Extract from ABC News
Displaced people stand outside tents used as shelter in Beirut. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Hello, ABC Middle East correspondent Matthew Doran here in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
It's the end of day 47 of the war, day eight of the ceasefire (except in Lebanon) and day three of the US-declared blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Here's what you need to know today:
- A Hezbollah-affiliated news network in Lebanon said a ceasefire between Israel and the militant group would be announced on Wednesday night, local time. Al Mayadeen reported the ceasefire would last for one week — the remainder of the broader truce between the US, Israel and Iran, which was agreed to a week ago. The Netanyahu government's security cabinet will meet on Wednesday night to consider the issue, but in a video from the Israeli Prime Minister released after the meeting, no truce was announced.
- Al Mayadeen was citing a senior Iranian official saying the ceasefire was a result of pressure from Tehran during negotiations with the United States. Israel's public broadcaster KAN was reporting that it's being considered at the request of the United States. Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had instructed the IDF to continue reinforcing the "security zone" it's created in southern Lebanon — an area where hundreds of thousands of Lebanese have been forcibly displaced from.
- US President Donald Trump has said the war with Iran could "end soon", telling the world to watch out for an "amazing two days." The president has spoken to two US networks, ABC and Fox Business, saying he did not think the temporary ceasefire would need to be extended beyond next week, and the White House rejected reports the US had asked for an extension.
- There are signs that there will be another round of talks between the US and Iran in the next few days, with the Pakistani Army chief arriving in Tehran with a message from the US.
- The US said its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz had been successful in stopping a number of ships passing through. The Wall Street Journal reported that eight Iranian-linked oil tankers had been stopped by the US Navy, while Iran's Fars news agency said one tanker had crossed through. Mr Trump says China is "very happy" the US is trying to reopen the strait, and claimed President Xi Jinping would give him a "big fat hug" when they meet in a few weeks' time.
Here's what all that means
For the past week, since it halted its attacks on Iran, Israel has focused its firepower on Lebanon.
It says it's been attacking claimed Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon and the capital, Beirut.
But those attacks over the past eight days, as they have done through the past six weeks of the war, have killed scores of civilians.
Lebanon's health ministry said the death toll was now 2,167, with 7,061 people injured.
260 women have been killed, and 1,150 have been injured. 172 children have been killed, and 656 have been injured.
On one day, the first day of the ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) killed more than 300 people, many of them women and children — an attack the Lebanese government has complained to the United Nations about.
Those incredibly shocking figures had rattled the White House. Mr Trump had said he had told Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to rein it in.
Now, it appears that pressure may be tipping the balance in favour of a pause in the bloodshed in Lebanon — but it doesn't appear such a deal has been reached just yet.
Hezbollah had continued to attack Israel, in response to its strikes. There was a barrage of 40 rockets fired into northern Israel on Wednesday morning local time alone, according to Israeli authorities.
Hezbollah-affiliated media was saying the prospect of a ceasefire was due to pressure from Tehran. Israeli media was saying it's pressure from Washington.
Either way, it could be a brief respite for the population living in a state of chaos.
We'll wait to see how it plays out in the coming hours — but the early reporting in the Lebanese media that a deal was imminent seemed to be dashed by Mr Netanyahu.
His office released a video roughly an hour after the Israeli security cabinet was due to meet, where he said he'd instructed the IDF to "strengthen" its so-called "security zone" in southern Lebanon.
He said Israeli forces were about to "overwhelm" the town of Bint Jbeil, a "great stronghold of Hezbollah".
They're certainly not the words of a man about to press pause on fighting. But that doesn't mean such an announcement isn't coming soon.
Israel's Channel 12 cited a senior Israeli political source as saying "within a few days, we will have no choice but to fully cease fire in Lebanon".
And while Mr Netanyahu's great friend, Mr Trump suggested the broader ceasefire would hold, the Israeli prime minister sounded more cautious.
"In the face of the possibility that fighting will resume, we are prepared for any scenario."
And this is the impact on Australia
- ABC News Verify: As global oil issues worsen due to the war in Iran, several AI-enhanced platforms claiming to be independently monitoring Australia's fuel supply have appeared online. These fuel supply dashboards claim to know what's really going on. Can you trust them?here's how to stay up to date:
You can keep track of the latest updates from Iran and around the world throughout the day via our live blog.
Thanks for joining me. I'll see you at the same time tomorrow.
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