Live
Lebanese people walk among the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli attacks as they begin returning their homes, in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 20, 2026 [Elif Ozturk/Anadolu]
By Lyndal Rowlands, Danai Nesta Kupemba, Heba Habib, Nils Adler, Urooba Jamal and Elis Gjevori
Published On 23 Apr 2026

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

23 Apr 2026 - 23:59
 (23:59 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.

Smoke rises from a village in southern Lebanon, where the Israeli army operates, on Thursday [Gil Eliyahu/Reuters]
23 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:

  • US President Donald Trump announced that a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has been extended by three weeks.
  • Trump also said a White House meeting between the Israeli and Lebanese delegations “went very well”.
  • Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel is “prepared to resume the war against Iran”, adding that his country is awaiting a “green light” from the US to return the country to “the Stone Age”.
  • Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran’s state institutions are continuing “to act with unity, purpose and discipline”, saying this reflected “the failure of Israel’s terrorist killings” during the war.
  • International outcry has continued over the targeted Israeli killing of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil.
23 Apr 2026 - 23:45
 (23:45 GMT)

US Navy secretary fired over shipbuilding issues: Trump

President Trump has said he dismissed US Navy Secretary John Phelan because of a dispute over shipbuilding, the Reuters news agency has reported.

“He’s a hard ⁠charger, and he had some conflicts with some other people, mostly as to building and buying new ships,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. He added that “some people liked him, some people didn’t, and that’s usually the truth about everything”.

Sources close to the situation previously told Reuters that Phelan was fired because he was moving too slowly to implement reforms to speed up shipbuilding.

The Pentagon did not provide a reason for Phelan’s removal.

Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao, who was also reported to have a difficult relationship with Phelan, has become the acting secretary.

Former Secretary of the Navy John Phelan speaks, as President Donald Trump listens, in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2025 [File: Alex Brandon/AP Photo]
23 Apr 2026 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)

Lebanese ambassador says she called for end to Israeli violations in meeting with Trump

Lebanon’s ambassador to the US, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, has briefly spoken to reporters after leaving a meeting at the White House with Trump and the Israeli ambassador to the US.

“We expressed Lebanon’s position regarding stopping the Israeli violations and stopping the destruction in the south, and we promised President Trump to make Lebanon great again,” Moawad told Lebanon’s LBCI broadcaster.

Lebanon Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad speaks to reporters after a meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, on Thursday [Mandel Ngan/AFP]
23 Apr 2026 - 23:15
 (23:15 GMT)

Iran war pushing more than 30 million people into poverty: UNDP chief

Disruptions to fuel and fertiliser caused by the war could see more than 30 million people pushed back into poverty in the coming months, UN development chief Alexander De Croo has said.

“Even if the war would stop tomorrow, those effects, you already have them, and they will be pushing back more than 30 million people into poverty,” the head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) told the Reuters news agency.

“Food insecurity will be at its peak level in a few months – and there is not much that you can do about it,” he added.

De Croo said the knock-on effects of the crisis have already wiped out an estimated 0.5 to 0.8 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP). “Things that take decades to build up, it takes eight weeks of war to destroy them,” he said.

Meanwhile, FRANCE 24 and PassBlue reported that UN Chief Antonio Guterres’s plan to secure safe passage for ships carrying fertiliser through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz has yet to gain traction.

Iran’s envoy to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, told FRANCE 24 and PassBlue that Iran would allow any UN ships to pass through the strait if requested.

The US mission to the United Nations has yet to publicly respond to the proposed plan, FRANCE 24 and PassBlue reported.

23 Apr 2026 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

Photos: Trump hosts Israeli, Lebanese ambassadors at the White House

US President Donald Trump announced a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon had been extended by three weeks after hosting ambassadors from Lebanon and Israel at the White House in Washington, DC, on Thursday [Brendan Smialowski/AFP]
Those present included US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Israel Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, US Vice President JD Vance, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lebanon’s Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa [Brendan Smialowski/AFP]
US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa holds a signed ‘Make America Great Again’ hat during the meeting [Brendan Smialowski/AFP]
Israeli ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, speaks during the meeting [Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo]

23 Apr 2026 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

US lawmakers call for protections for Iranians facing persecution, war if deported

More than a dozen Democratic lawmakers have written to the Trump administration, urging them to pause deportation flights for Iranians “who cannot return home safely”.

