Pakistan calls on parties to respect cease-fire; intensified Israeli strikes in Lebanon: the situation at 9 p.m.

. Pakistani prime minister calls on all parties to respect the cease-fire

"Violations of cease-fire have been reported at few places across the conflict zone which undermine the spirit of peace process," Shehbaz Sharif lamented on X. "I earnestly and sincerely urge all parties to exercise restraint and respect the ceasefire for two weeks, as agreed upon, so that diplomacy can take a lead role towards peaceful settlement of the conflict."

. Unprecedented Israeli strikes against Lebanon

Israel pounded Lebanon on Wednesday afternoon like never before since the start of the war. According to a preliminary tally from authorities, the strikes killed 112 and injured more than 800. Multiple strikes targeted the heart of Beirut, causing scenes of panic in the Lebanese capital during rush hour. The Israeli army also targeted Beirut's southern suburbs, south Lebanon, and the Bekaa region. The Israeli military announced that it had conducted its "largest coordinated strike" against Hezbollah since the start of the American-Israeli war against Iran on Feb. 28. "Within 10 minutes and simultaneously in several areas, (Israeli forces) attacked a hundred command posts and military infrastructures" of Hezbollah movement across Lebanon, the report said. More details here

Images of this wave of violence are here.

. Iranian threats after strikes on Lebanon

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the Pakistani prime minister that a cease-fire in Lebanon is an essential condition under the ten-point agreement with the United States, according to Iranian state media. The commander of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace force said, "Any aggression against the proud Hezbollah is an aggression against Iran," according to Mehr News Agency on X, adding that "the battlefield is preparing a heavy response" to what he called the Israeli regime’s "savage crimes."

. Beirut calls on 'friends of Lebanon' to intervene to stop Israeli strikes

In this context, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called on "all friends of Lebanon" to "come to its aid by all means to stop these attacks." Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, for his part, denounced "the barbaric attacks" carried out this Wednesday in Lebanon by Israel, which "bears full responsibility for the escalation," according to a statement from the Baabda palace.

Hezbollah had suspended its attacks as part of the cease-fire between the United States and Iran, according to three sources close to the group cited by Reuters on Wednesday morning.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, for his part, stated that the strikes had targeted "hundreds" of Hezbollah members. On Wednesday morning, Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that Israel had accepted the cease-fire with Iran, but that it "does not include Lebanon". U.S. President Donald Trump also stated, in remarks given to U.S. public broadcaster PBS, that the cease-fire agreement with Tehran "does not include Lebanon." He said Lebanon was excluded because of "Hezbollah," adding that "they were not included in the agreement."

Read more

US-Iran cease-fire; Lebanon excluded from agreement: Our co-editor-in-chief Anthony Samrani answered your questions

. Tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz suspended after Israeli strikes in Lebanon, according to Fars

Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been completely suspended after Israel violated cease-fire terms by striking Lebanon, Iranian agency Fars reported. The agency indicated that two tankers had crossed the strait safely earlier in the day after obtaining Iran's authorization, following the cease-fire agreement. According to Fars, halting attacks against the "resistance front," including in Lebanon, was among Iran's conditions in its ten-point plan.

. Revolutionary Guards say they keep their 'finger on the trigger'

The Revolutionary Guards, "finger on the trigger," are ready to respond "should the enemy repeat its miscalculations," the army of the Islamic Republic of Iran declared on its Telegram channel. Later, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards claimed to have shot down an Israeli-made drone in southern Iran, warning of a "violation of the cease-fire."

. Iran: U.S. forces 'remain ready' if the truce ends, says their chief of staff

"Let’s be clear, a cease-fire is a pause, and the armed forces remain ready, if ordered or called upon, to resume combat operations with the same speed and precision that we have shown over the past 38 days," said General Dan Caine at a press conference alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth warned Iran that if it did not cede its uranium, the United States was ready to seize it by "any means necessary."

. Emirates say they have been targeted by 17 missiles and 35 Iranian drones since the cease-fire began

Since it took effect, "17 ballistic missiles and 35 drones have been recorded and the air defenses successfully neutralized them," the Ministry of Defense said on X. Iran had earlier said it launched attacks on Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in response to air strikes against its oil facilities, which came after the cease-fire was announced.

. War in Iran: European and Canadian leaders call for 'rapid and lasting end'

The leaders of France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain and the European Union called Wednesday for a "rapid and lasting end" to the war in Iran. "We welcome the two-week cease-fire reached today between the United States and Iran," they wrote in a joint statement, specifying that "the aim now must be to negotiate, in the coming days, a rapid and lasting end to the war."

. Trump threatens 50% tariffs on countries supplying weapons to Iran

Donald Trump threatened Wednesday to apply 50% tariffs on any country supplying weapons to Iran, "without exception or exemption." The United States has "finished completely destroying Iran's defense industrial base," U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. In another message on Truth Social, the U.S. president also stated that negotiations with Iran would include possible U.S. sanctions relief, and the issue of tariffs.

. U.S. will 'work' with Iran to extract nuclear material 'buried' by 2025 strikes, says Trump

Trump also said on Wednesday that there will be "no uranium enrichment" in Iran and that the United States will "work" with Tehran to extract "nuclear 'dust'" buried "deeply," apparently referring to the consequences of Israeli-American strikes in June 2025 on Iranian nuclear program facilities. "There will be no uranium enrichment, and the United States, working with Iran, will dig up and remove any nuclear 'dust' deeply buried (B-2 bombers)," the U.S. president wrote on Truth Social, a day after a cease-fire agreement.

. Oil plunges after truce between Iran and the United States

Oil prices tumbled sharply Wednesday, after the announcement of a two-week cease-fire and the temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. By 10:30 a.m. GMT, the price of North Sea Brent crude for June delivery was down 13.93% to $94.05. Its U.S. equivalent, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for May delivery, dropped 16.27% to $94.57.

. Wall Street opens much higher after cease-fire announcement

By 1:50 p.m. GMT, the Dow Jones was up 2.96%, the Nasdaq index was up 3.09%, and the broad S&P 500 index climbed 2.48%. "The reaction is somewhat euphoric (...) this is the rebound investors were hoping for," Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers told AFP.

. Lebanese army calls on displaced not to return to the south

The Lebanese army called on Wednesday morning for displaced people not to return to the south of the country, where strikes continue, with Israel stating that Lebanon is not included in the truce between Iran and the United States. "The army calls on citizens to wait before returning to the towns and villages in the south," it said in a statement. It has also blocked a road leading to south Lebanon, which remains under Israeli fire, at the Burj Qalawieh area between Sour and Nabatieh districts, to prevent displaced persons from returning, according to our correspondent. An AFP correspondent in the Sour region saw a small number of people returning by car to areas they had evacuated at the start of the war.

. White House considers 'in-person' talks with Iran

The United States is considering "in-person discussions" with Iran, White House spokesperson said Tuesday, after Washington and Tehran agreed on a two-week cease-fire in exchange for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. "Exchanges are underway regarding in-person discussions, but nothing is definitive until the president or the White House announces it," said Karoline Leavitt, as talks between the two parties are scheduled to start Friday in Islamabad, Pakistan, with Iran agreeing to participate while specifying that "this does not mean the end of the war."