Trump claims Iran’s management of the Strait of Hormuz violates our agreement. Five hours ago. Joel GunterJerusalem. Getty Images via AFP. US President Donald Trump has criticized Iran for mishandling oil transit through the critical Strait of Hormuz, calling it a “very poor job” and stating it was “not the agreement we have.” These remarks underscore the shaky ceasefire deal, amid disputes over its terms. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his government would launch direct negotiations with Lebanon on disarming Hezbollah—the Iran-supported militant group—and fostering peaceful ties. A US State Department official verified plans to host a Washington meeting next week “to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel and Lebanon.” Lebanese leaders had urged a ceasefire prior to the talks, but Netanyahu later told northern Israeli residents: “There is no ceasefire in Lebanon.” Israeli strikes persisted in Lebanon all Thursday, hitting what it called Hezbollah rocket sites in the south, but attacks seemed to taper off at least temporarily overnight in the area. In an interview, Trump stated Israel would “scale back” its operations there to aid peace talks. “I spoke with Bibi and he’s going to low-key it.” Trump told NBC News after a call with Netanyahu that they needed to be a bit more low-key. The Thursday strikes prompted fresh evacuation orders for residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs. WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X that this affected the Jnah area, home to two major hospitals. “Currently, no alternative medical sites exist to accommodate about 450 patients from these hospitals (including over 100 in the ICU), making evacuation practically impossible,” he stated. Among the patients were some of the 1,150 wounded in Wednesday’s extensive Israeli strikes, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. At least 303 people were killed. Tedros also stated that the Ministry of Public Health headquarters, which “hosts five shelters accommodating more than 5,000 people,” is located in the evacuation zone. That ceasefire started amid confusion over whether Lebanon, Israel’s second front, was included.