“Having initiated the current war with Iran, the Trump administration bears a moral and humanitarian responsibility to provide Iranian nationals with an immediate shield from removal,” the Democrats wrote in a letter addressed to top immigration and homeland security officials, as well as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The Democrats, who included Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari and Senators Cory Booker and Ed Markey, noted that there are currently almost 12,000 Iranian international students studying in the US, as well as many other people affected by US travel bans imposed on Iranians dating back to December 2 last year.

“Iranian students and workers at risk of losing status and being forced back to Iran — where they could face persecution from the brutal Islamic Republic regime or renewed conflict,” Ansari said in a post on social media, sharing the letter.

 

23 Apr 2026 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

Rubio denies US trying to exclude Iran players from World Cup

The United States will not exclude Iran from the World Cup tournament it is hosting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says, after an official mused about replacing war-battered Iran with Italy, which did not qualify.

“The problem with Iran, it would be not their athletes. It would be some of the other people that we want to bring with them,” Rubio told reporters, denying Washington had asked the Iranian team not to come.

23 Apr 2026 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)
Houthi

Kuwaiti airlines to resume flights from Sunday

The Kuwaiti government has announced that the country’s two airlines, Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways, will resume flights from Sunday.

The Centre for Government Communication listed resumed flights to more than a dozen international destinations in a post on social media.

The announcement comes after Kuwait’s Civil Aviation Authority said it would reopen Kuwait international airport on Thursday “after a temporary and precautionary suspension of air traffic since February 28”.

23 Apr 2026 - 22:05
 (22:05 GMT)
Developing

Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors thank Trump for ‘historic’ moment

Speaking alongside Trump in the Oval Office, Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter says Israel and Lebanon “have never been next to each other more than today”.

Leiter thanked Trump and Vice President JD Vance for a day he said was decades in the making.

“We are going to keep going, working for peace. Let’s hope we will get it as soon as possible,” he said.

Lebanese ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad thanked Trump for presiding over “this historic moment”.

She added: “I think with your help, with your support, we can make Lebanon great again.”

23 Apr 2026 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

WATCH: What’s next after the US-Iran ceasefire extension?

After weeks of bombs, ultimatums and sliding deadlines, the US president has extended the ceasefire indefinitely while keeping a punishing naval blockade of Iranian ports and tightening moves against Iran’s oil tankers worldwide.

Is there a genuine new pressure‑plus‑diplomacy strategy, or simply a president running out of options and buying time?

Watch the episode This is America below:

23 Apr 2026 - 21:46
 (21:46 GMT)
Developing

Trump eyes Lebanon-Israel meeting in weeks, hopes for deal this year

US President Donald Trump says he expects the Israeli and Lebanese leaders to meet with him over the next couple of weeks and voiced hope for a permanent peace deal this year.

“I think there’s a very good chance of having peace. I think it should be an easy one,” Trump told reporters as he met the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to announce an extension of a shaky ceasefire.

23 Apr 2026 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)
Developing

Press freedom group ‘appalled’ by ‘horrific’ killing of Amal Khalil

The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) has said it is “deeply saddened and appalled” by the killing of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil in an Israeli strike on “the house where she was seeking shelter”.

“Journalists are our eyewitnesses to history; attempts to silence their voices must be met with international scrutiny and outrage,” the IWMF said in a statement.

The IWMF noted that the “horrific incident” occurred during a truce and that there is “mounting evidence that Israel is targeting reporters”.

“Journalists should never be the object of military operations,” the IWMF added, calling for accountability for Khalil’s killing.

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

Israel, Lebanon agree to extend ceasefire by three weeks: Trump

The US president says the meeting at the White House between the Israeli and Lebanese delegations “went very well”, adding that the Lebanon ceasefire would be extended by three weeks.

“I look forward in the near future to hosting the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun,” Trump said. “It was a Great Honor to be a participant at this very Historic Meeting!”

