Published on: 04/23/2026 - 05:35 Modified on: 04/24/2026 - 05:35
Donald Trump announced Thursday an extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which expired on Sunday, by “three weeks”. The President of the United States also ordered the American Navy to “shoot down and kill all Iranian boats” that lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Here is the thread for April 23, 2026.
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Met Opera-Saudi partnership canceled amid Middle East war
The Metropolitan Opera (Met) announced Thursday the failure of a major partnership with Saudi Arabia due to the context of war in the Middle East, depriving the New York institution of a source of strategic financing at a time of severe budgetary tensions.
Unveiled in September, the project included annual Met performances in Saudi Arabia as well as artistic training programs, in exchange for substantial financial support. But “due to the current economic situation in Saudi Arabia, the agreement that the Metropolitan Opera planned to conclude with the Saudi Ministry of Culture has been canceled,” the institution said in a press release, specifying that this partnership “would have constituted a significant new source of income for the Met”.
According to the New York Times, the deal could have been worth up to $200 million, although financial terms were never made public. The director general of the Met, Peter Gelb, explained to the American daily that the Saudi withdrawal was linked to the economic repercussions of the war in the Middle East, in particular on oil exports.
Marco Rubio denies US is trying to block Iranian players from World Cup
The United States, the host nation, is not seeking to exclude Iran from this summer's World Cup, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday, as a U.S. official raised the possibility of replacing war-ravaged Iran with Italy, which did not qualify. "The problem with Iran wouldn't be its athletes. It would be some of the other people they want to bring with them," Marco Rubio told reporters.
Donald Trump announces an extension of the ceasefire in Lebanon by “three weeks”
Donald Trump announced Thursday an extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which expired on Sunday, by “three weeks”. “The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended for THREE WEEKS,” the American president wrote on his Truth Social platform following talks between Israel and Lebanon at the White House.
Speaking at the White House after the talks, he added that there was a "very good chance" of reaching a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon this year.
The US president also said he expected Israeli leaders Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese leaders Joseph Aoun to meet "in the coming weeks".
Hezbollah says it fired rockets into northern Israel
Hezbollah announced that it had fired rockets into northern Israel in response to “violations” of the ceasefire by the Israeli army.
“To defend Lebanon and its people, and in response to the violation of the ceasefire by the Israeli enemy and its attacks on the town of Yater, in southern Lebanon,” Hezbollah “targeted the settlement of Shtula with a salvo of rockets,” the pro-Iranian group said in a statement.
US President says he has no intention of using nuclear weapons against Iran
Donald Trump said he did not intend to use nuclear weapons against Iran: "No, I would not use them. It should never be possible for anyone to use nuclear weapons," he said during an exchange with the press in the Oval Office.
"We don't need it. Why ask such a stupid question? Why would I use nuclear weapons when we have completely wiped them out, in a very conventional way?" he declared.
🎥 Repression has been greater in Iran since the start of the war
The use of the death penalty in Iran has accelerated since February 28. Explanations with Sorour Kasmaï, Franco-Iranian novelist and editor.
“Israel is not currently attacking Iran,” defends an Israeli security source
An Israeli security source told AFP that the Israeli army was not attacking Iran after Iranian media reported anti-aircraft fire in Tehran.
“Israel is not currently attacking Iran,” said this source, who requested anonymity, without further details.
US aircraft carrier George Bush arrives near Middle East
The aircraft carrier George Bush “sailed in the Indian Ocean, in the area of responsibility of the American command for the Middle East, on April 23,” wrote the American army on its X account. The aircraft carriers Ford and Lincoln were previously dispatched to the Middle East.
Oil prices accelerate and rise more than 5% with renewed tensions in Iran
The rise in oil prices is intensifying, a sign of market tension regarding the situation in the Middle East, after new explosions in Tehran and in the absence of any prospect of resuming discussions between Americans and Iranians.
Around 5:55 p.m. GMT, a barrel of Brent from the North Sea, an international benchmark, climbed 5.16% to $107.17. Its American equivalent, a barrel of WTI, rose 5.63% to $98.19.
