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Smoke rises from a village in southern Lebanon, where the Israeli army is operating despite a 'ceasefire', on April 23, 2026 [Reuters]
By Lyndal Rowlands, Danai Nesta Kupemba, Heba Habib, Mariamne Everett, Elis Gjevori and Federica Marsi
Published On 24 Apr 2026

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24 Apr 2026 - 23:59
 (23:59 GMT)

Our coverage continues

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

People walk past makeshift shelters for people displaced by Israeli attacks in Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday [Saleh Salem/Reuters]
24 Apr 2026 - 23:50
 (23:50 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

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Here are some of the day’s top developments:

  • Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad amid hopes for new talks between the US and Iran.
  • US envoys ⁠Steve Witkoff ⁠and Jared Kushner are expected to travel to ‌Pakistan on Saturday morning, the White ⁠House said.
  • The US imposed sanctions on a major China-based oil refinery and roughly 40 shipping companies and tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil.
  • Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said six people were killed in Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon on Friday, a day after Trump said a temporary ceasefire there had been extended.
  • Israeli attacks also killed at least 12 Palestinians across Gaza, including six police officers, medics and officials said.
24 Apr 2026 - 23:45
 (23:45 GMT)

Russia and UAE call for Middle East peace talks resumption

The Russian Foreign Ministry says that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, have jointly called for the resumption of talks to secure a rapid, sustainable agreement to the Middle East crisis.

According to the Reuters news agency, the ministers, in a telephone call, “expressed their shared view on the need to resume negotiations in order to promptly reach agreements on a long-term, sustainable resolution of the crisis, taking into account the legitimate interests of all countries in the region”.

 

24 Apr 2026 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)

Hezbollah launches several attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon

The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah says its fighters have launched several attacks on Israeli forces inside Lebanese territory.

According to a statement, the targets included:

  • A gathering of Israeli soldiers and a military vehicle in the town of al-Qantara was hit with drones in two separate attacks.
  • An Israeli Hermes 450 drone that the group claimed it shot down over Tyre with a surface-to-air missile.
  • An Israeli armoured personnel carrier in the town of Ramyah was attacked with a drone.
  • An Israeli Humvee at the entrance of the town of al-Qantara was hit with “appropriate weapons”.
24 Apr 2026 - 23:15
 (23:15 GMT)
Analysis

Both Iran and US under political pressure heading into talks

Sina Toossi, senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, says both the US and Iran “have a lot of political pressure on them” as they arrive in Pakistan.

“The Iranians have a bigger burden in this regard, because they were in the middle of negotiations twice with the United States when the United States and Israel launched surprise military attacks against them,” Toossi told Al Jazeera.

Iran has had a bad experience with Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, the US envoys “that are now reportedly being dispatched”, he noted.

Tehran has also worked out they “can better withstand this blockade” and its economic pressures than the US and its allies can withstand the economic fallout from the Strait of Hormuz closure, Toossi added.

24 Apr 2026 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

US vows no extensions for Iranian or Russian oil waivers

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has confirmed the US will not renew waivers permitting the purchase of Russian oil and petroleum products currently in transit, reports The Associated Press.

Bessent further emphasised that any extension for Iranian oil currently at sea is completely out of the question.

“Not the Iranians, we have the blockade, and there’s no oil coming out,” he said.

24 Apr 2026 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

Photos: Araghchi, Iranian negotiators arrive in Islamabad

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is greeted upon his arrival at the Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Friday [Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs/AP Photo]
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, is welcomed by Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar [Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs/AP Photo]
A police officer stands guard as a motorcade, believed to be carrying Araghchi, arrives in Islamabad [Akhtar Soomro/Reuters]
Iran says it has no plans to hold face-to-face talks with the US [Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs/AP Photo]

24 Apr 2026 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

Tehran may be open to negotiations, if conditions respected

By Almigdad Alruhaid

Reporting from Tehran, Iran

Tehran is saying that they are open to negotiations and that they are trying to bridge gaps and to coordinate between different sectors here in Tehran and also with their neighbours.

Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi landed hours ago in Islamabad, saying that Tehran is coordinating with its neighbours and that he will travel to other places like Moscow and Oman.

The message is clear from Tehran: Diplomacy is not closed, but there are many conditions to help a next round of negotiations with Washington and Islamabad.

