DIRECT. War in the Middle East: Washington speaks of progress towards an agreement; strikes in Lebanon

RÉCAP. Le bilan au 91e jour à 21 h 30

• L‘Iran a affirmé ne not yet reached an agreement with the United States to end the war, after statements by Donald Trump announcing an imminent decision. Iranian diplomacy also assured that the nuclear issue did not appear in the memorandum of understanding currently under discussion.

• Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social network that he was preparing to take his “décision finale » on a possible agreement with Iran.

• L’Unicef warned that the Israeli plan to take control of 70% of the Gaza Strip would only worsen the suffering of children.

9:04 p.m. – Hamas denounces “blatant violation” of ceasefire

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas denounced on Friday the decision of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order the army to extend its control over the Gaza Strip, despite the ceasefire concluded in October 2025.

“In a blatant violation of all agreements, as usual, Netanyahu announced the extension of control to 70% of the Gaza Strip, even as the killings and starvation continue.”accused this spokesperson, Bassem Naïm.

Under the terms of the fragile ceasefire, Israeli forces were to retreat behind a « ligne jaune »name given to the dividing line between the zone under the control of Hamas and that held by the Israeli army which gave the latter control of a little more than 50% of the small territory.

7:59 p.m. – Iran denies any negotiations at this stage on the nuclear aspect

Iranian diplomacy has assured that the nuclear issue does not appear in the memorandum of understanding currently under discussion with the United States, after comments to the contrary from Donald Trump. “At this stage, our priority is to end the war, and there are no negotiations on the nuclear issue.”declared on state television the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ismaïl Baghaï.

The American president had announced earlier that he was preparing to take a « décision finale » on a possible agreement, suggesting that Iran had agreed to destroy its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

7:53 p.m. – “No final agreement” has yet been reached with the United States

Iranian diplomacy has affirmed that it has not yet reached an agreement with the United States to end the war, after declarations by Donald Trump announcing an imminent decision. “Exchanges continue but no final agreement has yet been concludedâ€commented the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ismaïl Baghaï, according to comments relayed by state media.

The American president had announced earlier that he was preparing to take a « décision finale » on a possible agreement but Iranian sources at the Fars agency denied his assertions on two central points: the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian nuclear power.

7:22 p.m. – Israeli project in Gaza will worsen the plight of children, warns Unicef

Unicef ​​warned on Friday that the Israeli plan to take control of 70% of the Gaza Strip would only worsen the suffering of children, already hard hit by diseases linked to extreme overpopulation.

Today, “The population is crowded into approximately 40% of the remaining space, finding refuge among destroyed buildings, rubble and a growing accumulation of solid waste (…) and there is no accessible space left to evacuate them.â€Unicef ​​spokesperson Salim Oweis told reporters in Geneva, speaking from Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he had ordered the army to take control of new territories in Gaza, despite the terms of the fragile ceasefire that came into force in October. “We now control 60% of the band’s territory.” of Gaza, he said, adding that he had ordered it to go up to 70%.

6:20 p.m. – Les propos de Trump, a «mélange of truth and lies»

Iranian sources, cited by the Fars news agency, claimed that Donald Trump’s latest statements on a possible agreement with Iran to end the war were a “A mixture of truth and lies”.

“Trump claimed that Iran was required to open the Strait of Hormuz without tolls, even though no such clause is included in the text of the agreement.”assured these sources. The destruction of Iran’s nuclear materials is also not included, they added.

Donald Trump had previously stated on his Truth social network that he was preparing to take a « décision finale » on a possible agreement, believing that the Strait of Hormuz should reopen « immédiatement » and that the enriched uranium had to be “DESTROYED” in capital letters.

5:12 p.m. – Iran says deal depends on US ending demands

Iran has called on Washington to abandon its “excessive” demands in negotiations to end the war, with Donald Trump saying for his part he was preparing to make his “final” decision.

“Reaching a final agreement depends on stopping the attitude of the American side,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a conversation with his Omani counterpart, denouncing “excessive demands as well as changing positions and contradictory statements” of the United States.

17 h 07 – Trump says qu’il s’apprête à prendre « sa décision finale »

Donald Trump announced that he would like to make the final decision on a possible agreement with Iran.

“I’m going to have a meeting now in the Situation Room to make a final decision.”a écrit le président américain.

4:49 p.m. – A truce with Israel is a condition for any diplomatic progress

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told the head of American diplomacy Marco Rubio that a ceasefire with Israel was a prerequisite for any diplomatic progress between the two countries which began military negotiations in Washington.

