Energy Flux, told Al Jazeera.

“That was the only pathway to getting back to a place where there is no risk hanging over transits through Hormuz.”

Iranians will not be willing to give up leverage that has proved to be “extremely powerful”, Kennedy said.

Meanwhile, every single country globally is making its own arrangements and responding in whichever way it sees fit, the analyst explained, adding Asian economies have really been “the shock absorber for the world”.

“The fuel switching, the demand reduction, the mothballing of factories, the [reduced] working week, that’s all helped to absorb the cumulative supply loss from the disruption to LNG flows out of Hormuz,” said Kennedy.

Still, he cautioned that the situation is a “ticking time bomb”.

“If it gets to Christmas, we could be looking at more than 60 million tons of LNG missing from the market.”

21 Apr 2026 - 21:21
 (21:21 GMT)
Houthi

Pakistan’s Sharif thanks Trump for ceasefire extension, expresses hope for ‘peace deal’

We have a statement from Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif following Trump’s announcement that he was extending the ceasefire.

“On my personal behalf and on behalf of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, I sincerely thank President Trump for graciously accepting our request to extend the ceasefire to allow ongoing diplomatic efforts to take their course,” Sharif wrote in a social media post.

He said that Pakistan will continue its efforts for a negotiated settlement, adding: “I sincerely hope that both sides will continue to observe the ceasefire and be able to conclude a comprehensive ‘Peace Deal’ during the second round of talks scheduled at Islamabad for a permanent end to the conflict.”