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Middle East crisis live: Ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon takes effect; Hezbollah tells citizens to postpone returning home | US-Israel war on Iran
Hezbollah urges displaced civilians to postpone return before ceasefire takes effect
Hezbollah has issued a statement calling on displaced Lebanese residents to delay returning to their homes in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs before the ceasefire comes into effect.
In the statement, carried by Lebanon’s National News Agency, the group urged caution amid Israel’s history of “breaking covenants and agreements”.
With the announcement of the ceasefire, and in the face of a treacherous enemy that is accustomed to breaking covenants and agreements, we call on you to be patient and not to head to the targeted areas in the South, the Bekaa and the southern suburbs of Beirut, until the course of events becomes fully clear.
We understand the extent of your longing to return to your villages and homes, and we appreciate the patience and steadfastness you have shown to the whole world. However, out of concern for your safety and your precious lives, we call upon you to be patient and endure.
It echoes a similar message issued by the Lebanese army urging residents to “exercise restraint” following the announcement of the ceasefire agreement.
Key events
Here are some images coming in from Beirut amid Lebanese celebrations over the two-week ceasefire with Israel.
Gunfire reported in Beirut as truce comes into effect
Gunfire erupted in Beirut’s southern suburbs as the ceasefire with Israel came into effect, according to AFP journalists and AFPTV footage.
Lebanese state media also reported “heavy gunfire” accompanying the start of the 10-day truce, which was announced earlier by Donald Trump and came into force at midnight on Friday (2100 GMT Thursday).
Agence France-Presse journalists reported hearing shots ring out and RPGs erupting into the air shortly after midnight and continuing for well over half an hour, as red bullet traces took off into the sky.
AFPTV footage showed people returning to the city’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, some waving the Iran-backed movement’s yellow flag or carrying portraits of its slain leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed by Israel in 2024.
Videos circulating on social media showed queues of cars in several areas in the south as displaced residents returned to their homes.
Israel warns southern Lebanese not to return south of the Litani
The Israeli military has issued an urgent warning to the people of southern Lebanon not to return south of the Litani River despite the ceasefire coming into effect.
Hezbollah earlier called on displaced Lebanese residents to delay returning to their homes in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs before the ceasefire came into effect. The group also urged caution amid what it called Israel’s history of “breaking covenants and agreements”.
The Israel Defence Forces’ later “urgent message” on X was directed to “the residents of southern Lebanon”.
The post on X from the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Col Avichay Adraee, continued (in a translation):
With the entry of the ceasefire agreement into the implementation phase, the Israel Defense Forces continue to maintain their positions in southern Lebanon in the face of the ongoing terrorist activities of Hezbollah
Out of concern for your safety and the safety of your families’ members – until further notice – you are requested not to move south of the Litani River
Israel has said it will occupy the area under the Litani – about 30km from the Israel-Lebanon border – as part of its so-called buffer zone inside southern Lebanon.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Thursday he had agreed to the 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon to try to advance a peace accord between the countries, but said he would not agree to Lebanon’s demand to withdraw from all Lebanese territory.
“We are remaining in Lebanon in an expanded security zone,” Netanyahu said, due to the “danger of an invasion” and to prevent fire into Israel.
That is where we are, and we are not leaving.”
The day so far
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A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has come into effect, pausing fighting in a devastating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 2,100 Lebanese people and displaced over 2.1 million. The agreement was announced earlier by Donald Trump, who said he had spoken with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, and invited both leaders “for meaningful talks” at the White House. Both leaders welcomed the agreement. But how long the ceasefire will hold is the key question, as both Israel and Hezbollah have maintained their right to defend themselves if the truce is broken. Here’s our report.
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Netanyahu called it a “historic” opportunity for peace, though he refused to withdraw his troops from southern Lebanon during the pause in fighting. “We are remaining in Lebanon in an expanded security zone,” Netanyahu said, due to the “danger of an invasion” and to prevent fire into Israel. “That is where we are, and we are not leaving,” he said. The Israeli PM maintained that his key demand was dismantling Hezbollah. He has previously declared his intention to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River – about 18 miles from the border – while Lebanon demands the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and for displaced residents to be able to return to their homes.
