The latest developments in the Middle East war:
- Israel seeks Lebanon talks -
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered his cabinet to open direct talks with Lebanon to disarm Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and establish "peace relations" between the two countries.
"In light of Lebanon's repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed the cabinet yesterday to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible," his office wrote in a statement.
"Negotiations will focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peace relations between Israel and Lebanon."
- Lebanon wants ceasefire first -
Lebanon wants a ceasefire before holding talks with Israel, a senior Lebanese official with knowledge of the negotiations told AFP.
- Netanyahu threatens Hezbollah -
Earlier, Netanyahu said Israel would keep hitting Hezbollah "wherever necessary".
"We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with force, precision, and determination," the prime minister said on his personal X account.
- Evacuation order -
Israel's military warned residents of Beirut's southern suburbs, long a Hezbollah stronghold, of imminent strikes and called for them to evacuate.
- Khamenei tributes -
Thousands of Iranians rallied in a tribute to former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed on the first day of the war.
Holding portraits of their deceased leader and waving the Islamic republic's flag, Khamenei supporters took part in rallies across the country after he died in the US-Israeli attack on February 28.
- US Congress -
US President Donald Trump's Republicans blocked an attempt by the opposition Democrats to curb his authority to wage war in Iran, amid mounting frustration in Congress over his handling of the conflict.
The manoeuvre by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, staged during a short procedural session while lawmakers remain out of Washington, was largely symbolic but underscored growing Democratic anger over a conflict that has not been formally authorised by lawmakers.
- World warns on Lebanon -
Countries including China, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Turkey issued appeals for the US-Iranian ceasefire to extend to Lebanon.
- Pakistan praises 'restraint' -
Pakistan praised the "restraint demonstrated by all sides" in the Middle East war, but condemned ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon as Islamabad prepared to host expected US-Iranian talks.
Both Washington and Tehran have confirmed their participation in peace talks brokered by Pakistan, although the schedule is still to be confirmed.
- IMF to cut growth forecasts -
The International Monetary Fund will lower global growth forecasts over the war, said managing director Kristalina Georgieva, warning of the conflict's "scarring effects" despite the fragile ceasefire.
Georgieva said the IMF expected to have to provide up to $50 billion in immediate financial assistance to countries affected by the war.
- Oil rebounds -
Oil prices jumped and most stock markets fell as investors weighed the prospects of a shaky ceasefire and only a partial reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
The main traded oil futures contracts were hovering around $100 a barrel.
- Beirut bans weapons -
Lebanon's cabinet instructed security forces to restrict weapons in Beirut exclusively to state institutions, a day after Israeli strikes across the country, including in the heart of the capital.
Information Minister Paul Morcos said the decision prompted objections from Hezbollah's two ministers in the cabinet.
- Iran rules out enrichment restrictions -
The head of Iran's nuclear energy agency ruled out any restrictions on the country's enrichment of uranium, saying the demand by the United States and Israel "will not come true".
- EU slams Hormuz tolls -
The EU said freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be ensured with "no payment or toll whatsoever", after Iran suggested it could charge for letting ships through.
"International law provides for the freedom of navigation, which means... basically no payment or toll whatsoever," European Commission spokesman Anouar El Anouni told a press conference.
- Lebanon day of mourning -
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam declared Thursday a national day of mourning after Israeli strikes killed at least 203 people and wounded 1,000, according to the health ministry.
The strikes were Israel's heaviest on neighbouring Lebanon -- including in densely packed central Beirut -- since Hezbollah joined the war in early March.
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