Overview
- Following Wednesday’s mass strikes in Beirut and across Lebanon that killed more than 200 people, officials reported seven more dead in Abbassiyeh on Thursday as Lebanon observed a national day of mourning.
- Israel says the Lebanon front is outside the two‑week US–Iran truce, a position echoed by US officials, while Iran and mediator Pakistan insist the pause was meant to cover Lebanon too.
- Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz again after the Lebanon strikes, disrupting a route that carries about one‑fifth of the world’s seaborne oil and pushing some physical oil prices toward $150 a barrel.
- Hezbollah resumed rocket fire toward northern Israel on Thursday, and Israel said it killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, a close aide and nephew of Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, as rescuers in Beirut searched rubble for survivors.
- Talks in Islamabad targeted for Friday or Saturday, with US Vice President JD Vance slated to lead the American team, now face uncertainty as Tehran’s delegation plans waver and European leaders urge the ceasefire to be extended to Lebanon.