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Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei welcomed the ceasefire and stressed that it was already part of the original Iran-US agreement brokered by Pakistan. Baghaei said Iran emphasised “from the outset” the need for a “simultaneous ceasefire throughout the region, including Lebanon”, and expressed his “solidarity” with the people and government of Lebanon. He called for the return of displaced residents to their homes and emphasised the necessity of the “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces from the south of the country – which, as I’ve said, Israel has refused to do.
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The Lebanese army urged residents to “exercise restraint” in returning to their villages and towns in southern Lebanon ahead of the ceasefire coming into effect. The army added that even then residents should avoid areas that remain occupied by Israeli forces. It was followed by a similar statement issued by Hezbollah, urging caution amid Israel’s history of “breaking covenants and agreements”.
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In the hours before the ceasefire took effect, Israel and Hezbollah continued to exchange fire. Just as the ceasefire came into force, the IDF said it had hit more than 380 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the last 24 hours, including rocket launchers, headquarters and Hezbollah members themselves. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on Lebanese towns and villages killed dozens of people, including an attack on the town of Ghazieh which killed at least seven people and wounded 33, the health ministry said on Thursday.
Israel-Lebanon ceasefire begins
The 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon – announced earlier by Donald Trump – has now come into effect, pausing a devastating conflict that has displaced more than 1.2 million Lebanese people and killed over 2,100.
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanon’s president Joseph Aoun reached the agreement after discussions with the US president, Trump said on Truth Social earlier. In a follow-up post, Trump said he had invited Aoun and Netanyahu to the White House for “meaningful talks”.
Aoun welcomed the agreement, while Netanyahu called it a “historic” opportunity for peace, though the Israeli PM has refused to withdraw his troops from southern Lebanon during the pause in fighting.
Israel and Hezbollah have continued to exchange fire in the hours leading up the ceasefire, with both parties maintaining their right to defend themselves if the truce is broken.
Iran welcomes ceasefire – but insists Israel must withdraw from Lebanon
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei has welcomed the ceasefire, according Iranian state media, and stressed that it was already part of the original Iran-US agreement brokered by Pakistan.
Baghaei said Iran emphasised “from the outset” the need for a “simultaneous ceasefire throughout the region, including Lebanon”, and expressed his “solidarity” with the people and government of Lebanon.
He called for the return of displaced residents to their homes and emphasised the necessity of the “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces from the south of the country – something Israel has refused to do.
Baghaei also credited Pakistan’s efforts over the past 24 hours in securing the 10-day pause.
Hezbollah urges displaced civilians to postpone return before ceasefire takes effect
Hezbollah has issued a statement calling on displaced Lebanese residents to delay returning to their homes in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs before the ceasefire comes into effect.
In the statement, carried by Lebanon’s National News Agency, the group urged caution amid Israel’s history of “breaking covenants and agreements”.
With the announcement of the ceasefire, and in the face of a treacherous enemy that is accustomed to breaking covenants and agreements, we call on you to be patient and not to head to the targeted areas in the South, the Bekaa and the southern suburbs of Beirut, until the course of events becomes fully clear.
We understand the extent of your longing to return to your villages and homes, and we appreciate the patience and steadfastness you have shown to the whole world. However, out of concern for your safety and your precious lives, we call upon you to be patient and endure.
It echoes a similar message issued by the Lebanese army urging residents to “exercise restraint” following the announcement of the ceasefire agreement.
We’re just under an hour out from the ceasefire going into effect at midnight local time, and the Israeli military has said it’s striking launchers from which Hezbollah launched rockets toward northern Israel.
The launchers fired rockets towards northern Israel “a short while ago”, the IDF said on Telegram. Minutes earlier, it said search and rescue forces were operating at sites in northern Israel “where reports of impacts have been received”.
Meanwhile, in the past few hours, Israeli forces have continued to strike Lebanon’s south, killing dozens of people.
An Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Ghazieh killed at least seven people and wounded 33, the health ministry said on Thursday, hours before the 10-day ceasefire is due to take effect.
