Commercial deliveries through the CEPS network were reportedly pushed out by increased military demand Increased military use has put strain on the key NATO jet fuel pipeline, the Central Europe Pipeline System (CEPS), disrupting deliveries of commercial supplies, Bloomberg has reported.
Disrupting the Strait of Hormuz turned out to be a powerful weapon. It might be a new way for Iran to keep adversaries at bay, even without a nuclear program.
Marines are searching thousands of containers aboard the Touska, an Iranian cargo ship that the Navy disabled and seized on Sunday.
Oil and gas prices have jumped again as shipping through the strait of Hormuz came to a virtual standstill after Iran closed the waterway over the US blockade and Donald Trump announced an Iranian cargo ship had been seized trying to get past. Tehran has accused Washington of violating the fragile ceasefire agreement. With uncertainty over a second round of peace talks, fears continue to grow about the scale of the energy shock caused by the war.
Oil and gas prices have jumped again as shipping through the strait of Hormuz came to a virtual standstill after Iran closed the waterway over the US blockade and Donald Trump announced an Iranian cargo ship had been seized trying to get past. Tehran has accused Washington of violating the fragile ceasefire agreement. With uncertainty over a second round of peace talks, fears continue to grow about the scale of the energy shock caused by the war.
Trump: Israel 'never talked me into a war with Iran' US President Donald Trump has insisted that Israeli did not push him into war with Iran, responding to news reports that Netanyahu influenced his decision. “Israel never talked me into the war with Iran, the results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, did,” Trump said.
Israeli strike kills 80-year-old Palestinian academic and former hijacker in Lebanon Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Mon, 04/20/2026 - 14:30 Maha Abu Khalil, an early member of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, killed in Tyre A recent picture of Maha Abu Khalil in southern Lebanon (X) Off A Palestinian academic and activist who was one of the first women plane hijackers was killed in an Israeli air strike last week on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, according to Lebanon 's state news agency. M aha Abu Khalil, 80, was killed close to midnight on 17 April, shortly before a 10-day ceasefire was due to come into effect. At least 13 others were killed and 35 wounded in the strike, while 15 remain unaccounted for.
US military blockade redirected 27 vessels since blockade The US military has directed 27 vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port since the beginning of its blockade around the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command said in a statement on X on Monday.
Israel restores West Bank settlement, as minister demands occupation of Gaza Submitted by Mera Aladam on Mon, 04/20/2026 - 08:27 The Israeli government has also agreed to rebuild three settlements dismantled in the West Bank in 2005 Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the re-establishment of a settlement in the Palestinian village of Sanur, southwest Jenin, occupied West Bank, 19 April 2026 (Shir Torem/Reuters) Off Israel has re-established a settlement in the Palestinian village of Sanur, 20 years after it was dismantled as part of Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The village, located southwest of Jenin, is the latest project amid an acceleration of settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank , which has risen sharply since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza in 2023. Several Knesset members and Israeli ministers, including Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, participated in the ceremony celebrating the restoration of the settlement on Sunday.
Mike Waltz defends possible strikes on power plants and bridges, dismissing war crime accusations as "irresponsible" US President Donald Trump's threat to destroy Iranian power plants and bridges is "perfectly acceptable," Washington's envoy to the UN Mike Waltz has said, dismissing accusations of p
'When the killer cooks': Viral image shows Israeli soldier cooking in southern Lebanese home Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 04/20/2026 - 13:49 Lebanese journalist says picture of Israeli female soldier in Bint Jbeil home is 'insult to people’s memory and dignity' An image of an Israeli soldier cooking in a kitchen was reportedly taken in Bint Jbeil, in the Nabatiye governorate of southern Lebanon (Screengrab/Bint Jbeil News) Off A viral image of an Israeli soldier cooking inside the kitchen of a home in southern Lebanon has sparked strong criticism online. The image of the female soldier smiling with ingredients spread across the table was shared on Sunday by Bint Jbeil News, a Lebanese publisher. The image was reportedly taken in Bint Jbeil, the town in the Nabatiye governorate of southern Lebanon.
The IDF indicated that it intends to remain in the neighboring country despite calls for a withdrawal The Israeli military has published a map outlining what it described as a "forward defense line" in southern Lebanon, despite calls for a full withdrawal following the announcement of a ceasefire.
The IDF indicated that it intends to remain in the neighboring country despite calls for a withdrawal The Israeli military has published a map outlining what it described as a "forward defense line" in southern Lebanon, despite calls for a full withdrawal following the announcement of a ceasefire.
The US military attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on 19 April. The US president, Donald Trump, said the vessel, named Touska, had tried to get around the US naval blockade of the strait of Hormuz. Iran’s joint military command described the seizure as an act of 'armed piracy' and vowed to retaliate Continue reading...
New Delhi [India], April 20 (ANI): As the two-week ceasefire window in West Asia inches closer to the end on April 22, India has evacuated over 11 lakh passengers from the region through continuous flight ops from various countries in the region, to alternate routes.
Iran's Internet shutdown has now surpassed 1,248 hours or 52 days, making it the longest national-level blackout since Libya's outage of nearly six months during the Arab Spring in 2011.
Few vessels are crossing after Iran reversed course on reopening the vital waterway and ships came under attack.
Israel flattening civilian buildings in southern Lebanon during truce, say commanders Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 04/20/2026 - 11:57 Israeli operatives tell Haaretz that homes and schools being demolished near Litani River as part of a strategy modelled on destruction of Gaza Destruction at the site of an Israeli air strike that targeted a neighbourhood in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre as a ceasefire with Israel took effect, on 17 April 2026 (AFP/Kawnat Haju) Off Israel has continued to systematically bomb civilian buildings in southern Lebanon during the ceasefire, according to a report in Haaretz on Sunday. A 10-day pause in hostilities in Lebanon began on Thursday last week. But since then, Israeli army commanders have told Haaretz that systematic destruction of civilian buildings in southern villages was continuing to take place.
Lebanese former minister: Israel has destroyed villages since ceasefire Ali Hassan Khalil, a top aide to Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, said on Monday that Israel had destroyed the whole or parts of 39 villages in southern Lebanon since a ceasefire was agreed with Hezbollah last week. Khalil, formerly Lebanon's finance minister, is part of the Amal movement, which is allied with Hezbollah. He said the powerful explosions carried out by Israeli forces had destroyed civilian homes in the south and amounted to “a clear war crime”.
The BBC has found significant spikes in activity shortly before the US president made some announcements.