One of the main conditions from Tehran is that they will not negotiate while this naval blockade is imposed by the United States. It must be lifted, as Iranian officials have been saying for the past few days.

Also, they stated clearly that they are not going to negotiate under threat and under pressure from the United States.

The second reason for them to negotiate is that any condition must be respected and fully implemented by the United States, seeing as the naval blockade is a violation of the ceasefire.

We are seeing that the message from Tehran here is united. Yesterday, they sent the message that they are coordinating with different sectors, from the military and diplomacy, and also publicly.

The message came from the president, and also from the foreign minister, the head negotiator, and the military.

And a couple of hours ago, we saw the IRGC speaking about their control over the Strait of Hormuz, and that they are ready for any kind of escalation.

24 Apr 2026 - 22:20
 (22:20 GMT)

Israeli forces kill 6 people in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health says six people were killed in Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, with two others injured.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that the attacks included:

  • Two people killed in Wadi al-Hujeir
  • Two people killed in Touline
  • One person killed in Srifa
  • One person killed in Yater and one wounded
  • One person wounded in Khirbet Selm
24 Apr 2026 - 22:10
 (22:10 GMT)
Houthi

Iran says ‘no meeting’ to take place with the US in Islamabad

Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, says “no meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US”.

He said in a post on X that “Iran’s observations would be conveyed to Pakistan”.

Baghaei confirmed Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Islamabad and “will be meeting with Pakistani high-level officials in concert with their ongoing mediation & good offices for ending American imposed war of aggression and the restitution of peace in our region”.

24 Apr 2026 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

UN chief says attacks in southern Lebanon ‘must stop’

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said in a post on X that he is “saddened to learn that another Indonesian UNIFIL peacekeeper has succumbed to his wounds following an incident in March, when a shell fired from an [Israeli army] tank struck a UNIFIL position in southern Lebanon, according to UNIFIL’s preliminary findings.”

The UN chief noted that “six peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL have now been killed and several more have been seriously injured following recent incidents amid the hostilities between Hezbollah and the [Israeli army].”

He concluded by stating that “these attacks must stop”.

24 Apr 2026 - 21:50
 (21:50 GMT)

The Lebanese journalist who defied death threats – and was then killed by Israel

Amal Khalil was a devoted journalist who also rescued animals while on the job in southern Lebanon.

She refused to stop her work even after receiving death threats from an Israeli phone number. On April 22, Israeli forces reportedly chased her into a building, then killed her in a “double-tap” strike.

24 Apr 2026 - 21:40
 (21:40 GMT)

Israel continues air strikes on southern Lebanon

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) is reporting that the Israeli military has continued to target the southern parts of the country with air strikes.

It stated that Israeli drones attacked the outskirts of Kafra town in the Bint Jbeil district several times.

Another drone attack targeted the al-Basateen area in Tyre, according to the NNA report.

24 Apr 2026 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

S&P 500 and Nasdaq end at record highs

Major Wall Street indices closed at new records as markets cheered as US and Iranian officials headed to Pakistan for expected peace talks.

Markets are monitoring developments on the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway for energy transport that Iran has mostly shut down to tankers.

Oil prices had a mixed day with Brent oil futures edging higher to again finish above $100 a barrel, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate dropped 1.5 percent to $94.40 a barrel.

European stocks ended lower, with Frankfurt weighed down by data showing that German business morale has fallen to the lowest level since the COVID pandemic.

“The German economy is being hit hard by the Iran crisis,” said Ifo President Clemens Fuest. “Companies are considerably more pessimistic about the coming months.”

24 Apr 2026 - 21:20
 (21:20 GMT)

Kuwait says drones from Iraq hit northern border posts; no casualties

Kuwait’s ⁠army says two drones launched ⁠from Iraq targeted two northern border posts, causing damage but no casualties.

Iraq’s prime minister ordered an investigative committee to examine ⁠the attack and ⁠identify those responsible, Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari ⁠said, adding Iraq condemned ⁠the attack in ⁠a call with his Kuwaiti counterpart.

24 Apr 2026 - 21:10
 (21:10 GMT)

WATCH: Iran’s ‘nuclear dust’ and Trump’s risky uranium plan

US President Donald Trump plans to seize what he calls Iran’s “nuclear dust” – and there are huge risks that come with it.