Lebanese state media reported a “massacre against civilians” in the town, noting that rubble removal operations are ongoing, while the health ministry said its toll is “preliminary and not final”.
An Israeli air strike on the town of Adloun in the Sidon district killed three people and wounded 21 others. Israel also struck the town of Marjayoun, as well as the villages of Sajd and Hanaway, and the Burj Shemali Palestinian refugee camp.
Air raids were also reported in the Bint Jbeil district, which Israel had been attacking heavily in recent days, and several other towns, Al Jazeera reports.
Lebanese army urges caution in returning to southern Lebanon
The Lebanese army has urged residents to “exercise restraint” in returning to their villages and towns in southern Lebanon until the ceasefire agreement comes into force at midnight local time.
The army added that even then residents should avoid areas that remain occupied by Israeli forces.
The army also stressed the need for residents to follow instructions issued by deployed military units for their safety, and urged caution over potential unexploded ordnance and suspicious objects left behind from Israeli attacks, calling on residents to report them to the nearest military post.
Israel to preserve ‘right to self-defence’ in Lebanon under terms of ceasefire, says US state department
The US state department has issued an outline of the details of the ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that will begin at 5pm EST on Thursday.
It says that both parties, having met for face-to-face talks in Washington this week, “affirm that the two countries are not at war and commit to engaging in good-faith direct negotiations, facilitated by the United States”.
The ceasefire is described as “a gesture of goodwill by the Government of Israel, intended to enable good-faith negotiations toward a permanent security and peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon”.
It also “may be extended by mutual agreement” if negotiations show signs of progress and as “Lebanon effectively demonstrates its ability to assert its sovereignty” (i.e. curb Hezbollah).
However, it reiterates Israel’s right “to take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks”.
Once the ceasefire begins, the Lebanese government, with international support, “will take meaningful steps to prevent Hezbollah and all other rogue non-state armed groups” in its country, it goes on.
All parties involved in the ceasefire recognise the “exclusive responsibility for Lebanon’s sovereignty and national defense”, it says.
And finally, it states that Israel and Lebanon have asked that the US “further direct negotiations between the two countries with the objective of resolving all remaining issues”, including the demarcation of borders and a long-term peace deal.
Donald Trump says he expects leaders from Israel and Lebanon in “four or five days”.
Trump spoke to both leaders as the ceasefire was announced. He said he was working on a longer term deal.
“It’s very exciting. I think we’re going to have a deal where we’re going to have a meeting, first time in 44 years, and Lebanon will be meeting with Israel, and they’re probably going to do it at the White House over the next week or two,” Trump said, as reported by Reuters.
A 44-year-old man is in custody over the incident where a woman appeared to be shoved into the path of a bus.
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World Cup 2026: Fifa urged to remove official over hand gesture; teams hit back at Ceferin; Iran arrive in US – live | World Cup 2026
Key events
More now on the hand gesture story mentioned earlier. Fifa’s discrimination monitor at the World Cup has called for a video assistant referee to be removed for appearing to make a hand gesture resembling a white supremacist sign.
“Advice from our experts is that the gesture used clearly resembles an upside down ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a ‘white power’ symbol in global far-right circles,” the Fare network, a longtime partner of Fifa and Uefa, the European football governing body, to monitor racist and discriminatory chants, flags and symbols at international games, said in a statement. “Clearly this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup,” Fare said in a statement, describing the gesture as “neo-Nazi.”
Kick-off times are more friendly for the UK viewer today. Spain v Cape Verdi at 5pm and Belgium v Egypt at 8pm. But we need to think globally so that’s 3pm for Cape Verdi viewers cheering on their team while in Egypt it’ll be 10pm for those tuning in to see if Mo Salah can inspire his team to victory over the Belgians.
The biggest test for the UK viewer today is Iran v New Zealand at 2am BST. In Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch that’ll be 1pm while in Tehran, Mashhad and Karaj it’s a less palatable 4.30am.
Thanks Sarah. As for World Cup songs, this one from the German 1990 squad always sticks in my mind. While England took the genre to a new level with New Order and John Barnes’ rap, the Germans very much went down the traditional route. A singer that looks like a cross between Chris de Burgh and Thomas Muller, Karl-Heinz Riedle on maracas, one or two playing air saxophone. Pleasingly dreadful.
