Financial markets rally amid optimism for swift resolution of war, despite Lebanon attacks.
Latest developments in the Middle East conflict:
The White House announced that US President Donald Trump will address the nation on Wednesday night “to provide an important update on Iran.”
The statement follows Trump’s remarks that US forces would end operations in Iran “very soon,” suggesting a timeline of two to three weeks as his administration pursues negotiations while continuing its aerial campaign.
When asked about the impact of high fuel prices since the conflict began on February 28, Trump responded: “All I have to do is leave Iran, and we’ll be doing that very soon, and they’ll come tumbling down.”
Asian markets rise on Trump’s remarks
Japanese and South Korean stock indexes jumped in early Wednesday trade after President Trump suggested that the Middle East conflict could end in roughly two weeks.
Asian markets surge
Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 3.29 percent, while South Korea’s benchmark Kospi rose 4.83 percent, following President Trump’s indication that the Middle East conflict could end within roughly two weeks.
Deadly strikes hit Beirut
Three explosions rocked southern Beirut early Wednesday, AFP journalists reported. A series of Israeli strikes in the southern parts of the Lebanese capital and nearby areas killed seven people and wounded dozens, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
The Israeli army said the attacks targeted a “senior Hezbollah commander” and another “senior” member of the Iran-backed group in Beirut.
Pope urges an end to Middle East conflict
Pope Leo XIV expressed hope that President Trump is seeking to end the war in the Middle East and called for a halt to the violence.
“I’m told that President Trump recently stated that he would like to end the war. Hopefully he’s looking for an offramp, hopefully he’s looking for a way to decrease the amount of violence, of bombing,” the pope told journalists.
Israeli strikes kill eight in southern Lebanon
At least eight people, including a paramedic, were killed in Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon on Tuesday, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
- In the Tyre district, a strike killed three people and wounded 19.
- In the Sidon district, another attack killed four.
- In Bint Jbeil, a strike hit a gathering point for the Risala Scouts, a rescue organisation affiliated with a Hezbollah ally, killing a paramedic.
Netanyahu vows to “crush” Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country would continue its military campaign against Tehran.
“The campaign is not over,” he said in a televised statement. “We will continue to crush the terror regime.”
Iran signals willingness to end war
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that Tehran has the “necessary will” to end the conflict with the United States and Israel, while seeking guarantees that hostilities would not flare up again.
His comments, which helped boost US markets and led oil prices to fall, came after a day of heavy strikes on Iran and followed a warning from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The warning threatened retaliation against major US tech firms, including Google, if further Iranian leaders were killed in “targeted assassinations.”
Tehran under fire
An AFP journalist reported a series of explosions in central Tehran as US-Israeli strikes continued into their fifth week. Air defences were also activated over the capital, including in northern districts.
UN criticises Israel over death penalty bill
The United Nations rights chief condemned the Israeli parliament’s approval of a “deeply discriminatory” death penalty law for Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks, warning that applying it in occupied Palestinian territory “would constitute a war crime.”
Canada denounces Israel’s actions in Lebanon
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney criticised Israel’s deployment of troops against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon as an “illegal invasion” that violates the country’s “integrity and sovereignty.”
EU urges fuel conservation
The European Union has called on member states to reduce domestic fuel demand amid rising energy prices driven by the Middle East conflict.