The American president claims to have "all the time in the world" on the subject of Iran
Donald Trump assured that he had "all the time in the world" regarding the war in the Middle East, unlike Iran according to him.
"To all those, ever fewer, who read these New York Times failures or watch the CNN lies, who think that I am 'in a hurry' to end the war (if we call it that) with Iran, know that I am surely the least pressured person to have ever found themselves in this position. I have all the time in the world, but that is not the case with Iran," the American president wrote on Truth Social.
“There will only be an agreement when it is relevant and good for the United States, our allies and, indeed, the rest of the world,” he said.
US president to meet representatives of Lebanon, Israel during talks
Donald Trump will meet representatives of Lebanon and Israel during the second session of talks to be held at the White House.
"Ambassador-level talks between Israel and Lebanon will now be held at the White House. President Trump will greet the two representatives upon their arrival," an official said on condition of anonymity.
Explosions in Tehran, air defense system activated
Explosions rang out in Tehran where the air defense system was activated, Iranian media reported for the first time since a ceasefire with the United States came into force.
According to the official Irna news agency, “aircraft defense fire was heard” in western Tehran. The Mehr agency indicated that the system had been activated against “hostile targets”.
Iran's new supreme leader 'seriously injured' but 'quick-minded', says New York Times
According to the New York Times, which cites several Iranian officials on condition of anonymity, Mojtaba Khamenei was "seriously injured (during the February 28 airstrike)", when his father, Ali Khamenei, was killed.
However, “he remains sharp-minded and active.” He delegated decision-making power to generals of the Revolutionary Guards, “at least for now.”
Three dead in Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, says Lebanese Health Ministry
An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon left three people dead, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, despite the truce.
The ministry specified in a press release that this strike fell "on the Shukine road, in the Nabatiyé district", more than 30 kilometers north of Israel, while another, carried out in Yater, more than four kilometers north of Israel, left two injured, including a child.
Israel 'waiting for green light' from Trump to 'return Iran to stone age', says Israeli Defense Minister
According to the Israeli Defense Minister, the Jewish state is "ready" to resume the war against Iran and is awaiting the green light from the United States to "return Iran to the Dark Ages and the Stone Age."
The Israeli army "is ready, both defensively and offensively, and the targets (in Iran) have been designated," Israel Katz said in a video message.
“We are waiting for the green light from the United States – above all to complete the elimination of the Khamenei dynasty,” he added, referring to Mojtaba Khamenei, appointed supreme leader to succeed his father Ali Khamenei.
“The countries of the region must be involved in the negotiations” between Lebanon and Israel, pleads Macron
Emmanuel Macron pleaded for negotiations on Lebanon to include “all countries in the region which are relevant for its security” in order to achieve “lasting peace” in the country of the Cedar.
“Lebanon is today under very strong pressure and we are all working to ensure that the ceasefire is extended,” declared the French president alongside his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides before an informal European summit in Nicosia.
To do this, the negotiations must "take place in a suitable framework, that is to say obviously between Lebanon and Israel", but including "all the countries in the region which are relevant for the security and stability of Lebanon over the long term", he added.
🎥 What will Lebanon ask for during the negotiations?
Beirut wants to request a one-month extension of the current truce. Explanations from our international columnist Anne Corpet.
The effects of the war will plunge “more than 30 million people into poverty”
More than 30 million people will be pushed back into poverty across the world due to the impact of war in the Middle East, according to development chief Alexander De Croo
at the United Nations.
Fertilizer shortages have already lowered agricultural productivity, this is expected to affect agricultural yields later in the year. “Even if the war ended tomorrow, these effects are already there,
and they will push more than 30 million people back into poverty,” he said.
“Journalists must not be targeted,” says French Foreign Ministry spokesperson
After the death of the journalist, Amal Khalil, in an airstrike in southern Lebanon, a spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry in Paris said: "International humanitarian law is very clear, journalists must not be targeted, under any circumstances and under any circumstances."
“Such actions, when proven, constitute for us war crimes and therefore, we support the Lebanese authorities in their approach aimed at ensuring that all light is shed on these events,” he added.
With AFP and Reuters
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