I am off to grab some food and so I leave you in the hands of Dave Tindall who will take you through the next few hours of news. I’ll be back later on.
From requests of your favourite football songs to another on if you live in a World Cup host city. We want to hear from you if you have football teams in town from the atmosphere to how it is affecting business. Use the form on this page to get in touch:
We have another shout for the best/worst football song and I can’t decide which side of the forward slash this one belongs on. Graeme Neill said:
Timely given yesterday evening’s match. Japan’s Cornelius and his utterly bonkers Ball in Kick Off is worth a listen:
France will kick-off their tournament against Senegal on Tuesday and to say they have attacking quality is an understatement. The team boasts players like the captain, Kylian Mbappé, Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Cherki but they all have a role to play, according to Adrien Rabiot. Read more:
Jacob Steinberg
The cat is well truly out of the bag. Nobody expected the conversation to be quite so revealing when Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers sat on the Lions’ Den sofa last week. Content controlled by the Football Association was an unlikely place for Bellingham to drop a few truth bombs, but the England midfielder was not minded to hold back when it was time to discuss his experience at Euro 2024.
“It didn’t feel like there was any kind of hierarchy,” the 22-year-old said. “I think at the Euros we got some things a little bit wrong off the pitch. I don’t feel like the group connected as well as it could have – for a number of reasons.”
Read more:
Fifa urged to remove official over hand gesture
Fifa have been urged to remove a video review official who appeared to make a white supremacy hand gesture during Germany’s 7-1 win over Curaçao.
The governing body’s discrimination monitor at the World Cup called for Shaun Evans from Australia to be removed from the tournament.
The gesture was also spotted by several fans who posted about it on social media.
“Advice from our experts is that the gesture used clearly resembles an upside down ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a ‘white power’ symbol in global far-right circles,” the Fare network said.
Fifa are yet to comment on the situation.
There have been some sights at the World Cup but Scotland fans taking over Fenway Park is one that has been one of the most surreal. The Boston Red Sox lost 6-4 to the Texas Rangers but Scotland fans stayed long after the game was over singing “super John McGinn” and during the match there was a rendition of “yes sir, I can boogie”.
Anil Patel has emailed:
This absolute banger wasn’t attached to any particular team but is one of the best themes out there.
This is a great shout and a fun fact for you about it, it was initially written to be a baseball anthem. Some baseball news coming your way soon…
If anyone is unsure of the song I referenced, here it is:
Football songs can be iconic or occasionally cringey, that one with Dizzee Rascal and James Cordon comes to mind for the latter for me. What are your best/worst anthems for a major tournament? Get in touch and let me know.
England may have banished some penalty shootout demons in the last few major tournaments but the question of who would step up to take one is one that will always be asked. One such player who said he would take on is Eberechi Eze, despite missing one in the Champions League final. Have a read of what he said:
There will be many questions raised at this World Cup. Who will win the trophy? Who will claim the Golden Boot? What will the next standout moment be? But there is another question that has been answered in the following piece: Where have the WAGs gone?
Matt Hughes
Fox will not face any punishment from Fifa for breaking the governing body’s advertising rules during the opening game of the World Cup between Mexico and South Africa last week.
The US broadcaster broke Fifa’s strict guidelines for showing commercials during hydration breaks on the first occasion they were in operation by returning to the live action 10 seconds after play had resumed during the second half at Mexico City Stadium.
Fifa’s tournament regulations, which were given to all rights holders two months ago, state that while broadcasters can show ads during hydration breaks they must return to the match 30 seconds before play resumes.
Read more:
Sometimes a team needs a player to have some standout performances to jump start a tournament and Jordan Henderson believes that player for England will be Jude Bellingham. Henderson said:
I’m sure he will have a big impact for us in this tournament. I can remember five years ago I gave him his first cap, it was away at Middlesbrough. How much he’s grown, as a player and as a person since then, is incredible really. I had a good idea when I first saw him playing and training, and the way he was.