23 Apr 2026 - 21:20
 (21:20 GMT)
Houthi

Israeli military claims to have killed three Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon

In a statement, the Israeli military claimed the three people it killed were Hezbollah fighters who “unsuccessfully” launched a “surface-to-air missile” towards an Israeli military aircraft.

The Israeli military also accused Hezbollah of “blatant violations of the ceasefire understandings”.

However, as we’ve been reporting, Israeli forces have launched several deadly attacks on southern Lebanon since the 10-day ceasefire began last week, some of which have targeted civilians, including journalist Amal Khalil.

23 Apr 2026 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)

‘It’s still unclear who the US is dealing with in Iran’

By Alan Fisher

Reporting from Washington, DC

There was quite a lot of tension between Trump and reporters, with raised voices during questioning – that’s fairly typical.

The two things that stand out are Donald Trump saying he doesn’t want to rush a deal, and that it’s still unclear who the US is dealing with in Iran.

When Trump was posting on social media on Friday, he said the Iranians had agreed to no uranium enrichment, no nuclear weapons ever, and no reparations. The question is: who was he speaking to?

The other major point is that Trump said he would never use a nuclear weapon. That comes not long after he posted on social media that an entire civilisation could end tonight – something many people, including in European capitals and in the United States, saw as an implicit nuclear threat.

Beyond that, the news conference followed a familiar pattern. Trump again said the original Iran deal was terrible and had to be redone.

He claimed he had taken out the Iranian military in four weeks and continues to frame it as a major US military success. At the same time, he says he still wants to reach a deal.

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

US blockade masks military build-up, not economic siege, argues analyst

Washington’s blockade on the Strait of Hormuz is not an “economic siege”, but a smokescreen for repositioning US military forces ahead of a possible new round of conflict, says Hassan Ahmadian, an associate professor at the University of Tehran.

Ahmadian dismissed the White House’s claims that the war has been costing Iran roughly $500m per day.

Additionally, Iranian sources report that only one ship seizure has taken place, the incident that triggered an Iranian counter-response, he explained.

“There hasn’t been a single other ship that was stopped by the Americans, and there’s a reason for that, because the Iranians made it clear if you do this, we will retaliate. It’s an act of war,” Ahmadian told Al Jazeera.

The US “cannot impose what they want on Iran” through war, so it has turned to the blockade, not to strangle Iran’s economy, but to buy time, the analyst said.

“It’s a cover for bringing in more forces and equipment for the next round of conflict against Iran,” he noted.

Ahmadian also rejected Trump’s suggestion that Iran’s decision-making is fractured.

23 Apr 2026 - 20:55
 (20:55 GMT)
Houthi

Hezbollah fires rockets in response to Israeli ceasefire breaches

Hezbollah says it has launched a salvo of rockets towards northern Israel, framing the attack as a response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire.

The group said it targeted the Shtula area after accusing Israel of striking towns in southern Lebanon despite the truce.

The Israeli military said sirens sounded near the border and that air defence systems intercepted several projectiles crossing from Lebanon.

23 Apr 2026 - 20:29
 (20:29 GMT)
Developing

Trump’s news conference is over

US President Donald Trump’s White House news conference has come to an end. What was meant to focus on healthcare quickly turned into a series of questions on Iran.

Here are some other things Trump said:

  • Iran may have rebuilt some military capacity during a recent ceasefire, but US forces could swiftly “neutralise” it.
  • “Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone, their anti-aircraft is gone …maybe they loaded up a little bit during the two-week hiatus, but we’ll knock that out about one day, if they did,” Trump said.
  • Asked about the timeline for a long-term deal, the US president signalled that he was in no rush.
  • “Don’t rush me,” he told reporters.

23 Apr 2026 - 20:23
 (20:23 GMT)
Houthi

Trump says Americans will pay more for fuel ‘for a little while’

More from Trump, who has warned that Americans should expect higher fuel prices in the near term, saying it was a small price to pay for the US-Israeli war – and what he argued was an end to the threat from Iran and the prospect that it could get nuclear weapons.

Trump said consumers would face increased costs “for a little while”.