War in the Middle East: Israel continues its strikes in southern Lebanon

Published on April 8, 2026 at 06:14 and updated at 10:12 on the same day.

Rescuers intervene on the site of an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, on April 8, 2026. (KAWNAT HAJU / AFP)

Washington and Tehran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire in the Middle East, but Israel refuses to include Lebanon in it.

What you need to know:

• The Israeli army carried out several strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, April 8 in the morning, according to the official National Information Agency (Ani), after issuing a new evacuation order for the Tyre region. The pro-Iranian Hezbollah has not claimed any attacks against Israel since midnight, French time, as a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran is now in effect. However, Israel has refused to include Lebanon in this truce. The Lebanese army, on the other hand, has advised displaced persons not to return to the south of the country. Follow our live coverage.

• The United States and Iran agree to a ceasefire. Washington and Tehran reached a two-week ceasefire agreement in exchange for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, just over an hour before the expiry of Donald Trump’s ultimatum to destroy the Islamic Republic.

• Donald Trump hails a “complete and total victory.” The U.S. President did not say whether he would return to his initial threats to destroy Iranian power plants and bridges if the agreement fails. He also told AFP that he believed China had helped bring Iran to the negotiating table. He also stated that the United States will help end congestion in the Strait of Hormuz.

• Israel states that the ceasefire “does not include Lebanon.” “Israel supports President Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, on condition that Iran immediately reopens the straits and stops all attacks on the U.S., Israel, and the countries of the region,” said the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who believes that this agreement “does not include Lebanon,” where the Jewish state is conducting an offensive.

• Emmanuel Macron welcomes the ceasefire and wants this truce to “fully include Lebanon.” This announcement “is very good,” said the French President at a defense council at the Elysee Palace. He also wants to “fully” include Lebanon in this agreement, as Israel refuses to halt its offensive in the south of the country.

• Oil prices drop by 15%. The price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the American benchmark for crude oil, and Brent from the North Sea, the global benchmark, have plummeted by over 15%. They have both fallen below the symbolic $100 (85 euros) per barrel mark.