I think everybody forgets how young he is. We do rondos and it’s the youngest in, and there’s people that I think should be going in before him, but he’s always one of the first in the middle to go in. It just reminds us how young he is. I honestly couldn’t speak highly enough of him.
Read more:
The travel at this tournament has grabbed more than a few headlines so far and there is another one pertaining to Australia. The Socceroos beat Turkey 2-0 in their opening game with their second against one of the co-hosts, the US, on Friday. Their focus will be on that game but recovery is also high on their list. Read more here:
There have already been so many historic moments at this tournament, including Scotland’s first World Cup win in 36 years. Mo Salah is hoping to replicate the moment and end Egypt’s long wait of 92 years for a victory at the tournament. The team have their first game against Belgium today to try and make history:
Spain, who start their campaign today against Cabo Verde, are among the favourites to win the World Cup after their European Championship success in 2024. Here’s a piece on how the team are embracing the tag and how they are using one trophy-winning tournament to potentially lift another:
Uruguay will take on Saudia Arabia later today but their travel was delayed amid challenges across the tournament.
The team’s initial flight from Mexico was cancelled with their replacment delayed. The Uruguay captain, José María Giménez, described the situation as “difficult”.
Read more:
There are more games to be played today with another four in store. The details for those kick-off times and match-ups are below but do get in touch to let me know what your World Cup routine is. Are you having to get up early to watch the games? Or are you in a time zone where you can get home from work and watch back-to-back football until it’s time for bed? Email me and let me know, here are today’s fixtures:
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Spain v Cabo Verde (5pm BST, 12pm ET, 9am PT)
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Belgium v Egypt (8pm BST, 3pm ET, 12pm PT)
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Saudi Arabia v Uruguay (11pm BST, 6pm ET, 3pm PT)
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Iran v New Zealand (2am BST, 9pm ET, 6pm PT)
So what happened in the matches yesterday? Four took place with the biggest win coming in Germany’s 7-1 dismantling of Curaçao. The island nation will be disappointed with the result but they also made history as they scored their first-ever World Cup goal. That came from Livano Comenencia, who plays his club football for Zürich. Have a read of that report and others for all the latest action on pitch:
Čeferin criticised for ‘uninteresting’ comment
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin was criticised by multiple nations from Asia, Africa and the Caribbean after reportedly saying the expanded World Cup creates “uninteresting” matches.
According to Zurnal 24, the boss said at a conference last Monday: “We have a huge number of matches that are completely uninteresting.”
The associations of Cape Verde, Congo, Curaçao, Haiti, Jordan and Uzbekistan released a joint statement, which was in solidarity with the federations of Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.
It said: “Football does not belong to a select group of nations. Its strength comes from its universality,” the statement said. “For many countries, participation in the FIFA World Cup is not only a sporting achievement. It is a moment that inspires a generation, accelerates football development and creates memories that last a lifetime.”
Ben Fisher
The Iran striker Mehdi Taremi has said the controversy and disruption surrounding their involvement at the World Cup undermines Fifa’s message of peace and conceded he felt the tension before arriving in Los Angeles on the eve of their opener, hours before a peace deal was announced. For the first time since the competition’s inception, a host nation has received a country with which it is at war.
On Sunday Iran flew to LA from Tijuana, Mexico, where they were relocated amid an ongoing row over visas, but are expected to face opposition from Iranians, many of whom believe the national team do not represent the country. Iran has been beset by problems in the buildup to the tournament, with several officials denied entry to the US.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to today’s World Cup news blog where we bring you the latest updates from the global event being hosted across the US, Canada and Mexico.
Any breaking news, team updates or reflections on what has happened so far will be all here for you to feast on, no matter what you are doing with your Monday.
Please do get in touch too, we always like to hear from readers. Potentially on the best underdog story at the World Cup or any quirky predictions you may have for the tournament.
Amongst several stories surrounding the competition today is Iran’s arrival in the US. The team landed on Sunday before they take on New Zealand.
More details on that story will be with you shortly, as well as the reports from the games that took place yesterday to catch up on all the latest action.
The man said his home has been targeted three times in the last five months.
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