Iran War Live Updates: Trump Says Lebanon Cease-Fire Is Extended by 3 Weeks

 

Iran War Live Updates: Trump Says Lebanon Cease-Fire Is Extended by 3 Weeks

The Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah targets on Friday, but its truce with Lebanon appeared to be holding. Stopping the fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militia could help end the war in Iran.

 

April 24, 2026, 5:12 a.m. ET43 minutes ago

Abdi Latif DahirEuan Ward and Qasim NaumanAbdi Latif Dahir and Euan Ward reported from Beirut, Lebanon.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04/24/world/iran-war-trump-hormuz

 

Here’s the latest.

The Israeli military said on Friday that it carried out strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, a day after President Trump announced a three-week extension of the cease-fire there, though there were no immediate reports of significant fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group.

 

Mr. Trump made the announcement on Thursday after hosting a meeting at the White House between Israeli and Lebanese diplomats. Hezbollah, which did not have representatives at the talks, did not immediately comment on the announcement. Neither did Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel or President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon.

 

Lebanon’s state-run news agency reported Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire overnight in several towns and villages in southern Lebanon, and demolition operations in two towns on Friday morning. The Israeli military said early Friday that it had struck two rocket launchers in southern Lebanon. Under the terms of the cease-fire, Israel can act in self-defense but not carry out offensive operations against Lebanese targets.

 

A durable peace would hinge on Lebanon’s ability to rein in Hezbollah, a powerful political and fighting force that wields significant control over large areas of the country’s south.

 

The conflict in Lebanon has killed nearly 2,300 Lebanese people, 15 Israeli soldiers and two civilians in Israel since it began in March, according to official tallies. Stopping that fighting is considered crucial to advancing any U.S.-Israeli peace agreement with Iran.

 

After a separate cease-fire paused the Iran war, hostilities have shifted to the waters in and around the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for oil and gas. The United States and Iran have in recent days seized vessels they said were violating their respective restrictions on shipping, and on Thursday, Mr. Trump ordered the U.S. Navy to “shoot and kill any boat” laying mines in the strait.

 

Here’s what else we’re covering:

 

Pentagon briefing: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are scheduled to hold a news conference at 8 a.m. Eastern on Friday. The Times will stream it live.

 

High price tag: White House officials have refused to estimate the cost of the war so far, but two independent groups say it has been staggering: between $28 billion and $35 billion, or just under $1 billion a day.

 

World Cup: Iran’s soccer team will be allowed into the United States to play in the tournament this summer, but not Iranians with ties to the country’s military, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.