Al Jazeera examines why Iran’s 60 percent-enriched uranium stockpile matters so much to Washington, and why Trump insists it must be removed “one way or another”.

We break down the science behind enriched uranium and what “nuclear dust” actually refers to, as well as the military challenge of locating and seizing roughly 440kg (970 pounds) of highly enriched material buried at bombed sites such as Isfahan and Fordow.

Watch this episode of This Is America below:

24 Apr 2026 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

US State Department claims Iran war was for ‘self-defence’ carried out to protect Israel

The US State Department’s top lawyer has defended Washington’s war on Iran as “self-defence”, framing it as part of an ongoing conflict and in support of Israel – a position critics say runs counter to international law.

A long-time Trump ally and pro-Israel voice, legal adviser Reed Rubinstein argued the campaign was not the start of a new war but a continuation of hostilities.

The statement was released before a May 1 deadline for the Trump administration to obtain approval for the war from Congress.

The US was “engaged in this conflict at the request of and in the collective self-defense of its Israeli ally, as well as in the exercise of the United States’ own inherent right of self-defense,” he said without providing evidence.

The justification is unlikely to be accepted by respected International lawyers, as many legal experts say the war – widely seen as having been launched on Israel’s behalf – violates the UN Charter, which restricts the use of force to cases of Security Council authorisation or clear self-defence.

Rubinstein cited what he described as “Iran’s malign aggression over decades” as justification for the strikes.

The defence comes ahead of a deadline for the Trump administration to secure congressional approval under the War Powers Act or halt operations.

24 Apr 2026 - 20:50
 (20:50 GMT)
Analysis

Progress unlikely until US, Iran willing to meet in the middle

Sina Toossi, senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, has told Al Jazeera that a new exchange of proposals between the US and Iran could take place in Pakistan, or that there could be indirect negotiations on a framework that lays the groundwork for a future deal.

“Ultimately, we’ll have to see if both sides are willing to get off this maximising their leverage track and try to meet the other side in the middle,” Toossi said.

The analyst also said that claims of fractures within the Iranian leadership were “overstated”.

“There’s no evidence of that on the ground,” he said. “The institutions are the same institutions; there is no evidence of major discord in terms of the concessions they may be willing to give the US.”

24 Apr 2026 - 20:40
 (20:40 GMT)

Pakistan ‘cautiously optimistic’ as Iran-US talks show signs of movement after days of stalemate

By Osama Bin Javaid

Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan

The Pakistani mediators are cautiously optimistic that negotiations between Iran and the US, after a few days of stalemate, could yield some results.

Again, we don’t yet know if this marks the beginning of a second round. There is no clarity from either Pakistan or the Iranians on whether this will lead to face-to-face talks, as suggested by the US side.

What we are hearing from diplomatic sources is that this is the result of unrelenting behind-the-scenes diplomacy that has continued since the first round ended. There was also a looming ceasefire deadline, which was extended.

The arrival of the two envoys — who, according to the Iranians, were not acceptable in the first round — suggests there may now be some movement.

What that movement looks like remains unclear, given the wide gap between both sides’ positions. The US is pushing for a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran wants an end to the blockade. There are also issues around frozen assets, Lebanon, and the broader nuclear file.

Sources say there have been multiple calls between Iranian and Pakistani civilian and military leaders, as well as between Pakistan and Russia. It appears Islamabad is applying pressure on all sides to bring them back to the table.

24 Apr 2026 - 20:30
 (20:30 GMT)

Iran appears ready to make a deal but neither side ready to tip their cards

By Alan Fisher

Reporting from Washington, DC

The US delegation is in Pakistan to see if there’s anything there. We’re told the Iranians have been in contact with the United States, and they’re keen to make a deal.

A week ago, Trump said on social media the Iranians had agreed to a whole list of things, but who he was speaking to and whether these are still in place remains to be seen.

Certainly, the technical teams have been discussing, and it would appear things have moved to a degree where the White House is ready to step things up by moving Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to the area.

For now, neither side for now is ready to tip their cards and say this is what we’ve got and this is what we want. Both sides obviously want to get the maximum out of these conversations and of any deal that’s done.