Trump threatens Iran over tanker transit fees in Strait of Hormuz
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened Iran to stop charging fees to tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz if the country is doing so.
"There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait -- They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!" Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
A day earlier, Trump told ABC News he is weighing to set up a "joint venture" with Iran to charge tolls from vessels passing through the crucial waterway through which about 20 percent of global oil is transported, calling it "a beautiful thing."
Israeli military says air raid sirens sound in central Israel
Air raid sirens sounded in central Israel, including Tel Aviv, before dawn on Friday, warning of a missile fired from Lebanon, the Israeli military said.
The Magen David Adom rescue service said no casualties had been reported.
Earlier, Hezbollah fired rockets at Haifa and other cities along the Mediterranean coast. The Israeli military alerted the population that additional areas could come under fire later in the night.
Israel extends evacuation order in Lebanon for hospital, refugee camps, humanitarian offices: UN
Israel extended the Beirut southern suburbs' evacuation order on Thursday to include the largest public hospital in Lebanon, refugee camps, displaced shelters, UN and NGO offices, UN humanitarians said.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the displacement order was extended to the area that includes two Palestinian refugee camps, 13 collective shelters hosting more than 6,000 people, offices for the UN's Palestinian refugee agency and several national and international NGOs, as well as the Rafik Hariri Governmental Hospital, the biggest public hospital in the country.
"It also covers more than 20 locations used by our humanitarian partners to deliver aid and services to people in need," said OCHA.
Putin announces Orthodox Easter ceasefire with Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced an Orthodox Easter ceasefire with Ukraine, the Kremlin said Thursday.
"By the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, a ceasefire has been declared in view of the upcoming Orthodox holiday of Easter, from 16:00 on April 11 until the end of the day on April 12, 2026," the Kremlin said in a statement.
According to the statement, Russia's Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov have been instructed to cease combat operations along all fronts during this period.
Iran's supreme leader declares "decisive victory," announces new phase in Strait of Hormuz management
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Thursday that the Iranian people have achieved a "decisive victory" in the war against the United States and Israel, adding that Iran will move the management of the Strait of Hormuz into a new phase.
Khamenei made the remarks in a message carried by Iranian media on the 40th day after the death of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes at the start of the conflict.
"We have not sought and do not seek war, but we will not give up on our legitimate rights, and to this end, we consider the entire resistance front as a unified whole," he said.■