Joseph Aoun considered it necessary “to deploy all possible efforts to bring about an end” to the war, the truce being “the obligatory passage to any new stage” of negotiations with Israel, according to a press release from the presidency.

14 h 17 – Des militaires libanais et israéliens à Washington

In Washington, the Lebanese military delegation will “insist on the need to end hostilities and present the army’s plan to extend state authority over Lebanese territoryâ€indicated a military source. The meeting comes amid negotiations between the United States and Iran, which wants to include the Lebanese front of the conflict in any agreement to end the war in the Middle East.

The Lebanese delegation to the meeting, which is being held at the Pentagon, is led by the army’s chief of operations, General Georges Rizkallah, and includes six members of “different specialties”she said. On the Israeli side, Brigadier General Amichaï Levin, head of the strategic division within the army planning directorate, is present in Washington for these talks, according to an Israeli military spokesperson.

14 h 01 – Israël appelle évacuer sept localités au Liban

The Israeli army has issued an evacuation order for seven localities in Lebanon, including at least two located around forty km north of the border, causing a massive exodus of residents, according to the National Information Agency (official Ani).

At the same time, strikes continued on several locations in the south, according to Ani, with Israel claiming to target pro-Iranian Hezbollah. The day before, bombings had targeted an area close to the Lebanese capital, as well as the large city of Saida and the thousand-year-old city of Tyre, killing at least 17 people.

1:15 p.m. – 15 children killed in one week, according to Unicef

Fifteen children have been killed and 62 others injured over the past week in Lebanon, where Israel continues its strikes despite a ceasefire, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Friday. Israel, which is fighting the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement, has intensified its land and air offensive in Lebanon in recent days.

“During the past week alone (…), there were 15 deaths and 62 injuries, an average of 11 children.†killed or injured per day, Ricardo Pires, spokesperson for Unicef, told the press in Geneva. “We understand that the vast majority of these children were affected by the airstrikes in southern Lebanon. Just yesterday, seven children were killed and 30 injured.”he added.

Since the start of the war on March 2, strikes have killed 3,324 people in Lebanon and displaced more than a million people, according to the authorities.

10 h 43 – Des sites archéologiques libanais en « danger sérieux »

Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon highlight « danger sérieux » important archaeological sites, including the ancient ruins of Tire and the Crusader fortress of Beaufort, said Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salamé.

“Bombings fell very close to the ruins of Tyre, a site which is part of the heritage of humanity”indicated the minister. At the same time, « le château de Beaufort a été frappé directement »he added.

10:12 a.m. – Barrot takes legal action over Israel’s treatment of French activists

The French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot announced that he had taken legal action in France regarding the mistreatment inflicted on the French members of the “Gaza Flotilla” during their provisional detention in Israel.

“I decided yesterday to contact the public prosecutor, under article 40 of the code of criminal procedure.”declared Jean-Noël Barrot, on France Inter. He explained that he based his report to the courts on a “Report that I requested from our consul general in Turkey, who told me of sexual violence, exposure to cold, beatings, but also repeated humiliation against French nationals.”.

Jean-Noël Barrot announced on Saturday that France had prohibited access to its territory to the Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, after the broadcast of a video of activists from the Gaza Flotilla kneeling with their hands tied, following their interception at sea and their detention in southern Israel.

8 h 00 – Washington annonce des progrès vers un accord

Sources in Washington have reported a framework agreement with Iran which provides for a 60-day extension of the ceasefire in progress since April 8. The United States and Iran made « beaucoup de progrès » towards an agreement assured American Vice-President JD Vance during the night.

“We are currently negotiating some wording. We have made a lot of progress.”he told reporters. “We hope that we continue to make progress and that the president will be able to approve the agreement, but of course, that is still to be determined.”.

Revealed by the American site Axios, this preliminary draft agreement does not resolve the question of the Iranian nuclear program, which will be addressed later, but includes a commitment from Iran not to seek to acquire the atomic bomb.

7 h 50 – Le Liban dénonce les attaques israéliennes

Lebanese authorities have denounced Israeli attacks carried out near historic sites and monuments classified by Unesco in the south of the country.

The Lebanese Minister of Culture, Ghassan Salamé, “has increased contacts with its counterparts around the world and relevant international organizations, in order to draw their attention to the considerable damage caused to archaeological sites and heritage districts.†in the south of the country, indicated the Lebanese National Information Agency (Ani).

The news of the night

• Israeli strike kills woman, two children in a town on the edge of the southern suburbs of Beirut, stronghold of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement, announced the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

• THE forces de sécurité israéliennes and Russians were added to the UN blacklist on sexual violence during conflicts, particularly in connection with accusations made by prisoners.